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Puṇya

2026-04-24T14:54:53Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=puṇya
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=merit; virtue; wholesome; positive energy; collection of merit
|defaultSort=punya
|Glossary-Tibetan=བསོད་ནམས་
|Glossary-Wylie=bsod nams
|Glossary-Phonetic=sönam
|Glossary-Devanagari=पुण्य
|Glossary-Sanskrit=puṇya
|Glossary-Pali=puñña
|Glossary-Chinese=福; 功德
|Glossary-Pinyin=fú; gōngdé
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=fuku; kudoku
|Glossary-Korean=bok; gongdeok
|Glossary-English=merit
|Glossary-Term-Alt=bsod nams; merit; virtue; puṇyasaṃbhāra
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-Definition=positive potential that is created by performing virtuous actions and results in happy results and experiences
|Glossary-Senses=planting a field of positive potential by engaging in constructive actions of body, speech, and mind, that result in positive experiences that support our mental development and help us to follow the path to enlightenment
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In the Abhidharma systems, ''puṇya'' (T. ''bsod nams'') is fundamentally linked to wholesome mental factors (''kuśalacaitasika''). It is defined as the virtuous force generated by wholesome actions of body, speech, and mind that results in pleasant maturation (''vipāka'') or happiness (''sukha''). The accumulation of merit is often categorized into three types of activity:
#* Generosity (''dāna''; T. ''sbyin pa''): The practice of giving material goods, protection, or the Dharma.
#* Ethical Discipline (''śīla''; T. ''tshul khrims''): Adhering to vows and refraining from non-virtuous conduct.
#* Meditative Cultivation (''bhāvanā''; T. ''bsgom pa''): Developing focused concentration and wholesome states of mind.
#* In this context, merit is seen as the primary cause for fortunate rebirths among humans and gods (''sugati''), acting as a stabilizing force that protects the practitioner from the lower realms.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Mahāyāna tradition, merit is elevated from a means for favorable rebirth to a crucial component of the path to perfect buddhahood. It is formalized as the "collection of merit" (''puṇyasaṃbhāra''; T. ''bsod nams kyi tshogs''), which must be amassed alongside the "collection of wisdom" (''jñānasaṃbhāra''; T. ''ye shes kyi tshogs'').
#* The collection of merit primarily serves as the substantial cause for the attainment of a buddha's form bodies (''rūpakāya''), which include the ''saṃbhogakāya'' and ''nirmāṇakāya''.
#* Crucially, the Mahāyāna emphasizes the dedication of merit (''pariṇāmanā''; T. ''bsngo ba''). By dedicating one's accumulated merit to the enlightenment of all sentient beings, the merit is said to become inexhaustible, like a drop of water added to the ocean.
#* The term is also associated with ''puṇyakṣetra'' (T. ''bsod nams kྱི་ཞིང་''), the "field of merit," referring to the objects of refuge (the Three Jewels) and the assembly of noble beings to whom offerings and prostrations are made to generate vast positive potential.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): Within the Vajrayāna, the accumulation of merit is intensified through skillful means (''upāya''). Ritual activities, such as mandala offerings, guru yoga, and deity visualization, are considered highly efficient methods for amassing the collection of merit necessary to support the swift realization of wisdom. The union of merit and wisdom is often symbolized by the indivisible union of method (''upāya'') and insight (''prajñā'').
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, ''puñña'' refers to the fruit of good actions that cleanses and purifies the mind. It is developed through the ten bases of meritorious action (''puññakiriyavatthu''), which include giving, virtue, meditation, reverence, service, sharing merit, rejoicing in others' merit, hearing the Dharma, teaching the Dharma, and straightening one's views. Accumulating merit is viewed as a prerequisite for spiritual maturity and eventual liberation (''nibbāna'').
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The positive energy or potential created through performing good deeds, such as generosity or kindness. In Buddhism, accumulating this positive force is seen as essential for finding happiness in future lives, and crucial as a foundation for following the spiritual path.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A foundational Buddhist concept (Skt. ''puṇya''; T. ''bsod nams'') referring to the karmic result of wholesome actions (''kuśala''). It is systematically accumulated as the 'collection of merit' (''puṇyasaṃbhāra''), one of the two essential accumulations required for buddhahood. While merit often leads to favorable rebirths within ''saṃsāra'', in the Mahāyāna context, it is dedicated to the enlightenment of all beings, thus becoming an indispensable cause for the attainment of a buddha's form body (''rūpakāya'').
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Puṇya'' (T. ''bsod nams'') is the vital fuel of the ''bodhisattva'' path. As the "collection of merit" (''puṇyasaṃbhāra''), it provides the necessary resources—fortunate circumstances, clear faculties, and the opportunity to meet the teachings—that allow ''bodhicitta'' to arise and flourish. A ''bodhisattva'' understands that without an immense accumulation of merit, the direct realization of emptiness (''śūnyatā'') is impossible. Therefore, the practitioner engages in the six perfections (''pāramitā''), from generosity to concentration, to build this positive force. Most importantly, the ''bodhisattva'' performs the practice of dedication (''pariṇāmanā''), unselfishly directing all accumulated merit toward the total awakening of every living being. This transformation of individual merit into a universal cause for enlightenment is what distinguishes the ''bodhisattva's'' accumulation from ordinary worldly virtue.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=merit; virtue; positive energy; spiritual wealth; goodness
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=༡) རྣམ་དཀར་གྱི་ལས། བསོད་ནམས་ཉམས་པ། བསོད་ནམས་བསགས་པ། མིང་གི་རྣམ་གྲངས་ལ་སྐལ་བ་བཟང་དང་ཁྱུ་མཆོག་མཁར་རྗེ། དགེ་བའི་ཆོ་ག། དགེ་ལེགས། ཆོས། ཉམས་དགའ་བ། དམ་པ། སྡིག་ཟད། ལེགས་བྱས་བཅས་སོ།
༢) ཞི་གཟའ་གཉིས་ཀྱི་མིང་གི་རྣམ་གྲངས། ཁྱིམ་བཅུ་གཉིས་ཀུན་ལ་བསོད་ནམས་ཤིན་ཏུ་དགེ།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=དགེ་བ་བསགས་པའི་ལེགས་བྱས་དང་ནུས་པ་ལ་ཟེར།
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=༼１༽་སྟོབས་འབྱོར་ལོངས་སྤྱོད་སོགས་ཀྱི་མིང་སྟེ། བསོད་ནམས་དང་མངའ་ཐང་ཞེས་པ་ལྟ་བུ། ཕུན་སུམ་ཚོགས་པ་ལའང་འཇུག་-་༼２༽་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་ལུགས་དང་མཐུན་པའི་བྱ་ལས་ཀྱི་མིང་ལ་སངས་རྒྱས་ཆོས་ལུགས་པས་བསོད་ནམས་ཟེར་ཞིང་དེ་བྱས་པ་ལ་བསོད་ནམས་བསགས་ཟེར།
}}

Puṇya

2026-04-23T15:51:16Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=puṇya
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=merit; virtue; wholesome; positive energy; collection of merit
|defaultSort=punya
|Glossary-Tibetan=བསོད་ནམས་
|Glossary-Wylie=bsod nams
|Glossary-Phonetic=sönam
|Glossary-Devanagari=पुण्य
|Glossary-Sanskrit=puṇya
|Glossary-Pali=puñña
|Glossary-Chinese=福; 功德
|Glossary-Pinyin=fú; gōngdé
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=fuku; kudoku
|Glossary-Korean=bok; gongdeok
|Glossary-English=merit
|Glossary-Term-Alt=bsod nams; merit; virtue; puṇyasaṃbhāra
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-Definition=positive potential that is created by performing virtuous actions and results in happy results and experiences
|Glossary-Senses=planting a field of positive potential by engaging in constructive actions of body, speech, and mind that result in positive experiences that help us develop our minds and follow the path to enlightenment
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In the Abhidharma systems, ''puṇya'' (T. ''bsod nams'') is fundamentally linked to wholesome mental factors (''kuśalacaitasika''). It is defined as the virtuous force generated by wholesome actions of body, speech, and mind that results in pleasant maturation (''vipāka'') or happiness (''sukha''). The accumulation of merit is often categorized into three types of activity:
#* Generosity (''dāna''; T. ''sbyin pa''): The practice of giving material goods, protection, or the Dharma.
#* Ethical Discipline (''śīla''; T. ''tshul khrims''): Adhering to vows and refraining from non-virtuous conduct.
#* Meditative Cultivation (''bhāvanā''; T. ''bsgom pa''): Developing focused concentration and wholesome states of mind.
#* In this context, merit is seen as the primary cause for fortunate rebirths among humans and gods (''sugati''), acting as a stabilizing force that protects the practitioner from the lower realms.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Mahāyāna tradition, merit is elevated from a means for favorable rebirth to a crucial component of the path to perfect buddhahood. It is formalized as the "collection of merit" (''puṇyasaṃbhāra''; T. ''bsod nams kyi tshogs''), which must be amassed alongside the "collection of wisdom" (''jñānasaṃbhāra''; T. ''ye shes kyi tshogs'').
#* The collection of merit primarily serves as the substantial cause for the attainment of a buddha's form bodies (''rūpakāya''), which include the ''saṃbhogakāya'' and ''nirmāṇakāya''.
#* Crucially, the Mahāyāna emphasizes the dedication of merit (''pariṇāmanā''; T. ''bsngo ba''). By dedicating one's accumulated merit to the enlightenment of all sentient beings, the merit is said to become inexhaustible, like a drop of water added to the ocean.
#* The term is also associated with ''puṇyakṣetra'' (T. ''bsod nams kྱི་ཞིང་''), the "field of merit," referring to the objects of refuge (the Three Jewels) and the assembly of noble beings to whom offerings and prostrations are made to generate vast positive potential.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): Within the Vajrayāna, the accumulation of merit is intensified through skillful means (''upāya''). Ritual activities, such as mandala offerings, guru yoga, and deity visualization, are considered highly efficient methods for amassing the collection of merit necessary to support the swift realization of wisdom. The union of merit and wisdom is often symbolized by the indivisible union of method (''upāya'') and insight (''prajñā'').
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, ''puñña'' refers to the fruit of good actions that cleanses and purifies the mind. It is developed through the ten bases of meritorious action (''puññakiriyavatthu''), which include giving, virtue, meditation, reverence, service, sharing merit, rejoicing in others' merit, hearing the Dharma, teaching the Dharma, and straightening one's views. Accumulating merit is viewed as a prerequisite for spiritual maturity and eventual liberation (''nibbāna'').
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The positive energy or potential created through performing good deeds, such as generosity or kindness. In Buddhism, accumulating this positive force is seen as essential for finding happiness in future lives, and crucial as a foundation for following the spiritual path.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A foundational Buddhist concept (Skt. ''puṇya''; T. ''bsod nams'') referring to the karmic result of wholesome actions (''kuśala''). It is systematically accumulated as the 'collection of merit' (''puṇyasaṃbhāra''), one of the two essential accumulations required for buddhahood. While merit often leads to favorable rebirths within ''saṃsāra'', in the Mahāyāna context, it is dedicated to the enlightenment of all beings, thus becoming an indispensable cause for the attainment of a buddha's form body (''rūpakāya'').
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Puṇya'' (T. ''bsod nams'') is the vital fuel of the ''bodhisattva'' path. As the "collection of merit" (''puṇyasaṃbhāra''), it provides the necessary resources—fortunate circumstances, clear faculties, and the opportunity to meet the teachings—that allow ''bodhicitta'' to arise and flourish. A ''bodhisattva'' understands that without an immense accumulation of merit, the direct realization of emptiness (''śūnyatā'') is impossible. Therefore, the practitioner engages in the six perfections (''pāramitā''), from generosity to concentration, to build this positive force. Most importantly, the ''bodhisattva'' performs the practice of dedication (''pariṇāmanā''), unselfishly directing all accumulated merit toward the total awakening of every living being. This transformation of individual merit into a universal cause for enlightenment is what distinguishes the ''bodhisattva's'' accumulation from ordinary worldly virtue.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=merit; virtue; positive energy; spiritual wealth; goodness
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=༡) རྣམ་དཀར་གྱི་ལས། བསོད་ནམས་ཉམས་པ། བསོད་ནམས་བསགས་པ། མིང་གི་རྣམ་གྲངས་ལ་སྐལ་བ་བཟང་དང་ཁྱུ་མཆོག་མཁར་རྗེ། དགེ་བའི་ཆོ་ག། དགེ་ལེགས། ཆོས། ཉམས་དགའ་བ། དམ་པ། སྡིག་ཟད། ལེགས་བྱས་བཅས་སོ།
༢) ཞི་གཟའ་གཉིས་ཀྱི་མིང་གི་རྣམ་གྲངས། ཁྱིམ་བཅུ་གཉིས་ཀུན་ལ་བསོད་ནམས་ཤིན་ཏུ་དགེ།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=དགེ་བ་བསགས་པའི་ལེགས་བྱས་དང་ནུས་པ་ལ་ཟེར།
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=༼１༽་སྟོབས་འབྱོར་ལོངས་སྤྱོད་སོགས་ཀྱི་མིང་སྟེ། བསོད་ནམས་དང་མངའ་ཐང་ཞེས་པ་ལྟ་བུ། ཕུན་སུམ་ཚོགས་པ་ལའང་འཇུག་-་༼２༽་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་ལུགས་དང་མཐུན་པའི་བྱ་ལས་ཀྱི་མིང་ལ་སངས་རྒྱས་ཆོས་ལུགས་པས་བསོད་ནམས་ཟེར་ཞིང་དེ་བྱས་པ་ལ་བསོད་ནམས་བསགས་ཟེར།
}}

Ratnatraya

2026-04-23T15:28:38Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=ratnatraya
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=Three Jewels; Triple Gem; three places of refuge; the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha
|defaultSort=ratnatraya
|Glossary-Tibetan=དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་
|Glossary-Wylie=dkon mchog gsum
|Glossary-Phonetic=könchok sum
|Glossary-Devanagari=रत्नत्रय / त्रिरत्न
|Glossary-Sanskrit=Ratnatraya (alt. Triratna)
|Glossary-Pali=Ratanattaya (alt. Tiratana)
|Glossary-Chinese=三寶
|Glossary-Pinyin=sānbǎo
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=sanbō
|Glossary-Korean=sambo
|Glossary-English=Three Jewels
|Glossary-84000=The Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha‍—the three objects of Buddhist refuge. In the Tibetan rendering, “the three rare and supreme ones.”
|Glossary-Term-Alt=triratna; Three Jewels; Triple Gem; Three Treasures; dkon mchog gsum; དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=ratnatraya (alt. triratna) (P. ratanattaya/tiratana; T. dkon mchog gsum; C. sanbao; J. sanbō; K. sambo 三寶). In Sanskrit, the "three jewels," also translated into English as the "triple gem" or the "three treasures." In the Buddhist tradition, RATNATRAYA refers to the three principal objects of veneration: the Buddha, the DHARMA, and the SAṂGHA. One of the most common practices that define a Buddhist is "taking refuge" (see ŚARAṆA) in the three jewels. This formula, which accompanies many lay and monastic rituals, involves a formal declaration that the practitioner "goes to" each of the three jewels for refuge (śaraṇa) or protection. The Sanskrit formula is as follows: "Buddhaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Dharmaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Saṃghaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi." meaning "I go to the Buddha for refuge. I go to the dharma for refuge. I go to the saṃgha for refuge." By repeating this formula three times, one identifies oneself as a Buddhist. (See also TRIŚARAṆA.) The precise meanings of these three terms, how they relate to one another, and exactly how each one is to be venerated are all subjects of extensive commentary within the tradition. The term buddha refers first, and most obviously, to the historical Buddha, GAUTAMA or ŚĀKYAMUNI, the sage of ancient India who realized and then taught the way to end all suffering. But the Buddha may also refer to any number of buddhas found in the extensive MAHĀYĀNA pantheon. In some varieties of the Mahāyāna, buddha may even refer to the inherent state of buddhahood that is the fundamental characteristic of all sentient beings. The term dharma refers to the teachings of a buddha, which can take a variety of possible forms including specific beliefs, texts, or practices; the dharma is sometimes divided into the scriptural dharma (ĀGAMADHARMA) and the realized dharma (ADHIGAMADHARMA). In the context of the three jewels, one is said to go for refuge in the latter. However, dharma may also refer to the pervasive, universal truth that is realized by a buddha, particularly as enshrined in the teaching of the FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS (catvāry āryasatyāni). Some commentators specify that in the context of the three jewels, the dharma refers to the third and fourth of the four truths, the truth of cessation (NIRODHASATYA) and the truth of the path (MĀRGASATYA), and most specifically to the truth of cessation. The term saṃgha refers to the community that seeks to realize and enact the teachings of a buddha for the sake of its own liberation and the liberation of others. Saṃgha is usually understood to include only those followers who have renounced the life of a householder (PRAVRAJITA) and taken up the life of a monk (BHIKṢU) or nun (BHIKṢUNĪ). However, the saṃgha is also sometimes interpreted to include both laymen (UPĀSAKA) and laywomen (UPĀSIKĀ) as well. In the context of refuge, the Saṃgha is generally said to refer to those members of the community who are Āryapudgala.
|Glossary-Definition=These are the three main objects that Buddhists from all traditions take refuge in. They are the Buddha, Dharma, and the Saṅgha‍, rendered in Tibetan as “the three rare and supreme ones.”
|Glossary-Senses=a place of protection and refuge that protects us from our negative states of mind and misunderstanding of reality, and guides us on the right path to enlightenment
|Glossary-Simon=These are the three main objects of refuge for Buddhists from all traditions.

In his White Conch Dictionary (Dung dkar tshig mdzod chen mo), Dungkar Rinpoche says that, putting it simply, the Buddha Jewel is the one who expounds the teachings, the Dharma Jewel is the collection of teachings that the Buddha taught, and the Sangha Jewel consists of those who put those teachings into practice.

The Tibetan etymology uses the word dkon, which means rare or hard to find, and then mchog, which means supreme, outstanding, or distinguished.
Dungkar Rinpoche explains that the word Jewel is to be understood as something that appears very rarely in this world. We can therefore consider it to be more precious than an ordinary diamond or jewel. In terms of being a field of merit, the Three Jewels are the best of all fields and are therefore supreme.

The definition of the Buddha Jewel is the place of refuge which has taken to its final limit the two aims, of oneself and others.

The Dharma Jewel is considered the most important of the three because it includes both the scriptural teachings and the actual path of realization. The scriptures represent the actual words of the Buddha, those teachings which were taught to guide us on the path. Taking those teachings to heart and practicing them, we develop in our mindstreams the two fully purified truths—the truth of the path and the truth of the cessation of suffering. This truth of cessation is the result of practicing the truth of the path.

The Dharma Jewel is anything that is a fully purified truth of an ārya being, which is subsumed within the truth of cessation or the truth of the path.

The Sangha Jewel is often taken to mean the wider community of ordained monks and nuns or even the wider diaspora of fellow Buddhists, whether ordained or not. But technically the Sangha Jewel means an ārya being who has the qualities of both wisdom and liberation.
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In the ''Abhidharma'' context, the Three Jewels (''ratnatraya''/''triratna'') are the primary objects of refuge from the sufferings of cyclic existence. The term ''ratna'' (T. ''dkon mchog'') is applied to them because they are rare, flawless, powerful, and provide great benefit, much like precious gemstones. #* The Buddha Jewel (''buddharatna'') is defined in terms of the complete perfection of abandonment (''prahāṇa'') and realization (''jñāna''). #* The Dharma Jewel (''dharmaratna''), in the strict context of refuge, refers specifically to the realized dharma (''adhigamadharma'') — namely, the truth of cessation (''nirodhasatya'') and the truth of the path (''mārgasatya'') as actualized in the mindstream of noble beings. The transmitted teachings (''āgamadharma''/''deśanādharma'') serve as the means to realize this dharma but are not themselves the object of ultimate refuge. #* The Saṅgha Jewel (''saṅgharatna'') refers to the community of noble beings (''āryapudgala'') who have attained direct realization of the truth, from stream-enterers (''śrotāpanna'') up to arhats and bodhisattvas on the noble grounds. # Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): The Mahāyāna provides a deeper analysis of the Three Jewels through the framework of the three bodies (''trikāya''). #* The ultimate Buddha Jewel is the ''dharmakāya'', the inseparable nature of abandonment and wisdom. The form bodies (''rūpakāya'')—the ''saṃbhogakāya'' and ''nirmāṇakāya''—are the manifestations that appear for the sake of sentient beings. #* The ultimate Dharma Jewel is the truth of cessation and the truth of the path as realized by the buddhas. #* The ultimate Saṅgha Jewel consists of the noble ''bodhisattvas'' who have attained the grounds (''bhūmis'') of the bodhisattva path. The Three Jewels are also described as having six qualities of a jewel, as stated by Maitreya in the ''Uttaratantraśāstra'' (Skt. ''Ratnagotravibhāga''; T. ''rgyud bla ma''): འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་ཕྱིར་དྲི་མེད་ཕྱིར། །མཐུ་ལྡན་ཕྱིར་དང་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི། །རྒྱན་གྱུར་ཕྱིར་དང་མཆོག་ཉིད་ཕྱིར། །འགྱུར་བ་མེད་ཕྱིར་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཉིད། །"Because of being (1) rare in occurrence, (2) stainless, (3) powerful, (4) an ornament of the world, (5) supreme, and (6) unchanging — [they are called] jewels." These six qualities demonstrate the analogy between the Three Jewels and a wish-fulfilling gem (''cintāmaṇi''; T. ''yid bzhin nor bu''). # Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Vajrayāna or Secret Mantra, the Three Jewels remain the foundation of refuge but are augmented by the three roots (''rtsa ba gsum''; Skt. ''mūlatraya''). #* The ''triratna'' are considered the outer refuge (''phyi'i skyabs gnas''), while the three roots constitute the inner refuge (''nang gi skyabs gnas''). #* The three roots are: (1) the Guru (''bla ma''), source of blessings (''byin rlabs''); (2) the ''iṣṭadevatā'' or ''yidam'' (''yi dam''), source of accomplishments (''dngos grub''/''siddhi''); and (3) the ''ḍākinī'' (''mkha' 'gro ma'') and/or ''dharmapāla'' (''chos skyong''), source of enlightened activities (''phrin las''). The identification of the third root varies by lineage: some traditions list ''ḍākinī'' alone, others ''dharmapāla'' alone, and others combine both. #* The Guru is often identified as the embodiment of all Three Jewels: the Guru's mind is the Buddha, speech is the Dharma, and body is the Saṅgha. #* Some systems speak of the "Four Jewels" (''dkon mchog bzhi''), adding the Guru as a fourth jewel, or the "Six Jewels" (''dkon mchog drug''), which enumerate the three jewels and three roots together. In certain Nyingma and Kagyü formulations, there is also a "secret refuge" (''gsang ba'i skyabs gnas'') in the three bases: the channels (''rtsa''), winds (''rlung''), and essential drops (''thig le''), or alternatively, the ''dharmakāya'', ''sambhogakāya'', and ''nirmāṇakāya''.
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The Three Jewels—the Buddha, the Dharma (his teachings), and the Saṅgha (the spiritual community)—are the three central objects of refuge and inspiration for all Buddhists.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=The ''ratnatraya'' (Skt.; alt. ''triratna''; P. ''ratanattaya''/''tiratana''; T. ''dkon mchog gsum''), or Three Jewels, constitute the core objects of Buddhist refuge: the Buddha (the enlightened teacher), the Dharma (the path and teachings), and the Saṅgha (the community of noble beings). They are termed "jewels" (Skt. ''ratna'') because, like wish-fulfilling gems, they are rare, precious, and possess the power to provide protection from the sufferings of ''saṃsāra''. The Tibetan translation ''dkon mchog'' ("rare-supreme") is a semantic rendering that emphasizes these qualities rather than a phonetic transcription of ''ratna''. The refuge formula in Sanskrit is: ''Buddhaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Dharmaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Saṃghaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi.'' ("I go to the Buddha for refuge. I go to the Dharma for refuge. I go to the Saṅgha for refuge.") The Tibetan equivalent is: སངས་རྒྱས་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་མཆིའོ། །ཆོས་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་མཆིའོ། །དགེ་འདུན་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་མཆིའོ། (''sangs rgyas la skyabs su mchi'o / chos la skyabs su mchi'o / dge 'dun la skyabs su mchi'o'').
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=On the ''bodhisattva'' path, the Three Jewels (''ratnatraya'') serve as the supreme objects of refuge and the source of the vows and aspirations necessary to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. The cultivation of ''bodhicitta'' is always preceded by taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha. In the Mahāyāna, the Buddha is seen as the guide who has perfected the two accumulations (''sambhāradvaya'') of merit (''puṇya'') and wisdom (''jñāna''); the Dharma as the path of the six perfections (''ṣaṭpāramitā''); and the Saṅgha as the community of noble ''bodhisattvas'' (''āryabodhisattvasaṅgha'') who accompany the practitioner on the path. The Three Jewels are described as a "field of merit" (''puṇyakṣetra''; T. ''tshogs zhing'') because making offerings, prostrations, and other devotional practices toward them cultivates the virtuous roots (''kuśalamūla'') necessary for awakening.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=Three Jewels; Triple Gem; three places of refuge
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=སངས་རྒྱས་དང༌། ཆོས། དགེ་འདུན་ཏེ་གསུམ། མནའ་སྐྱེལ་བའི་ཚིག
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=སངས་རྒྱས་ཆོས་ལུགས་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་འགྲོ་བའི་ཡུལ་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་སྟེ། ༡་ཆོས་གསུངས་པ་པོ་སངས་རྒྱས། ༢དེས་གསུངས་པའི་ཆོས། ༣ཆོས་དེ་ཉམས་སུ་ལེན་པའི་དགེ་འདུན་བཅས་གསུམ་ནི་ཧ་ཅང་དཀོན་པ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ལས་ལྷག་པ་དང་བསོད་ནམས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ་ཡིན་པས་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཟེར། དེ་ཡང་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ནི་འཇིག་རྟེན་དུ་བྱུང་བའི་དུས་སྐབས་ཤིན་ཏུ་དཀོན་པ་དང་། བསོད་ནམས་གསོག་པའི་ཞིང་ལྔའི་ནང་ནས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ་ཡིན་པས་ན་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཅེས་བོད་ཀྱི་ལོ་ཙཱ་བ་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་རྒྱ་གར་སྐད་རནྟ་ཞེས་པ་ཐད་བསྒྱུར་མ་མཛད་པར་དོན་འགྱུར་མཛད་པ་ཡིན། དེ་ཡང་རྗེ་བཙུན་བྱམས་པ་མགོན་པོས། འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་ཕྱིར་དྲི་མེད་ཕྱིར། མཐུ་ལྡན་ཕྱིར་དང་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི། རྒྱན་གྱུར་ཕྱིར་དང་མཆོག་ཉིད་ཕྱིར། འགྱུར་བ་མེད་ཕྱིར་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཉིད། ཅེས་གསུངས་པ་ལྟར་ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་དང་ཆོས་དྲུག་གི་སྒོ་ནས་མཚུངས་པས་ན་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཅེས་པའི་མཚན་གསོལ། ཆོས་མཚུངས་ཚུལ་ནི་དང་པོ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྣོད་བཅུད་སྐལ་བ་ཕུན་སུམ་ཚོགས་པའི་དུས་འགའ་རེ་ལ་འབྱུང་གི་གཞན་དུ་མི་འབྱུང་བས་འབྱུང་བ་ཤིན་ཏུ་དཀོན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་པོ་ཡང་གདུལ་བྱའི་བསོད་ནམས་དང་སྨོན་ལམ་ཁྱད་པར་ཅན་འཛོམས་ན་འབྱུང་གི་དེ་ལས་གཞན་དུ་མི་འབྱུང་བས་འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་པ། གཉིས་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེར་གཡའ་ལ་སོགས་པའི་ཉེས་སྐྱོན་གྱི་དྲི་མས་མ་གོས་པ་བཞིན་དུ་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་ཉེས་པའི་དྲི་མས་མ་གོས་པས་དྲི་མ་མེད་པ་དང་། གསུམ་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེར་རྒྱལ་ཁམས་དབུལ་ཕོངས་སེལ་བའི་མཐུ་དང་ལྡན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་གདུལ་བྱའི་སྡུག་བསྔལ་སེལ་བའི་མཐུ་དང་ལྡན་པས་མཐུ་ལྡན། བཞི་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་རྒྱན་ཡིན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་ཐར་པ་དོན་གཉེར་བ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་རྒྱན་ཡིན་པས་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་རྒྱན། ལྔ་པ། དེ་འཇིག་རྟེན་པའི་རྒྱན་གྱི་མཆོག་ཡིན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་སྐྱབས་གནས་གཞན་ལས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ། དྲུག་པ། དེ་ལ་བསྟོད་སྨད་སོགས་ཀྱིས་རྣམ་པར་འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པ་ལྟར་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་རྣམ་པར་གྱུར་པའི་རང་བཞིན་ཅན་མ་ཡིན་པས་འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པའོ། དེ་ལྟ་བུའི་དཀོན་མཆོག་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་རྣམ་པ་གསུམ་གྱི་མཚན་ཉིད་དང་། མཚན་གཞི་ནི། དོན་གཉིས་མཐར་ཕྱིན་པའི་སྐྱབས་གནས་མཐར་ཐུག་སངས་རྒྱས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། སངས་རྒྱས་ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ་ལྟ་བུ་དང་དེའི་སྐུ་གསུང་ཐུགས་ཀྱི་ཡོན་ཏན་མཐའ་དག་སངས་རྒྱས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་གཞི་ཡིན། འགོག་ལམ་གང་རུང་གིས་བསྡུས་པའི་འཕགས་པའི་རྣམ་བྱང་བདེན་པ་ཆོས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། ཉོན་མོངས་མ་ལུས་པ་སྤངས་པའི་སོ་སོར་བརྟགས་འགོག་ལྟ་བུ་མཚན་གཞི། རིག་གྲོལ་གྱི་ཡོན་ཏན་བརྒྱད་སོགས་གང་རུང་དང་ལྡན་པའི་འཕགས་པའི་གང་ཟག་དགེ་འདུན་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། ཀླུ་སྒྲུབ་ཡབ་སྲས་ལྟ་བུ། དེའི་མཚན་གཞི། ཐེག་པ་གསུམ་གྱི་འཕགས་པའི་གང་ཟག་རེ་རེ་བ་དང་། སོ་སྐྱེའི་བཙུན་པ་ཁྲིམས་ལྡན་བཞི་སྡེ་ཡན་ཆད་དགེ་འདུན་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་དོད་ཐུབ་ཏུ་འཇོག་པ་ཡིན།
|Glossary-Etymology=Skt. ''ratnatraya'' is a compound of ''ratna'' ("jewel, gem, precious thing") + ''traya'' ("triad, group of three"). The alternate form ''triratna'' reverses the compound elements (''tri-'' + ''ratna''). The Pali ''ratanattaya'' follows the same structure. The Tibetan ''dkon mchog gsum'' (དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་) is a semantic translation: ''dkon pa'' ("rare, scarce") + ''mchog'' ("supreme, excellent") + ''gsum'' ("three"). Tibetan translators chose this interpretive rendering (''don 'gyur'') over a phonetic transcription (''sgra 'gyur'') to convey the philosophical significance of the term. The Chinese 三寶 (''sānbǎo'') is a direct translation: 三 ("three") + 寶 ("treasure, jewel").
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=སངས་རྒྱས་ཆོས་ལུགས་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་འགྲོ་བའི་ཡུལ་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་སྟེ། ༡ ཆོས་གསུངས་པ་པོ་སངས་རྒྱས། ༢ དེས་གསུངས་པའི་ཆོས། ༣ ཆོས་དེ་ཉམས་སུ་ལེན་པའི་དགེ་འདུན་བཅས་གསུམ་ནི་ཧ་ཅང་དཀོན་པ་རིན་ཆེན་ལས་ལྷག་པ་དང་བསོད་ནམས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ་ཡིན་པས་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཟེར། དེ་ཡང་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ནི་འཇིག་རྟེན་དུ་བྱུང་བའི་དུས་སྐབས་ཤིན་ཏུ་དཀོན་པ་དང་། བསོད་ནམས་གསོག་པའི་ཞིང་ལྔའི་ནང་ནས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ་ཡིན་པས་ན་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཅེས་བོད་ཀྱི་ལོ་ཙཱ་བ་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་རྒྱ་གར་སྐད་རཏྣ་ཞེས་པ་ཐད་བསྒྱུར་མ་མཛད་པར་དོན་འགྱུར་མཛད་པ་ཡིན། དེ་ཡང་རྗེ་བཙུན་བྱམས་པ་མགོན་པོས། འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་ཕྱིར་དྲི་མེད་ཕྱིར། །མཐུ་ལྡན་ཕྱིར་དང་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི། །རྒྱན་གྱུར་ཕྱིར་དང་མཆོག་ཉིད་ཕྱིར། །འགྱུར་བ་མེད་ཕྱིར་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཉིད། །ཅེས་གསུངས་པ་ལྟར་ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་དང་ཆོས་དྲུག་གི་སྒོ་ནས་མཚུངས་པས་ན་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཅེས་པའི་མཚན་གསོལ། ཆོས་མཚུངས་ཚུལ་ནི་དང་པོ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྣོད་བཅུད་སྐལ་བ་ཕུན་སུམ་ཚོགས་པའི་དུས་འགའ་རེ་ལ་འབྱུང་གི་གཞན་དུ་མི་འབྱུང་བས་འབྱུང་བ་ཤིན་ཏུ་དཀོན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་པོ་ཡང་གདུལ་བྱའི་བསོད་ནམས་དང་སྨོན་ལམ་ཁྱད་པར་ཅན་འཛོམས་ན་འབྱུང་གི་དེ་ལས་གཞན་དུ་མི་འབྱུང་བས་འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་པ། གཉིས་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེར་གཡའ་ལ་སོགས་པའི་ཉེས་སྐྱོན་གྱི་དྲི་མས་མ་གོས་པས་དྲི་མ་མེད་པ་དང་། གསུམ་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེར་རྒྱལ་ཁམས་དབུལ་ཕོངས་སེལ་བའི་མཐུ་དང་ལྡན་པ་ལྟར། བཞི་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་རྒྱན་ཡིན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་ཐར་པ་དོན་གཉེར་བ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་རྒྱན་ཡིན་པས་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་རྒྱན། ལྔ་པ། དེ་འཇིག་རྟེན་པའི་རྒྱན་གྱི་མཆོག་ཡིན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་སྐྱབས་གནས་གཞན་ལས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ། དྲུག་པ། དེ་ལ་བསྟོད་སྨད་སོགས་ཀྱིས་རྣམ་པར་འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པ་ལྟར་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་རྣམ་པར་གྱུར་པའི་རང་བཞིན་ཅན་མ་ཡིན་པས་འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པའོ། དེ་ལྟ་བུའི་དཀོན་མཆོག་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་རྣམ་པ་གསུམ་གྱི་མཚན་ཉིད་དང་། མཚན་གཞི་ནི། དོན་གཉིས་མཐར་ཕྱིན་པའི་སྐྱབས་གནས་མཐར་ཐུག་སངས་རྒྱས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། སངས་རྒྱས་ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ་ལྟ་བུ་དང་དེའི་སྐུ་གསུང་ཐུགས་ཀྱི་ཡོན་ཏན་མཐའ་དག་སངས་རྒྱས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་གཞི་ཡིན། འགོག་ལམ་གང་རུང་གིས་བསྡུས་པའི་འཕགས་པའི་རྣམ་བྱང་བདེན་པ་ཆོས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། ཉོན་མོངས་མ་ལུས་པ་སྤངས་པའི་སོ་སོར་བརྟགས་འགོག་ལྟ་བུ་མཚན་གཞི། རིག་གྲོལ་གྱི་ཡོན་ཏན་བརྒྱད་སོགས་གང་རུང་དང་ལྡན་པའི་འཕགས་པའི་གང་ཟག་དགེ་འདུན་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། ཀླུ་སྒྲུབ་ཡབ་སྲས་ལྟ་བུ། དེའི་མཚན་གཞི། ཐེག་གསུམ་གྱི་འཕགས་པའི་གང་ཟག་རེ་རེ་བ་དང་། སོ་སྐྱེའི་བཙུན་པ་ཁྲིམས་ལྡན་བཞི་སྡེ་ཡན་ཆད་དགེ་འདུན་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་དོད་ཐུབ་ཏུ་འཇོག་པ་ཡིན།
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Ratnatraya

2026-04-23T15:26:58Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=ratnatraya
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=Three Jewels; Triple Gem; three places of refuge; the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha
|defaultSort=ratnatraya
|Glossary-Tibetan=དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་
|Glossary-Wylie=dkon mchog gsum
|Glossary-Phonetic=könchok sum
|Glossary-Devanagari=रत्नत्रय / त्रिरत्न
|Glossary-Sanskrit=Ratnatraya (alt. Triratna)
|Glossary-Pali=Ratanattaya (alt. Tiratana)
|Glossary-Chinese=三寶
|Glossary-Pinyin=sānbǎo
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=sanbō
|Glossary-Korean=sambo
|Glossary-English=Three Jewels
|Glossary-84000=The Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha‍—the three objects of Buddhist refuge. In the Tibetan rendering, “the three rare and supreme ones.”
|Glossary-Term-Alt=triratna; Three Jewels; Triple Gem; Three Treasures; dkon mchog gsum; དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=ratnatraya (alt. triratna) (P. ratanattaya/tiratana; T. dkon mchog gsum; C. sanbao; J. sanbō; K. sambo 三寶). In Sanskrit, the "three jewels," also translated into English as the "triple gem" or the "three treasures." In the Buddhist tradition, RATNATRAYA refers to the three principal objects of veneration: the Buddha, the DHARMA, and the SAṂGHA. One of the most common practices that define a Buddhist is "taking refuge" (see ŚARAṆA) in the three jewels. This formula, which accompanies many lay and monastic rituals, involves a formal declaration that the practitioner "goes to" each of the three jewels for refuge (śaraṇa) or protection. The Sanskrit formula is as follows: "Buddhaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Dharmaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Saṃghaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi." meaning "I go to the Buddha for refuge. I go to the dharma for refuge. I go to the saṃgha for refuge." By repeating this formula three times, one identifies oneself as a Buddhist. (See also TRIŚARAṆA.) The precise meanings of these three terms, how they relate to one another, and exactly how each one is to be venerated are all subjects of extensive commentary within the tradition. The term buddha refers first, and most obviously, to the historical Buddha, GAUTAMA or ŚĀKYAMUNI, the sage of ancient India who realized and then taught the way to end all suffering. But the Buddha may also refer to any number of buddhas found in the extensive MAHĀYĀNA pantheon. In some varieties of the Mahāyāna, buddha may even refer to the inherent state of buddhahood that is the fundamental characteristic of all sentient beings. The term dharma refers to the teachings of a buddha, which can take a variety of possible forms including specific beliefs, texts, or practices; the dharma is sometimes divided into the scriptural dharma (ĀGAMADHARMA) and the realized dharma (ADHIGAMADHARMA). In the context of the three jewels, one is said to go for refuge in the latter. However, dharma may also refer to the pervasive, universal truth that is realized by a buddha, particularly as enshrined in the teaching of the FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS (catvāry āryasatyāni). Some commentators specify that in the context of the three jewels, the dharma refers to the third and fourth of the four truths, the truth of cessation (NIRODHASATYA) and the truth of the path (MĀRGASATYA), and most specifically to the truth of cessation. The term saṃgha refers to the community that seeks to realize and enact the teachings of a buddha for the sake of its own liberation and the liberation of others. Saṃgha is usually understood to include only those followers who have renounced the life of a householder (PRAVRAJITA) and taken up the life of a monk (BHIKṢU) or nun (BHIKṢUNĪ). However, the saṃgha is also sometimes interpreted to include both laymen (UPĀSAKA) and laywomen (UPĀSIKĀ) as well. In the context of refuge, the Saṃgha is generally said to refer to those members of the community who are Āryapudgala.
|Glossary-Definition=These are the three main objects that Buddhists from all traditions take refuge in. They are the Buddha, Dharma, and the Saṅgha‍. In the Tibetan rendering they are “the three rare and supreme ones.”
|Glossary-Senses=a place of protection and refuge that protects us from our negative states of mind and misunderstanding of reality, and guides us on the right path to enlightenment
|Glossary-Simon=These are the three main objects of refuge for Buddhists from all traditions.

In his White Conch Dictionary (Dung dkar tshig mdzod chen mo), Dungkar Rinpoche says that, putting it simply, the Buddha Jewel is the one who expounds the teachings, the Dharma Jewel is the collection of teachings that the Buddha taught, and the Sangha Jewel consists of those who put those teachings into practice.

The Tibetan etymology uses the word dkon, which means rare or hard to find, and then mchog, which means supreme, outstanding, or distinguished.
Dungkar Rinpoche explains that the word Jewel is to be understood as something that appears very rarely in this world. We can therefore consider it to be more precious than an ordinary diamond or jewel. In terms of being a field of merit, the Three Jewels are the best of all fields and are therefore supreme.

The definition of the Buddha Jewel is the place of refuge which has taken to its final limit the two aims, of oneself and others.

The Dharma Jewel is considered the most important of the three because it includes both the scriptural teachings and the actual path of realization. The scriptures represent the actual words of the Buddha, those teachings which were taught to guide us on the path. Taking those teachings to heart and practicing them, we develop in our mindstreams the two fully purified truths—the truth of the path and the truth of the cessation of suffering. This truth of cessation is the result of practicing the truth of the path.

The Dharma Jewel is anything that is a fully purified truth of an ārya being, which is subsumed within the truth of cessation or the truth of the path.

The Sangha Jewel is often taken to mean the wider community of ordained monks and nuns or even the wider diaspora of fellow Buddhists, whether ordained or not. But technically the Sangha Jewel means an ārya being who has the qualities of both wisdom and liberation.
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In the ''Abhidharma'' context, the Three Jewels (''ratnatraya''/''triratna'') are the primary objects of refuge from the sufferings of cyclic existence. The term ''ratna'' (T. ''dkon mchog'') is applied to them because they are rare, flawless, powerful, and provide great benefit, much like precious gemstones. #* The Buddha Jewel (''buddharatna'') is defined in terms of the complete perfection of abandonment (''prahāṇa'') and realization (''jñāna''). #* The Dharma Jewel (''dharmaratna''), in the strict context of refuge, refers specifically to the realized dharma (''adhigamadharma'') — namely, the truth of cessation (''nirodhasatya'') and the truth of the path (''mārgasatya'') as actualized in the mindstream of noble beings. The transmitted teachings (''āgamadharma''/''deśanādharma'') serve as the means to realize this dharma but are not themselves the object of ultimate refuge. #* The Saṅgha Jewel (''saṅgharatna'') refers to the community of noble beings (''āryapudgala'') who have attained direct realization of the truth, from stream-enterers (''śrotāpanna'') up to arhats and bodhisattvas on the noble grounds. # Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): The Mahāyāna provides a deeper analysis of the Three Jewels through the framework of the three bodies (''trikāya''). #* The ultimate Buddha Jewel is the ''dharmakāya'', the inseparable nature of abandonment and wisdom. The form bodies (''rūpakāya'')—the ''saṃbhogakāya'' and ''nirmāṇakāya''—are the manifestations that appear for the sake of sentient beings. #* The ultimate Dharma Jewel is the truth of cessation and the truth of the path as realized by the buddhas. #* The ultimate Saṅgha Jewel consists of the noble ''bodhisattvas'' who have attained the grounds (''bhūmis'') of the bodhisattva path. The Three Jewels are also described as having six qualities of a jewel, as stated by Maitreya in the ''Uttaratantraśāstra'' (Skt. ''Ratnagotravibhāga''; T. ''rgyud bla ma''): འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་ཕྱིར་དྲི་མེད་ཕྱིར། །མཐུ་ལྡན་ཕྱིར་དང་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི། །རྒྱན་གྱུར་ཕྱིར་དང་མཆོག་ཉིད་ཕྱིར། །འགྱུར་བ་མེད་ཕྱིར་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཉིད། །"Because of being (1) rare in occurrence, (2) stainless, (3) powerful, (4) an ornament of the world, (5) supreme, and (6) unchanging — [they are called] jewels." These six qualities demonstrate the analogy between the Three Jewels and a wish-fulfilling gem (''cintāmaṇi''; T. ''yid bzhin nor bu''). # Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Vajrayāna or Secret Mantra, the Three Jewels remain the foundation of refuge but are augmented by the three roots (''rtsa ba gsum''; Skt. ''mūlatraya''). #* The ''triratna'' are considered the outer refuge (''phyi'i skyabs gnas''), while the three roots constitute the inner refuge (''nang gi skyabs gnas''). #* The three roots are: (1) the Guru (''bla ma''), source of blessings (''byin rlabs''); (2) the ''iṣṭadevatā'' or ''yidam'' (''yi dam''), source of accomplishments (''dngos grub''/''siddhi''); and (3) the ''ḍākinī'' (''mkha' 'gro ma'') and/or ''dharmapāla'' (''chos skyong''), source of enlightened activities (''phrin las''). The identification of the third root varies by lineage: some traditions list ''ḍākinī'' alone, others ''dharmapāla'' alone, and others combine both. #* The Guru is often identified as the embodiment of all Three Jewels: the Guru's mind is the Buddha, speech is the Dharma, and body is the Saṅgha. #* Some systems speak of the "Four Jewels" (''dkon mchog bzhi''), adding the Guru as a fourth jewel, or the "Six Jewels" (''dkon mchog drug''), which enumerate the three jewels and three roots together. In certain Nyingma and Kagyü formulations, there is also a "secret refuge" (''gsang ba'i skyabs gnas'') in the three bases: the channels (''rtsa''), winds (''rlung''), and essential drops (''thig le''), or alternatively, the ''dharmakāya'', ''sambhogakāya'', and ''nirmāṇakāya''.
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The Three Jewels—the Buddha, the Dharma (his teachings), and the Saṅgha (the spiritual community)—are the three central objects of refuge and inspiration for all Buddhists.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=The ''ratnatraya'' (Skt.; alt. ''triratna''; P. ''ratanattaya''/''tiratana''; T. ''dkon mchog gsum''), or Three Jewels, constitute the core objects of Buddhist refuge: the Buddha (the enlightened teacher), the Dharma (the path and teachings), and the Saṅgha (the community of noble beings). They are termed "jewels" (Skt. ''ratna'') because, like wish-fulfilling gems, they are rare, precious, and possess the power to provide protection from the sufferings of ''saṃsāra''. The Tibetan translation ''dkon mchog'' ("rare-supreme") is a semantic rendering that emphasizes these qualities rather than a phonetic transcription of ''ratna''. The refuge formula in Sanskrit is: ''Buddhaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Dharmaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Saṃghaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi.'' ("I go to the Buddha for refuge. I go to the Dharma for refuge. I go to the Saṅgha for refuge.") The Tibetan equivalent is: སངས་རྒྱས་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་མཆིའོ། །ཆོས་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་མཆིའོ། །དགེ་འདུན་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་མཆིའོ། (''sangs rgyas la skyabs su mchi'o / chos la skyabs su mchi'o / dge 'dun la skyabs su mchi'o'').
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=On the ''bodhisattva'' path, the Three Jewels (''ratnatraya'') serve as the supreme objects of refuge and the source of the vows and aspirations necessary to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. The cultivation of ''bodhicitta'' is always preceded by taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha. In the Mahāyāna, the Buddha is seen as the guide who has perfected the two accumulations (''sambhāradvaya'') of merit (''puṇya'') and wisdom (''jñāna''); the Dharma as the path of the six perfections (''ṣaṭpāramitā''); and the Saṅgha as the community of noble ''bodhisattvas'' (''āryabodhisattvasaṅgha'') who accompany the practitioner on the path. The Three Jewels are described as a "field of merit" (''puṇyakṣetra''; T. ''tshogs zhing'') because making offerings, prostrations, and other devotional practices toward them cultivates the virtuous roots (''kuśalamūla'') necessary for awakening.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=Three Jewels; Triple Gem; three places of refuge
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=སངས་རྒྱས་དང༌། ཆོས། དགེ་འདུན་ཏེ་གསུམ། མནའ་སྐྱེལ་བའི་ཚིག
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=སངས་རྒྱས་ཆོས་ལུགས་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་འགྲོ་བའི་ཡུལ་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་སྟེ། ༡་ཆོས་གསུངས་པ་པོ་སངས་རྒྱས། ༢དེས་གསུངས་པའི་ཆོས། ༣ཆོས་དེ་ཉམས་སུ་ལེན་པའི་དགེ་འདུན་བཅས་གསུམ་ནི་ཧ་ཅང་དཀོན་པ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ལས་ལྷག་པ་དང་བསོད་ནམས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ་ཡིན་པས་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཟེར། དེ་ཡང་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ནི་འཇིག་རྟེན་དུ་བྱུང་བའི་དུས་སྐབས་ཤིན་ཏུ་དཀོན་པ་དང་། བསོད་ནམས་གསོག་པའི་ཞིང་ལྔའི་ནང་ནས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ་ཡིན་པས་ན་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཅེས་བོད་ཀྱི་ལོ་ཙཱ་བ་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་རྒྱ་གར་སྐད་རནྟ་ཞེས་པ་ཐད་བསྒྱུར་མ་མཛད་པར་དོན་འགྱུར་མཛད་པ་ཡིན། དེ་ཡང་རྗེ་བཙུན་བྱམས་པ་མགོན་པོས། འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་ཕྱིར་དྲི་མེད་ཕྱིར། མཐུ་ལྡན་ཕྱིར་དང་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི། རྒྱན་གྱུར་ཕྱིར་དང་མཆོག་ཉིད་ཕྱིར། འགྱུར་བ་མེད་ཕྱིར་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཉིད། ཅེས་གསུངས་པ་ལྟར་ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་དང་ཆོས་དྲུག་གི་སྒོ་ནས་མཚུངས་པས་ན་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཅེས་པའི་མཚན་གསོལ། ཆོས་མཚུངས་ཚུལ་ནི་དང་པོ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྣོད་བཅུད་སྐལ་བ་ཕུན་སུམ་ཚོགས་པའི་དུས་འགའ་རེ་ལ་འབྱུང་གི་གཞན་དུ་མི་འབྱུང་བས་འབྱུང་བ་ཤིན་ཏུ་དཀོན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་པོ་ཡང་གདུལ་བྱའི་བསོད་ནམས་དང་སྨོན་ལམ་ཁྱད་པར་ཅན་འཛོམས་ན་འབྱུང་གི་དེ་ལས་གཞན་དུ་མི་འབྱུང་བས་འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་པ། གཉིས་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེར་གཡའ་ལ་སོགས་པའི་ཉེས་སྐྱོན་གྱི་དྲི་མས་མ་གོས་པ་བཞིན་དུ་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་ཉེས་པའི་དྲི་མས་མ་གོས་པས་དྲི་མ་མེད་པ་དང་། གསུམ་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེར་རྒྱལ་ཁམས་དབུལ་ཕོངས་སེལ་བའི་མཐུ་དང་ལྡན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་གདུལ་བྱའི་སྡུག་བསྔལ་སེལ་བའི་མཐུ་དང་ལྡན་པས་མཐུ་ལྡན། བཞི་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་རྒྱན་ཡིན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་ཐར་པ་དོན་གཉེར་བ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་རྒྱན་ཡིན་པས་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་རྒྱན། ལྔ་པ། དེ་འཇིག་རྟེན་པའི་རྒྱན་གྱི་མཆོག་ཡིན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་སྐྱབས་གནས་གཞན་ལས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ། དྲུག་པ། དེ་ལ་བསྟོད་སྨད་སོགས་ཀྱིས་རྣམ་པར་འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པ་ལྟར་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་རྣམ་པར་གྱུར་པའི་རང་བཞིན་ཅན་མ་ཡིན་པས་འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པའོ། དེ་ལྟ་བུའི་དཀོན་མཆོག་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་རྣམ་པ་གསུམ་གྱི་མཚན་ཉིད་དང་། མཚན་གཞི་ནི། དོན་གཉིས་མཐར་ཕྱིན་པའི་སྐྱབས་གནས་མཐར་ཐུག་སངས་རྒྱས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། སངས་རྒྱས་ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ་ལྟ་བུ་དང་དེའི་སྐུ་གསུང་ཐུགས་ཀྱི་ཡོན་ཏན་མཐའ་དག་སངས་རྒྱས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་གཞི་ཡིན། འགོག་ལམ་གང་རུང་གིས་བསྡུས་པའི་འཕགས་པའི་རྣམ་བྱང་བདེན་པ་ཆོས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། ཉོན་མོངས་མ་ལུས་པ་སྤངས་པའི་སོ་སོར་བརྟགས་འགོག་ལྟ་བུ་མཚན་གཞི། རིག་གྲོལ་གྱི་ཡོན་ཏན་བརྒྱད་སོགས་གང་རུང་དང་ལྡན་པའི་འཕགས་པའི་གང་ཟག་དགེ་འདུན་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། ཀླུ་སྒྲུབ་ཡབ་སྲས་ལྟ་བུ། དེའི་མཚན་གཞི། ཐེག་པ་གསུམ་གྱི་འཕགས་པའི་གང་ཟག་རེ་རེ་བ་དང་། སོ་སྐྱེའི་བཙུན་པ་ཁྲིམས་ལྡན་བཞི་སྡེ་ཡན་ཆད་དགེ་འདུན་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་དོད་ཐུབ་ཏུ་འཇོག་པ་ཡིན།
|Glossary-Etymology=Skt. ''ratnatraya'' is a compound of ''ratna'' ("jewel, gem, precious thing") + ''traya'' ("triad, group of three"). The alternate form ''triratna'' reverses the compound elements (''tri-'' + ''ratna''). The Pali ''ratanattaya'' follows the same structure. The Tibetan ''dkon mchog gsum'' (དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་) is a semantic translation: ''dkon pa'' ("rare, scarce") + ''mchog'' ("supreme, excellent") + ''gsum'' ("three"). Tibetan translators chose this interpretive rendering (''don 'gyur'') over a phonetic transcription (''sgra 'gyur'') to convey the philosophical significance of the term. The Chinese 三寶 (''sānbǎo'') is a direct translation: 三 ("three") + 寶 ("treasure, jewel").
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=སངས་རྒྱས་ཆོས་ལུགས་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་འགྲོ་བའི་ཡུལ་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་སྟེ། ༡ ཆོས་གསུངས་པ་པོ་སངས་རྒྱས། ༢ དེས་གསུངས་པའི་ཆོས། ༣ ཆོས་དེ་ཉམས་སུ་ལེན་པའི་དགེ་འདུན་བཅས་གསུམ་ནི་ཧ་ཅང་དཀོན་པ་རིན་ཆེན་ལས་ལྷག་པ་དང་བསོད་ནམས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ་ཡིན་པས་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཟེར། དེ་ཡང་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ནི་འཇིག་རྟེན་དུ་བྱུང་བའི་དུས་སྐབས་ཤིན་ཏུ་དཀོན་པ་དང་། བསོད་ནམས་གསོག་པའི་ཞིང་ལྔའི་ནང་ནས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ་ཡིན་པས་ན་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཅེས་བོད་ཀྱི་ལོ་ཙཱ་བ་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་རྒྱ་གར་སྐད་རཏྣ་ཞེས་པ་ཐད་བསྒྱུར་མ་མཛད་པར་དོན་འགྱུར་མཛད་པ་ཡིན། དེ་ཡང་རྗེ་བཙུན་བྱམས་པ་མགོན་པོས། འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་ཕྱིར་དྲི་མེད་ཕྱིར། །མཐུ་ལྡན་ཕྱིར་དང་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི། །རྒྱན་གྱུར་ཕྱིར་དང་མཆོག་ཉིད་ཕྱིར། །འགྱུར་བ་མེད་ཕྱིར་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཉིད། །ཅེས་གསུངས་པ་ལྟར་ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་དང་ཆོས་དྲུག་གི་སྒོ་ནས་མཚུངས་པས་ན་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཅེས་པའི་མཚན་གསོལ། ཆོས་མཚུངས་ཚུལ་ནི་དང་པོ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྣོད་བཅུད་སྐལ་བ་ཕུན་སུམ་ཚོགས་པའི་དུས་འགའ་རེ་ལ་འབྱུང་གི་གཞན་དུ་མི་འབྱུང་བས་འབྱུང་བ་ཤིན་ཏུ་དཀོན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་པོ་ཡང་གདུལ་བྱའི་བསོད་ནམས་དང་སྨོན་ལམ་ཁྱད་པར་ཅན་འཛོམས་ན་འབྱུང་གི་དེ་ལས་གཞན་དུ་མི་འབྱུང་བས་འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་པ། གཉིས་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེར་གཡའ་ལ་སོགས་པའི་ཉེས་སྐྱོན་གྱི་དྲི་མས་མ་གོས་པས་དྲི་མ་མེད་པ་དང་། གསུམ་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེར་རྒྱལ་ཁམས་དབུལ་ཕོངས་སེལ་བའི་མཐུ་དང་ལྡན་པ་ལྟར། བཞི་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་རྒྱན་ཡིན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་ཐར་པ་དོན་གཉེར་བ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་རྒྱན་ཡིན་པས་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་རྒྱན། ལྔ་པ། དེ་འཇིག་རྟེན་པའི་རྒྱན་གྱི་མཆོག་ཡིན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་སྐྱབས་གནས་གཞན་ལས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ། དྲུག་པ། དེ་ལ་བསྟོད་སྨད་སོགས་ཀྱིས་རྣམ་པར་འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པ་ལྟར་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་རྣམ་པར་གྱུར་པའི་རང་བཞིན་ཅན་མ་ཡིན་པས་འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པའོ། དེ་ལྟ་བུའི་དཀོན་མཆོག་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་རྣམ་པ་གསུམ་གྱི་མཚན་ཉིད་དང་། མཚན་གཞི་ནི། དོན་གཉིས་མཐར་ཕྱིན་པའི་སྐྱབས་གནས་མཐར་ཐུག་སངས་རྒྱས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། སངས་རྒྱས་ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ་ལྟ་བུ་དང་དེའི་སྐུ་གསུང་ཐུགས་ཀྱི་ཡོན་ཏན་མཐའ་དག་སངས་རྒྱས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་གཞི་ཡིན། འགོག་ལམ་གང་རུང་གིས་བསྡུས་པའི་འཕགས་པའི་རྣམ་བྱང་བདེན་པ་ཆོས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། ཉོན་མོངས་མ་ལུས་པ་སྤངས་པའི་སོ་སོར་བརྟགས་འགོག་ལྟ་བུ་མཚན་གཞི། རིག་གྲོལ་གྱི་ཡོན་ཏན་བརྒྱད་སོགས་གང་རུང་དང་ལྡན་པའི་འཕགས་པའི་གང་ཟག་དགེ་འདུན་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། ཀླུ་སྒྲུབ་ཡབ་སྲས་ལྟ་བུ། དེའི་མཚན་གཞི། ཐེག་གསུམ་གྱི་འཕགས་པའི་གང་ཟག་རེ་རེ་བ་དང་། སོ་སྐྱེའི་བཙུན་པ་ཁྲིམས་ལྡན་བཞི་སྡེ་ཡན་ཆད་དགེ་འདུན་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་དོད་ཐུབ་ཏུ་འཇོག་པ་ཡིན།
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Gtong len

2026-04-23T13:12:03Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=gtong len
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=sending and taking; tonglen; giving and taking; taking and giving
|defaultSort=gtong len
|Glossary-Tibetan=གཏོང་ལེན་
|Glossary-Wylie=gtong len
|Glossary-Phonetic=tonglen
|Glossary-English=giving and taking
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Tibetan
|Glossary-Definition=An advanced meditative practice within the ''Lojong'' (Mind Training) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, where we give others our happiness and take their suffering
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): ''Gtong len'' (Tib. ''gtong len''), or taking and giving, is an advanced meditative practice within the ''Lojong'' (Mind Training) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
#* It is an exceptionally powerful method for cultivating and training in relative ''bodhicitta'', the aspiration to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.
#* The practice involves visualizing taking on the suffering, sickness, negative karma, and causes of suffering of all sentient beings (the taking, ''len''), motivated by compassion (''karuṇā''), and giving away one's own happiness, virtue, merit, and causes of happiness (the giving, ''gtong''), motivated by loving-kindness (''maitrī'').
#* It is performed in conjunction with the breath: inhalation is for taking, and exhalation is for giving.
#* This practice is specifically designed to counteract the deeply ingrained self-cherishing attitude, which is viewed as the greatest obstacle on the Mahāyāna path.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): The practice of ''gtong len'' can be used as a preparatory or supporting practice in these traditions to purify obscurations and enhance one's capacity for altruism, thereby creating a fertile ground for the ultimate, non-conceptual realization of ''rigpa'' or ''dharmakāya'' mind. The vastness of the visualized taking and giving is intended to cut through the ordinary sense of self and other.
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=A contemplative practice, particularly in the Tibetan tradition, where one visualizes taking on the suffering and negative actions of others and giving them one's own happiness, well-being, and merit. It is performed to enhance compassion (''karuṇā'') and develop the ultimate aspiration of ''bodhicitta''.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A specialized meditative practice (T. ''gtong len''), typically associated with the ''Lojong'' (Mind Training) tradition, which involves breathing-based visualization. Inhaling, one draws in (''len'') the suffering, negative karma, and afflictions of all sentient beings with compassion (''karuṇā''). Exhaling, one sends out (''gtong'') all one's happiness, virtue, and merit to them with loving-kindness (''maitrī''). This practice is considered a powerful method for cultivating ultimate ''bodhicitta'' and transforming self-cherishing into altruism.
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Gtong len'' (taking and giving) is a specialized and essential practice for training the mind (''Lojong'') in **relative ''bodhicitta''**. It is considered a practice for the most courageous practitioners. The visualization of taking on the suffering of all beings with compassion (''karuṇā'') and giving away one's happiness and merit with loving-kindness (''maitrī'') directly strengthens the altruistic motivation of ''bodhicitta''. It serves to overcome self-cherishing, the primary obstacle to developing the genuine mind of enlightenment, thereby accelerating the ''bodhisattva's'' progress towards complete Buddhahood. It is traditionally combined with a contemplation of the ultimate nature of reality to prevent it from becoming merely a mundane, pity-based exercise.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=taking and giving; exchange; sending and taking; tonglen
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=ཕར་སྤྲོད་ཚུར་ལེན།
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=ཕར་སྤྲོད་ཚུར་ལེན་པ།
}}

Bodhisattvasaṃvara

2026-04-23T13:06:27Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=bodhisattvasaṃvara
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=bodhisattva vow; ethical code of a bodhisattva; altruistic restraint; commitment of the awakening mind
|defaultSort=bodhisattvasamvara
|Glossary-Tibetan=བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་སྡོམ་པ་
|Glossary-Wylie=byang chub sems dpa'i sdom pa
|Glossary-Phonetic=changchub sempay dompa
|Glossary-Devanagari=बोधिसत्त्वसंवर
|Glossary-Sanskrit=bodhisattvasaṃvara
|Glossary-Chinese=菩薩戒
|Glossary-Pinyin=púsà jiè
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=bosatsukai
|Glossary-Korean=bosalgye
|Glossary-English=bodhisattva vow
|Glossary-Term-Alt=bodhisattva vow; byang sems sdom pa; code of the bodhisattva
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-Definition=The formalized vow to attain the fully-enlightened state of buddhahood for the welfare of all beings
|Glossary-Senses=The formal commitment taken through a ceremony to engage in the practices of the bodhisattva path, and to wish to attain enlightenment in order to lead all beings to that state
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): The bodhisattva vow is the formalization of the commitment to the awakening mind (''bodhicitta''). It is fundamentally structured around the 'three-fold code of ethics' (''trividha-śīla-skandha''; T. ''tshul khrims kyi phung po gsum''):
#* The ethics of restraining from non-virtuous conduct (Skt. ''saṃvara-śīla''; T. ''nyes spyod sdom pa'i tshul khrims''): Avoiding actions that harm others or stem from selfish motivations.
#* The ethics of gathering virtuous qualities (Skt. ''kuśala-dharma-saṃgrāhaka-śīla''; T. ''dge ba chos sdud kyi tshul khrims''): Proactively cultivating the perfections and amassing merit.
#* The ethics of benefiting sentient beings (Skt. ''sattvārtha-kriyā-śīla''; T. ''sems can don byed kyi tshul khrims''): Directly acting to alleviate the suffering and facilitate the enlightenment of all beings.
#* Lineages of Transmission: In the Tibetan tradition, two primary lineages for taking the vow are preserved. The 'Profound View' lineage typically enumerates eighteen root downfalls (''rtsa ltung bco brgyad''). The 'Vast Conduct' lineage details four root downfalls and forty-six secondary faults (''nyes byas''). While the specific counts vary, they share the central downfall of abandoning the altruistic aspiration of ''bodhicitta''.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): Within the context of Secret Mantra (Skt. ''Guhyamantra''), the bodhisattva vow is an indispensable prerequisite for receiving tantric empowerments (Skt. ''abhiṣeka''). It forms the common ethical basis upon which the specific tantric commitments (Skt. ''samaya''; T. ''dam tshig'') are established. In the higher tantras, the maintenance of the bodhisattva ethical code is seen as the necessary container for the advanced meditative realizations of the generation and completion stages.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): In these traditions, the bodhisattva vow is understood not merely as a set of rules but as the natural expression of the realized nature of mind. When the practitioner recognizes the luminous nature of the mind, compassion and the commitment to benefit others arise spontaneously without conceptual effort. Here, the essence of the vow is identified with remaining in the state of non-dual awareness while engaging in the welfare of beings.
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The ethical code or 'vow' taken by a practitioner on the Great Vehicle path. It is a formal commitment to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all living beings, involving the avoidance of selfish actions and the active practice of helping others. Unlike other Buddhist vows, this commitment is maintained across multiple lifetimes until all beings are liberated.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=The ''bodhisattvasaṃvara'' (T. ''byang chub sems dpa'i sdom pa'') constitutes the ethical foundation of the Mahāyāna path, rooted in the cultivation of ''bodhicitta''. It is categorized into two main lineages in the Indo-Tibetan tradition: the 'Profound View' lineage and the 'Vast Conduct' lineage. The vow involves the formal restraint from specific root downfalls (''mūlapatti'') and secondary faults (''duṣkṛta''), categorized under the 'three-fold code of ethics' (''trividha-śīla-skandha''): the ethics of restraint, the ethics of gathering virtuous qualities, and the ethics of benefiting sentient beings.
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=The ''bodhisattvasaṃvara'' is the practical application of ''bodhicitta''. While 'aspirational bodhicitta' (Skt. ''praṇidhicitta''; T. ''smon sems'') involves the sincere wish to achieve buddhahood for all, the taking of the vow marks the transition to 'engaging bodhicitta' (Skt. ''prasthānacitta''; T. '''jug sems''). By formally assuming the vow, the practitioner enters the ranks of the 'engaging' bodhisattvas, committing to the actual conduct of the perfections. This ethical code is considered unique because it is not lost upon death; once authentically generated, the seed of the bodhisattva vow is carried in the mental continuum across lifetimes until the ultimate goal of enlightenment is reached.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=bodhisattva vow; code of the bodhisattva; altruistic restraint; bodhisattva ethical code; commitment of the awakening mind; vow of the son of the conquerors
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=གཞན་ཕན་དོན་གཉེར་གྱི་བསམ་པས་ཀུན་ནས་བསླངས་ཏེ། གཞན་གནོད་གཞི་དང་བཅས་པ་སྤང་ཞིང་། གཞན་ཕན་གཞི་དང་བཅས་པ་སྒྲུབ་པའི་ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་སོ།
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=གཞན་ཕན་དོན་གཉེར་གྱི་བསམ་པས་ཀུན་ནས་བསླངས་ཏེ། གཞན་གནོད་གཞི་དང་བཅས་པ་སྤང་ཞིང་། གཞན་ཕན་གཞི་དང་བཅས་པ་སྒྲུབ་པའི་ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་སོ།
}}

Dharmacakrapravartanādhyeṣaṇā

2026-04-23T13:02:36Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=dharmacakrapravartanādhyeṣaṇā
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=requesting the turning of the wheel of Dharma; entreaty to teach the Dharma; urging to turn the wheel of dharma
|defaultSort=dharmacakrapravartanadhyesana
|Glossary-Tibetan=ཆོས་ཀྱི་འཁོར་ལོ་བསྐོར་བར་བསྐུལ་བ་
|Glossary-Wylie=chos kyi 'khor lo bskor bar bskul ba
|Glossary-Phonetic=chö kyi khorlo korwar külwa
|Glossary-Devanagari=धर्मचक्रप्रवर्तनाध्येषणा
|Glossary-Sanskrit=dharmacakrapravartanādhyeṣaṇā
|Glossary-Pali=dhammacakkappavattanājjhesanā
|Glossary-Chinese=請轉法輪
|Glossary-Pinyin=qǐng zhuǎn fǎlún
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=shinten bōrin
|Glossary-Korean=청전법륜
|Glossary-English=requesting the turning of the wheel of Dharma
|Glossary-Term-Alt=adhyeṣaṇā; bskul ba; requesting the turning of the wheel of Dharma; entreaty to teach
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-Definition=The request for the buddhas to teach in order to help guide living beings away from suffering and towards enlightenment
|Glossary-Senses=This request is part of the seven-limb prayer which is also know as Supreme Worship
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): Within the context of mental processes, this practice is related to the mental factor of intention (''cetanā'') and attention (''manasikāra''). It serves as a stimulus or impetus that rouses the mind toward virtuous activity. As a formal practice, it counteracts the 'obscuration of Dharma-neglect,' creating a karmic connection that ensures the practitioner will continue to encounter and receive teachings in future lives.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Mahāyāna path, requesting the turning of the wheel of Dharma is established as the fifth of the seven branches of supreme worship (''anuttarā-pūjā''). It is modeled after the historical event where Brahmā Sahampati entreated the Buddha to teach, arguing that while some beings have 'much dust in their eyes,' others have little and would benefit from the path. Practically, it involves visualizing the Buddhas of the ten directions and requesting them to teach in accordance with the varied needs and capacities of sentient beings. This branch is specifically designed to clear away the negative karma associated with having criticized the Dharma or having prevented others from hearing the teachings.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Tantric ritual and ''sādhana'' practice, this entreaty is often used as a liturgical exhortation to rouse the deity's activity or to request the ''guru'' to grant empowerments and instructions. After the generation of the deity or the arrival of the lineage masters, the practitioner formally petitions them to remain active and to provide the 'nectar of the teachings' for the sake of all beings. It is a vital component in maintaining the ''samaya'' connection between the student and the teacher, ensuring that the flow of blessings and wisdom remains uninterrupted.
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, ''ajjhesanā'' refers to the formal invitation or request for a monk to speak or for the Buddha to reveal a teaching. The most significant instance is the ''Brahmā-yācanā'', the request by the Great Brahmā for the newly enlightened Buddha to teach the world. This established the tradition that monks generally wait for a formal request before delivering a formal sermon, signifying respect for the Dharma and the readiness of the audience.
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=A significant spiritual practice of formally requesting or entreating a Buddha or a qualified teacher to share the Dharma. It is part of a series of practices called the Supreme Worship and encourages the flourishing of the Dharma.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A technical term denoting the formal entreaty addressed to a Buddha or spiritual master to 'turn the wheel of Dharma' (''dharmacakrapravartana''). In the Mahāyāna tradition, it is categorized as the fifth branch of the Seven-limb prayer (''saptāṅga-pūjā''). Making a request for teachings recognizes that teachings are most effective when sought with a sincere and ready heart, ensuring that the student is prepared to listen and the knowledge is shared at the appropriate time for the benefit of all. It commemorates the historical precedent of the deity Brahmā requesting the Buddha to teach shortly after his enlightenment when he had doubts as to whether anyone would understand his realization.
Practitioners urge the Buddhas and teachers to turn the wheel of Dharma to combat the ignorance of all beings to guide sentient beings toward liberation.
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Dharmacakrapravartanādhyeṣaṇā'' is a crucial practice for a bodhisattva because it safeguards the presence of the Dharma in the world. By requesting Buddhas and masters to teach, the practitioner demonstrates that there are beings capable of receiving the truth, which acts as the 'condition' for the teachings to arise. For the development of ''bodhicitta'', this branch counteracts the selfish tendency to remain indifferent to the spiritual needs of others. It cultivates the vast aspiration that the light of the Dharma should shine in every corner of the universe, ensuring that the path to liberation remains open for all sentient beings until ''saṃsāra'' is emptied.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=requesting the turning of the wheel of Dharma; entreaty to teach; invitation to teach; requesting guidance; exhortation; entreaty; urging; prompting; invoking
}}

Gtong len

2026-04-23T12:32:55Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=gtong len
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=sending and taking; tonglen; giving and taking; taking and giving
|defaultSort=gtong len
|Glossary-Tibetan=གཏོང་ལེན་
|Glossary-Wylie=gtong len
|Glossary-Phonetic=tonglen
|Glossary-English=taking and giving
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Tibetan
|Glossary-Definition=An advanced meditative practice within the ''Lojong'' (Mind Training) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, where we give others our happiness and take their suffering
|Glossary-Senses=One of the main practices for developing bodhicitta by helping us to reduce self-centred attitudes and increase altruism
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): ''Gtong len'' (Tib. ''gtong len''), or taking and giving, is an advanced meditative practice within the ''Lojong'' (Mind Training) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
#* It is an exceptionally powerful method for cultivating and training in relative ''bodhicitta'', the aspiration to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.
#* The practice involves visualizing taking on the suffering, sickness, negative karma, and causes of suffering of all sentient beings (the taking, ''len''), motivated by compassion (''karuṇā''), and giving away one's own happiness, virtue, merit, and causes of happiness (the giving, ''gtong''), motivated by loving-kindness (''maitrī'').
#* It is performed in conjunction with the breath: inhalation is for taking, and exhalation is for giving.
#* This practice is specifically designed to counteract the deeply ingrained self-cherishing attitude, which is viewed as the greatest obstacle on the Mahāyāna path.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): The practice of ''gtong len'' can be used as a preparatory or supporting practice in these traditions to purify obscurations and enhance one's capacity for altruism, thereby creating a fertile ground for the ultimate, non-conceptual realization of ''rigpa'' or ''dharmakāya'' mind. The vastness of the visualized taking and giving is intended to cut through the ordinary sense of self and other.
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=A contemplative practice, particularly in the Tibetan tradition, where one visualizes taking on the suffering and negative actions of others and giving them one's own happiness, well-being, and merit. It is performed to enhance compassion (''karuṇā'') and develop the ultimate aspiration of ''bodhicitta''.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A specialized meditative practice (T. ''gtong len''), typically associated with the ''Lojong'' (Mind Training) tradition, which involves breathing-based visualization. Inhaling, one draws in (''len'') the suffering, negative karma, and afflictions of all sentient beings with compassion (''karuṇā''). Exhaling, one sends out (''gtong'') all one's happiness, virtue, and merit to them with loving-kindness (''maitrī''). This practice is considered a powerful method for cultivating ultimate ''bodhicitta'' and transforming self-cherishing into altruism.
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Gtong len'' (taking and giving) is a specialized and essential practice for training the mind (''Lojong'') in **relative ''bodhicitta''**. It is considered a practice for the most courageous practitioners. The visualization of taking on the suffering of all beings with compassion (''karuṇā'') and giving away one's happiness and merit with loving-kindness (''maitrī'') directly strengthens the altruistic motivation of ''bodhicitta''. It serves to overcome self-cherishing, the primary obstacle to developing the genuine mind of enlightenment, thereby accelerating the ''bodhisattva's'' progress towards complete Buddhahood. It is traditionally combined with a contemplation of the ultimate nature of reality to prevent it from becoming merely a mundane, pity-based exercise.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=taking and giving; exchange; sending and taking; tonglen
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=ཕར་སྤྲོད་ཚུར་ལེན།
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=ཕར་སྤྲོད་ཚུར་ལེན་པ།
}}

Karuṇā

2026-04-23T12:31:24Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=Karuṇā
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=compassion; great compassion; mercy; pity
|defaultSort=Karuna
|Glossary-Tibetan=ཐུགས་རྗེ་
|Glossary-Wylie=thugs rje
|Glossary-Phonetic=tüjye
|Glossary-Devanagari=करुणा
|Glossary-Sanskrit=karuṇā
|Glossary-Pali=karuṇā
|Glossary-Chinese=悲
|Glossary-Pinyin=bēi
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=hi
|Glossary-Korean=bi
|Glossary-English=compassion
|Glossary-84000=compassion
|Glossary-EnglishKB=compassion
|Glossary-Term-Alt=thugs rje
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=(T. snying rje; C. bei; J. hi; K. pi 悲). In Sanskrit and Pāli, “compassion,” or “empathy”; the wish that others be free from suffering, as distinguished from loving-kindness (MAITRĪ; P. mettā), the wish that others be happy. Compassion is listed as the second of the four divine abidings (BRAHMAVIHĀRA) along with loving-kindness, empathetic joy (MUDITĀ), and equanimity (UPEKṢĀ). As one of the forty topics of meditation (P. KAMMAṬṬHĀNA), compassion is used only for the cultivation of tranquillity (ŚAMATHA), not insight (VIPAŚYANĀ). Compassion is to be developed in the following manner: filling one’s mind with compassion, one pervades the world with it, first in one direction, then in a second direction, then a third, a fourth, then above, below, and all around. Of the four divine abidings, compassion, along with loving-kindness and empathetic joy, is capable of producing the first three of the four stages of meditative absorption (DHYĀNA). This mainstream Buddhist notion of compassion is to be distinguished from the “great compassion” (MAHĀKARUṆĀ) of the BODHISATTVA, whose compassion inspires them to develop BODHICITTA, the aspiration to achieve buddhahood in order to liberate all beings from suffering. This great compassion is distinguished both by its scope (all sentient beings) and its agency (one personally seeks to remove the suffering of others). Great compassion thus becomes the primary motivating force that enables the BODHISATTVA to endure the three infinite eons (ASAṂKHYEYAKALPA) necessary to consummate the path to buddhahood. In Mahāyāna literature, numerous techniques are set forth to develop compassion, including acknowledging the kindness one has received from other beings in past lifetimes.
|Glossary-Definition=The wish for beings to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering
|Glossary-Senses=It is the wish for others to be free from all forms of suffering. When we are able to feel that in relation to all beings and wish for them to be free of even the subtlest suffering that is called great compassion
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): ''Karuṇā'' (T. ''སྙིང་རྗེ་'') is a wholesome mental factor that serves as the direct antidote to the mental affliction of cruelty or viciousness (''vihiṃsā''). It is defined as the aspiration for sentient beings to be free from suffering. It is traditionally counted as one of the four immeasurables (''brahmavihāra'' or ''ཚང་པའི་གནས་བཞི་''). In this context, it is cultivated by meditating upon the sufferings of all beings and aspiring for their relief.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Mahāyāna tradition, ''karuṇā'' is of supreme importance, culminating in ''mahākaruṇā'' (great compassion; T. ''སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་'').
#* ''Mahākaruṇā'' is the compassion that perceives the suffering of all sentient beings throughout the six realms and works ceaselessly and universally for their liberation. It is considered the root of ''bodhicitta'' (the mind of enlightenment) and is one of the defining qualities of a ''bodhisattva''.
#* Great compassion is understood as the ''upāya'' (method or skillful means) aspect of the path, which must be united inseparably with ''prajñā'' (wisdom, the realization of emptiness) to achieve the complete enlightenment of a Buddha. Compassion prevents one from falling into the extreme of merely tranquil nirvana, ensuring one continues working for others.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): ''Karuṇā'' (''thugs rje'') continues to be the indispensable method aspect, representing the activity and responsiveness of the awakened mind. It is inherently non-dual with wisdom (''prajñā''). The very spontaneous manifestation of enlightened qualities and the capacity to perceive the suffering of others is an expression of this great compassion.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): In the context of the ultimate nature of mind, ''karuṇā'' (*thugs rje*) is seen not merely as an emotional state but as the spontaneous, all-pervasive, and unobstructed capacity of the ultimate nature (''dharmakāya'' or ''rigpa'').
#* It is the energetic potential (''rtsal'') or light-like radiance that arises naturally from the emptiness (''stong pa nyid'') of the true nature.
#* It is the unimpeded, responsive luminosity of the mind's ultimate essence, which manifests in forms and activities to benefit beings. This view emphasizes the inseparability of emptiness and compassion as the two aspects of reality.
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, ''karuṇā'' is one of the four sublime abodes (P. ''brahmavihāra'') along with loving-kindness (''mettā''), sympathetic joy (''muditā''), and equanimity (''upekkhā''). The cultivation of ''karuṇā'' is a meditative practice aimed at purifying the mind by radiating the wish for all beings to free from suffering, thereby opposing ill-will and cruelty.
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The profound wish for all sentient beings to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. It is a core virtue in Buddhism and, in the Mahāyāna tradition, develops into 'great compassion' (''mahākaruṇā''), the driving force behind the pursuit of enlightenment for the benefit of others.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A fundamental wholesome mental factor (Skt. ''karuṇā''; T. ''སྙིང་རྗེ་'') defined as the state of mind that cannot bear the suffering of others and fervently desires their release from all forms of distress and its causes. It is one of the four immeasurables (''brahmavihāra''). In Mahāyāna, it transforms into ''mahākaruṇā'' (great compassion), which is universally directed and serves as one of the indispensable method (''upāya'') components, that combined with wisdom (''prajñā''), lead to the full enlightenment of a Buddha.
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Karuṇā'' is the very foundation and root of ''bodhicitta'', the mind aspiring to enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It begins as the simple wish to alleviate the suffering of others and matures into ''mahākaruṇā'' (great compassion; T. ''thugs rje chen po''), which is universal in scope and unwavering in its aspiration that all beings be free from even the subtlest of sufferings. This great compassion, when combined with ''prajñā'' (wisdom) – the realization of emptiness (''śūnyatā'') – forms the core practice of the ''bodhisattva''. ''Mahākaruṇā'' is the force that propels the ''bodhisattva'' to complete the six perfections (''pāramitā'') and attain Buddhahood, ensuring that the liberated state is not a passive one but an active, spontaneous, and ceaseless engagement for the welfare of others. It prevents the ''bodhisattva'' from settling for the lesser goal of personal liberation.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=compassion; great compassion; sorrow; mercy; pity; sympathetic joy
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=ཚངས་པའི་གནས་པ་བཞིའི་ནང་གསེས། ནད་སོགས་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱིས་མནར་བའི་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་དག་སྡུག་བསྔལ་དང་བྲལ་ན་ཅི་མ་རུང་སྙམ་པ་སྟེ། རྣམ་པར་འཚེ་བའི་སེམས་ཀྱི་གཉེན་པོའོ།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=ནད་སོགས་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱིས་མནར་བའི་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་དག་སྡུག་བསྔལ་དང་བྲལ་ན་ཅི་མ་རུང་སྙམ་པའི་སེམས་བྱུང་དེ་ཡིན། ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་ལམ་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་རྩ་བ་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཡིན་ཏེ། ཆོས་ཡང་དག་པར་སྡུད་པའི་མདོ་ལས། བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་སངས་རྒྱས་ཐོབ་པར་འདོད་པས་ཆོས་མང་པོ་ལ་བསླབ་པར་མི་བགྱི་། ཆོས་གཅིག་ལ་བསླབ་པར་བགྱིའོ། ། དེ་གང་ཞེ་ན་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོའོ་ཞེས་གསུངས། སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་འཁོར་བ་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱི་གནས་ལས་སྒྲོལ་བའི་ཁུར་འཁྱེར་བ་ནི་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་ལ་རག་ལས་ཏེ། མདོ་སྡེ་རྒྱན་ལས་། དང་པོ་རྩ་བ་ཐ་མ་འབྲས་མཆོག་ལྡན། འདི་ནི་སྙིང་རྗེའི་ལྗོན་ཤིང་ཆེན་པོ་ཡིན། རྩ་བ་སྙིང་རྗེ་མེད་གྱུར་ན། །དཀའ་སྤྱད་བཟོད་པ་ཉིད་མི་འགྱུར། ། ཞེས་གསུངས། དེ་ལྟར་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་ཡོན་ཏན་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་འབྱུང་གནས་སུ་གྱུར་པ་དེ་དཔེར་ན་ཤིང་གི་རྩ་བ་དང་སྡོང་པོ་སོགས་འོག་མ་འོག་མ་གོང་མ་སྐྱེ་ཞིང་། དེ་མེད་ན་མི་འབྱུང་བ་དང་འདྲ་བར་། སྙིང་རྗེ་རང་རྒྱུད་ལ་སྐྱེས་པར་བྱེད་པ་གལ་གནད་ཤིན་ཏུ་ཆེའོ། །
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=ཚངས་པའི་གནས་པ་བཞིའི་ནང་གསེས། ནད་སོགས་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱིས་མནར་བའི་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་དག་སྡུག་བསྔལ་དང་བྲལ་ན་ཅི་མ་རུང་སྙམ་པ་སྟེ། རྣམ་པར་འཚེ་བའི་སེམས་ཀྱི་གཉེན་པོའོ། །
}}

Pāramitā

2026-04-21T21:07:44Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=pāramitā
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=pāramitā; phar phyin; pha rol tu phyin pa; paramitas; pāramitās; perfections
|Glossary-Tibetan=ཕར་ཕྱིན།; ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ།
|Glossary-Wylie=phar phyin; pha rol tu phyin pa
|Glossary-Phonetic=pharchin; pa rol tu phyin pa
|Glossary-Devanagari=पारमिता
|Glossary-Sanskrit=pāramitā
|Glossary-PhoneticSkt=pāramitā
|Glossary-Chinese=波羅蜜
|Glossary-Pinyin=Bōluómì duō
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=haramitsu
|Glossary-KoreanTranslit=paramil
|Glossary-English=perfection
|Glossary-EnglishRB=perfection; consummation
|Glossary-EnglishJH=perfection
|Glossary-EnglishIW=perfection
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=In Sanskrit, “perfection,” a virtue or quality developed and practiced by a bodhisattva on the path to becoming a buddha. The term is paranomastically glossed by some traditional commentators as “gone beyond” or “gone to the other side” (see pāra) , although it seems in fact to derive from Skt. parama, meaning “highest” or “supreme.” The best-known enumeration of the perfections is a group of six: giving (dāna), morality (śIla), patience or forbearance (kṣänti), effort (vIrya), concentration (dhyāna), and wisdom (prajnā). There are also lists of ten perfections. In the Mahāyāna (specifically in the Daśabhūmikasūtra), the list of ten includes the preceding six, to which are added method (upāya), vow (pranidhāna), power (bala), and knowledge (jnäna), with the explanation that the bodhisattva practices the perfections in this order on each of the ten bodhisattva stages or grounds (bhūmi). Thus, giving is perfected on the first bhümi, morality on the second, and so on. In Päli sources, where the perfections are called pãramī, the ten perfections are giving (dāna), morality (śIla), renunciation (nekkhamma; S. naiskramya) , wisdom (paññā), effort (viriya), patience (kṣänti), truthfulness (sacca; S. satya), determination (adhitthāna; S. adhisthāna), loving- kindness (mettā; S. maitri), and equanimity (upekkhā; S. upeksā). The practice of these perfections over the course of the many lifetimes of the bodhisattva’s path eventually fructifies in the achievement of buddhahood. The precise meaning of the perfections is discussed at length, as is the question of how the six (or ten) are to be divided between the categories of merit ( puņya ) and wisdom ( jnāna ) . For example, according to one interpretation of the six perfections, giving, morality, and patience contribute to the collection of merit (punyasambhāra); concentration and wisdom contribute to the collection of wisdom (jnänasam bhära), and effort contributes to both. Commentators also consider what distinguishes the practice o f these six from other instances of the practice of giving, etc. Some Madhyamaka exegetes, for example, argue that these virtues only become perfections when the bodhisattva engages in them with an understanding of emptiness (śūnyatā); for example, giving a gift without clinging to any conception of giver, gift, or recipient.
|Glossary-Definition=The six or ten types of practices which lead an individual to Buddhahood. The practice of perfections is particularly important in Mahāyāna Buddhism in which the entire path of the Bodhisattva to reach full enlightenment is included in the six or ten perfections. The six perfections are that of giving, of discipline, patience, zeal, meditation, and wisdom. The perfection of skill-in-means, aspirations, power, and pristine wisdom are added to them to make ten perfections.
|Glossary-Senses=The Sanskrit and Tibetan terms pāramitā and phar phyin imply crossing over or reaching the other side because these practices help the individual practitioner to cross the ocean of cycle of existence and reach Buddhahood.
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=༡) ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ་སྟེ། ཐེག་ཆེན་གྱི་བསྒྲུབ་པའི་བསླབ་བྱ་གང་ཞིག་ཁྱད་ཆོས་བཞི་ལྡན་གྱི་ཕྱིན་དྲུག་གིས་བསྡུས་པའི་དགེ་བ་མཐའ་དག་སྒྲུབ་པའི་སེམས་པ་མཚུངས་ལྡན་དང་བཅས་པའོ། དེ་ནི་འཇིག་རྟེན་པ་དང་ཉན་རང་གི་དགེ་བ་ཀུན་ལས་ཕུལ་དུ་བྱུང་བས་ཕར་ངོས་སུ་སོང་བའམ། ཕ་མཐར་སོན་པའོ།།
|Glossary-DefinitionWP=[[wikipedia:Pāramitā]]
|Glossary-DefinitionRPW=[[rigpa:Paramita]]
}}

Mettā

2026-04-21T21:01:45Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=Mettā
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=loving-kindness; love; universal love; benevolence; friendliness; affection; kindness
|defaultSort=Metta
|Glossary-Tibetan=བྱམས་པ་
|Glossary-Wylie=byams pa
|Glossary-Phonetic=jampa
|Glossary-Devanagari=मैत्री
|Glossary-Sanskrit=maitrī
|Glossary-Pali=mettā
|Glossary-Chinese=慈
|Glossary-Pinyin=cí
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=ji
|Glossary-Korean=ja
|Glossary-English=loving-kindness
|Glossary-EnglishKB=loving-kindness
|Glossary-Term-Alt=Maitrī; byams pa
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Pali
|Glossary-Definition=The unconditional wish for other beings to experience happiness and the causes of happiness.
|Glossary-Senses=It is a form of universal, selfless love and when the wish for happiness is extended equally to all beings it is one of the four immeasurables (or sublime abodes).
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): ''Maitrī'' (T. ''byams pa''), or ''mettā'' in Pāli, is a wholesome mental factor that wishes happiness for all sentient beings. It is traditionally counted as the first of the four immeasurables (''brahmavihāra'' or ''tshang pa'i gnas pa bzhi''). Its function is to be an antidote to ill-will, hatred, and malice.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Mahāyāna, ''maitrī'' (T. ''byams pa'') is the unconditional loving-kindness that forms the foundation for great compassion (''mahākaruṇā'') and is indispensable for the generation of ''bodhicitta'', the aspiration for full enlightenment for the sake of all beings. It is cultivated through specific meditations, progressing from wishing happiness for oneself, to loved ones, neutral people, enemies, and finally all sentient beings equally. It is part of the ''upāya'' (method) aspect of the path, uniting with wisdom (''prajñā'').
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Vajrayāna, ''byams pa'' (loving-kindness) is maintained as part of the skillful means (''upāya'') and is inseparable from the ultimate view. It is the spontaneous expression of the awakened mind's nature, ensuring that the realization of emptiness is not sterile but dynamically engaged in the welfare of others.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): Within the ultimate perspective of Dzogchen, ''byams pa'' (loving-kindness) is understood as the spontaneous, unceasing warmth and capacity for manifestation (*thugs rje* or *rtsal*) that arises from the mind's ultimate essence (*rigpa*). It is an inherent quality of the realized nature, not just a cultivated feeling.
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, ''mettā'' is the first of the four sublime abodes (''brahmavihāra'') and is frequently taught as a specific meditation practice (''mettā bhāvanā''). This practice involves systematically radiating loving-kindness to increasingly wider circles of beings, with the purpose of purifying the mind of ill-will (''vyāpāda'') and developing equanimity. The *Mettā Sutta* is a key text on this practice.
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The unconditional wish for all sentient beings to experience happiness and the causes of happiness. It is a form of universal, selfless love and is one of the four immeasurables (or sublime abodes).
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A fundamental wholesome mental factor (P. ''mettā''; Skt. ''maitrī''; T. ''byams pa'') defined as the state of mind that wishes happiness for all sentient beings and is the direct antidote to ill-will (''vyāpāda''). As one of the four immeasurables (''brahmavihāra''), it is a crucial component of spiritual development. In Mahāyāna, its universal application serves as a foundation for great compassion (''mahākaruṇā'') and the generation of ''bodhicitta'', making it an essential practice within the method (''upāya'') aspect of the path.
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Maitrī'' (T. ''byams pa''), or loving-kindness, is the first and foundational quality for generating ''bodhicitta''. The practice of developing the unconditional wish for all sentient beings to have happiness and the causes of happiness is the necessary precursor to ''karuṇā'' (compassion), the wish for them to be free from suffering. In the Mahāyāna path, the progression of cultivating these four immeasurables—''maitrī'', ''karuṇā'', ''muditā'', and ''upekṣā''—is the indispensable method (''upāya'') that guides the ''bodhisattva'' through the stages to full enlightenment. Without ''maitrī'' as the foundation of wishing them happiness, the aspiration of ''bodhicitta'' would lack its essential altruistic motive.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=loving-kindness; universal love; benevolence; friendliness; affection; kindness
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=ཐ་མི་དད་པ གཞན་བདེ་བ་དང་ལྡན་པར་འདོད་པ། བྱམས་པའི་མ། གཉེན་ལ་བྱམས་ཤིང་དགྲ་ལ་སྡང༌། ལུག་རྫི་ལུག་ལ་བྱམས། བུ་ལ་བྱམས་དྲགས་ནས་ལང་དུ་ཤོར་བ། གོས་ལྷམ་སོགས་ལུས་ལ་བདེ་བ། ཀོ་སྒ་རྟ་ལ་བྱམས། ཕྱིང་ལྷམ་རྐང་ལ་བྱམས། དམངས་གཞས་ནང་ལ་དགའ་གྲོགས་སམ་སྙིང་གྲོགས་ཀྱི་དོན་དུ་གོ་བ། བུ་མོ་ཆུང་འདྲིས་བྱམས་པ། སྤྱང་ཀིའི་རིགས་རྒྱུད་མིན་ནམ། ཤ་འདྲེས་ལྤགས་འདྲེས་བྱུང་ཡང༌། རི་ལ་ཤོར་གྲབས་མཛད་གི། བྱམ་པ་དང་འདྲ། མཻཏྲི རྒྱལ་བ་མ་ཕམ་པ་དང༌། བྱང་སེམས་བྱམས་པ། ཚངས་པའི་གནས་པ་བཞིའི་ནང་གསེས། སེམས་ཅན་གང་ཞིག་ལ་དམིགས་ནས་དེ་དག་བདེ་བ་དང་ལྡན་ན་ཅི་མ་རུང་སྙམ་པ་སྟེ། གནོད་སེམས་ཀྱི་གཉེན་པོའོ།
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=〔ཐ་མི་དད་པ〕གཞན་བདེ་བ་དང་ལྡན་པར་འདོད་པ། བྱམས་པའི་མ། གཉེན་ལ་བྱམས་ཤིང་དགྲ་ལ་སྡང་། ལུག་རྫི་ལུག་ལ་བྱམས། བུ་ལ་བྱམས་དྲགས་ནས་ལང་དུ་ཤོར་བ།་ གོས་ལྷམ་སོགས་ལུས་ལ་བདེ་བ། ཀོ་སྒ་རྟ་ལ་བྱམས། ཕྱིང་ལྷམ་རྐང་ལ་བྱམས། ༼༢༽ཌམངས་གཞས་ནང་ལ་དགའ་གྲོགས་སམ་སྙིང་གྲོགས་ཀྱི་དོན་དུ་གོ་བ། བུ་མོ་ཆུང་འདྲིས་བྱམས་པ། །སྤྱང་ཀིའི་རིགས་རྒྱུད་མིན་ནམ། །ཤ་འདྲེས་ལྤགས་འདྲེས་བྱུང་ཡང་། །རི་ལ་ཤོར་གྲབས་མཛད་གི། བྱམས་པ་དང་འདྲ། མཻཏྲི་〉རྒྱལ་བ་མ་ཕམ་པ་དང་། བྱང་སེམས་བྱམས་པ ཊཤངས་པའི་གནས་པ་བཞིའི་ནང་གསེས། སེམས་ཅན་གང་ཞིག་ལ་དམིགས་ནས་དེ་དག་བདེ་བ་དང་ལྡན་ན་ཅི་མ་རུང་སྙམ་པ་སྟེ། གནོད་སེམས་ཀྱི་གཉེན་པོའོ།
}}

Karuṇā

2026-04-21T20:34:47Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=Karuṇā
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=compassion; great compassion; mercy; pity
|defaultSort=Karuna
|Glossary-Tibetan=ཐུགས་རྗེ་
|Glossary-Wylie=thugs rje
|Glossary-Phonetic=tüjye
|Glossary-Devanagari=करुणा
|Glossary-Sanskrit=karuṇā
|Glossary-Pali=karuṇā
|Glossary-Chinese=悲
|Glossary-Pinyin=bēi
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=hi
|Glossary-Korean=bi
|Glossary-English=compassion
|Glossary-EnglishKB=compassion
|Glossary-Term-Alt=thugs rje
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-Definition=The wish for beings to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering
|Glossary-Senses=It is the wish for others to be free from all forms of suffering. When we are able to feel that in relation to all beings and wish for them to be free of even the subtlest suffering that is called great compassion
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): ''Karuṇā'' (T. ''སྙིང་རྗེ་'') is a wholesome mental factor that serves as the direct antidote to the mental affliction of cruelty or viciousness (''vihiṃsā''). It is defined as the aspiration for sentient beings to be free from suffering. It is traditionally counted as one of the four immeasurables (''brahmavihāra'' or ''ཚང་པའི་གནས་བཞི་''). In this context, it is cultivated by meditating upon the sufferings of all beings and aspiring for their relief.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Mahāyāna tradition, ''karuṇā'' is of supreme importance, culminating in ''mahākaruṇā'' (great compassion; T. ''སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་'').
#* ''Mahākaruṇā'' is the compassion that perceives the suffering of all sentient beings throughout the six realms and works ceaselessly and universally for their liberation. It is considered the root of ''bodhicitta'' (the mind of enlightenment) and is one of the defining qualities of a ''bodhisattva''.
#* Great compassion is understood as the ''upāya'' (method or skillful means) aspect of the path, which must be united inseparably with ''prajñā'' (wisdom, the realization of emptiness) to achieve the complete enlightenment of a Buddha. Compassion prevents one from falling into the extreme of merely tranquil nirvana, ensuring one continues working for others.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): ''Karuṇā'' (''thugs rje'') continues to be the indispensable method aspect, representing the activity and responsiveness of the awakened mind. It is inherently non-dual with wisdom (''prajñā''). The very spontaneous manifestation of enlightened qualities and the capacity to perceive the suffering of others is an expression of this great compassion.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): In the context of the ultimate nature of mind, ''karuṇā'' (*thugs rje*) is seen not merely as an emotional state but as the spontaneous, all-pervasive, and unobstructed capacity of the ultimate nature (''dharmakāya'' or ''rigpa'').
#* It is the energetic potential (''rtsal'') or light-like radiance that arises naturally from the emptiness (''stong pa nyid'') of the true nature.
#* It is the unimpeded, responsive luminosity of the mind's ultimate essence, which manifests in forms and activities to benefit beings. This view emphasizes the inseparability of emptiness and compassion as the two aspects of reality.
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, ''karuṇā'' is one of the four sublime abodes (P. ''brahmavihāra'') along with loving-kindness (''mettā''), sympathetic joy (''muditā''), and equanimity (''upekkhā''). The cultivation of ''karuṇā'' is a meditative practice aimed at purifying the mind by radiating the wish for all beings to free from suffering, thereby opposing ill-will and cruelty.
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The profound wish for all sentient beings to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. It is a core virtue in Buddhism and, in the Mahāyāna tradition, develops into 'great compassion' (''mahākaruṇā''), the driving force behind the pursuit of enlightenment for the benefit of others.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A fundamental wholesome mental factor (Skt. ''karuṇā''; T. ''སྙིང་རྗེ་'') defined as the state of mind that cannot bear the suffering of others and fervently desires their release from all forms of distress and its causes. It is one of the four immeasurables (''brahmavihāra''). In Mahāyāna, it transforms into ''mahākaruṇā'' (great compassion), which is universally directed and serves as one of the indispensable method (''upāya'') components, that combined with wisdom (''prajñā''), lead to the full enlightenment of a Buddha.
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Karuṇā'' is the very foundation and root of ''bodhicitta'', the mind aspiring to enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It begins as the simple wish to alleviate the suffering of others and matures into ''mahākaruṇā'' (great compassion; T. ''thugs rje chen po''), which is universal in scope and unwavering in its aspiration that all beings be free from even the subtlest of sufferings. This great compassion, when combined with ''prajñā'' (wisdom) – the realization of emptiness (''śūnyatā'') – forms the core practice of the ''bodhisattva''. ''Mahākaruṇā'' is the force that propels the ''bodhisattva'' to complete the six perfections (''pāramitā'') and attain Buddhahood, ensuring that the liberated state is not a passive one but an active, spontaneous, and ceaseless engagement for the welfare of others. It prevents the ''bodhisattva'' from settling for the lesser goal of personal liberation.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=compassion; great compassion; sorrow; mercy; pity; sympathetic joy
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=ཚངས་པའི་གནས་པ་བཞིའི་ནང་གསེས། ནད་སོགས་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱིས་མནར་བའི་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་དག་སྡུག་བསྔལ་དང་བྲལ་ན་ཅི་མ་རུང་སྙམ་པ་སྟེ། རྣམ་པར་འཚེ་བའི་སེམས་ཀྱི་གཉེན་པོའོ།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=ནད་སོགས་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱིས་མནར་བའི་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་དག་སྡུག་བསྔལ་དང་བྲལ་ན་ཅི་མ་རུང་སྙམ་པའི་སེམས་བྱུང་དེ་ཡིན། ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་ལམ་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་རྩ་བ་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཡིན་ཏེ། ཆོས་ཡང་དག་པར་སྡུད་པའི་མདོ་ལས། བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་སངས་རྒྱས་ཐོབ་པར་འདོད་པས་ཆོས་མང་པོ་ལ་བསླབ་པར་མི་བགྱི་། ཆོས་གཅིག་ལ་བསླབ་པར་བགྱིའོ། ། དེ་གང་ཞེ་ན་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོའོ་ཞེས་གསུངས། སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་འཁོར་བ་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱི་གནས་ལས་སྒྲོལ་བའི་ཁུར་འཁྱེར་བ་ནི་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་ལ་རག་ལས་ཏེ། མདོ་སྡེ་རྒྱན་ལས་། དང་པོ་རྩ་བ་ཐ་མ་འབྲས་མཆོག་ལྡན། འདི་ནི་སྙིང་རྗེའི་ལྗོན་ཤིང་ཆེན་པོ་ཡིན། རྩ་བ་སྙིང་རྗེ་མེད་གྱུར་ན། །དཀའ་སྤྱད་བཟོད་པ་ཉིད་མི་འགྱུར། ། ཞེས་གསུངས། དེ་ལྟར་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་ཡོན་ཏན་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་འབྱུང་གནས་སུ་གྱུར་པ་དེ་དཔེར་ན་ཤིང་གི་རྩ་བ་དང་སྡོང་པོ་སོགས་འོག་མ་འོག་མ་གོང་མ་སྐྱེ་ཞིང་། དེ་མེད་ན་མི་འབྱུང་བ་དང་འདྲ་བར་། སྙིང་རྗེ་རང་རྒྱུད་ལ་སྐྱེས་པར་བྱེད་པ་གལ་གནད་ཤིན་ཏུ་ཆེའོ། །
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=ཚངས་པའི་གནས་པ་བཞིའི་ནང་གསེས། ནད་སོགས་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱིས་མནར་བའི་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་དག་སྡུག་བསྔལ་དང་བྲལ་ན་ཅི་མ་རུང་སྙམ་པ་སྟེ། རྣམ་པར་འཚེ་བའི་སེམས་ཀྱི་གཉེན་པོའོ། །
}}

Gtong len

2026-04-21T20:24:47Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=gtong len
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=sending and taking; tonglen; giving and taking; taking and giving
|defaultSort=gtong len
|Glossary-Tibetan=གཏོང་ལེན་
|Glossary-Wylie=gtong len
|Glossary-Phonetic=tonglen
|Glossary-English=taking and giving
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Tibetan
|Glossary-Definition=An advanced meditative practice within the ''Lojong'' (Mind Training) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, where we give others our happiness and take their suffering
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): ''Gtong len'' (Tib. ''gtong len''), or taking and giving, is an advanced meditative practice within the ''Lojong'' (Mind Training) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
#* It is an exceptionally powerful method for cultivating and training in relative ''bodhicitta'', the aspiration to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.
#* The practice involves visualizing taking on the suffering, sickness, negative karma, and causes of suffering of all sentient beings (the taking, ''len''), motivated by compassion (''karuṇā''), and giving away one's own happiness, virtue, merit, and causes of happiness (the giving, ''gtong''), motivated by loving-kindness (''maitrī'').
#* It is performed in conjunction with the breath: inhalation is for taking, and exhalation is for giving.
#* This practice is specifically designed to counteract the deeply ingrained self-cherishing attitude, which is viewed as the greatest obstacle on the Mahāyāna path.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): The practice of ''gtong len'' can be used as a preparatory or supporting practice in these traditions to purify obscurations and enhance one's capacity for altruism, thereby creating a fertile ground for the ultimate, non-conceptual realization of ''rigpa'' or ''dharmakāya'' mind. The vastness of the visualized taking and giving is intended to cut through the ordinary sense of self and other.
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=A contemplative practice, particularly in the Tibetan tradition, where one visualizes taking on the suffering and negative actions of others and giving them one's own happiness, well-being, and merit. It is performed to enhance compassion (''karuṇā'') and develop the ultimate aspiration of ''bodhicitta''.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A specialized meditative practice (T. ''gtong len''), typically associated with the ''Lojong'' (Mind Training) tradition, which involves breathing-based visualization. Inhaling, one draws in (''len'') the suffering, negative karma, and afflictions of all sentient beings with compassion (''karuṇā''). Exhaling, one sends out (''gtong'') all one's happiness, virtue, and merit to them with loving-kindness (''maitrī''). This practice is considered a powerful method for cultivating ultimate ''bodhicitta'' and transforming self-cherishing into altruism.
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Gtong len'' (taking and giving) is a specialized and essential practice for training the mind (''Lojong'') in **relative ''bodhicitta''**. It is considered a practice for the most courageous practitioners. The visualization of taking on the suffering of all beings with compassion (''karuṇā'') and giving away one's happiness and merit with loving-kindness (''maitrī'') directly strengthens the altruistic motivation of ''bodhicitta''. It serves to overcome self-cherishing, the primary obstacle to developing the genuine mind of enlightenment, thereby accelerating the ''bodhisattva's'' progress towards complete Buddhahood. It is traditionally combined with a contemplation of the ultimate nature of reality to prevent it from becoming merely a mundane, pity-based exercise.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=taking and giving; exchange; sending and taking; tonglen
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=ཕར་སྤྲོད་ཚུར་ལེན།
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=ཕར་སྤྲོད་ཚུར་ལེན་པ།
}}

Gtong len

2026-04-21T20:21:26Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=gtong len
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=taking and giving; exchange; sending and taking; tonglen
|defaultSort=gtong len
|Glossary-Tibetan=གཏོང་ལེན་
|Glossary-Wylie=gtong len
|Glossary-Phonetic=tonglen
|Glossary-English=taking and giving
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Tibetan
|Glossary-Definition=An advanced meditative practice within the ''Lojong'' (Mind Training) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, where we give others our happiness and take their suffering
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): ''Gtong len'' (Tib. ''gtong len''), or taking and giving, is an advanced meditative practice within the ''Lojong'' (Mind Training) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
#* It is an exceptionally powerful method for cultivating and training in relative ''bodhicitta'', the aspiration to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.
#* The practice involves visualizing taking on the suffering, sickness, negative karma, and causes of suffering of all sentient beings (the taking, ''len''), motivated by compassion (''karuṇā''), and giving away one's own happiness, virtue, merit, and causes of happiness (the giving, ''gtong''), motivated by loving-kindness (''maitrī'').
#* It is performed in conjunction with the breath: inhalation is for taking, and exhalation is for giving.
#* This practice is specifically designed to counteract the deeply ingrained self-cherishing attitude, which is viewed as the greatest obstacle on the Mahāyāna path.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): The practice of ''gtong len'' can be used as a preparatory or supporting practice in these traditions to purify obscurations and enhance one's capacity for altruism, thereby creating a fertile ground for the ultimate, non-conceptual realization of ''rigpa'' or ''dharmakāya'' mind. The vastness of the visualized taking and giving is intended to cut through the ordinary sense of self and other.
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=A contemplative practice, particularly in the Tibetan tradition, where one visualizes taking on the suffering and negative actions of others and giving them one's own happiness, well-being, and merit. It is performed to enhance compassion (''karuṇā'') and develop the ultimate aspiration of ''bodhicitta''.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A specialized meditative practice (T. ''gtong len''), typically associated with the ''Lojong'' (Mind Training) tradition, which involves breathing-based visualization. Inhaling, one draws in (''len'') the suffering, negative karma, and afflictions of all sentient beings with compassion (''karuṇā''). Exhaling, one sends out (''gtong'') all one's happiness, virtue, and merit to them with loving-kindness (''maitrī''). This practice is considered a powerful method for cultivating ultimate ''bodhicitta'' and transforming self-cherishing into altruism.
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Gtong len'' (taking and giving) is a specialized and essential practice for training the mind (''Lojong'') in **relative ''bodhicitta''**. It is considered a practice for the most courageous practitioners. The visualization of taking on the suffering of all beings with compassion (''karuṇā'') and giving away one's happiness and merit with loving-kindness (''maitrī'') directly strengthens the altruistic motivation of ''bodhicitta''. It serves to overcome self-cherishing, the primary obstacle to developing the genuine mind of enlightenment, thereby accelerating the ''bodhisattva's'' progress towards complete Buddhahood. It is traditionally combined with a contemplation of the ultimate nature of reality to prevent it from becoming merely a mundane, pity-based exercise.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=taking and giving; exchange; sending and taking; tonglen
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=ཕར་སྤྲོད་ཚུར་ལེན།
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=ཕར་སྤྲོད་ཚུར་ལེན་པ།
}}

Karuṇā

2026-04-21T19:28:29Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=Karuṇā
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=compassion; great compassion; mercy; pity
|defaultSort=Karuna
|Glossary-Tibetan=ཐུགས་རྗེ་
|Glossary-Wylie=thugs rje
|Glossary-Phonetic=tüjye
|Glossary-Devanagari=करुणा
|Glossary-Sanskrit=karuṇā
|Glossary-Pali=karuṇā
|Glossary-Chinese=悲
|Glossary-Pinyin=bēi
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=hi
|Glossary-Korean=bi
|Glossary-English=compassion
|Glossary-EnglishKB=compassion
|Glossary-Term-Alt=thugs rje
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-Definition=The wish for beings to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): ''Karuṇā'' (T. ''སྙིང་རྗེ་'') is a wholesome mental factor that serves as the direct antidote to the mental affliction of cruelty or viciousness (''vihiṃsā''). It is defined as the aspiration for sentient beings to be free from suffering. It is traditionally counted as one of the four immeasurables (''brahmavihāra'' or ''ཚང་པའི་གནས་བཞི་''). In this context, it is cultivated by meditating upon the sufferings of all beings and aspiring for their relief.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Mahāyāna tradition, ''karuṇā'' is of supreme importance, culminating in ''mahākaruṇā'' (great compassion; T. ''སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་'').
#* ''Mahākaruṇā'' is the compassion that perceives the suffering of all sentient beings throughout the six realms and works ceaselessly and universally for their liberation. It is considered the root of ''bodhicitta'' (the mind of enlightenment) and is one of the defining qualities of a ''bodhisattva''.
#* Great compassion is understood as the ''upāya'' (method or skillful means) aspect of the path, which must be united inseparably with ''prajñā'' (wisdom, the realization of emptiness) to achieve the complete enlightenment of a Buddha. Compassion prevents one from falling into the extreme of merely tranquil nirvana, ensuring one continues working for others.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): ''Karuṇā'' (''thugs rje'') continues to be the indispensable method aspect, representing the activity and responsiveness of the awakened mind. It is inherently non-dual with wisdom (''prajñā''). The very spontaneous manifestation of enlightened qualities and the capacity to perceive the suffering of others is an expression of this great compassion.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): In the context of the ultimate nature of mind, ''karuṇā'' (*thugs rje*) is seen not merely as an emotional state but as the spontaneous, all-pervasive, and unobstructed capacity of the ultimate nature (''dharmakāya'' or ''rigpa'').
#* It is the energetic potential (''rtsal'') or light-like radiance that arises naturally from the emptiness (''stong pa nyid'') of the true nature.
#* It is the unimpeded, responsive luminosity of the mind's ultimate essence, which manifests in forms and activities to benefit beings. This view emphasizes the inseparability of emptiness and compassion as the two aspects of reality.
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, ''karuṇā'' is one of the four sublime abodes (P. ''brahmavihāra'') along with loving-kindness (''mettā''), sympathetic joy (''muditā''), and equanimity (''upekkhā''). The cultivation of ''karuṇā'' is a meditative practice aimed at purifying the mind by radiating the wish for all beings to free from suffering, thereby opposing ill-will and cruelty.
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The profound wish for all sentient beings to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. It is a core virtue in Buddhism and, in the Mahāyāna tradition, develops into 'great compassion' (''mahākaruṇā''), the driving force behind the pursuit of enlightenment for the benefit of others.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A fundamental wholesome mental factor (Skt. ''karuṇā''; T. ''སྙིང་རྗེ་'') defined as the state of mind that cannot bear the suffering of others and fervently desires their release from all forms of distress and its causes. It is one of the four immeasurables (''brahmavihāra''). In Mahāyāna, it transforms into ''mahākaruṇā'' (great compassion), which is universally directed and serves as one of the indispensable method (''upāya'') components, that combined with wisdom (''prajñā''), lead to the full enlightenment of a Buddha.
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Karuṇā'' is the very foundation and root of ''bodhicitta'', the mind aspiring to enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It begins as the simple wish to alleviate the suffering of others and matures into ''mahākaruṇā'' (great compassion; T. ''thugs rje chen po''), which is universal in scope and unwavering in its aspiration that all beings be free from even the subtlest of sufferings. This great compassion, when combined with ''prajñā'' (wisdom) – the realization of emptiness (''śūnyatā'') – forms the core practice of the ''bodhisattva''. ''Mahākaruṇā'' is the force that propels the ''bodhisattva'' to complete the six perfections (''pāramitā'') and attain Buddhahood, ensuring that the liberated state is not a passive one but an active, spontaneous, and ceaseless engagement for the welfare of others. It prevents the ''bodhisattva'' from settling for the lesser goal of personal liberation.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=compassion; great compassion; sorrow; mercy; pity; sympathetic joy
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=ཚངས་པའི་གནས་པ་བཞིའི་ནང་གསེས། ནད་སོགས་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱིས་མནར་བའི་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་དག་སྡུག་བསྔལ་དང་བྲལ་ན་ཅི་མ་རུང་སྙམ་པ་སྟེ། རྣམ་པར་འཚེ་བའི་སེམས་ཀྱི་གཉེན་པོའོ།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=ནད་སོགས་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱིས་མནར་བའི་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་དག་སྡུག་བསྔལ་དང་བྲལ་ན་ཅི་མ་རུང་སྙམ་པའི་སེམས་བྱུང་དེ་ཡིན། ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་ལམ་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་རྩ་བ་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཡིན་ཏེ། ཆོས་ཡང་དག་པར་སྡུད་པའི་མདོ་ལས། བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་སངས་རྒྱས་ཐོབ་པར་འདོད་པས་ཆོས་མང་པོ་ལ་བསླབ་པར་མི་བགྱི་། ཆོས་གཅིག་ལ་བསླབ་པར་བགྱིའོ། ། དེ་གང་ཞེ་ན་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོའོ་ཞེས་གསུངས། སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་འཁོར་བ་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱི་གནས་ལས་སྒྲོལ་བའི་ཁུར་འཁྱེར་བ་ནི་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་ལ་རག་ལས་ཏེ། མདོ་སྡེ་རྒྱན་ལས་། དང་པོ་རྩ་བ་ཐ་མ་འབྲས་མཆོག་ལྡན། འདི་ནི་སྙིང་རྗེའི་ལྗོན་ཤིང་ཆེན་པོ་ཡིན། རྩ་བ་སྙིང་རྗེ་མེད་གྱུར་ན། །དཀའ་སྤྱད་བཟོད་པ་ཉིད་མི་འགྱུར། ། ཞེས་གསུངས། དེ་ལྟར་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་ཡོན་ཏན་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་འབྱུང་གནས་སུ་གྱུར་པ་དེ་དཔེར་ན་ཤིང་གི་རྩ་བ་དང་སྡོང་པོ་སོགས་འོག་མ་འོག་མ་གོང་མ་སྐྱེ་ཞིང་། དེ་མེད་ན་མི་འབྱུང་བ་དང་འདྲ་བར་། སྙིང་རྗེ་རང་རྒྱུད་ལ་སྐྱེས་པར་བྱེད་པ་གལ་གནད་ཤིན་ཏུ་ཆེའོ། །
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=ཚངས་པའི་གནས་པ་བཞིའི་ནང་གསེས། ནད་སོགས་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱིས་མནར་བའི་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་དག་སྡུག་བསྔལ་དང་བྲལ་ན་ཅི་མ་རུང་སྙམ་པ་སྟེ། རྣམ་པར་འཚེ་བའི་སེམས་ཀྱི་གཉེན་པོའོ། །
}}

Dharmacakrapravartanādhyeṣaṇā

2026-03-24T21:40:38Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=dharmacakrapravartanādhyeṣaṇā |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=requesting the turning of the wheel of Dharma; entreaty to teach the Dharma; urging to turn the wheel of dharma |defaultSort=dharmacakrapravartanadhyesana |Glossary-Tibetan=ཆོས་ཀྱི་འཁོར་ལོ་བསྐོར་བར་བསྐུལ་བ་ |Glossary-Wylie=chos kyi 'khor lo bskor bar bskul ba |Glossary-Phonetic=chö kyi kho..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=dharmacakrapravartanādhyeṣaṇā
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=requesting the turning of the wheel of Dharma; entreaty to teach the Dharma; urging to turn the wheel of dharma
|defaultSort=dharmacakrapravartanadhyesana
|Glossary-Tibetan=ཆོས་ཀྱི་འཁོར་ལོ་བསྐོར་བར་བསྐུལ་བ་
|Glossary-Wylie=chos kyi 'khor lo bskor bar bskul ba
|Glossary-Phonetic=chö kyi khorlo korwar külwa
|Glossary-Devanagari=धर्मचक्रप्रवर्तनाध्येषणा
|Glossary-Sanskrit=dharmacakrapravartanādhyeṣaṇā
|Glossary-Pali=dhammacakkappavattanājjhesanā
|Glossary-Chinese=請轉法輪
|Glossary-Pinyin=qǐng zhuǎn fǎlún
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=shinten bōrin
|Glossary-Korean=청전법륜
|Glossary-English=requesting the turning of the wheel of Dharma
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=adhyeṣaṇā; bskul ba; requesting the turning of the wheel of Dharma; entreaty to teach
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=A significant spiritual practice of formally requesting or entreating a Buddha or a qualified teacher to share the Dharma. It is part of a series of practices called the Supreme Worship and encourages the flourishing of the Dharma.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A technical term denoting the formal entreaty addressed to a Buddha or spiritual master to 'turn the wheel of Dharma' (''dharmacakrapravartana''). In the Mahāyāna tradition, it is categorized as the fifth branch of the Seven-limb prayer (''saptāṅga-pūjā''). Making a request for teachings recognizes that teachings are most effective when sought with a sincere and ready heart, ensuring that the student is prepared to listen and the knowledge is shared at the appropriate time for the benefit of all. It commemorates the historical precedent of the deity Brahmā requesting the Buddha to teach shortly after his enlightenment when he had doubts as to whether anyone would understand his realization.
Practitioners urge the Buddhas and teachers to turn the wheel of Dharma to combat the ignorance of all beings to guide sentient beings toward liberation.
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): Within the context of mental processes, this practice is related to the mental factor of intention (''cetanā'') and attention (''manasikāra''). It serves as a stimulus or impetus that rouses the mind toward virtuous activity. As a formal practice, it counteracts the 'obscuration of Dharma-neglect,' creating a karmic connection that ensures the practitioner will continue to encounter and receive teachings in future lives.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Mahāyāna path, requesting the turning of the wheel of Dharma is established as the fifth of the seven branches of supreme worship (''anuttarā-pūjā''). It is modeled after the historical event where Brahmā Sahampati entreated the Buddha to teach, arguing that while some beings have 'much dust in their eyes,' others have little and would benefit from the path. Practically, it involves visualizing the Buddhas of the ten directions and requesting them to teach in accordance with the varied needs and capacities of sentient beings. This branch is specifically designed to clear away the negative karma associated with having criticized the Dharma or having prevented others from hearing the teachings.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Tantric ritual and ''sādhana'' practice, this entreaty is often used as a liturgical exhortation to rouse the deity's activity or to request the ''guru'' to grant empowerments and instructions. After the generation of the deity or the arrival of the lineage masters, the practitioner formally petitions them to remain active and to provide the 'nectar of the teachings' for the sake of all beings. It is a vital component in maintaining the ''samaya'' connection between the student and the teacher, ensuring that the flow of blessings and wisdom remains uninterrupted.
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, ''ajjhesanā'' refers to the formal invitation or request for a monk to speak or for the Buddha to reveal a teaching. The most significant instance is the ''Brahmā-yācanā'', the request by the Great Brahmā for the newly enlightened Buddha to teach the world. This established the tradition that monks generally wait for a formal request before delivering a formal sermon, signifying respect for the Dharma and the readiness of the audience.
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=requesting the turning of the wheel of Dharma; entreaty to teach; invitation to teach; requesting guidance; exhortation; entreaty; urging; prompting; invoking
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Dharmacakrapravartanādhyeṣaṇā'' is a crucial practice for a bodhisattva because it safeguards the presence of the Dharma in the world. By requesting Buddhas and masters to teach, the practitioner demonstrates that there are beings capable of receiving the truth, which acts as the 'condition' for the teachings to arise. For the development of ''bodhicitta'', this branch counteracts the selfish tendency to remain indifferent to the spiritual needs of others. It cultivates the vast aspiration that the light of the Dharma should shine in every corner of the universe, ensuring that the path to liberation remains open for all sentient beings until ''saṃsāra'' is emptied.
}}

Bodhisattvasaṃvara

2026-03-24T21:03:46Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=bodhisattvasaṃvara |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=bodhisattva vow; ethical code of a bodhisattva; altruistic restraint; commitment of the awakening mind |defaultSort=bodhisattvasamvara |Glossary-Tibetan=བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་སྡོམ་པ་ |Glossary-Wylie=byang chub sems dpa'i sdom pa |Glossary-Phonetic=changchub sempay dompa |Glossary-Devanagari=बोधिसत्त्वस..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=bodhisattvasaṃvara
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=bodhisattva vow; ethical code of a bodhisattva; altruistic restraint; commitment of the awakening mind
|defaultSort=bodhisattvasamvara
|Glossary-Tibetan=བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་སྡོམ་པ་
|Glossary-Wylie=byang chub sems dpa'i sdom pa
|Glossary-Phonetic=changchub sempay dompa
|Glossary-Devanagari=बोधिसत्त्वसंवर
|Glossary-Sanskrit=bodhisattvasaṃvara
|Glossary-Pali=
|Glossary-Chinese=菩薩戒
|Glossary-Pinyin=púsà jiè
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=bosatsukai
|Glossary-Korean=bosalgye
|Glossary-English=bodhisattva vow
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=bodhisattva vow; byang sems sdom pa; code of the bodhisattva
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The ethical code or 'vow' taken by a practitioner on the Great Vehicle path. It is a formal commitment to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all living beings, involving the avoidance of selfish actions and the active practice of helping others. Unlike other Buddhist vows, this commitment is maintained across multiple lifetimes until all beings are liberated.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=The ''bodhisattvasaṃvara'' (T. ''byang chub sems dpa'i sdom pa'') constitutes the ethical foundation of the Mahāyāna path, rooted in the cultivation of ''bodhicitta''. It is categorized into two main lineages in the Indo-Tibetan tradition: the 'Profound View' lineage and the 'Vast Conduct' lineage. The vow involves the formal restraint from specific root downfalls (''mūlapatti'') and secondary faults (''duṣkṛta''), categorized under the 'three-fold code of ethics' (''trividha-śīla-skandha''): the ethics of restraint, the ethics of gathering virtuous qualities, and the ethics of benefiting sentient beings.
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): The bodhisattva vow is the formalization of the commitment to the awakening mind (''bodhicitta''). It is fundamentally structured around the 'three-fold code of ethics' (''trividha-śīla-skandha''; T. ''tshul khrims kyi phung po gsum''):
#* The ethics of restraining from non-virtuous conduct (Skt. ''saṃvara-śīla''; T. ''nyes spyod sdom pa'i tshul khrims''): Avoiding actions that harm others or stem from selfish motivations.
#* The ethics of gathering virtuous qualities (Skt. ''kuśala-dharma-saṃgrāhaka-śīla''; T. ''dge ba chos sdud kyi tshul khrims''): Proactively cultivating the perfections and amassing merit.
#* The ethics of benefiting sentient beings (Skt. ''sattvārtha-kriyā-śīla''; T. ''sems can don byed kyi tshul khrims''): Directly acting to alleviate the suffering and facilitate the enlightenment of all beings.
#* Lineages of Transmission: In the Tibetan tradition, two primary lineages for taking the vow are preserved. The 'Profound View' lineage typically enumerates eighteen root downfalls (''rtsa ltung bco brgyad''). The 'Vast Conduct' lineage details four root downfalls and forty-six secondary faults (''nyes byas''). While the specific counts vary, they share the central downfall of abandoning the altruistic aspiration of ''bodhicitta''.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): Within the context of Secret Mantra (Skt. ''Guhyamantra''), the bodhisattva vow is an indispensable prerequisite for receiving tantric empowerments (Skt. ''abhiṣeka''). It forms the common ethical basis upon which the specific tantric commitments (Skt. ''samaya''; T. ''dam tshig'') are established. In the higher tantras, the maintenance of the bodhisattva ethical code is seen as the necessary container for the advanced meditative realizations of the generation and completion stages.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): In these traditions, the bodhisattva vow is understood not merely as a set of rules but as the natural expression of the realized nature of mind. When the practitioner recognizes the luminous nature of the mind, compassion and the commitment to benefit others arise spontaneously without conceptual effort. Here, the essence of the vow is identified with remaining in the state of non-dual awareness while engaging in the welfare of beings.
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=གཞན་ཕན་དོན་གཉེར་གྱི་བསམ་པས་ཀུན་ནས་བསླངས་ཏེ། གཞན་གནོད་གཞི་དང་བཅས་པ་སྤང་ཞིང་། གཞན་ཕན་གཞི་དང་བཅས་པ་སྒྲུབ་པའི་ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་སོ།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=གཞན་ཕན་དོན་གཉེར་གྱི་བསམ་པས་ཀུན་ནས་བསླངས་ཏེ། གཞན་གནོད་གཞི་དང་བཅས་པ་སྤང་ཞིང་། གཞན་ཕན་གཞི་དང་བཅས་པ་སྒྲུབ་པའི་ཚུལ་ཁྲིམས་སོ།
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=bodhisattva vow; code of the bodhisattva; altruistic restraint; bodhisattva ethical code; commitment of the awakening mind; vow of the son of the conquerors
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=The ''bodhisattvasaṃvara'' is the practical application of ''bodhicitta''. While 'aspirational bodhicitta' (Skt. ''praṇidhicitta''; T. ''smon sems'') involves the sincere wish to achieve buddhahood for all, the taking of the vow marks the transition to 'engaging bodhicitta' (Skt. ''prasthānacitta''; T. '''jug sems''). By formally assuming the vow, the practitioner enters the ranks of the 'engaging' bodhisattvas, committing to the actual conduct of the perfections. This ethical code is considered unique because it is not lost upon death; once authentically generated, the seed of the bodhisattva vow is carried in the mental continuum across lifetimes until the ultimate goal of enlightenment is reached.
}}

Ātmaparaprativartana

2026-03-24T13:52:50Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=ātmaparaprativartana |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=equalizing and exchanging self and other; exchanging self and other; equalization and exchange; substituting others for oneself |defaultSort=atmaparaprativartana |Glossary-Tibetan=བདག་གཞན་མཉམ་བརྗེ་ |Glossary-Wylie=bdag gzhan mnyam brje |Glossary-Phonetic=dakzhen nyamjé |Glossary-Devanagari=आत्मपरप्रतिवर्त..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=ātmaparaprativartana
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=equalizing and exchanging self and other; exchanging self and other; equalization and exchange; substituting others for oneself
|defaultSort=atmaparaprativartana
|Glossary-Tibetan=བདག་གཞན་མཉམ་བརྗེ་
|Glossary-Wylie=bdag gzhan mnyam brje
|Glossary-Phonetic=dakzhen nyamjé
|Glossary-Devanagari=आत्मपरप्रतिवर्तन
|Glossary-Sanskrit=ātmaparaprativartana
|Glossary-Pali=
|Glossary-Chinese=自他換
|Glossary-Pinyin=zìtā huàn
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=jitakan
|Glossary-Korean=jatahwahn
|Glossary-English=equalizing and exchanging self and other
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=bdag gzhan brje ba; exchange of self and other; tonglen
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=One of the principal techniques in the Mahāyāna tradition for developing bodhicitta. The practice helps us learn how to view others as being of equal importance as oneself, and eventually to mentally 'exchange' one's own happiness for the suffering of others. This practice is designed to destroy selfishness, develop a heart of universal compassion, .
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A core contemplative practice of the Mahāyāna tradition (Skt. ''ātmaparaprativartana''; T. ''bdag gzhan mnyam brje'') primarily used to cultivate ''bodhicitta''. This Profound View tradition of developing the mind of enlightenment comes down through Nāgārjuna to the 8th century Indian master Śāntideva. It consists of two main stages: first, equalizing self and other (''bdag gzhan mnyam pa'') by recognizing that all beings equally desire happiness and wish to avoid suffering; and second, exchanging self and other (''bdag gzhan brje ba''), a radical psychological shift where one's own well-being is replaced by the well-being of others as the primary object of concern. It is the principal antidote to self-cherishing (''bdag gces 'dzin'').
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Mahāyāna tradition, ''ātmaparaprativartana'' (T. ''bdag gzhan mnyam brje'') is a central method for generating the altruistic aspiration to enlightenment (''bodhicitta''). This practice is particularly associated with the lineage of the Indian master ''Śāntideva'' and is detailed extensively in the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra''. It is structured into two distinct but related phases:
#* Equalizing Self and Other (''bdag gzhan mnyam pa''): The practitioner trains the mind to recognize the fundamental equality between themselves and all other sentient beings. This is based on the realization that every being, without exception, possesses the same basic desire to find happiness and the same instinctive wish to avoid suffering. By reflecting on this equality, the practitioner begins to dissolve the arbitrary boundaries of "self" and "other" that fuel attachment and aversion.
#* Exchanging Self and Other (''bdag gzhan brje ba''): Once equanimity is established, the practitioner engages in the more radical transformation of mentally exchanging their own self-interest for the interest of others. This involves taking the suffering, problems, and negative conditions of others upon oneself, while giving away one's own happiness, merit, and positive conditions to them. This psychological "reversal" is the direct antidote to self-cherishing (''bdag gces 'dzin''), which is identified as the root of all suffering and the primary obstacle to buddhahood.
#* Through this training, the practitioner develops a "self-less" form of compassion and love, where the welfare of others becomes the primary motivating force for all actions. It is often practiced in conjunction with the meditation of "sending and taking" (''tonglen''; T. ''gtong len''), where the exchange is synchronized with the breath.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): Within the context of Tantra, this practice provides the essential motivation for engaging in deity yoga. The altruistic intent developed through equalizing and exchanging self and other ensures that the specialized techniques of the Vajrayāna are directed toward the benefit of all beings rather than personal spiritual gain. It serves as the moral and psychological foundation that prevents the "vajra-pride" of the practitioner from devolving into ordinary ego-inflation.
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=བདག་གཞན་མཉམ་པའི་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས་དང་བདག་གཞན་བརྗེ་བའི་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས་ཀྱི་བསྡུས་མིང་།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=སྔོན་ཆད་རང་གཅེས་པར་འཛིན་ཅིང་། གཞན་ཡར་བལ་འདོར་བའི་བསམ་བློ་ཡོད་པ་དེ་གོ་ས་བརྗེས་ནས་རང་ཡལ་བར་འདོར་ཞིང་གཞན་གཅེས་པར་འཛིན་པའི་བསམ་བློ་སྐྱེས་པ་ལ་ཟེར།
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=བདག་གཞན་མཉམ་པའི་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས་དང་བདག་གཞན་བརྗེ་བའི་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས་ཀྱི་བསྡུས་མིང་།
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=equalizing and exchanging self and other; equalization and exchange;
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''ātmaparaprativartana'' (T. ''bdag gzhan mnyam brje'') is considered one of the two chief means for cultivating both aspirational and engaging ''bodhicitta''. A ''bodhisattva'' understands that self-cherishing (''bdag gces 'dzin'') is the "great enemy" that prevents the arising of a truly universal altruism. By training in understanding others to be completely equal to ourselves, the practitioner transforms their mental habits by exchanging their self-centered focus for a perspective fully focussed on other being's welfare. This is not a literal physical exchange, but a radical shift in the "focus" of the heart. The practice leads to the development of the "Great Compassion" (''mahākaruṇā'') that takes responsibility for freeing all beings from suffering, and eventually to the complete development of bodhicitta that wishes to achieve the highest state of enlightenment in order to be able do that
}}

Pariṇāmanā

2026-03-24T12:26:09Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=pariṇāmanā |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=dedication; dedication of merit; transfer of merit; |defaultSort=parinamana |Glossary-Tibetan=བསྔོ་བ་ |Glossary-Wylie=bsngo ba |Glossary-Phonetic=ngowa |Glossary-Devanagari=परिणामना |Glossary-Sanskrit=pariṇāmanā |Glossary-Pali=pariṇāmanā |Glossary-Chinese=迴向 |Glossary-Pinyin=huíxiàng |Glossary-JapanTranslit=ekō |Glossary-Korean=ho..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=pariṇāmanā
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=dedication; dedication of merit; transfer of merit;
|defaultSort=parinamana
|Glossary-Tibetan=བསྔོ་བ་
|Glossary-Wylie=bsngo ba
|Glossary-Phonetic=ngowa
|Glossary-Devanagari=परिणामना
|Glossary-Sanskrit=pariṇāmanā
|Glossary-Pali=pariṇāmanā
|Glossary-Chinese=迴向
|Glossary-Pinyin=huíxiàng
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=ekō
|Glossary-Korean=hoehwi
|Glossary-English=dedication of merit
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=bsngo ba; dedication; transfer of merit
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The Buddhist practice of 'dedicating' or giving away the positive energy from one's good deeds for the benefit of others. It ensures that the goodness created is shared with all beings and directed toward the ultimate goal of enlightenment, preventing it from being exhausted.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A fundamental Mahāyāna practice (Skt. ''pariṇāmanā''; T. ''bsngo ba'') involving the formal redirection of accumulated merit (''puṇya'') toward a specific goal, primarily the enlightenment of all sentient beings. It is the final branch of the Seven-Branch Service (''saptāṅga-vidhi'') and is considered essential to ensure that virtuous actions become an inexhaustible cause for buddhahood rather than merely resulting in temporary worldly pleasure.
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In the context of the path, ''pariṇāmanā'' (T. ''bsngo ba'') is the mental action that determines the specific maturation of a wholesome deed. While ordinary wholesome actions naturally result in pleasant rebirths within ''saṃsāra'', the act of dedication intentionally steers that karmic potential. It is categorized as a virtuous mental activity that transforms a simple "root of virtue" into a cause for the "higher end"—liberation or omniscience. Without dedication, merit is compared to a seasonal crop that is consumed once it ripens; with dedication, it is like a drop of water added to a great ocean, which does not disappear until the ocean itself dries up.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): Dedication is the seventh and final branch of the "Supreme Worship" (''anuttarā-pūjā'') or "Seven-Branch Service" (''yan lag bdun pa''). It is the crucial step that seals all other virtuous activities. In the ''bodhisattva'' path, the standard dedication is to direct merit toward the "unsurpassable, truly complete enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings." This is often performed with the awareness of the "three circles" ('''khor gsum'')—the dedicator, the merit being dedicated, and the goal of the dedication—as being empty of inherent existence. This "pure dedication" (''yongs su bsngos pa rnam par dag pa'') prevents the merit from being destroyed by later moments of anger or regret.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): Within Tantric liturgy, the dedication of merit concludes every ''sādhana'' or ritual session. It is often paired with "aspiration prayers" (''praṇidhāna''; T. ''smon lam''). In the Vajrayāna, dedication also carries the sense of "transmutation," where the practitioner's efforts in deity yoga and mantra recitation are dedicated to the stabilization of the "mandala of the deity" and the swift awakening of all beings within that spiritual environment. It is the bridge between the "meditative state" (''samāhita-jñāna'') and the "subsequent attainment" (''pṛṣṭhalabdha-jñāna'').
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=༡. སྔོ་བའི་མ་འོངས་པ།
༢. ཡོངས་སུ་བསྒྱུར་བའམ། ཡོངས་སུ་སྤེལ་བ་ལ་འཇུག་པ་སྟེ། འཁོར་བའི་རྒྱུར་གྱུར་བའི་དགེ་རྩ་རྣམས་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཆེན་པོའི་རྒྱུར་བསྒྱུར་བའམ། འཛད་པར་འགྱུར་བའི་དགེ་རྩ་རྣམས་མི་ཟད་པར་སྤེལ་བའི་དོན་ཡིན་ལ། རང་གཞན་གྱི་རྒྱུད་ཀྱི་དུས་གསུམ་དུ་བསགས་པའི་ཟག་བཅས་ཟག་མེད་ཀྱི་དགེ་ཚོགས་མཐའ་དག་བླ་ན་མེད་པའི་བྱང་ཆུག་ཀྱི་རྒྱུར་བསྒྱུར་སྤེལ་བྱེད་པའི་འདུན་པ་མཚུངས་ལྡན་དང་བཅས་པའོ།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=དགེ་བ་སོགས་གཞན་ལ་བསྔོ་བ་སྟེ། གཞན་ལ་ཕོངས་མེད་དུ་བསྔོ་བའི་དོན་དེ་ཡང་གཙོ་བོར་དགེ་བ་སོགས་ཡིད་ཀྱིས་སྦྱིན་པ་གཙོ་བོ་དང་དངོས་པོ་ཕལ་པ་བསྔོ་བྱ་ཡིན།
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=dedication; dedication of merit; transfer of merit; sharing of merit
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Pariṇāmanā'' (T. ''bsngo ba'') is the vital support for the development of ''bodhicitta''. A ''bodhisattva'' understands that merit is the "fuel" for the long journey to awakening. By dedicating every act of generosity, discipline, or meditation to the enlightenment of all beings, the practitioner ensures that their store of merit becomes inexhaustible and cannot be depleted by the trials of cyclic existence. This act of "giving away" the fruits of one's virtue is the ultimate expression of altruistic aspiration. It mirrors the fundamental ''bodhicitta'' motivation: to achieve buddhahood not for personal gain, but as a means to liberate every living being. Thus, dedication transforms individual merit into a universal cause for total awakening.
}}

Puṇya

2026-03-24T12:16:26Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=puṇya |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=merit; virtue; wholesome; positive energy; collection of merit |defaultSort=punya |Glossary-Tibetan=བསོད་ནམས་ |Glossary-Wylie=bsod nams |Glossary-Phonetic=sönam |Glossary-Devanagari=पुण्य |Glossary-Sanskrit=puṇya |Glossary-Pali=puñña |Glossary-Chinese=福; 功德 |Glossary-Pinyin=fú; gōngdé |Glossary-JapanTranslit=fuku; kudoku |Glossary-Korean=bok..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=puṇya
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=merit; virtue; wholesome; positive energy; collection of merit
|defaultSort=punya
|Glossary-Tibetan=བསོད་ནམས་
|Glossary-Wylie=bsod nams
|Glossary-Phonetic=sönam
|Glossary-Devanagari=पुण्य
|Glossary-Sanskrit=puṇya
|Glossary-Pali=puñña
|Glossary-Chinese=福; 功德
|Glossary-Pinyin=fú; gōngdé
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=fuku; kudoku
|Glossary-Korean=bok; gongdeok
|Glossary-English=merit
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=bsod nams; merit; virtue; puṇyasaṃbhāra
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The positive energy or potential created through performing good deeds, such as generosity or kindness. In Buddhism, accumulating this positive force is seen as essential for finding happiness in future lives, and crucial as a foundation for following the spiritual path.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A foundational Buddhist concept (Skt. ''puṇya''; T. ''bsod nams'') referring to the karmic result of wholesome actions (''kuśala''). It is systematically accumulated as the 'collection of merit' (''puṇyasaṃbhāra''), one of the two essential accumulations required for buddhahood. While merit often leads to favorable rebirths within ''saṃsāra'', in the Mahāyāna context, it is dedicated to the enlightenment of all beings, thus becoming an indispensable cause for the attainment of a buddha's form body (''rūpakāya'').
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In the Abhidharma systems, ''puṇya'' (T. ''bsod nams'') is fundamentally linked to wholesome mental factors (''kuśalacaitasika''). It is defined as the virtuous force generated by wholesome actions of body, speech, and mind that results in pleasant maturation (''vipāka'') or happiness (''sukha''). The accumulation of merit is often categorized into three types of activity:
#* Generosity (''dāna''; T. ''sbyin pa''): The practice of giving material goods, protection, or the Dharma.
#* Ethical Discipline (''śīla''; T. ''tshul khrims''): Adhering to vows and refraining from non-virtuous conduct.
#* Meditative Cultivation (''bhāvanā''; T. ''bsgom pa''): Developing focused concentration and wholesome states of mind.
#* In this context, merit is seen as the primary cause for fortunate rebirths among humans and gods (''sugati''), acting as a stabilizing force that protects the practitioner from the lower realms.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Mahāyāna tradition, merit is elevated from a means for favorable rebirth to a crucial component of the path to perfect buddhahood. It is formalized as the "collection of merit" (''puṇyasaṃbhāra''; T. ''bsod nams kyi tshogs''), which must be amassed alongside the "collection of wisdom" (''jñānasaṃbhāra''; T. ''ye shes kyi tshogs'').
#* The collection of merit primarily serves as the substantial cause for the attainment of a buddha's form bodies (''rūpakāya''), which include the ''saṃbhogakāya'' and ''nirmāṇakāya''.
#* Crucially, the Mahāyāna emphasizes the dedication of merit (''pariṇāmanā''; T. ''bsngo ba''). By dedicating one's accumulated merit to the enlightenment of all sentient beings, the merit is said to become inexhaustible, like a drop of water added to the ocean.
#* The term is also associated with ''puṇyakṣetra'' (T. ''bsod nams kྱི་ཞིང་''), the "field of merit," referring to the objects of refuge (the Three Jewels) and the assembly of noble beings to whom offerings and prostrations are made to generate vast positive potential.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): Within the Vajrayāna, the accumulation of merit is intensified through skillful means (''upāya''). Ritual activities, such as mandala offerings, guru yoga, and deity visualization, are considered highly efficient methods for amassing the collection of merit necessary to support the swift realization of wisdom. The union of merit and wisdom is often symbolized by the indivisible union of method (''upāya'') and insight (''prajñā'').
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, ''puñña'' refers to the fruit of good actions that cleanses and purifies the mind. It is developed through the ten bases of meritorious action (''puññakiriyavatthu''), which include giving, virtue, meditation, reverence, service, sharing merit, rejoicing in others' merit, hearing the Dharma, teaching the Dharma, and straightening one's views. Accumulating merit is viewed as a prerequisite for spiritual maturity and eventual liberation (''nibbāna'').
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=༡) རྣམ་དཀར་གྱི་ལས། བསོད་ནམས་ཉམས་པ། བསོད་ནམས་བསགས་པ། མིང་གི་རྣམ་གྲངས་ལ་སྐལ་བ་བཟང་དང་ཁྱུ་མཆོག་མཁར་རྗེ། དགེ་བའི་ཆོ་ག། དགེ་ལེགས། ཆོས། ཉམས་དགའ་བ། དམ་པ། སྡིག་ཟད། ལེགས་བྱས་བཅས་སོ།
༢) ཞི་གཟའ་གཉིས་ཀྱི་མིང་གི་རྣམ་གྲངས། ཁྱིམ་བཅུ་གཉིས་ཀུན་ལ་བསོད་ནམས་ཤིན་ཏུ་དགེ།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=དགེ་བ་བསགས་པའི་ལེགས་བྱས་དང་ནུས་པ་ལ་ཟེར།
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=༼１༽་སྟོབས་འབྱོར་ལོངས་སྤྱོད་སོགས་ཀྱི་མིང་སྟེ། བསོད་ནམས་དང་མངའ་ཐང་ཞེས་པ་ལྟ་བུ། ཕུན་སུམ་ཚོགས་པ་ལའང་འཇུག་-་༼２༽་སངས་རྒྱས་ཀྱི་ཆོས་ལུགས་དང་མཐུན་པའི་བྱ་ལས་ཀྱི་མིང་ལ་སངས་རྒྱས་ཆོས་ལུགས་པས་བསོད་ནམས་ཟེར་ཞིང་དེ་བྱས་པ་ལ་བསོད་ནམས་བསགས་ཟེར།
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=merit; virtue; positive energy; spiritual wealth; goodness
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Puṇya'' (T. ''bsod nams'') is the vital fuel of the ''bodhisattva'' path. As the "collection of merit" (''puṇyasaṃbhāra''), it provides the necessary resources—fortunate circumstances, clear faculties, and the opportunity to meet the teachings—that allow ''bodhicitta'' to arise and flourish. A ''bodhisattva'' understands that without an immense accumulation of merit, the direct realization of emptiness (''śūnyatā'') is impossible. Therefore, the practitioner engages in the six perfections (''pāramitā''), from generosity to concentration, to build this positive force. Most importantly, the ''bodhisattva'' performs the practice of dedication (''pariṇāmanā''), unselfishly directing all accumulated merit toward the total awakening of every living being. This transformation of individual merit into a universal cause for enlightenment is what distinguishes the ''bodhisattva's'' accumulation from ordinary worldly virtue.
}}

Pratigha

2026-03-24T11:58:57Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=pratigha |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=anger; hostility; aversion; |defaultSort=pratigha |Glossary-Tibetan=ཁོང་ཁྲོ་ |Glossary-Wylie=khong khro |Glossary-Phonetic=khongtro |Glossary-Devanagari=प्रतिघ |Glossary-Sanskrit=pratigha |Glossary-Pali=paṭigha |Glossary-Chinese=瞋; 恚 |Glossary-Pinyin=chēn; huì |Glossary-JapanTranslit=jin; i |Glossary-Korean=jin; hui |Glossary-English=hostility |..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=pratigha
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=anger; hostility; aversion;
|defaultSort=pratigha
|Glossary-Tibetan=ཁོང་ཁྲོ་
|Glossary-Wylie=khong khro
|Glossary-Phonetic=khongtro
|Glossary-Devanagari=प्रतिघ
|Glossary-Sanskrit=pratigha
|Glossary-Pali=paṭigha
|Glossary-Chinese=瞋; 恚
|Glossary-Pinyin=chēn; huì
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=jin; i
|Glossary-Korean=jin; hui
|Glossary-English=hostility
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=paṭigha; khong khro; anger; aversion
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=A negative mental state of hostility, anger, or aversion. It is an aggressive attitude toward people or situations that one finds unpleasant, with the wish to cause them harm. It is considered one of the primary 'afflictions' that disturb the mind's peace.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=One of the root afflictions (Skt. ''mūlakleśa''; T. ''rtsa nyon''), ''pratigha'' is defined as a disturbed mental state characterized by hostility or malice toward sentient beings, suffering, or the sources of suffering. It is a mental event (Skt. "caitasika") characterized by the desire to cause injury, arising from focusing on an unattractive or disagreeable object. It serves as a basis for engaging in non-virtuous conduct, destroying the stability and merit of virtuous qualities like patience and loving-kindness.
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In both the ''Abhidharmakośa'' and the Mahāyāna Abhidharma (such as the ''Abhidharmasamuccaya''), ''pratigha'' (T. ''khong khro'') is listed as one of the six root afflictions (''mūlakleśa'') that cause birth in samsar. It is defined as a mental state that is agitated and malicious in relation to three objects: sentient beings, suffering itself, and things that cause suffering (such as weapons or enemies). Its specific function is to serve as a support for 'unpleasant abiding' and for committing negative actions. Unlike attachment (''rāga''), which is found in the higher realms, ''pratigha'' is said to exist only within the Desire Realm (''kāmadhātu''). It is categorized as a form of 'resistance' or 'striking back' against people or situations that are perceived to be unpleasant or problematic.
# Pramāṇa (Indo-Tibetan): In the context of epistemology and valid cognition, ''pratigha'' is treated as a distorted state of mind that interferes with the ability to perceive reality clearly. It colors the subject's perception, leading to an exaggerated sense of the 'badness' or 'unpleasantness' of an object, which prevents the mind from remaining in a state of neutral or valid investigation.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Mahāyāna tradition, ''pratigha'' is viewed as the most destructive of all afflictions, famously described as being capable of destroying the merit accumulated over thousands of eons in a single moment. Since the entire Mahāyāna path si built on a foundation of love and compassion for all beings, the affliction of anger lies in direct opposition to those wishing to benefit beings. The primary antidote taught for ''pratigha'' is patience (''kṣānti''), which is the third of the six perfections. Training in ''bodhicitta'' involves transforming the reactive energy of ''pratigha'' into the vast equanimity and compassion required to benefit all beings, including those who act as enemies.
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, ''paṭigha'' is often paired with ''rāga'' (greed/attachment) and denotes the 'latent tendency' (''anusaya'') of aversion or repulsion. It refers to the reactive impingement of the mind against sensory objects that are disagreeable. It is considered a fetter (''saṃyojana'') that must be abandoned to reach the stages of awakening, specifically being eradicated at the stage of the non-returner (''anāgāmin'').
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=ཞེ་སྡང་སྟེ། དགྲ་ལ་སོགས་པ་སེམས་ཅན་ཕ་རོལ་པོ་རྣམས་ལ་བརྡེག་ཅིང་གསད་པ་ལ་སོགས་པ་གནོད་པ་སྣ་ཚོགས་བྱ་བར་སེམས་པ། ཁོང་ཁྲོ་ཟ་བ། ཁོང་ཁྲོ་ཚ་པོ། ཁོང་ཁྲོ་ཞི་བ། ཁོང་ཁྲོ་སྤོང་བ། ཁོང་ཁྲོ་སློང་མཁན་མེད་ན་བཟོད་པ་སུ་ལ་སྒོམ།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=ཡུལ་ཡིད་དུམི་འོང་བའི་དངོས་པོ་ལ་དམིགས་ནས་དེ་ལ་གནོད་འཚེ་བྱ་བར་འདོད་པའི་རྣམ་པ་ཅན་གྱི་སེམས་བྱུང་ངོ།
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=ཞེ་སྡང་སྟེ། དགྲ་ལ་སོགས་པ་སེམས་ཅན་ཕ་རོལ་པོ་རྣམས་ལ་བརྡེག་ཅིང་གསད་པ་ལ་སོགས་པ་གནོད་པ་སྣ་ཚོགས་བྱ་བར་སེམས་པ། ཁོང་ཁྲོ་ཟ་བ། ཁོང་ཁྲོ་ཚ་པོ། ཁོང་ཁྲོ་ཞི་བ། ཁོང་ཁྲོ་སྤོང་བ། ཁོང་ཁྲོ་སློང་མཁན་མེད་ན་བཟོད་པ་སུ་ལ་སྒོམ།
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=hostility; anger; aversion; hatred
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Pratigha'' is considered the greatest obstacle to the cultivation of ''bodhicitta''. Because the awakening mind is rooted in the wish for the happiness of all beings, the presence of hostility or anger directly contradicts this altruistic intent. A bodhisattva must be particularly vigilant against ''pratigha'', as it closes the heart and destroys the "roots of virtue." The practice of "taking and giving" (''tonglen'') and the meditation on all beings as having been one's mother in previous lives are traditional methods used to dissolve ''pratigha'' and replace it with a mind of universal love.
}}

Gtong len

2026-03-23T22:12:31Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=gtong len |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=taking and giving; exchange; sending and taking; tonglen |defaultSort=gtong len |Glossary-Tibetan=གཏོང་ལེན་ |Glossary-Wylie=gtong len |Glossary-Phonetic=tonglen |Glossary-Devanagari= |Glossary-Sanskrit= |Glossary-Pali= |Glossary-Chinese= |Glossary-Pinyin= |Glossary-JapanTranslit= |Glossary-Korean= |Glossary-English=taking and giving |Glossary-EnglishKB= |Glossary..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=gtong len
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=taking and giving; exchange; sending and taking; tonglen
|defaultSort=gtong len
|Glossary-Tibetan=གཏོང་ལེན་
|Glossary-Wylie=gtong len
|Glossary-Phonetic=tonglen
|Glossary-Devanagari=
|Glossary-Sanskrit=
|Glossary-Pali=
|Glossary-Chinese=
|Glossary-Pinyin=
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=
|Glossary-Korean=
|Glossary-English=taking and giving
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Tibetan
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=A contemplative practice, particularly in the Tibetan tradition, where one visualizes taking on the suffering and negative actions of others and giving them one's own happiness, well-being, and merit. It is performed to enhance compassion (''karuṇā'') and develop the ultimate aspiration of ''bodhicitta''.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A specialized meditative practice (T. ''gtong len''), typically associated with the ''Lojong'' (Mind Training) tradition, which involves breathing-based visualization. Inhaling, one draws in (''len'') the suffering, negative karma, and afflictions of all sentient beings with compassion (''karuṇā''). Exhaling, one sends out (''gtong'') all one's happiness, virtue, and merit to them with loving-kindness (''maitrī''). This practice is considered a powerful method for cultivating ultimate ''bodhicitta'' and transforming self-cherishing into altruism.
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): ''Gtong len'' (Tib. ''gtong len''), or taking and giving, is an advanced meditative practice within the ''Lojong'' (Mind Training) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
#* It is an exceptionally powerful method for cultivating and training in relative ''bodhicitta'', the aspiration to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.
#* The practice involves visualizing taking on the suffering, sickness, negative karma, and causes of suffering of all sentient beings (the taking, ''len''), motivated by compassion (''karuṇā''), and giving away one's own happiness, virtue, merit, and causes of happiness (the giving, ''gtong''), motivated by loving-kindness (''maitrī'').
#* It is performed in conjunction with the breath: inhalation is for taking, and exhalation is for giving.
#* This practice is specifically designed to counteract the deeply ingrained self-cherishing attitude, which is viewed as the greatest obstacle on the Mahāyāna path.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): The practice of ''gtong len'' can be used as a preparatory or supporting practice in these traditions to purify obscurations and enhance one's capacity for altruism, thereby creating a fertile ground for the ultimate, non-conceptual realization of ''rigpa'' or ''dharmakāya'' mind. The vastness of the visualized taking and giving is intended to cut through the ordinary sense of self and other.
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=ཕར་སྤྲོད་ཚུར་ལེན།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=ཕར་སྤྲོད་ཚུར་ལེན་པ།
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=taking and giving; exchange; sending and taking; tonglen
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Gtong len'' (taking and giving) is a specialized and essential practice for training the mind (''Lojong'') in **relative ''bodhicitta''**. It is considered a practice for the most courageous practitioners. The visualization of taking on the suffering of all beings with compassion (''karuṇā'') and giving away one's happiness and merit with loving-kindness (''maitrī'') directly strengthens the altruistic motivation of ''bodhicitta''. It serves to overcome self-cherishing, the primary obstacle to developing the genuine mind of enlightenment, thereby accelerating the ''bodhisattva's'' progress towards complete Buddhahood. It is traditionally combined with a contemplation of the ultimate nature of reality to prevent it from becoming merely a mundane, pity-based exercise.
}}

Śaraṇagamana

2026-03-23T22:08:53Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=śaraṇagamana |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=taking refuge; going for refuge; seeking protection; refuge |defaultSort=sharanagamana |Glossary-Tibetan=སྐྱབས་འགྲོ་ |Glossary-Wylie=skyabs 'gro |Glossary-Phonetic=kyab dro |Glossary-Devanagari=शरणगमन |Glossary-Sanskrit=śaraṇagamana |Glossary-Pali=saraṇagamana |Glossary-Chinese=皈依 |Glossary-Pinyin=guīyī |Glossary-JapanTranslit=kie..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=śaraṇagamana
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=taking refuge; going for refuge; seeking protection; refuge
|defaultSort=sharanagamana
|Glossary-Tibetan=སྐྱབས་འགྲོ་
|Glossary-Wylie=skyabs 'gro
|Glossary-Phonetic=kyab dro
|Glossary-Devanagari=शरणगमन
|Glossary-Sanskrit=śaraṇagamana
|Glossary-Pali=saraṇagamana
|Glossary-Chinese=皈依
|Glossary-Pinyin=guīyī
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=kie
|Glossary-Korean=guiui
|Glossary-English=going for refuge
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=refuge; skyabs su 'gro ba; སྐྱབས་སུ་འགྲོ་བ་
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The foundational act of entering the Buddhist path by formally seeking protection and guidance from the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=The formal act (Skt. ''śaraṇagamana''; T. ''skyabs 'gro'') of taking refuge in the Triple Gem (''triratna''). It is considered the gateway to all Buddhist practices and the factor that distinguishes a Buddhist practitioner (''upāsaka''/''upāsikā'') from a non-Buddhist. The practice involves a mental commitment based on the recognition of the suffering of ''saṃsāra'' and faith in the ability of the Three Jewels to provide liberation.
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In the ''Abhidharma'' context, ''śaraṇagamana'' (T. ''skyabs 'gro'') is analyzed as a mental state or volition (''cetanā'') that seeks protection from the sufferings of cyclic existence. It is categorized as the preliminary step for all subsequent vows. Taking refuge is motivated by two primary causes: fear (''bhaya'') of the lower realms and belief (''śraddhā'') in the power of the Three Jewels to protect. In this tradition, the actual objects of refuge are the Buddha (as the teacher), the Dharma (as the cessation and the path), and the Saṅgha (as the community of noble beings who have attained realization).
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): Within the Mahāyāna framework, the scope of taking refuge is expanded through the lens of ''bodhicitta''. Refuge is not taken merely for personal protection from suffering but for the sake of attaining enlightenment to benefit all sentient beings. The objects of refuge are viewed through the ''trikāya'' (three bodies) of the Buddha. The ultimate refuge is the ''dharmakāya'' or emptiness, which is the true nature of the Dharma. The Saṅgha consists of the noble ''bodhisatvas'' who have attained the spiritual levels (''bhūmis'').
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Vajrayāna or Secret Mantra tradition, the practice of refuge is further elaborated into the "Inner Refuge" or the "Refuge of the Three Roots" (''mūla''). While the outer refuge remains the Three Jewels, the practitioner additionally takes refuge in the Guru (the root of blessing), the ''iṣṭadevatā'' (''yidam'', the root of accomplishment), and the ''ḍākiṇī'' (the root of activity). Often, the Guru is seen as the embodiment of all refuges. Some systems also speak of the "Fourfold Refuge" (Guru, Buddha, Dharma, Saṅgha) or even a "Sixfold Refuge" combining the Three Jewels and Three Roots.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): In these traditions, refuge is understood as the recognition of the primordial nature of one's own mind. This is sometimes called the "Resultant Refuge" or "Refuge of the Innate Nature." Instead of seeking protection from an external source, the practitioner recognizes that the ultimate Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha are already present within the "alpha purity" (''ka dag'') and "spontaneous presence" (''lhun grub'') of their own mind-essence.
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=གནས་སྐབས་དང་མཐར་ཐུག་གི་འཇིགས་དང་སྡུག་བསྔལ་ལས་སྐྱོབ་པའི་ཆེད་དུ་བླ་མ་དཀོན་མཆོག་ལ་ཡིད་ཁྱེད་ཤེས་ཀྱི་དད་པས་བརྟེན་ཅིང་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་པའོ།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=ངན་སོང་གི་སྡུག་བསྔལ་ལ་འཇིགས་ཏེ་སྙིང་ཐག་པ་ནས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་འགྲོ་བ་
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=གནས་སྐབས་དང་མཐར་ཐུག་གི་འཇིགས་པ་དང་སྡུག་བསྔལ་ལས་སྐྱོབ་པའི་ཆེད་དུ་བླ་མ་དཀོན་མཆོག་ལ་ཡིད་ཆེས་ཀྱི་དད་པས་བརྟེན་ཅིང་གསོལ་བ་འདེབས་པའོ།
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=taking refuge; going for refuge; seeking protection
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=On the path of a ''bodhisatva'', ''śaraṇagamana'' (T. ''skyabs 'gro'') is the indispensable foundation for generating ''bodhicitta''. It establishes the spiritual orientation toward the Three Jewels as the only reliable guides for the journey toward full enlightenment. Taking refuge is the very first act in any Mahāyāna liturgy, signifying the practitioner's entry into the "family of the Buddhas." In this context, refuge is taken with the "Vast Motivation," extending until all beings are established in the state of perfect liberation. The Three Jewels provide the necessary field of merit and the doctrinal framework (Dharma) required to cultivate the perfections (''pāramitās'') and overcome the obscurations to knowledge.
}}

Pāpadeśanā

2026-03-23T22:04:32Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=pāpadeśanā |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=confession; laying aside evil; disclosure of negative actions; confession of transgressions; confessing misdeeds |defaultSort=papadesana |Glossary-Tibetan=སྡིག་པ་བཤགས་པ་ |Glossary-Wylie=sdig pa bshags pa |Glossary-Phonetic=dikpa shakpa |Glossary-Devanagari=पापदेशना |Glossary-Sanskrit=pāpadeśanā |Glossary-Pali=pāpadesanā |Glossar..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=pāpadeśanā
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=confession; laying aside evil; disclosure of negative actions; confession of transgressions; confessing misdeeds
|defaultSort=papadesana
|Glossary-Tibetan=སྡིག་པ་བཤགས་པ་
|Glossary-Wylie=sdig pa bshags pa
|Glossary-Phonetic=dikpa shakpa
|Glossary-Devanagari=पापदेशना
|Glossary-Sanskrit=pāpadeśanā
|Glossary-Pali=pāpadesanā
|Glossary-Chinese=懺悔; 披露罪過
|Glossary-Pinyin=chànhuǐ; pīlù zuìguò
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=sange
|Glossary-Korean=chamhoe
|Glossary-English=confession
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=sdig bshags; disclosure of faults; laying aside evil
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The Buddhist practice of 'confession' or 'laying aside evil.' It involves honestly acknowledging past mistakes and negative actions with regret, then committing not to repeat them. This process helps clear the mind of guilt and negative karmic imprints, creating space for positive qualities to grow.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A foundational Mahāyāna practice (Skt. ''pāpadeśanā''; T. ''sdig pa bshags pa'') defined as the disclosure and purification of non-virtuous actions (''pāpa''). It is a psychological and ritual process of acknowledging transgressions with remorse to neutralize their karmic potency. In the Indo-Tibetan tradition, it is most effectively practiced through the 'Four Opponent Powers': regret, reliance, the power of the remedy, and the power of resolve.
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In Abhidharma literature, ''pāpadeśanā'' (T. ''sdig pa bshags pa'') relates to the mental factors of conscience (''hrī'') and shame (''apatrāpya''). It is the process of reversing the mental state of 'concealing faults' (''mrakṣa''), which is a subsidiary affliction. By disclosing negative actions, the practitioner prevents the 'ripening' of negative karmic seeds. The effectiveness of the practice depends on the strength of the remorse, which acts as a direct antidote to the attachment or aversion that prompted the original act.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): Within the Mahāyāna path, ''pāpadeśanā'' is the second of the seven branches of supreme worship (''anuttarā-pūjā''). It is extensively detailed in the second chapter of the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'', where it is presented as a profound psychological 'laying aside' of evil. The practice is formalized through the Four Opponent Powers (T. ''gnyen po stobs bzhi''):
#* The Power of Regret (Skt. ''vighātakabala''; T. ''rnam par sun 'byin pa'i stobs''): Feeling deep remorse for past negative actions, recognizing them as harmful like poison.
#* The Power of Reliance (Skt. ''āśrayabala''; T. ''rten gyi stobs''): Taking refuge in the Three Jewels and generating ''bodhicitta'' to provide a stable foundation for purification.
#* The Power of Remedy (Skt. ''pratipakṣabala''; T. ''gnyen po kun tu spyod pa'i stobs''): Engaging in virtuous activities—such as reciting sūtras, meditating on emptiness, or visualizing deities—specifically to counteract negative karma.
#* The Power of Resolve (Skt. ''pratyāpattibala''; T. ''sor chud pa'i stobs''): Making a firm determination not to repeat the negative action in the future.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Tantric practice, the visualization and mantra recitation of ''Vajrasattva'' (T. ''rdo rje sems pa'') is considered the supreme method of ''pāpadeśanā''. The practitioner visualizes a stream of purifying nectar (''amṛta'') descending from the deity to wash away all stains of broken commitments (''samaya'') and negative deeds. This is often part of the preliminary practices (''ngöndro'') and is essential for maintaining the purity of the tantric path.
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=མི་དགེ་བའི་ལས་སྦ་གསང་མེད་པར་བཤགས་པ།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=མི་དགེ་བའི་ལས་སྦ་གསང་མེད་པར་བཤགས་པ།
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=confession; laying aside evil; disclosure of faults; purification of sins; acknowledging transgressions
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Pāpadeśanā'' is a critical stage in the development of a bodhisattva. By honestly 'laying aside evil,' the practitioner purifies the obstacles that prevent the arising of ''bodhicitta''. Without this purification, the mind remains burdened by the 'weight' of past negative deeds, making it difficult to maintain the vast, altruistic aspiration for enlightenment. In the Mahāyāna context, confession is not merely about individual relief but is a means to become a 'pure vessel' for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is often performed with the understanding of the 'emptiness of the three circles'—recognizing that the act, the actor, and the one to whom the confession is made all lack inherent existence.
}}

Dhyāna

2026-03-23T22:01:25Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=dhyāna
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=meditative absorption; concentration; dhyana; meditative stability; formal meditation
|defaultSort=dhyana
|Glossary-Tibetan=བསམ་གཏན་
|Glossary-Wylie=bsam gtan
|Glossary-Phonetic=samten
|Glossary-Devanagari=ध्यान
|Glossary-Sanskrit=dhyāna
|Glossary-Pali=jhāna
|Glossary-Chinese=禪; 禪那; 靜慮
|Glossary-Pinyin=chán; chánnà; jìnglǜ
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=zen; zenna; jōryo
|Glossary-Korean=seon; seonna; jeongryeo
|Glossary-English=meditative absorption
|Glossary-Term-Alt=jhāna; bsam gtan; བསམ་གཏན་; meditative stability
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In Abhidharma literature, ''dhyāna'' (T. ''bsam gtan'') refers to states of one-pointed concentration where the mind is withdrawn from external sensory awareness and remains absorbed in an ideational object. While it involves the power to control the mind, it does not in itself entail enduring insight but prepares the mind for the direct realization of truth and the destruction of afflictions (''kleśa''). It is standardly classified into:
#* The four meditative absorptions of the realm of subtle materiality (''rūpāvacaradhyāna''), characterized by the presence or absence of factors such as applied thought (''vitarka''), sustained thought (''vicāra''), joy (''prīti''), bliss (''sukha''), and equanimity (''upekṣā'').
#* The four meditative absorptions of the immaterial realm (''ārūpyāvacaradhyāna''): infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, and neither perception nor non-perception.
#* Together with the absorption of cessation (''nirodhasamāpatti''), these are often termed the "nine successive abidings."
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): Within the Mahāyāna, ''dhyāna'' is practiced as the fifth perfection (''dhyānapāramitā''). It is defined as a virtuous one-pointed mind that acts as a basis for special insight (''vipaśyanā''). The "Perfection of Meditation" is traditionally classified into three types:
#* Meditation that establishes the body and mind in bliss (T. ''lus sems bde ba la gnas par byed pa'i bsam gtan'').
#* Meditation that achieves qualities such as the superknowledges (T. ''yon tan mngon par sgrub pa'i bsam gtan'').
#* Meditation that works for the benefit of sentient beings (T. ''sems can gyi don byed pa'i bsam gtan''). Mastery of this perfection is typically correlated with the fifth bodhisattva ground, ''sudurjayā'' (the "Difficult to Conquer").
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the context of Secret Mantra, ''dhyāna'' refers to the specific meditative stabilizations used during the generation stage (''utpannakrama'') to visualize the deity and its maṇḍala, and during the completion stage (''sampannakrama'') to manipulate the subtle winds, channels, and drops. It often refers to the union of "calm abiding" (''śamatha'') and "special insight" (''vipaśyanā'') focused on the non-dual nature of mind.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): In these traditions, formal ''dhyāna'' is often refined into a state of "non-meditation" (T. ''sgom med''), which is the effortless resting in the natural, unfabricated state of mind (''rigpa''). Rather than a deliberate effort to concentrate, it is the recognition of the primordial clarity and emptiness that has been present from the beginning.
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, ''jhāna'' refers to the deep states of absorption reached through the cultivation of tranquility (''samatha''). These are essential for strengthening the mind's focus so that insight (''vipassanā'') can effectively penetrate the three marks of existence: impermanence, suffering, and non-self.
# East Asian Buddhism Context: ''Dhyāna'' is the root of the term "Chan" (China) and "Zen" (Japan). While it originally referred to meditative absorption, in these traditions it came to represent a broader approach to direct, intuitive realization of one's own nature, often transcending formal meditative structures or conceptual study.
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=A state of deep, one-pointed concentration where the mind is stable, calm, and focused on a single object, serving as a foundation for developing wisdom.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A technical term (Skt. ''dhyāna''; P. ''jhāna''; T. ''bsam gtan'') denoting a state of one-pointed concentration in which the mind is undistracted and untainted by afflictions. It refers both to the practice leading to full absorption and the resulting states, traditionally classified into the four ''dhyānas'' of the form realm and the four formless absorptions.
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=On the bodhisattva path, ''dhyāna'' (T. ''bsam gtan'') is the indispensable tool for refining the mind's power to remain focused on the benefit of others and the realization of emptiness. As the fifth perfection (''dhyānapāramitā''), it provides the internal stability required to practice generosity, discipline, and patience without being swayed by external distractions or internal afflictions. A bodhisattva cultivates meditation not for the sake of personal peace or mundane psychic powers, but to achieve a state of "sameness" (T. ''mnyam pa nyid'') and to empower their activities on behalf of all sentient beings. This perfection is the generative cause that allows wisdom (''prajñā'') to arise clearly and transform the practitioner's understanding into a direct realization of the ultimate nature of reality.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=meditative absorption; concentration; meditative stability; dhyana
}}

Anumodanā

2026-03-23T21:08:48Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=anumodanā |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=rejoicing; admiration; delighting; sympathetic joy |defaultSort=anumodana |Glossary-Tibetan=རྗེས་སུ་ཡི་རང་བ་ |Glossary-Wylie=rjes su yi rang ba |Glossary-Phonetic=jesu yirangwa |Glossary-Devanagari=अनुमोदना |Glossary-Sanskrit=anumodanā |Glossary-Pali=anumodanā |Glossary-Chinese=隨喜 |Glossary-Pinyin=suíxǐ |Glossary-JapanTransl..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=anumodanā
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=rejoicing; admiration; delighting; sympathetic joy
|defaultSort=anumodana
|Glossary-Tibetan=རྗེས་སུ་ཡི་རང་བ་
|Glossary-Wylie=rjes su yi rang ba
|Glossary-Phonetic=jesu yirangwa
|Glossary-Devanagari=अनुमोदना
|Glossary-Sanskrit=anumodanā
|Glossary-Pali=anumodanā
|Glossary-Chinese=隨喜
|Glossary-Pinyin=suíxǐ
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=zuiki
|Glossary-Korean=suhi
|Glossary-English=rejoicing
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=anumodana; rjes su yi rang; rejoicing in merit
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The practice of feeling genuine joy and appreciation for the good deeds, success, and positive qualities of others. It is a powerful way to overcome jealousy and build positive energy by simply delighting in the virtue found in the world.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A virtuous mental factor (Skt. ''anumodanā''; T. ''rjes su yi rang ba'') characterized by sympathetic joy or admiration. It is formally practiced as the fourth branch of the Seven-Branch Service (''saptāṅga-pūjā''), where one rejoices in the merit accumulated by all beings, from ordinary people to enlightened buddhas. It serves as a direct antidote to jealousy (''īrṣyā'') and is considered a 'skillful means' for accumulating vast merit with minimal effort.
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In Abhidharma systems, ''anumodanā'' (T. ''rjes su yi rang ba'') is associated with wholesome mental states that counteract the affliction of jealousy (''īrṣyā''). It is a form of sympathetic joy that acknowledges and takes pleasure in the virtuous actions and successes of others. By delighting in the merit of others, the practitioner effectively shares in that merit, which is described as a psychological process that purifies the mind of resentment and competitive comparison.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): Within the Mahāyāna context, rejoicing is established as the fourth of the seven branches of supreme worship (''anuttarā-pūjā''). The practice involves three primary levels of focus:
#* Rejoicing in one's own virtuous actions of the past, present, and future, which strengthens the resolve to continue the path.
#* Rejoicing in the merit of ordinary sentient beings, such as their acts of generosity, ethical discipline, and kindness.
#* Rejoicing in the vast merit and realization of noble beings, such as ''śrāvakas'', ''pratyekabuddhas'', ''bodhisatvas'', and especially the perfect ''buddhas''.
#* It is famously taught in the ''Bhadracarīpraṇidhāna'' and the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' as a method to amass immeasurable merit simply by having a sincere, appreciative heart. It is often described as the "laziest way" to accumulate merit because it requires no physical or financial resources, only a genuine shift in attitude.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Tantric practice, rejoicing is integrated into the preliminary and main sections of a ''sādhana''. It is used to stabilize the practitioner's positive mental state before engaging in deity yoga. In this context, it also involves rejoicing in the profound "secret" activities of the ''gurus'' and ''vidyādharas'' who have mastered the path. By rejoicing in the enlightened activities of the lineage, the practitioner creates an auspicious connection (''tendrel'') to those same qualities within their own continuum.
# Other Traditions (Brief Context): In the Pāli tradition, ''anumodanā'' often refers to the expression of appreciation or the sharing of merit, particularly the blessing or short talk given by monks after receiving an offering of food (''dāna'') from laypeople.
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=ཡིད་ལ་བབ་པའམ་མོས་པ། གཞན་གྱི་དགེ་བ་ལ་རྗེས་སུ་ཡི་རང་བ། ཁོས་དམངས་ལ་ཕན་ཐོགས་ཡོད་པའི་བྱ་བ་བྱེད་པར་ཚང་མས་རྗེས་སུ་ཡི་རང་བྱས།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=ཡིད་ལ་བབ་པའམ་མོས་པ། གཞན་གྱི་དགེ་བ་ལ་རྗེས་སུ་ཡི་རང་བ། ཁོས་དམངས་ལ་ཕན་ཐོགས་ཡོད་པའི་བྱ་བ་བྱེད་པར་ཚང་མས་རྗེས་སུ་ཡི་རང་བྱས།
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=rejoicing; admiration; delighting; sympathetic joy; rejoicing in merit; appreciative joy
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Anumodanā'' is an essential support for the cultivation of ''bodhicitta''. By training the mind to rejoice in the virtue of all sentient beings, the ''bodhisattva'' actively destroys the self-cherishing attitude that views others as rivals or obstacles. This practice aligns with the "Four Immeasurable Qualities," specifically the immeasurable joy (''muditā''), where one wishes that all beings never be separated from happiness. For a ''bodhisattva'', rejoicing is a transformative tool that enables them to maintain a vast, optimistic vision of the world's potential for goodness, even in the midst of suffering, thereby fueling their commitment to remain in ''saṃsāra'' for the sake of all.
}}

Anuttarā-pūjā

2026-03-23T16:19:56Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=anuttarā-pūjā
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=supreme worship; peerless offering
|defaultSort=anuttarapuja
|Glossary-Tibetan=བླ་ན་མེད་པའི་མཆོད་པ་
|Glossary-Wylie=bla na med pa'i mchod pa
|Glossary-Phonetic=lana mepay chöpa
|Glossary-Devanagari=अनुत्तरापूजा
|Glossary-Sanskrit=anuttarā-pūjā
|Glossary-Chinese=無上供養
|Glossary-Pinyin=wúshàng gòngyǎng
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=mujyō kuyo
|Glossary-Korean=musang gongyang
|Glossary-English=supreme worship
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): While primarily a Mahāyāna liturgical practice, the elements within the supreme worship, such as confession (''deśanā'') and rejoicing (''anumodanā''), are analyzed as specific mental factors and activities that counteract afflictions (''kleśa''). Rejoicing, for instance, serves as a direct antidote to jealousy and resentment, while confession addresses the traces of non-virtuous actions stored in the mental continuum.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Mahāyāna tradition, ''anuttarā-pūjā'' is the standard preliminary practice for engaging in the bodhisattva path. It is most famously detailed in the ''Bhadracarīpraṇidhāna'' (The Prayer of Good Conduct). The seven branches (''yan lag bdun'') are:
#* Prostration (''vandanā''; T. ''phyag 'tshal ba''): Overcoming pride by honoring the enlightened ones.
#* Offering (''pūjanā''; T. ''mchod pa''): Cultivating generosity and counteracting attachment.
#* Confession (''pāpadeśanā''; T. ''sdig pa bshags pa''): Purifying past negative karmic imprints.
#* Rejoicing (''anumodanā''; T. ''rjes su yi rang ba''): Cultivating a positive mind by delighting in the virtue of others.
#* Requesting the Turning of the Wheel of Dharma (''adhyeṣaṇā''; T. ''chos kyi 'khor lo bskor bar bskul ba''): Creating the causes to always encounter the teachings.
#* Beseeching the Buddhas to remain (''yācanā''; T. ''gsol ba 'debs pa''): Counteracting the view of permanence and requesting teachers to stay in the world.
#* Dedication (''pariṇāmanā''; T. ''bsngo ba''): Ensuring that the merit accumulated is not lost but directed toward the enlightenment of all beings.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the context of Tantra, these seven branches are an essential preliminary for the generation stage (''utpattikrama'') and are often expanded or localized within a specific deity's ''sādhana''. The supreme worship is seen as the necessary "soil" in which the "seed" of the deity yoga can grow. It is also linked to the "accumulation of merit" that must precede the "accumulation of wisdom."
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=A foundational Mahāyāna Buddhist ritual known as 'Supreme Worship' or the 'Seven-Branch Service.' It commonly consists of seven parts although there are several variations. The practices include prostrating, making offerings, and confessing mistakes, and are designed to clear away negative energy and build the positive mental conditions needed for spiritual progress.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=The ''anuttarā-pūjā'' (T. ''bla na med pa'i mchod pa'') is a liturgical structure central to Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna practice, often identified with the ''saptāṅga-vidhi'' (Seven-Branch Service) although there are variations with differing numbers of practice. It functions as a systematic method for the accumulation of merit (''puṇyasaṃbhāra'') and the purification of obscurations. The seven branches typically include prostration, offering, confession, rejoicing, requesting the turning of the wheel of Dharma, beseeching the buddhas not to pass into ''nirvāṇa'', and dedication of merit.
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=The ''anuttarā-pūjā'' is intrinsically linked to the development of ''bodhicitta''. By systematically purifying the mind and accumulating merit through the seven branches, a practitioner creates the necessary internal environment for the altruistic aspiration to enlightenment to take root and remain stable. The final branch, dedication (''pariṇāmanā''), is particularly significant for the bodhisattva, as it involves the radical act of giving away all accumulated spiritual merit for the benefit of all sentient beings, mirroring the selflessness required for full awakening.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=supreme worship;
}}

Saptavidhā anuttarā pūjā

2026-03-23T16:15:49Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=saptavidhā anuttarā pūjā
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=seven-branch service; sevenfold offering; seven-limb practice; seven-limb prayer
|defaultSort=saptavidhaanuttarapuja
|Glossary-Tibetan=བླ་ན་མེད་པའི་མཆོད་པ་བདུན་
|Glossary-Wylie=bla na med pa'i mchod pa bdun
|Glossary-Phonetic=lana mepay chöpa dun
|Glossary-Devanagari=सप्तविधा अनुत्तरा पूजा
|Glossary-Sanskrit=saptavidhā anuttarā pūjā
|Glossary-Chinese=七支供養; 七種無上供養
|Glossary-Pinyin=qīzhī gòngyǎng; qīzhǒng wúshàng gòngyǎng
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=shichishi kuyō
|Glossary-Korean=chilji gongyang
|Glossary-English=sevenfold supreme worship
|Glossary-Term-Alt=saptāṅga-pūjā; yan lag bdun pa'i mchod pa; supreme worship; seven-branch service
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-Definition=The seven-limb prayer is done to purify negative karma, and to create positive potential. These are performed to prepare our minds for meditation on the stages of the path
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Mahāyāna tradition, supreme worship is the primary method for amassing the "collection of merit" (''puṇyasaṃbhāra''), which provides the necessary conditions for the realization of wisdom. It is most famously detailed in the ''Bhadracarīpraṇidhāna'' (The Prayer of Good Conduct of Samantabhadra), where the branches (''yan lag'') are presented as a comprehensive path of mental transformation. The seven branches are:
#* Prostration (''vandanā''; T. ''phyag 'tshal ba''): Honoring the enlightened ones to counteract pride and cultivate humility.
#* Offering (''pūjanā''; T. ''mchod pa''): Making mental or physical offerings to overcome attachment and cultivate generosity.
#* Confession (''pāpadeśanā''; T. ''sdig pa bshags pa''): Acknowledging and repenting for non-virtuous actions to purify the mind.
#* Rejoicing (''anumodanā''; T. ''rjes su yi rang ba''): Delighting in the virtues of all beings as a direct antidote to jealousy.
#* Requesting the Turning of the Wheel of Dharma (''adhyeṣaṇā''; T. ''chos kyi 'khor lo bskor bar bskul ba''): Entreating teachers to provide guidance, ensuring the teachings remain available.
#* Beseeching the Buddhas to remain (''yācanā''; T. ''gsol ba 'debs pa''): Praying that enlightened beings do not pass into ''nirvāṇa'' but stay in the world to benefit others.
#* Dedication (''pariṇāmanā''; T. ''bsngo ba''): Directing all accumulated merit toward the enlightenment of all sentient beings, ensuring the merit is not exhausted.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): Within the tantric context, these seven branches serve as an indispensable preliminary (''ngöndro'') for the generation stage (''utpattikrama'') of deity yoga. Most ''sādhanas'' include a version of the seven-branch ritual to purify the environment and the practitioner's mind before the main visualization. It is often expanded with additional branches, such as the "collection of wisdom" (''jñānasaṃbhāra''), but the core seven remain the standard liturgical backbone.
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=A powerful seven-part Buddhist ritual used to clear away negative habits and build positive mental qualities. Known as 'Supreme Worship,' it includes actions like showing respect, making offerings, and dedicating the goodness of one's actions to the benefit of everyone.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=The ''saptavidhā anuttarā pūjā'' (T. ''bla na med pa'i mchod pa bdun'') is a foundational Mahāyāna liturgical structure, often synonymous with the Seven-Branch Service (Skt. ''saptāṅga-vidhi''; T. ''yan lag bdun pa'i cho ga''). It constitutes a systematic method for amassing the collection of merit (''puṇyasaṃbhāra'') and purifying the mental continuum through seven specific ritual stages: prostration, offering, confession, rejoicing, requesting the turning of the wheel of Dharma, beseeching the buddhas not to pass into ''nirvāṇa'', and dedication of merit.
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=The ''saptavidhā anuttarā pūjā'' is the engine of the bodhisattva path. By engaging in these seven practices, the practitioner systematically cultivates the mental conditions necessary for the arising and maintenance of ''bodhicitta''. The ritual begins with humility and generosity, moves through the purification of past mistakes, and culminates in the radical selflessness of dedication (''pariṇāmanā''). In dedication, the bodhisattva formally renounces any personal claim to postive merit, offering it entirely for the welfare of others, which reflects the ultimate goal of attaining buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=seven-branch service; sevenfold offering; seven-limb practice; seven-part ritual
}}

Saptavidhā anuttarā pūjā

2026-03-18T12:36:04Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=saptavidhā anuttarā pūjā |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=supreme worship; seven-branch service; sevenfold offering; seven-limb practice |defaultSort=saptavidhaanuttarapuja |Glossary-Tibetan=བླ་ན་མེད་པའི་མཆོད་པ་བདུན་ |Glossary-Wylie=bla na med pa'i mchod pa bdun |Glossary-Phonetic=lana mepay chöpa dun |Glossary-Devanagari=सप्तविधा अनुत्तर..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=saptavidhā anuttarā pūjā
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=supreme worship; seven-branch service; sevenfold offering; seven-limb practice
|defaultSort=saptavidhaanuttarapuja
|Glossary-Tibetan=བླ་ན་མེད་པའི་མཆོད་པ་བདུན་
|Glossary-Wylie=bla na med pa'i mchod pa bdun
|Glossary-Phonetic=lana mepay chöpa dun
|Glossary-Devanagari=सप्तविधा अनुत्तरा पूजा
|Glossary-Sanskrit=saptavidhā anuttarā pūjā
|Glossary-Pali=
|Glossary-Chinese=七支供養; 七種無上供養
|Glossary-Pinyin=qīzhī gòngyǎng; qīzhǒng wúshàng gòngyǎng
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=shichishi kuyō
|Glossary-Korean=chilji gongyang
|Glossary-English=sevenfold supreme worship
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=saptāṅga-pūjā; yan lag bdun pa'i mchod pa; supreme worship; seven-branch service
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=A powerful seven-part Buddhist ritual used to clear away negative habits and build positive mental qualities. Known as 'Supreme Worship,' it includes actions like showing respect, making offerings, and dedicating the goodness of one's actions to the benefit of everyone.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=The ''saptavidhā anuttarā pūjā'' (T. ''bla na med pa'i mchod pa bdun'') is a foundational Mahāyāna liturgical structure, often synonymous with the Seven-Branch Service (Skt. ''saptāṅga-vidhi''; T. ''yan lag bdun pa'i cho ga''). It constitutes a systematic method for amassing the collection of merit (''puṇyasaṃbhāra'') and purifying the mental continuum through seven specific ritual stages: prostration, offering, confession, rejoicing, requesting the turning of the wheel of Dharma, beseeching the buddhas not to pass into ''nirvāṇa'', and dedication of merit.
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Mahāyāna tradition, supreme worship is the primary method for amassing the "collection of merit" (''puṇyasaṃbhāra''), which provides the necessary conditions for the realization of wisdom. It is most famously detailed in the ''Bhadracarīpraṇidhāna'' (The Prayer of Good Conduct of Samantabhadra), where the branches (''yan lag'') are presented as a comprehensive path of mental transformation. The seven branches are:
#* Prostration (''vandanā''; T. ''phyag 'tshal ba''): Honoring the enlightened ones to counteract pride and cultivate humility.
#* Offering (''pūjanā''; T. ''mchod pa''): Making mental or physical offerings to overcome attachment and cultivate generosity.
#* Confession (''pāpadeśanā''; T. ''sdig pa bshags pa''): Acknowledging and repenting for non-virtuous actions to purify the mind.
#* Rejoicing (''anumodanā''; T. ''rjes su yi rang ba''): Delighting in the virtues of all beings as a direct antidote to jealousy.
#* Requesting the Turning of the Wheel of Dharma (''adhyeṣaṇā''; T. ''chos kyi 'khor lo bskor bar bskul ba''): Entreating teachers to provide guidance, ensuring the teachings remain available.
#* Beseeching the Buddhas to remain (''yācanā''; T. ''gsol ba 'debs pa''): Praying that enlightened beings do not pass into ''nirvāṇa'' but stay in the world to benefit others.
#* Dedication (''pariṇāmanā''; T. ''bsngo ba''): Directing all accumulated merit toward the enlightenment of all sentient beings, ensuring the merit is not exhausted.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): Within the tantric context, these seven branches serve as an indispensable preliminary (''ngöndro'') for the generation stage (''utpattikrama'') of deity yoga. Most ''sādhanas'' include a version of the seven-branch ritual to purify the environment and the practitioner's mind before the main visualization. It is often expanded with additional branches, such as the "collection of wisdom" (''jñānasaṃbhāra''), but the core seven remain the standard liturgical backbone.
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=supreme worship; seven-branch service; sevenfold offering; seven-limb practice; seven-part ritual
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=The ''saptavidhā anuttarā pūjā'' is the engine of the bodhisattva path. By engaging in these seven practices, the practitioner systematically cultivates the mental conditions necessary for the arising and maintenance of ''bodhicitta''. The ritual begins with humility and generosity, moves through the purification of past mistakes, and culminates in the radical selflessness of dedication (''pariṇāmanā''). In dedication, the bodhisattva formally renounces any personal claim to spiritual merit, offering it entirely for the welfare of others, which mirrors the ultimate goal of attaining buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings.
}}

Dhyāna

2026-03-18T12:34:07Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=dhyāna |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=meditative absorption; concentration; dhyana; meditative stability; formal meditation |defaultSort=dhyana |Glossary-Tibetan=བསམ་གཏན་ |Glossary-Wylie=bsam gtan |Glossary-Phonetic=samten |Glossary-Devanagari=ध्यान |Glossary-Sanskrit=dhyāna |Glossary-Pali=jhāna |Glossary-Chinese=禪; 禪那; 靜慮 |Glossary-Pinyin=chán; chánnà; jìnglǜ |Glossary-JapanTr..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=dhyāna
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=meditative absorption; concentration; dhyana; meditative stability; formal meditation
|defaultSort=dhyana
|Glossary-Tibetan=བསམ་གཏན་
|Glossary-Wylie=bsam gtan
|Glossary-Phonetic=samten
|Glossary-Devanagari=ध्यान
|Glossary-Sanskrit=dhyāna
|Glossary-Pali=jhāna
|Glossary-Chinese=禪; 禪那; 靜慮
|Glossary-Pinyin=chán; chánnà; jìnglǜ
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=zen; zenna; jōryo
|Glossary-Korean=seon; seonna; jeongryeo
|Glossary-English=meditative absorption
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=jhāna; bsam gtan; བསམ་གཏན་; meditative stability
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=A state of deep, one-pointed concentration where the mind is stable, calm, and focused on a single object, serving as a foundation for developing wisdom.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A technical term (Skt. ''dhyāna''; P. ''jhāna''; T. ''bsam gtan'') denoting a state of one-pointed concentration in which the mind is undistracted and untainted by afflictions. It refers both to the practice leading to full absorption and the resulting states, traditionally classified into the four ''dhyānas'' of the form realm and the four formless absorptions.
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In Abhidharma literature, ''dhyāna'' (T. ''bsam gtan'') refers to states of one-pointed concentration where the mind is withdrawn from external sensory awareness and remains absorbed in an ideational object. While it involves the power to control the mind, it does not in itself entail enduring insight but prepares the mind for the direct realization of truth and the destruction of afflictions (''kleśa''). It is standardly classified into:
#* The four meditative absorptions of the realm of subtle materiality (''rūpāvacaradhyāna''), characterized by the presence or absence of factors such as applied thought (''vitarka''), sustained thought (''vicāra''), joy (''prīti''), bliss (''sukha''), and equanimity (''upekṣā'').
#* The four meditative absorptions of the immaterial realm (''ārūpyāvacaradhyāna''): infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, and neither perception nor non-perception.
#* Together with the absorption of cessation (''nirodhasamāpatti''), these are often termed the "nine successive abidings."
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): Within the Mahāyāna, ''dhyāna'' is practiced as the fifth perfection (''dhyānapāramitā''). It is defined as a virtuous one-pointed mind that acts as a basis for special insight (''vipaśyanā''). The "Perfection of Meditation" is traditionally classified into three types:
#* Meditation that establishes the body and mind in bliss (T. ''lus sems bde ba la gnas par byed pa'i bsam gtan'').
#* Meditation that achieves qualities such as the superknowledges (T. ''yon tan mngon par sgrub pa'i bsam gtan'').
#* Meditation that works for the benefit of sentient beings (T. ''sems can gyi don byed pa'i bsam gtan''). Mastery of this perfection is typically correlated with the fifth bodhisattva ground, ''sudurjayā'' (the "Difficult to Conquer").
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the context of Secret Mantra, ''dhyāna'' refers to the specific meditative stabilizations used during the generation stage (''utpannakrama'') to visualize the deity and its maṇḍala, and during the completion stage (''sampannakrama'') to manipulate the subtle winds, channels, and drops. It often refers to the union of "calm abiding" (''śamatha'') and "special insight" (''vipaśyanā'') focused on the non-dual nature of mind.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): In these traditions, formal ''dhyāna'' is often refined into a state of "non-meditation" (T. ''sgom med''), which is the effortless resting in the natural, unfabricated state of mind (''rigpa''). Rather than a deliberate effort to concentrate, it is the recognition of the primordial clarity and emptiness that has been present from the beginning.
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, ''jhāna'' refers to the deep states of absorption reached through the cultivation of tranquility (''samatha''). These are essential for strengthening the mind's focus so that insight (''vipassanā'') can effectively penetrate the three marks of existence: impermanence, suffering, and non-self.
# East Asian Buddhism Context: ''Dhyāna'' is the root of the term "Chan" (China) and "Zen" (Japan). While it originally referred to meditative absorption, in these traditions it came to represent a broader approach to direct, intuitive realization of one's own nature, often transcending formal meditative structures or conceptual study.
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=meditative absorption; concentration; meditative stability; dhyana
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=On the bodhisattva path, ''dhyāna'' (T. ''bsam gtan'') is the indispensable tool for refining the mind's power to remain focused on the benefit of others and the realization of emptiness. As the fifth perfection (''dhyānapāramitā''), it provides the internal stability required to practice generosity, discipline, and patience without being swayed by external distractions or internal afflictions. A bodhisattva cultivates meditation not for the sake of personal peace or mundane psychic powers, but to achieve a state of "sameness" (T. ''mnyam pa nyid'') and to empower their activities on behalf of all sentient beings. This perfection is the generative cause that allows wisdom (''prajñā'') to arise clearly and transform the practitioner's understanding into a direct realization of the ultimate nature of reality.
}}

Kṣānti

2026-03-18T12:31:33Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=kṣāntiḥ |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=patience; forbearance; tolerance; endurance; acceptance; receptivity |defaultSort=ksantih |Glossary-Tibetan=བཟོད་པ་ |Glossary-Wylie=bzod pa |Glossary-Phonetic=zöpa |Glossary-Devanagari=क्षान्ति |Glossary-Sanskrit=kṣāntiḥ |Glossary-Pali=khanti |Glossary-Chinese=忍; 忍辱 |Glossary-Pinyin=rěn; rěnrǔ |Glossary-JapanTranslit=nin; ninniku |Gl..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=kṣāntiḥ
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=patience; forbearance; tolerance; endurance; acceptance; receptivity
|defaultSort=ksantih
|Glossary-Tibetan=བཟོད་པ་
|Glossary-Wylie=bzod pa
|Glossary-Phonetic=zöpa
|Glossary-Devanagari=क्षान्ति
|Glossary-Sanskrit=kṣāntiḥ
|Glossary-Pali=khanti
|Glossary-Chinese=忍; 忍辱
|Glossary-Pinyin=rěn; rěnrǔ
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=nin; ninniku
|Glossary-Korean=in; in-yog
|Glossary-English=patience
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=bzod pa; བཟོད་པ་; forbearance; tolerance
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=Patience is the ability to remain calm and composed when facing difficulties, suffering, or harm from others, without becoming angry or discouraged.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=One of the primary virtuous mental factors (Skt. ''kṣāntiḥ''; P. ''khanti''; T. ''bzod pa''), patience denotes the mental capacity to endure suffering and remain unperturbed by harm. It is the third of the six perfections (''pāramitā'') and is classified into three types: the patience of enduring hardship, the patience of not retaliating against harm, and the patience of definitively accepting the profound nature of reality (''dharmakṣānti'').
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In the Abhidharma systems, ''kṣāntiḥ'' (T. ''bzod pa'') is defined as a mental factor that acts as the direct antidote to anger (''krodha'') and malice (''vyāpāda''). It is categorized as a virtuous state of mind that remains undisturbed even when facing severe pain or provocation. Within the path of preparation (''prayogamārga''), ''kṣāntiḥ'' specifically refers to the third of the four aids to penetration (''nirvedhabhāgīya''). At this stage, the practitioner achieves a level of "forbearance" where there is no longer any possibility of falling into lower realms of existence, and the mind becomes receptive to the realization of the four noble truths.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): Within the Mahāyāna, patience is cultivated as the third perfection (''kṣāntipāramitā''). It is traditionally classified into three distinct categories:
#* ''Dharmanidhyānakṣānti'' (T. ''chos la nges par sems pa'i bzod pa''): The patience of certain reflection on the dharma, which involves the intellectual receptivity and endurance required to study and accept profound teachings like emptiness (''śūnyatā'').
#* ''Duḥkhādhivāsanākṣānti'' (T. ''sdug bsngal dang du len pa'i bzod pa''): The patience of enduring suffering, where the practitioner accepts physical or mental pain as a result of past karma without becoming discouraged.
#* ''Parāpakāramarṣaṇakṣānti'' (T. ''gzhan gyis gnod pa byas pa la ji mi snyam pa'i bzod pa''): The patience of not being affected by harm from others, which involves maintaining compassion and avoiding retaliation when insulted or attacked.
#* A particularly advanced level is ''anutpattikadharmakṣānti'' (T. ''mi skye ba'i chos la bzod pa''), the "patience of the non-arising of phenomena," achieved on the eighth bodhisattva ground (''acalā''), where the practitioner fully accepts the unborn nature of reality.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the context of Secret Mantra, patience is essential for enduring the rigors of retreat and the intense visualizations of the generation and completion stages. It also relates to the "patience of the secret," which is the capacity to remain steady and unperturbed when encountering the unconventional or powerful methods of tantra. The maintenance of tantric commitments (''samaya'') requires a profound form of patience that transforms ordinary perception into the recognition of primordial purity (''kadag'').
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): Within these traditions, patience is refined into a state of "natural endurance" or "resting in the innate nature." Rather than a deliberate effort to endure, it is the spontaneous quality of awareness (''rigpa'') that remains unruffled by whatever thoughts or appearances arise. It is the capacity to allow all experiences to self-liberate in the vast expanse (''klong'') of reality without grasping or rejecting them.
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, ''khanti'' is one of the ten perfections (''pāramī''). It is described as the "incinerator" of all unwholesome states, particularly anger. It is praised as the supreme austerity and the foundation for attaining higher meditative states and eventual liberation (''nibbāna'').
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=patience; forbearance; tolerance; endurance; acceptance
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=On the path of a bodhisattva, ''kṣāntiḥ'' (T. ''bzod pa'') is the essential protection that preserves the merit accumulated through generosity and discipline. It is taught that a single moment of anger can destroy eons of merit; therefore, the perfection of patience (''kṣāntipāramitā'') is the primary shield against the afflictions. A bodhisattva practices patience not through mere passivity, but through the profound understanding of karma and the non-self nature of both the victim and the perpetrator. This perfection allows the practitioner to remain steadfast on the path to full enlightenment, using every difficulty as an opportunity to deepen compassion and the realization of ultimate truth.
}}

Mettā

2026-03-18T12:21:14Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=Mettā |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=loving-kindness; love; universal love; benevolence; friendliness; affection; kindness |defaultSort=Metta |Glossary-Tibetan=བྱམས་པ་ |Glossary-Wylie=byams pa |Glossary-Phonetic=jampa |Glossary-Devanagari=मैत्री |Glossary-Sanskrit=Maitrī |Glossary-Pali=Mettā |Glossary-Chinese=慈 |Glossary-Pinyin=cí |Glossary-JapanTranslit=ji |Glossary-Korean=ja |Glossary-En..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=Mettā
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=loving-kindness; love; universal love; benevolence; friendliness; affection; kindness
|defaultSort=Metta
|Glossary-Tibetan=བྱམས་པ་
|Glossary-Wylie=byams pa
|Glossary-Phonetic=jampa
|Glossary-Devanagari=मैत्री
|Glossary-Sanskrit=Maitrī
|Glossary-Pali=Mettā
|Glossary-Chinese=慈
|Glossary-Pinyin=cí
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=ji
|Glossary-Korean=ja
|Glossary-English=loving-kindness
|Glossary-EnglishKB=loving-kindness
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=Maitrī; byams pa
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Pali
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The unconditional wish for all sentient beings to experience happiness and the causes of happiness. It is a form of universal, selfless love and is one of the four immeasurables (or sublime abodes).
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A fundamental wholesome mental factor (P. ''mettā''; Skt. ''maitrī''; T. ''byams pa'') defined as the state of mind that wishes happiness for all sentient beings and is the direct antidote to ill-will (''vyāpāda''). As one of the four immeasurables (''brahmavihāra''), it is a crucial component of spiritual development. In Mahāyāna, its universal application serves as a foundation for great compassion (''mahākaruṇā'') and the generation of ''bodhicitta'', making it an essential practice within the method (''upāya'') aspect of the path.
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): ''Maitrī'' (T. ''byams pa''), or ''mettā'' in Pāli, is a wholesome mental factor that wishes happiness for all sentient beings. It is traditionally counted as the first of the four immeasurables (''brahmavihāra'' or ''tshang pa'i gnas pa bzhi''). Its function is to be an antidote to ill-will, hatred, and malice.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Mahāyāna, ''maitrī'' (T. ''byams pa'') is the unconditional loving-kindness that forms the foundation for great compassion (''mahākaruṇā'') and is indispensable for the generation of ''bodhicitta'', the aspiration for full enlightenment for the sake of all beings. It is cultivated through specific meditations, progressing from wishing happiness for oneself, to loved ones, neutral people, enemies, and finally all sentient beings equally. It is part of the ''upāya'' (method) aspect of the path, uniting with wisdom (''prajñā'').
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Vajrayāna, ''byams pa'' (loving-kindness) is maintained as part of the skillful means (''upāya'') and is inseparable from the ultimate view. It is the spontaneous expression of the awakened mind's nature, ensuring that the realization of emptiness is not sterile but dynamically engaged in the welfare of others.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): Within the ultimate perspective of Dzogchen, ''byams pa'' (loving-kindness) is understood as the spontaneous, unceasing warmth and capacity for manifestation (*thugs rje* or *rtsal*) that arises from the mind's ultimate essence (*rigpa*). It is an inherent quality of the realized nature, not just a cultivated feeling.
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, ''mettā'' is the first of the four sublime abodes (''brahmavihāra'') and is frequently taught as a specific meditation practice (''mettā bhāvanā''). This practice involves systematically radiating loving-kindness to increasingly wider circles of beings, with the purpose of purifying the mind of ill-will (''vyāpāda'') and developing equanimity. The *Mettā Sutta* is a key text on this practice.
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=ཐ་མི་དད་པ གཞན་བདེ་བ་དང་ལྡན་པར་འདོད་པ། བྱམས་པའི་མ། གཉེན་ལ་བྱམས་ཤིང་དགྲ་ལ་སྡང༌། ལུག་རྫི་ལུག་ལ་བྱམས། བུ་ལ་བྱམས་དྲགས་ནས་ལང་དུ་ཤོར་བ། གོས་ལྷམ་སོགས་ལུས་ལ་བདེ་བ། ཀོ་སྒ་རྟ་ལ་བྱམས། ཕྱིང་ལྷམ་རྐང་ལ་བྱམས། དམངས་གཞས་ནང་ལ་དགའ་གྲོགས་སམ་སྙིང་གྲོགས་ཀྱི་དོན་དུ་གོ་བ། བུ་མོ་ཆུང་འདྲིས་བྱམས་པ། སྤྱང་ཀིའི་རིགས་རྒྱུད་མིན་ནམ། ཤ་འདྲེས་ལྤགས་འདྲེས་བྱུང་ཡང༌། རི་ལ་ཤོར་གྲབས་མཛད་གི། བྱམ་པ་དང་འདྲ། མཻཏྲི རྒྱལ་བ་མ་ཕམ་པ་དང༌། བྱང་སེམས་བྱམས་པ། ཚངས་པའི་གནས་པ་བཞིའི་ནང་གསེས། སེམས་ཅན་གང་ཞིག་ལ་དམིགས་ནས་དེ་དག་བདེ་བ་དང་ལྡན་ན་ཅི་མ་རུང་སྙམ་པ་སྟེ། གནོད་སེམས་ཀྱི་གཉེན་པོའོ།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=〔ཐ་མི་དད་པ〕གཞན་བདེ་བ་དང་ལྡན་པར་འདོད་པ། བྱམས་པའི་མ། གཉེན་ལ་བྱམས་ཤིང་དགྲ་ལ་སྡང་། ལུག་རྫི་ལུག་ལ་བྱམས། བུ་ལ་བྱམས་དྲགས་ནས་ལང་དུ་ཤོར་བ།་ གོས་ལྷམ་སོགས་ལུས་ལ་བདེ་བ། ཀོ་སྒ་རྟ་ལ་བྱམས། ཕྱིང་ལྷམ་རྐང་ལ་བྱམས། ༼༢༽ཌམངས་གཞས་ནང་ལ་དགའ་གྲོགས་སམ་སྙིང་གྲོགས་ཀྱི་དོན་དུ་གོ་བ། བུ་མོ་ཆུང་འདྲིས་བྱམས་པ། །སྤྱང་ཀིའི་རིགས་རྒྱུད་མིན་ནམ། །ཤ་འདྲེས་ལྤགས་འདྲེས་བྱུང་ཡང་། །རི་ལ་ཤོར་གྲབས་མཛད་གི། བྱམས་པ་དང་འདྲ། མཻཏྲི་〉རྒྱལ་བ་མ་ཕམ་པ་དང་། བྱང་སེམས་བྱམས་པ ཊཤངས་པའི་གནས་པ་བཞིའི་ནང་གསེས། སེམས་ཅན་གང་ཞིག་ལ་དམིགས་ནས་དེ་དག་བདེ་བ་དང་ལྡན་ན་ཅི་མ་རུང་སྙམ་པ་སྟེ། གནོད་སེམས་ཀྱི་གཉེན་པོའོ།
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=loving-kindness; universal love; benevolence; friendliness; affection; kindness
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Maitrī'' (T. ''byams pa''), or loving-kindness, is the first and foundational quality for generating ''bodhicitta''. The practice of developing the unconditional wish for all sentient beings to have happiness and the causes of happiness is the necessary precursor to ''karuṇā'' (compassion), the wish for them to be free from suffering. In the Mahāyāna path, the progression of cultivating these four immeasurables—''maitrī'', ''karuṇā'', ''muditā'', and ''upekṣā''—is the indispensable method (''upāya'') that guides the ''bodhisattva'' through the stages to full enlightenment. Without ''maitrī'' as the foundation of wishing them happiness, the aspiration of ''bodhicitta'' would lack its essential altruistic motive.
}}

Vīrya

2026-03-18T12:14:29Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=vīrya |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=diligence; perseverance; enthusiastic effort; exertion; energy; vigour |defaultSort=virya |Glossary-Tibetan=བརྩོན་འགྲུས་ |Glossary-Wylie=brtson 'grus |Glossary-Phonetic=tsöndrü |Glossary-Devanagari=वीर्य |Glossary-Sanskrit=vīrya |Glossary-Pali=viriya |Glossary-Chinese=精進 |Glossary-Pinyin=jīngjìn |Glossary-JapanTranslit=shōjin |Glossary-Kore..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=vīrya
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=diligence; perseverance; enthusiastic effort; exertion; energy; vigour
|defaultSort=virya
|Glossary-Tibetan=བརྩོན་འགྲུས་
|Glossary-Wylie=brtson 'grus
|Glossary-Phonetic=tsöndrü
|Glossary-Devanagari=वीर्य
|Glossary-Sanskrit=vīrya
|Glossary-Pali=viriya
|Glossary-Chinese=精進
|Glossary-Pinyin=jīngjìn
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=shōjin
|Glossary-Korean=jeongjin
|Glossary-English=diligence
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=brtson 'grus; བརྩོན་འགྲུས་; viriya; perseverance; enthusiastic effort
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=Diligence is the joyful and consistent effort applied to virtuous actions and spiritual practice. It acts as the engine that drives progress and prevents laziness or discouragement on the path.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A fundamental virtuous mental factor (Skt. ''vīrya''; P. ''viriya''; T. ''brtson 'grus'') defined as delight in virtue. It is the fourth of the six perfections (''pāramitā'') and one of the five faculties (''indriya'') and powers (''bala''). Diligence serves as the essential catalyst for all spiritual attainments, acting as the direct antidote to the three types of laziness.
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In Abhidharma literature, ''vīrya'' (T. ''brtson 'grus'') is defined as a wholesome mental factor (''kuśalacaitasika'') characterized by a mind that is enthused about and joyfully engages in virtuous activities. Its primary function is to bring all virtuous qualities to completion. It is categorized as the direct antidote to laziness (''kausīdya''), which is classified into three distinct types:
#* The laziness of indolence (T. ''le lo''): A preference for idleness, sleep, and ease.
#* The laziness of attraction to unwholesome activities (T. ''bya ba ngan zhen gyi le lo''): Being busy with non-virtuous or worldly distractions.
#* The laziness of self-defeat or discouragement (T. ''sgyid lug pa'i le lo''): Thinking one is incapable of attaining enlightenment.
#* Furthermore, in the context of the thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment, it appears as the faculty of diligence (''vīryendriya''), the power of diligence (''vīryabala''), and the limb of enlightenment of diligence (''vīryasaṃbodhyaṅga'').
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Mahāyāna, diligence is cultivated as the fourth perfection (''vīryapāramitā''). It is described as the indispensable force that supports all other perfections; without it, generosity, discipline, and patience cannot be perfected, and meditation and wisdom cannot be attained. Mahāyāna texts typically classify it into three types:
#* Armor-like diligence (T. ''go cha'i brtson 'grus''): The courageous mental preparation to endure any hardship for eons to benefit beings.
#* Diligence of applying oneself to virtue (T. ''dge ba chos sdud kyi brtson 'grus''): The active engagement in accumulating merit and practicing the path.
#* Diligence of working for the benefit of others (T. ''sems can don byed kyi brtson 'grus''): The unflagging effort to perform the eleven types of activities that aid sentient beings.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the context of Secret Mantra, diligence is essential for the swift attainment of ''siddhi''. It involves the continuous maintenance of the deity visualization and the stable application of the generation and completion stages. It is often described as "unflagging vigour" required to transform ordinary perception into the sacred outlook of the maṇḍala.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): Within these traditions, diligence is refined into a state of "effortless perseverance" (T. ''rtsol med''). Once the nature of mind (''rigpa'') is recognized, diligence consists of the continuous, undistracted familiarization with that natural state, where the practitioner remains in non-meditation without slipping into ordinary confusion.
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, ''viriya'' is one of the ten perfections (''pāramī'') and a central component of the Four Right Exertions (''sammappadhāna''). It involves the effort to prevent unarisen unwholesome states, abandon arisen unwholesome states, arouse unarisen wholesome states, and maintain arisen wholesome states.
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=diligence; perseverance; enthusiastic effort; exertion; energy; vigour
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Vīrya'' (T. ''brtson 'grus''), as the perfection of diligence, is the vital energy that drives a ''bodhisattva'' toward full enlightenment. It is defined specifically as "joy in virtue," distinguishing it from mere worldly ambition. On the path, it provides the "armor-like" courage needed to face the vast span of time and the immense suffering of sentient beings without becoming discouraged. Without the catalyst of diligence, one's accumulation of merit and wisdom remains stagnant. For a ''bodhisattva'', this effort is never a burden but a source of joy, as it is fueled by the aspiration of ''bodhicitta'' and the realization that virtuous activity is the most meaningful expression of one's nature.
}}

Anuttarā-pūjā

2026-03-10T20:59:35Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=anuttarā-pūjā
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=supreme worship; peerless offering
|defaultSort=anuttarapuja
|Glossary-Tibetan=བླ་ན་མེད་པའི་མཆོད་པ་
|Glossary-Wylie=bla na med pa'i mchod pa
|Glossary-Phonetic=lana mepay chöpa
|Glossary-Devanagari=अनुत्तरापूजा
|Glossary-Sanskrit=anuttarā-pūjā
|Glossary-Chinese=無上供養
|Glossary-Pinyin=wúshàng gòngyǎng
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=mujyō kuyo
|Glossary-Korean=musang gongyang
|Glossary-English=supreme worship
|Glossary-Term-Alt=saptāṅga-vidhi; yan lag bdun pa; seven-branch service
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): While primarily a Mahāyāna liturgical practice, the elements within the supreme worship, such as confession (''deśanā'') and rejoicing (''anumodanā''), are analyzed as specific mental factors and activities that counteract afflictions (''kleśa''). Rejoicing, for instance, serves as a direct antidote to jealousy and resentment, while confession addresses the traces of non-virtuous actions stored in the mental continuum.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Mahāyāna tradition, ''anuttarā-pūjā'' is the standard preliminary practice for engaging in the bodhisattva path. It is most famously detailed in the ''Bhadracarīpraṇidhāna'' (The Prayer of Good Conduct). The seven branches (''yan lag bdun'') are:
#* Prostration (''vandanā''; T. ''phyag 'tshal ba''): Overcoming pride by honoring the enlightened ones.
#* Offering (''pūjanā''; T. ''mchod pa''): Cultivating generosity and counteracting attachment.
#* Confession (''pāpadeśanā''; T. ''sdig pa bshags pa''): Purifying past negative karmic imprints.
#* Rejoicing (''anumodanā''; T. ''rjes su yi rang ba''): Cultivating a positive mind by delighting in the virtue of others.
#* Requesting the Turning of the Wheel of Dharma (''adhyeṣaṇā''; T. ''chos kyi 'khor lo bskor bar bskul ba''): Creating the causes to always encounter the teachings.
#* Beseeching the Buddhas to remain (''yācanā''; T. ''gsol ba 'debs pa''): Counteracting the view of permanence and requesting teachers to stay in the world.
#* Dedication (''pariṇāmanā''; T. ''bsngo ba''): Ensuring that the merit accumulated is not lost but directed toward the enlightenment of all beings.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the context of Tantra, these seven branches are an essential preliminary for the generation stage (''utpattikrama'') and are often expanded or localized within a specific deity's ''sādhana''. The supreme worship is seen as the necessary "soil" in which the "seed" of the deity yoga can grow. It is also linked to the "accumulation of merit" that must precede the "accumulation of wisdom."
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=A foundational Mahāyāna Buddhist ritual known as 'Supreme Worship' or the 'Seven-Branch Service.' It consists of seven parts—such as prostrating, making offerings, and confessing mistakes—designed to clear away negative energy and build the positive mental conditions needed for spiritual progress.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=The ''anuttarā-pūjā'' (T. ''bla na med pa'i mchod pa'') is a liturgical structure central to Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna practice, often identified with the ''saptāṅga-vidhi'' (Seven-Branch Service). It functions as a systematic method for the accumulation of merit (''puṇyasaṃbhāra'') and the purification of obscurations. The seven branches typically include prostration, offering, confession, rejoicing, requesting the turning of the wheel of Dharma, beseeching the buddhas not to pass into ''nirvāṇa'', and dedication of merit.
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=The ''anuttarā-pūjā'' is intrinsically linked to the development of ''bodhicitta''. By systematically purifying the mind and accumulating merit through the seven branches, a practitioner creates the necessary internal environment for the altruistic aspiration to enlightenment to take root and remain stable. The final branch, dedication (''pariṇāmanā''), is particularly significant for the bodhisattva, as it involves the radical act of giving away all accumulated spiritual merit for the benefit of all sentient beings, mirroring the selflessness required for full awakening.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=supreme worship; seven-branch service; sevenfold offering; sevenfold prayer; seven-limb practice
}}

Saṃprajanyam

2026-03-10T20:50:33Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=saṃprajanyam |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=vigilance; alertness; introspection; clear comprehension; awareness; mental introspection; mental alertness; vigilant introspection; |defaultSort=samprajanyam |Glossary-Tibetan=ཤེས་བཞིན་ |Glossary-Wylie=shes bzhin |Glossary-Phonetic=shezhin |Glossary-Devanagari=संप्रजन्य |Glossary-Sanskrit=saṃprajanyam |Glossary-Pali=sampajañña |Glossar..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=saṃprajanyam
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=vigilance; alertness; introspection; clear comprehension; awareness; mental introspection; mental alertness; vigilant introspection;
|defaultSort=samprajanyam
|Glossary-Tibetan=ཤེས་བཞིན་
|Glossary-Wylie=shes bzhin
|Glossary-Phonetic=shezhin
|Glossary-Devanagari=संप्रजन्य
|Glossary-Sanskrit=saṃprajanyam
|Glossary-Pali=sampajañña
|Glossary-Chinese=正知
|Glossary-Pinyin=zhèngzhī
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=shōchi
|Glossary-Korean=jeongji
|Glossary-English=vigilance
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=alertness; shes bzhin; ཤེས་བཞིན་; sampajañña
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=Vigilance or alertness is the mental function that monitors one's thoughts, speech, and physical actions to ensure they stay on the right path and avoid harmful distractions.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A mental factor (Skt. ''saṃprajanyam''; P. ''sampajañña''; T. ''shes bzhin'') that acts as a form of "internal spy" or monitoring awareness. It is the discriminative intelligence that knows what is occurring within the gates of the body, speech, and mind, allowing the practitioner to detect and correct distractions or afflictive states as they arise. It is the opposite of alertness.
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In the Abhidharma tradition, ''saṃprajanyam'' (T. ''shes bzhin'') is classified as a discriminative mental factor (''prajñā'') that performs the specific function of monitoring the activities of the three doors—body, speech, and mind. It is defined as a form of wisdom that remains aware of the present situation, preventing the arising of transgressions and distractions. While mindfulness (''smṛtiḥ'') serves to keep the object of focus in mind without forgetting, vigilance functions as the watchful eye that notices whether the mind has strayed from its intended focus or has fallen under the influence of mental afflictions (''kleśa''). It is a necessary companion to mindfulness in the cultivation of both ethical discipline and meditative concentration.
# Pramāṇa (Indo-Tibetan): Within the context of valid cognition, vigilance is understood as an aspect of self-awareness (''svasaṃvedana'') that is specifically oriented toward the maintenance of a chosen mental state. It is the faculty that recognizes the presence of mental agitation (''auddhatya'') or dullness (''laya'') during the process of cognition, allowing for the application of appropriate antidotes. It ensures that the continuity of a valid cognition is not interrupted by adventitious conceptual errors or lapses in attention.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Mahāyāna practice, particularly as described in texts on the conduct of a bodhisattva, ''saṃprajanyam'' is the guard of the mind. It is famously compared to a "spy" that repeatedly checks the state of the mind to ensure that the bodhicitta motivation is maintained and that the six perfections (''pāramitās'') are practiced correctly. It is the tool used to maintain the "four applications of mindfulness" (''smṛtyupasthāna'') and the "thirty-seven aids to enlightenment" (''bodhipakṣikadharma''). By maintaining alertness (''saṃprajāna''), the bodhisattva can live in constant awareness of the ultimate nature of reality even while engaging in activities for the benefit of others.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Vajrayāna or Secret Mantra vehicle, vigilance is essential for the maintenance of the "divine pride" and the clarity of visualization during the generation stage (''utpannakrama''). It acts as the monitoring awareness that ensures the practitioner does not fall into ordinary perception (''tāmalpa'') or lose the focus on the deity's form, mantra, and inherent wisdom. In the completion stage (''sampannakrama''), it is used to maintain the subtle winds (''vayu'') and drops (''bindu'') within the central channel without deviation.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): Within these traditions, vigilance is refined into "natural alertness" or "unfabricated monitoring." It is the effortless quality of the primordial state (''rigpa'') that is inherently cognizant of all movements of thought and appearance without being moved by them. Rather than being a deliberate conceptual check, it is the spontaneous and inherent luminosity of the mind that naturally recognizes the arising and self-liberation of thoughts.
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, ''sampajañña'' is almost always paired with ''sati'' (mindfulness) as the compound ''satisampajañña''. Here, it refers to clear comprehension or situational awareness. It involves knowing exactly what one is doing, the purpose of the action, its suitability, and its relation to the ultimate goal of liberation. It is the discriminative aspect of awareness that prevents the mind from wandering aimlessly into unwholesome states.
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=ཤེས་ཤེས་པ། ཤེས་བཞིན་དུ་འདྲི་བ། ཤེས་བཞིན་རྒྱབ་འགལ། ཤེས་བཞིན་མིན་པ། ལུས་སེམས་ལ་ཡང་ཡང་བརྟག་པ།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=༼༡༽ཤེས་ཤེས་པ། ཤེས་བཞིན་དུ་འདྲི་བ། ཤེས་བཞིན་རྒྱབ་འགལ། ཤེས་བཞིན་མིན་པ། ༼༢༽ལུས་སེམས་ལ་ཡང་ཡང་བརྟག་པ།
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=vigilance; alertness; introspection; clear comprehension;
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=On the bodhisattva path, ''saṃprajanyam'' (T. ''shes bzhin'') is the essential tool for guarding the training in ethical discipline (''śīla'') and the aspiration of bodhicitta. It provides the constant monitoring necessary to ensure that one's actions of body, speech, and mind remain aligned with the benefit of sentient beings. Without vigilance, even a practitioner with strong mindfulness might succumb to subtle forms of self-interest or harmful habits. It is the quality that allows a bodhisattva to "maintain alertness" (''saṃprajāna-cārī'') in all activities, ensuring that every moment becomes a cause for enlightenment and that no unwholesome states are allowed to take root in the mind-stream.
}}

Smṛtiḥ

2026-03-10T19:50:30Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=smṛtiḥ |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=mindfulness; recollection; memory; presence of mind; attentiveness |defaultSort=smrtih |Glossary-Tibetan=དྲན་པ་ |Glossary-Wylie=dran pa |Glossary-Phonetic=drenpa |Glossary-Devanagari=स्मृति |Glossary-Sanskrit=smṛtiḥ |Glossary-Pali=sati |Glossary-Chinese=念 |Glossary-Pinyin=niàn |Glossary-JapanTranslit=nen |Glossary-Korean=nyeom |Glossary-English=mind..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=smṛtiḥ
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=mindfulness; recollection; memory; presence of mind; attentiveness
|defaultSort=smrtih
|Glossary-Tibetan=དྲན་པ་
|Glossary-Wylie=dran pa
|Glossary-Phonetic=drenpa
|Glossary-Devanagari=स्मृति
|Glossary-Sanskrit=smṛtiḥ
|Glossary-Pali=sati
|Glossary-Chinese=念
|Glossary-Pinyin=niàn
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=nen
|Glossary-Korean=nyeom
|Glossary-English=mindfulness
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=sati; dran pa; དྲན་པ་
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=Mindfulness is the ability to keep a chosen object or the present moment in mind without forgetting it. It acts as a stable foundation for meditation and daily awareness.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=One of the five omnipresent mental factors (Skt. ''smṛtiḥ''; P. ''sati''; T. ''dran pa''), mindfulness is defined as the mental function of non-forgetfulness toward a familiar object. It serves as the basis for concentration (''samādhi'') and is a crucial component in the cultivation of both calm abiding (''śamatha'') and special insight (''vipaśyanā'').
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In the Abhidharma systems, ''smṛtiḥ'' (T. ''dran pa'') is classified as a virtuous mental factor (''kuśalacaitasika'') within some contexts, though it is more broadly defined as a mental factor that prevents the mind from drifting away from its object. Its function is to provide clarity and stability, acting as an antidote to forgetfulness and mental wandering. It is particularly associated with the "four applications of mindfulness" (''catuḥ-smṛtyupasthāna''), which involve the close contemplation of the body, feelings, mind, and phenomena.
Pramāṇa (Indo-Tibetan): Within the context of epistemology, mindfulness is analyzed as a necessary factor for the continuity of awareness. It is what allows a previous moment of perception to be retained and identified by a subsequent moment of conceptual thought. Without mindfulness, the function of recognition (''saṃjñā'') and the stabilization of a target object for valid cognition (''pramāṇa'') would not be possible.
Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Mahāyāna literature, mindfulness is expanded to include the recollection of the Buddha's qualities, the aspiration for enlightenment (''bodhicitta''), and the continuous awareness of emptiness (''śūnyatā''). It is one of the five faculties (''indriya'') and five powers (''bala'') that a bodhisattva cultivates to achieve realization. It is often paired with "vigilance" or "alertness" (''saṃprajanya'') to guard the mind from afflictions (''kleśa'').
Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the context of Secret Mantra, mindfulness is essential for maintaining the "divine pride" and clarity of the visualization during the generation stage. It is also used to sustain the continuity of the subtle winds and drops within the channels of the subtle body during the completion stage.
Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): Within these traditions, mindfulness often refers to "non-meditation" or "natural mindfulness," which is the effortless recognition of the primordial state (''rigpa''). Instead of a deliberate effort to focus on an object, it is the spontaneous presence of awareness that does not stray from the nature of the mind.
Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, ''sati'' is the central pillar of the path to liberation. It is defined as the awareness that sees phenomena clearly as they arise and pass away, without judgment or grasping. It is the key factor in the practice of ''Satipaṭṭhāna'' meditation.
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=ཐ་དད་པ། སེམས་ལ་ཡང་ཡང་འཁོར་ནས་མི་བརྗེད་པ། དྲན་པས་མ་ཟིན། སྔོན་མའི་གནས་ཚུལ་དྲན་དུ་འཇུག་པ། སྔར་བྱུང་སྡུག་བསྔལ་རྣམས་ཡིད་ལ་དྲན་པ། ད་ལྟའི་བཀའ་དྲིན་དྲན་པ། འགྲུལ་པས་རང་གི་ཕ་ཡུལ་དྲན་པ། ཕ་མས་རང་གི་བུ་ཕྲུག་རྣམས་དྲན་པ། ཆང་གིས་ར་བཟི་ནས་དྲན་པ་མི་གསལ་བ། ཡུལ་ངེས་ལྔའི་ནང་གསེས། སྔར་འདྲིས་པའི་དངོས་པོ་ལ་དམིགས་ནས་མི་བརྗེད་པའི་ཤེས་པ་བརྗེད་ངེས་ཀྱི་གཉེན་པོ་མི་གཡེང་བའི་བྱེད་ལས་ཅན་ནོ།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=སེམས་མི་གཡེང་བར་བྱེད་ཅིང་རང་ཡུལ་འདྲིས་པའི་དངོས་པོ་ལ་དམིགས་ནས་རང་སྟོབས་ཀྱིས་མི་བརྗེད་པའི་རྣམ་པ་ཅན་གྱི་སེམས་བྱུང་ཞིག་ལ་བྱའོ།
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=༼༡༽〔ཐ་དད་པ་〕སེམས་ལ་ཡང་ཡང་འཁོར་ནས་མི་བརྗེད་པ། དྲན་པས་མ་ཟིན། སྔོན་མའི་གནས་ཚུལ་དྲན་དུ་འཇུག་པ། སྔར་བྱུང་སྡུག་བསྔལ་རྣམས་ཡིད་ལ་དྲན་པ། ད་ལྟའི་བཀའ་དྲིན་དྲན་པ། འགྲུལ་པས་རང་གི་བུ་ཕྲུག་རྣམས་དྲན་པ། རང་གིས་ར་བཟི་ནས་དྲན་པ་མི་གསལ་བ། ༼༢༽་ཡུལ་ངེས་ལྔའི་ནང་གསེས། སྔར་འདྲིས་པའི་དངོས་པོ་ལ་དམིགས་ནས་མི་བརྗེད་པའི་ཤེས་པ་བརྗེད་ངེས་ཀྱི་གཉེན་པོ་མི་གཡེང་བའི་བྱེད་ལས་ཅན་ནོ། །
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=mindfulness; recollection; memory; presence of mind; attentiveness
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=On the bodhisattva path, ''smṛtiḥ'' (T. ''dran pa'') is the mental faculty that enables the practitioner to never forget the commitment to ''bodhicitta'' and the welfare of all sentient beings. It is considered one of the essential tools for maintaining the training in the six perfections (''pāramitās''), as it keeps the instructions and the motivation fresh in the mind, and keeps the practitioner focussed on the various aspects of these trainings. Mindfulness serves as a guard for the mind, ensuring that even in difficult circumstances, the bodhisattva remains oriented toward the ultimate goal of full enlightenment.
}}

Apramāda

2026-03-10T19:33:22Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=apramāda |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=heedfulness; conscientiousness; vigilance; care; non-negligence; carefulness |defaultSort=apramada |Glossary-Tibetan=བག་ཡོད་པ་ |Glossary-Wylie=bag yod pa |Glossary-Phonetic=bayyöpa |Glossary-Devanagari=अप्रमाद |Glossary-Sanskrit=apramāda |Glossary-Pali=appamāda |Glossary-Chinese=不放逸 |Glossary-Pinyin=bù fàngyì |Glossary-JapanTranslit=fuh..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=apramāda
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=heedfulness; conscientiousness; vigilance; care; non-negligence; carefulness
|defaultSort=apramada
|Glossary-Tibetan=བག་ཡོད་པ་
|Glossary-Wylie=bag yod pa
|Glossary-Phonetic=bayyöpa
|Glossary-Devanagari=अप्रमाद
|Glossary-Sanskrit=apramāda
|Glossary-Pali=appamāda
|Glossary-Chinese=不放逸
|Glossary-Pinyin=bù fàngyì
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=fuhōitsu
|Glossary-Korean=bulbangil
|Glossary-English=heedfulness
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=bag yod; appamāda; conscientiousness; vigilance
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=A state of being careful and attentive in one's actions, words, and thoughts. It means staying alert to avoid doing things that cause harm and focusing on what is helpful and virtuous. It is often called the 'path to the deathless' because it prevents the mind from wandering into negative habits.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A virtuous mental factor (Skt. ''apramāda''; P. ''appamāda''; T. ''bag yod pa'') defined as the vigilant attitude that strives toward wholesome activities and remains ever watchful against moral missteps and afflictions. It is considered a foundational quality that protects the mind and fosters steadfastness in spiritual practice, acting as the opposite of heedlessness (Skt. ''pramāda'').
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In Abhidharma systems, ''apramāda'' (T. ''bag yod pa'') is classified as a wholesome mental factor (''kuśalacaitasika''). Its function is to guard the mind against the arising of afflictions (''kleśa'') and to ensure the cultivation of virtuous qualities. It is described as a state of "careful attention" or "non-negligence" that acts as a basis for ethical discipline (''śīla''). It is often paired with its opposite, ''pramāda'' (heedlessness), which allows the mind to drift into non-virtuous states.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): Within the Mahāyāna context, heedfulness is emphasized as the "path to the deathless" (''amṛtapada''). It is the force that allows a ''bodhisattva'' to maintain their vows and remain focused on the benefit of all beings without falling into the distractions of ''saṃsāra''. It is famously extolled in the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'', where an entire chapter is dedicated to "Vigilance regarding the Awakening Mind" (''bodhicittapramāda''), highlighting it as the essential factor for not losing the altruistic aspiration.
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, ''appamāda'' is regarded as one of the most important virtues, often summarized as the essence of the Buddha's final words: "All conditioned things are subject to decay; strive on with heedfulness" (''vayasandhammā saṅkhārā, appamādena sampādetha''). It is seen as the foundation of all wholesome states, much like the footprint of an elephant encompasses the footprints of all other animals. It is developed through mindfulness (''sati'') and is crucial for the higher trainings of ethics, concentration, and wisdom.
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=heedfulness; conscientiousness; vigilance; care; non-negligence; caution; non-wandering
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Apramāda'' is a pivotal factor in the preservation and development of ''bodhicitta''. On the ''bodhisattva'' path, it functions as the inner guardian that prevents the mind from becoming distracted by selfish desires or discouraged by the hardships of the path. By remaining heedful, the practitioner ensures that their actions are always aligned with the welfare of others and that their store of merit is not depleted through careless or non-virtuous behavior. It is the quality that transforms a mere aspiration into stable, effective application (''jug pa'i byang sems'').
}}

Paramārthabodhicitta

2026-03-09T21:46:44Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=paramārthabodhicitta
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=ultimate bodhicitta; absolute mind of enlightenment; superfactual bodhicitta
|defaultSort=paramarthabodhicitta
|Glossary-Tibetan=དོན་དམ་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས་
|Glossary-Wylie=don dam byang chub kyi sems
|Glossary-Phonetic=döndam changchub kyi sem
|Glossary-Devanagari=परमार्थबोधिचित्त
|Glossary-Sanskrit=paramārthabodhicitta
|Glossary-Chinese=勝義菩提心
|Glossary-Pinyin=shèngyì pútíxīn
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=shōgi bodaishin
|Glossary-Korean=sŭngŭi porisim
|Glossary-English=ultimate bodhicitta
|Glossary-Term-Alt=don dam sems bskyed; ultimate mind of enlightenment; དོན་དམ་བྱང་སེམས་
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the general Mahāyāna context, ''paramārthabodhicitta'' (T. ''don dam byang chub kyi sems'') is distinguished from conventional ''bodhicitta'' (''saṃvṛtibodhicitta''). While conventional ''bodhicitta'' consists of the aspiration to attain enlightenment and the application of the perfections, ultimate ''bodhicitta'' is the wisdom that directly realizes emptiness (''śūnyatā''). It is often described as being free from all conceptual elaborations (''niṣprapañca'') and is the actual state of wisdom that sees phenomena as they truly are. The transition from conventional to ultimate ''bodhicitta'' typically occurs at the path of vision (''darśanamārga''), marking the attainment of the first bodhisattva ''bhūmi''.
# Pramāṇa (Indo-Tibetan): Within the framework of valid cognition, ultimate ''bodhicitta'' is identified with the superfactual (''don dam'') level of reality. It is a non-dualistic awareness that transcends the subject-object bifurcation (''grāhyagrāhakavikalpa'') inherent in conventional, dualistic consciousness. In this context, it is often described as ''superfactual truth'' (''paramārthasatya'') as experienced by the noble beings (''āryas'') in meditative equipoise.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Vajrayāna or Secret Mantra traditions, ultimate ''bodhicitta'' is associated with the realization of the inseparable union of emptiness and bliss. It is sometimes equated with the white ''bindu'' or "seed" of enlightenment that is cultivated through specific yogic practices involving the subtle body's channels, winds, and drops. In the context of the four empowerments, ultimate ''bodhicitta'' is specifically pointed out in the fourth empowerment as the actual, factual wisdom that is the innate nature of mind.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): Within these traditions, ultimate ''bodhicitta'' is frequently used as a synonym for the "essence of mind" (''sems kyi ngo bo'') or the "primordial state" (''rigpa''). It refers to the naturally arising, uncreated wisdom that is the fundamental basis of both ''saṃsāra'' and ''nirvāṇa''. Here, it is described as "alpha purity" (''ka dag''), meaning the purity that has been present in the mind from the very beginning, untouched by adventitious defilements.
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The direct realization of the true nature of reality, specifically emptiness, as an essential part of the path to enlightenment for the sake of all beings.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=One of the two primary divisions of ''bodhicitta'', referring to the non-conceptual wisdom that directly realizes the ultimate nature of phenomena (''dharmatā'') or emptiness (''śūnyatā''). Unlike conventional ''bodhicitta'', which involves aspirational and engaging states of mind, ultimate ''bodhicitta'' is identical to the realization achieved on the path of seeing and beyond.
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Paramārthabodhicitta'' is the wisdom aspect of the bodhisattva's path, representing the direct realization of emptiness (''śūnyatā'') that is inseparable from the great compassion (''mahākaruṇā'') of conventional ''bodhicitta''. It is the generative cause that allows a bodhisattva to overcome cognitive obscurations (''jñeyāvaraṇa'') and eventually achieve the state of a Buddha. On the bodhisattva path, it is primarily cultivated during meditative equipoise, where the practitioner rests in the non-conceptual recognition of the nature of reality. It is considered "ultimate" because it refers to the final, unchanging truth of phenomena, whereas conventional ''bodhicitta'' is a necessary but provisional method used to reach this realization.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=ultimate bodhicitta; absolute mind of enlightenment; superfactual bodhicitta
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=བདག་གཞན་མཉམ་བརྗེའི་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས་དེ་ལ་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་ཀྱི་ལྟ་བས་རྒྱས་ཐེབས་པ་ལ་ཟེར།
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=བདག་གཞན་མཉམ་བརྗེའི་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དེ་ལ་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་ཀྱི་ལྟ་བས་རྒྱས་ཐེབས་པ་ལ་ཟེར།
}}
Paramārthabodhicitta

Anuttarā-pūjā

2026-03-09T21:32:51Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=anuttarā-pūjā |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=supreme worship;; peerless offering; |defaultSort=anuttarapuja |Glossary-Tibetan=བླ་ན་མེད་པའི་མཆོད་པ་ |Glossary-Wylie=bla na med pa'i mchod pa |Glossary-Phonetic=lana mepay chöpa |Glossary-Devanagari=अनुत्तरापूजा |Glossary-Sanskrit=anuttarā-pūjā |Glossary-Pali= |Glossary-Chinese=無上供養 |Glossary-Piny..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=anuttarā-pūjā
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=supreme worship;; peerless offering;
|defaultSort=anuttarapuja
|Glossary-Tibetan=བླ་ན་མེད་པའི་མཆོད་པ་
|Glossary-Wylie=bla na med pa'i mchod pa
|Glossary-Phonetic=lana mepay chöpa
|Glossary-Devanagari=अनुत्तरापूजा
|Glossary-Sanskrit=anuttarā-pūjā
|Glossary-Pali=
|Glossary-Chinese=無上供養
|Glossary-Pinyin=wúshàng gòngyǎng
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=mujyō kuyo
|Glossary-Korean=musang gongyang
|Glossary-English=supreme worship
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=saptāṅga-vidhi; yan lag bdun pa; seven-branch service
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=A foundational Mahāyāna Buddhist ritual known as 'Supreme Worship' or the 'Seven-Branch Service.' It consists of seven parts—such as prostrating, making offerings, and confessing mistakes—designed to clear away negative energy and build the positive mental conditions needed for spiritual progress.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=The ''anuttarā-pūjā'' (T. ''bla na med pa'i mchod pa'') is a liturgical structure central to Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna practice, often identified with the ''saptāṅga-vidhi'' (Seven-Branch Service). It functions as a systematic method for the accumulation of merit (''puṇyasaṃbhāra'') and the purification of obscurations. The seven branches typically include prostration, offering, confession, rejoicing, requesting the turning of the wheel of Dharma, beseeching the buddhas not to pass into ''nirvāṇa'', and dedication of merit.
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): While primarily a Mahāyāna liturgical practice, the elements within the supreme worship, such as confession (''deśanā'') and rejoicing (''anumodanā''), are analyzed as specific mental factors and activities that counteract afflictions (''kleśa''). Rejoicing, for instance, serves as a direct antidote to jealousy and resentment, while confession addresses the traces of non-virtuous actions stored in the mental continuum.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Mahāyāna tradition, ''anuttarā-pūjā'' is the standard preliminary practice for engaging in the bodhisattva path. It is most famously detailed in the ''Bhadracarīpraṇidhāna'' (The Prayer of Good Conduct). The seven branches (''yan lag bdun'') are:
#* Prostration (''vandanā''; T. ''phyag 'tshal ba''): Overcoming pride by honoring the enlightened ones.
#* Offering (''pūjanā''; T. ''mchod pa''): Cultivating generosity and counteracting attachment.
#* Confession (''pāpadeśanā''; T. ''sdig pa bshags pa''): Purifying past negative karmic imprints.
#* Rejoicing (''anumodanā''; T. ''rjes su yi rang ba''): Cultivating a positive mind by delighting in the virtue of others.
#* Requesting the Turning of the Wheel of Dharma (''adhyeṣaṇā''; T. ''chos kyi 'khor lo bskor bar bskul ba''): Creating the causes to always encounter the teachings.
#* Beseeching the Buddhas to remain (''yācanā''; T. ''gsol ba 'debs pa''): Counteracting the view of permanence and requesting teachers to stay in the world.
#* Dedication (''pariṇāmanā''; T. ''bsngo ba''): Ensuring that the merit accumulated is not lost but directed toward the enlightenment of all beings.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the context of Tantra, these seven branches are an essential preliminary for the generation stage (''utpattikrama'') and are often expanded or localized within a specific deity's ''sādhana''. The supreme worship is seen as the necessary "soil" in which the "seed" of the deity yoga can grow. It is also linked to the "accumulation of merit" that must precede the "accumulation of wisdom."
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=supreme worship; seven-branch service; sevenfold offering; sevenfold prayer; seven-limb practice
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=The ''anuttarā-pūjā'' is intrinsically linked to the development of ''bodhicitta''. By systematically purifying the mind and accumulating merit through the seven branches, a practitioner creates the necessary internal environment for the altruistic aspiration to enlightenment to take root and remain stable. The final branch, dedication (''pariṇāmanā''), is particularly significant for the bodhisattva, as it involves the radical act of giving away all accumulated spiritual merit for the benefit of all sentient beings, mirroring the selflessness required for full awakening.
}}

Ratnatraya

2026-03-09T10:36:54Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=ratnatraya
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=Three Jewels; Triple Gem; three places of refuge; the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha
|defaultSort=ratnatraya
|Glossary-Tibetan=དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་
|Glossary-Wylie=dkon mchog gsum
|Glossary-Phonetic=könchok sum
|Glossary-Devanagari=रत्नत्रय / त्रिरत्न
|Glossary-Sanskrit=ratnatraya (alt. triratna)
|Glossary-Pali=ratanattaya (alt. tiratana)
|Glossary-Chinese=三寶
|Glossary-Pinyin=sānbǎo
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=sanbō
|Glossary-Korean=sambo
|Glossary-English=Three Jewels
|Glossary-84000=The Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha‍—the three objects of Buddhist refuge. In the Tibetan rendering, “the three rare and supreme ones.”
|Glossary-Term-Alt=triratna; Three Jewels; Triple Gem; Three Treasures; dkon mchog gsum; དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=ratnatraya (alt. triratna) (P. ratanattaya/tiratana; T. dkon mchog gsum; C. sanbao; J. sanbō; K. sambo 三寶). In Sanskrit, the "three jewels," also translated into English as the "triple gem" or the "three treasures." In the Buddhist tradition, RATNATRAYA refers to the three principal objects of veneration: the Buddha, the DHARMA, and the SAṂGHA. One of the most common practices that define a Buddhist is "taking refuge" (see ŚARAṆA) in the three jewels. This formula, which accompanies many lay and monastic rituals, involves a formal declaration that the practitioner "goes to" each of the three jewels for refuge (śaraṇa) or protection. The Sanskrit formula is as follows: "Buddhaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Dharmaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Saṃghaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi." meaning "I go to the Buddha for refuge. I go to the dharma for refuge. I go to the saṃgha for refuge." By repeating this formula three times, one identifies oneself as a Buddhist. (See also TRIŚARAṆA.) The precise meanings of these three terms, how they relate to one another, and exactly how each one is to be venerated are all subjects of extensive commentary within the tradition. The term buddha refers first, and most obviously, to the historical Buddha, GAUTAMA or ŚĀKYAMUNI, the sage of ancient India who realized and then taught the way to end all suffering. But the Buddha may also refer to any number of buddhas found in the extensive MAHĀYĀNA pantheon. In some varieties of the Mahāyāna, buddha may even refer to the inherent state of buddhahood that is the fundamental characteristic of all sentient beings. The term dharma refers to the teachings of a buddha, which can take a variety of possible forms including specific beliefs, texts, or practices; the dharma is sometimes divided into the scriptural dharma (ĀGAMADHARMA) and the realized dharma (ADHIGAMADHARMA). In the context of the three jewels, one is said to go for refuge in the latter. However, dharma may also refer to the pervasive, universal truth that is realized by a buddha, particularly as enshrined in the teaching of the FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS (catvāry āryasatyāni). Some commentators specify that in the context of the three jewels, the dharma refers to the third and fourth of the four truths, the truth of cessation (NIRODHASATYA) and the truth of the path (MĀRGASATYA), and most specifically to the truth of cessation. The term saṃgha refers to the community that seeks to realize and enact the teachings of a buddha for the sake of its own liberation and the liberation of others. Saṃgha is usually understood to include only those followers who have renounced the life of a householder (PRAVRAJITA) and taken up the life of a monk (BHIKṢU) or nun (BHIKṢUNĪ). However, the saṃgha is also sometimes interpreted to include both laymen (UPĀSAKA) and laywomen (UPĀSIKĀ) as well. In the context of refuge, the Saṃgha is generally said to refer to those members of the community who are Āryapudgala.
|Glossary-Definition=These are the three main objects that Buddhists from all traditions take refuge in. They are the Buddha, Dharma, and the Saṅgha‍. In the Tibetan rendering they are “the three rare and supreme ones.”
|Glossary-Simon=These are the three main objects of refuge for Buddhists from all traditions.

In his White Conch Dictionary (Dung dkar tshig mdzod chen mo), Dungkar Rinpoche says that, putting it simply, the Buddha Jewel is the one who expounds the teachings, the Dharma Jewel is the collection of teachings that the Buddha taught, and the Sangha Jewel consists of those who put those teachings into practice.

The Tibetan etymology uses the word dkon, which means rare or hard to find, and then mchog, which means supreme, outstanding, or distinguished.
Dungkar Rinpoche explains that the word Jewel is to be understood as something that appears very rarely in this world. We can therefore consider it to be more precious than an ordinary diamond or jewel. In terms of being a field of merit, the Three Jewels are the best of all fields and are therefore supreme.

The definition of the Buddha Jewel is the place of refuge which has taken to its final limit the two aims, of oneself and others.

The Dharma Jewel is considered the most important of the three because it includes both the scriptural teachings and the actual path of realization. The scriptures represent the actual words of the Buddha, those teachings which were taught to guide us on the path. Taking those teachings to heart and practicing them, we develop in our mindstreams the two fully purified truths—the truth of the path and the truth of the cessation of suffering. This truth of cessation is the result of practicing the truth of the path.

The Dharma Jewel is anything that is a fully purified truth of an ārya being, which is subsumed within the truth of cessation or the truth of the path.

The Sangha Jewel is often taken to mean the wider community of ordained monks and nuns or even the wider diaspora of fellow Buddhists, whether ordained or not. But technically the Sangha Jewel means an ārya being who has the qualities of both wisdom and liberation.
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In the ''Abhidharma'' context, the Three Jewels (''ratnatraya''/''triratna'') are the primary objects of refuge from the sufferings of cyclic existence. The term ''ratna'' (T. ''dkon mchog'') is applied to them because they are rare, flawless, powerful, and provide great benefit, much like precious gemstones. #* The Buddha Jewel (''buddharatna'') is defined in terms of the complete perfection of abandonment (''prahāṇa'') and realization (''jñāna''). #* The Dharma Jewel (''dharmaratna''), in the strict context of refuge, refers specifically to the realized dharma (''adhigamadharma'') — namely, the truth of cessation (''nirodhasatya'') and the truth of the path (''mārgasatya'') as actualized in the mindstream of noble beings. The transmitted teachings (''āgamadharma''/''deśanādharma'') serve as the means to realize this dharma but are not themselves the object of ultimate refuge. #* The Saṅgha Jewel (''saṅgharatna'') refers to the community of noble beings (''āryapudgala'') who have attained direct realization of the truth, from stream-enterers (''śrotāpanna'') up to arhats and bodhisattvas on the noble grounds. # Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): The Mahāyāna provides a deeper analysis of the Three Jewels through the framework of the three bodies (''trikāya''). #* The ultimate Buddha Jewel is the ''dharmakāya'', the inseparable nature of abandonment and wisdom. The form bodies (''rūpakāya'')—the ''saṃbhogakāya'' and ''nirmāṇakāya''—are the manifestations that appear for the sake of sentient beings. #* The ultimate Dharma Jewel is the truth of cessation and the truth of the path as realized by the buddhas. #* The ultimate Saṅgha Jewel consists of the noble ''bodhisattvas'' who have attained the grounds (''bhūmis'') of the bodhisattva path. The Three Jewels are also described as having six qualities of a jewel, as stated by Maitreya in the ''Uttaratantraśāstra'' (Skt. ''Ratnagotravibhāga''; T. ''rgyud bla ma''): འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་ཕྱིར་དྲི་མེད་ཕྱིར། །མཐུ་ལྡན་ཕྱིར་དང་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི། །རྒྱན་གྱུར་ཕྱིར་དང་མཆོག་ཉིད་ཕྱིར། །འགྱུར་བ་མེད་ཕྱིར་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཉིད། །"Because of being (1) rare in occurrence, (2) stainless, (3) powerful, (4) an ornament of the world, (5) supreme, and (6) unchanging — [they are called] jewels." These six qualities demonstrate the analogy between the Three Jewels and a wish-fulfilling gem (''cintāmaṇi''; T. ''yid bzhin nor bu''). # Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Vajrayāna or Secret Mantra, the Three Jewels remain the foundation of refuge but are augmented by the three roots (''rtsa ba gsum''; Skt. ''mūlatraya''). #* The ''triratna'' are considered the outer refuge (''phyi'i skyabs gnas''), while the three roots constitute the inner refuge (''nang gi skyabs gnas''). #* The three roots are: (1) the Guru (''bla ma''), source of blessings (''byin rlabs''); (2) the ''iṣṭadevatā'' or ''yidam'' (''yi dam''), source of accomplishments (''dngos grub''/''siddhi''); and (3) the ''ḍākinī'' (''mkha' 'gro ma'') and/or ''dharmapāla'' (''chos skyong''), source of enlightened activities (''phrin las''). The identification of the third root varies by lineage: some traditions list ''ḍākinī'' alone, others ''dharmapāla'' alone, and others combine both. #* The Guru is often identified as the embodiment of all Three Jewels: the Guru's mind is the Buddha, speech is the Dharma, and body is the Saṅgha. #* Some systems speak of the "Four Jewels" (''dkon mchog bzhi''), adding the Guru as a fourth jewel, or the "Six Jewels" (''dkon mchog drug''), which enumerate the three jewels and three roots together. In certain Nyingma and Kagyü formulations, there is also a "secret refuge" (''gsang ba'i skyabs gnas'') in the three bases: the channels (''rtsa''), winds (''rlung''), and essential drops (''thig le''), or alternatively, the ''dharmakāya'', ''sambhogakāya'', and ''nirmāṇakāya''.
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The Three Jewels—the Buddha, the Dharma (his teachings), and the Saṅgha (the spiritual community)—are the three central objects of refuge and inspiration for all Buddhists.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=The ''ratnatraya'' (Skt.; alt. ''triratna''; P. ''ratanattaya''/''tiratana''; T. ''dkon mchog gsum''), or Three Jewels, constitute the core objects of Buddhist refuge: the Buddha (the enlightened teacher), the Dharma (the path and teachings), and the Saṅgha (the community of noble beings). They are termed "jewels" (Skt. ''ratna'') because, like wish-fulfilling gems, they are rare, precious, and possess the power to provide protection from the sufferings of ''saṃsāra''. The Tibetan translation ''dkon mchog'' ("rare-supreme") is a semantic rendering that emphasizes these qualities rather than a phonetic transcription of ''ratna''. The refuge formula in Sanskrit is: ''Buddhaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Dharmaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Saṃghaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi.'' ("I go to the Buddha for refuge. I go to the Dharma for refuge. I go to the Saṅgha for refuge.") The Tibetan equivalent is: སངས་རྒྱས་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་མཆིའོ། །ཆོས་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་མཆིའོ། །དགེ་འདུན་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་མཆིའོ། (''sangs rgyas la skyabs su mchi'o / chos la skyabs su mchi'o / dge 'dun la skyabs su mchi'o'').
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=On the ''bodhisattva'' path, the Three Jewels (''ratnatraya'') serve as the supreme objects of refuge and the source of the vows and aspirations necessary to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. The cultivation of ''bodhicitta'' is always preceded by taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha. In the Mahāyāna, the Buddha is seen as the guide who has perfected the two accumulations (''sambhāradvaya'') of merit (''puṇya'') and wisdom (''jñāna''); the Dharma as the path of the six perfections (''ṣaṭpāramitā''); and the Saṅgha as the community of noble ''bodhisattvas'' (''āryabodhisattvasaṅgha'') who accompany the practitioner on the path. The Three Jewels are described as a "field of merit" (''puṇyakṣetra''; T. ''tshogs zhing'') because making offerings, prostrations, and other devotional practices toward them cultivates the virtuous roots (''kuśalamūla'') necessary for awakening.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=Three Jewels; Triple Gem; three places of refuge
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=སངས་རྒྱས་དང༌། ཆོས། དགེ་འདུན་ཏེ་གསུམ། མནའ་སྐྱེལ་བའི་ཚིག
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=སངས་རྒྱས་ཆོས་ལུགས་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་འགྲོ་བའི་ཡུལ་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་སྟེ། ༡་ཆོས་གསུངས་པ་པོ་སངས་རྒྱས། ༢དེས་གསུངས་པའི་ཆོས། ༣ཆོས་དེ་ཉམས་སུ་ལེན་པའི་དགེ་འདུན་བཅས་གསུམ་ནི་ཧ་ཅང་དཀོན་པ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ལས་ལྷག་པ་དང་བསོད་ནམས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ་ཡིན་པས་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཟེར། དེ་ཡང་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ནི་འཇིག་རྟེན་དུ་བྱུང་བའི་དུས་སྐབས་ཤིན་ཏུ་དཀོན་པ་དང་། བསོད་ནམས་གསོག་པའི་ཞིང་ལྔའི་ནང་ནས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ་ཡིན་པས་ན་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཅེས་བོད་ཀྱི་ལོ་ཙཱ་བ་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་རྒྱ་གར་སྐད་རནྟ་ཞེས་པ་ཐད་བསྒྱུར་མ་མཛད་པར་དོན་འགྱུར་མཛད་པ་ཡིན། དེ་ཡང་རྗེ་བཙུན་བྱམས་པ་མགོན་པོས། འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་ཕྱིར་དྲི་མེད་ཕྱིར། མཐུ་ལྡན་ཕྱིར་དང་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི། རྒྱན་གྱུར་ཕྱིར་དང་མཆོག་ཉིད་ཕྱིར། འགྱུར་བ་མེད་ཕྱིར་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཉིད། ཅེས་གསུངས་པ་ལྟར་ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་དང་ཆོས་དྲུག་གི་སྒོ་ནས་མཚུངས་པས་ན་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཅེས་པའི་མཚན་གསོལ། ཆོས་མཚུངས་ཚུལ་ནི་དང་པོ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྣོད་བཅུད་སྐལ་བ་ཕུན་སུམ་ཚོགས་པའི་དུས་འགའ་རེ་ལ་འབྱུང་གི་གཞན་དུ་མི་འབྱུང་བས་འབྱུང་བ་ཤིན་ཏུ་དཀོན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་པོ་ཡང་གདུལ་བྱའི་བསོད་ནམས་དང་སྨོན་ལམ་ཁྱད་པར་ཅན་འཛོམས་ན་འབྱུང་གི་དེ་ལས་གཞན་དུ་མི་འབྱུང་བས་འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་པ། གཉིས་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེར་གཡའ་ལ་སོགས་པའི་ཉེས་སྐྱོན་གྱི་དྲི་མས་མ་གོས་པ་བཞིན་དུ་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་ཉེས་པའི་དྲི་མས་མ་གོས་པས་དྲི་མ་མེད་པ་དང་། གསུམ་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེར་རྒྱལ་ཁམས་དབུལ་ཕོངས་སེལ་བའི་མཐུ་དང་ལྡན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་གདུལ་བྱའི་སྡུག་བསྔལ་སེལ་བའི་མཐུ་དང་ལྡན་པས་མཐུ་ལྡན། བཞི་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་རྒྱན་ཡིན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་ཐར་པ་དོན་གཉེར་བ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་རྒྱན་ཡིན་པས་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་རྒྱན། ལྔ་པ། དེ་འཇིག་རྟེན་པའི་རྒྱན་གྱི་མཆོག་ཡིན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་སྐྱབས་གནས་གཞན་ལས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ། དྲུག་པ། དེ་ལ་བསྟོད་སྨད་སོགས་ཀྱིས་རྣམ་པར་འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པ་ལྟར་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་རྣམ་པར་གྱུར་པའི་རང་བཞིན་ཅན་མ་ཡིན་པས་འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པའོ། དེ་ལྟ་བུའི་དཀོན་མཆོག་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་རྣམ་པ་གསུམ་གྱི་མཚན་ཉིད་དང་། མཚན་གཞི་ནི། དོན་གཉིས་མཐར་ཕྱིན་པའི་སྐྱབས་གནས་མཐར་ཐུག་སངས་རྒྱས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། སངས་རྒྱས་ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ་ལྟ་བུ་དང་དེའི་སྐུ་གསུང་ཐུགས་ཀྱི་ཡོན་ཏན་མཐའ་དག་སངས་རྒྱས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་གཞི་ཡིན། འགོག་ལམ་གང་རུང་གིས་བསྡུས་པའི་འཕགས་པའི་རྣམ་བྱང་བདེན་པ་ཆོས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། ཉོན་མོངས་མ་ལུས་པ་སྤངས་པའི་སོ་སོར་བརྟགས་འགོག་ལྟ་བུ་མཚན་གཞི། རིག་གྲོལ་གྱི་ཡོན་ཏན་བརྒྱད་སོགས་གང་རུང་དང་ལྡན་པའི་འཕགས་པའི་གང་ཟག་དགེ་འདུན་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། ཀླུ་སྒྲུབ་ཡབ་སྲས་ལྟ་བུ། དེའི་མཚན་གཞི། ཐེག་པ་གསུམ་གྱི་འཕགས་པའི་གང་ཟག་རེ་རེ་བ་དང་། སོ་སྐྱེའི་བཙུན་པ་ཁྲིམས་ལྡན་བཞི་སྡེ་ཡན་ཆད་དགེ་འདུན་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་དོད་ཐུབ་ཏུ་འཇོག་པ་ཡིན།
|Glossary-Etymology=Skt. ''ratnatraya'' is a compound of ''ratna'' ("jewel, gem, precious thing") + ''traya'' ("triad, group of three"). The alternate form ''triratna'' reverses the compound elements (''tri-'' + ''ratna''). The Pali ''ratanattaya'' follows the same structure. The Tibetan ''dkon mchog gsum'' (དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་) is a semantic translation: ''dkon pa'' ("rare, scarce") + ''mchog'' ("supreme, excellent") + ''gsum'' ("three"). Tibetan translators chose this interpretive rendering (''don 'gyur'') over a phonetic transcription (''sgra 'gyur'') to convey the philosophical significance of the term. The Chinese 三寶 (''sānbǎo'') is a direct translation: 三 ("three") + 寶 ("treasure, jewel").
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=སངས་རྒྱས་ཆོས་ལུགས་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་འགྲོ་བའི་ཡུལ་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་སྟེ། ༡ ཆོས་གསུངས་པ་པོ་སངས་རྒྱས། ༢ དེས་གསུངས་པའི་ཆོས། ༣ ཆོས་དེ་ཉམས་སུ་ལེན་པའི་དགེ་འདུན་བཅས་གསུམ་ནི་ཧ་ཅང་དཀོན་པ་རིན་ཆེན་ལས་ལྷག་པ་དང་བསོད་ནམས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ་ཡིན་པས་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཟེར། དེ་ཡང་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ནི་འཇིག་རྟེན་དུ་བྱུང་བའི་དུས་སྐབས་ཤིན་ཏུ་དཀོན་པ་དང་། བསོད་ནམས་གསོག་པའི་ཞིང་ལྔའི་ནང་ནས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ་ཡིན་པས་ན་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཅེས་བོད་ཀྱི་ལོ་ཙཱ་བ་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་རྒྱ་གར་སྐད་རཏྣ་ཞེས་པ་ཐད་བསྒྱུར་མ་མཛད་པར་དོན་འགྱུར་མཛད་པ་ཡིན། དེ་ཡང་རྗེ་བཙུན་བྱམས་པ་མགོན་པོས། འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་ཕྱིར་དྲི་མེད་ཕྱིར། །མཐུ་ལྡན་ཕྱིར་དང་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི། །རྒྱན་གྱུར་ཕྱིར་དང་མཆོག་ཉིད་ཕྱིར། །འགྱུར་བ་མེད་ཕྱིར་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཉིད། །ཅེས་གསུངས་པ་ལྟར་ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་དང་ཆོས་དྲུག་གི་སྒོ་ནས་མཚུངས་པས་ན་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཅེས་པའི་མཚན་གསོལ། ཆོས་མཚུངས་ཚུལ་ནི་དང་པོ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྣོད་བཅུད་སྐལ་བ་ཕུན་སུམ་ཚོགས་པའི་དུས་འགའ་རེ་ལ་འབྱུང་གི་གཞན་དུ་མི་འབྱུང་བས་འབྱུང་བ་ཤིན་ཏུ་དཀོན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་པོ་ཡང་གདུལ་བྱའི་བསོད་ནམས་དང་སྨོན་ལམ་ཁྱད་པར་ཅན་འཛོམས་ན་འབྱུང་གི་དེ་ལས་གཞན་དུ་མི་འབྱུང་བས་འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་པ། གཉིས་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེར་གཡའ་ལ་སོགས་པའི་ཉེས་སྐྱོན་གྱི་དྲི་མས་མ་གོས་པས་དྲི་མ་མེད་པ་དང་། གསུམ་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེར་རྒྱལ་ཁམས་དབུལ་ཕོངས་སེལ་བའི་མཐུ་དང་ལྡན་པ་ལྟར། བཞི་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་རྒྱན་ཡིན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་ཐར་པ་དོན་གཉེར་བ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་རྒྱན་ཡིན་པས་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་རྒྱན། ལྔ་པ། དེ་འཇིག་རྟེན་པའི་རྒྱན་གྱི་མཆོག་ཡིན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་སྐྱབས་གནས་གཞན་ལས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ། དྲུག་པ། དེ་ལ་བསྟོད་སྨད་སོགས་ཀྱིས་རྣམ་པར་འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པ་ལྟར་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་རྣམ་པར་གྱུར་པའི་རང་བཞིན་ཅན་མ་ཡིན་པས་འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པའོ། དེ་ལྟ་བུའི་དཀོན་མཆོག་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་རྣམ་པ་གསུམ་གྱི་མཚན་ཉིད་དང་། མཚན་གཞི་ནི། དོན་གཉིས་མཐར་ཕྱིན་པའི་སྐྱབས་གནས་མཐར་ཐུག་སངས་རྒྱས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། སངས་རྒྱས་ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ་ལྟ་བུ་དང་དེའི་སྐུ་གསུང་ཐུགས་ཀྱི་ཡོན་ཏན་མཐའ་དག་སངས་རྒྱས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་གཞི་ཡིན། འགོག་ལམ་གང་རུང་གིས་བསྡུས་པའི་འཕགས་པའི་རྣམ་བྱང་བདེན་པ་ཆོས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། ཉོན་མོངས་མ་ལུས་པ་སྤངས་པའི་སོ་སོར་བརྟགས་འགོག་ལྟ་བུ་མཚན་གཞི། རིག་གྲོལ་གྱི་ཡོན་ཏན་བརྒྱད་སོགས་གང་རུང་དང་ལྡན་པའི་འཕགས་པའི་གང་ཟག་དགེ་འདུན་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། ཀླུ་སྒྲུབ་ཡབ་སྲས་ལྟ་བུ། དེའི་མཚན་གཞི། ཐེག་གསུམ་གྱི་འཕགས་པའི་གང་ཟག་རེ་རེ་བ་དང་། སོ་སྐྱེའི་བཙུན་པ་ཁྲིམས་ལྡན་བཞི་སྡེ་ཡན་ཆད་དགེ་འདུན་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་དོད་ཐུབ་ཏུ་འཇོག་པ་ཡིན།
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Paramārthabodhicitta

2026-03-05T16:18:50Z

Simon: Created page with "Paramārthabodhicitta {{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=paramārthabodhicitta |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=ultimate bodhicitta; absolute mind of enlightenment; realization of emptiness; superfactual bodhicitta |defaultSort=paramarthabodhicitta |Glossary-Tibetan=དོན་དམ་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས་ |Glossary-Wylie=don dam byang chub kyi sems |Glossary-Phonetic=döndam changchub kyi sem |Glossary-Devanagari=परम..."

Paramārthabodhicitta

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=paramārthabodhicitta
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=ultimate bodhicitta; absolute mind of enlightenment; realization of emptiness; superfactual bodhicitta
|defaultSort=paramarthabodhicitta
|Glossary-Tibetan=དོན་དམ་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས་
|Glossary-Wylie=don dam byang chub kyi sems
|Glossary-Phonetic=döndam changchub kyi sem
|Glossary-Devanagari=परमार्थबोधिचित्त
|Glossary-Sanskrit=paramārthabodhicitta
|Glossary-Pali=
|Glossary-Chinese=勝義菩提心
|Glossary-Pinyin=shèngyì pútíxīn
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=shōgi bodaishin
|Glossary-Korean=sŭngŭi porisim
|Glossary-English=ultimate bodhicitta
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=don dam sems bskyed; ultimate mind of enlightenment; དོན་དམ་བྱང་སེམས་
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The direct realization of the true nature of reality, specifically emptiness, as an essential part of the path to enlightenment for the sake of all beings.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=One of the two primary divisions of ''bodhicitta'', referring to the non-conceptual wisdom that directly realizes the ultimate nature of phenomena (''dharmatā'') or emptiness (''śūnyatā''). Unlike conventional ''bodhicitta'', which involves aspirational and engaging states of mind, ultimate ''bodhicitta'' is identical to the realization achieved on the path of seeing and beyond.
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the general Mahāyāna context, ''paramārthabodhicitta'' (T. ''don dam byang chub kyi sems'') is distinguished from conventional ''bodhicitta'' (''saṃvṛtibodhicitta''). While conventional ''bodhicitta'' consists of the aspiration to attain enlightenment and the application of the perfections, ultimate ''bodhicitta'' is the wisdom that directly realizes emptiness (''śūnyatā''). It is often described as being free from all conceptual elaborations (''niṣprapañca'') and is the actual state of wisdom that sees phenomena as they truly are. The transition from conventional to ultimate ''bodhicitta'' typically occurs at the path of vision (''darśanamārga''), marking the attainment of the first bodhisattva ''bhūmi''.
# Pramāṇa (Indo-Tibetan): Within the framework of valid cognition, ultimate ''bodhicitta'' is identified with the superfactual (''don dam'') level of reality. It is a non-dualistic awareness that transcends the subject-object bifurcation (''grāhyagrāhakavikalpa'') inherent in conventional, dualistic consciousness. In this context, it is often described as ''superfactual truth'' (''paramārthasatya'') as experienced by the noble beings (''āryas'') in meditative equipoise.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Vajrayāna or Secret Mantra traditions, ultimate ''bodhicitta'' is associated with the realization of the inseparable union of emptiness and bliss. It is sometimes equated with the white ''bindu'' or "seed" of enlightenment that is cultivated through specific yogic practices involving the subtle body's channels, winds, and drops. In the context of the four empowerments, ultimate ''bodhicitta'' is specifically pointed out in the fourth empowerment as the actual, factual wisdom that is the innate nature of mind.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): Within these traditions, ultimate ''bodhicitta'' is frequently used as a synonym for the "essence of mind" (''sems kyi ngo bo'') or the "primordial state" (''rigpa''). It refers to the naturally arising, uncreated wisdom that is the fundamental basis of both ''saṃsāra'' and ''nirvāṇa''. Here, it is described as "alpha purity" (''ka dag''), meaning the purity that has been present in the mind from the very beginning, untouched by adventitious defilements.
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=བདག་གཞན་མཉམ་བརྗེའི་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས་དེ་ལ་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་ཀྱི་ལྟ་བས་རྒྱས་ཐེབས་པ་ལ་ཟེར།
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=བདག་གཞན་མཉམ་བརྗེའི་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དེ་ལ་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་ཀྱི་ལྟ་བས་རྒྱས་ཐེབས་པ་ལ་ཟེར།
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=ultimate bodhicitta; absolute mind of enlightenment; superfactual bodhicitta
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Paramārthabodhicitta'' is the wisdom aspect of the bodhisattva's path, representing the direct realization of emptiness (''śūnyatā'') that is inseparable from the great compassion (''mahākaruṇā'') of conventional ''bodhicitta''. It is the generative cause that allows a bodhisattva to overcome cognitive obscurations (''jñeyāvaraṇa'') and eventually achieve the state of a Buddha. On the bodhisattva path, it is primarily cultivated during meditative equipoise, where the practitioner rests in the non-conceptual recognition of the nature of reality. It is considered "ultimate" because it refers to the final, unchanging truth of phenomena, whereas conventional ''bodhicitta'' is a necessary but provisional method used to reach this realization.
}}

Karuṇā

2026-03-05T15:55:27Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=Karuṇā |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=compassion; great compassion; mercy; pity |defaultSort=Karuna |Glossary-Tibetan=ཐུགས་རྗེ་ |Glossary-Wylie=thugs rje |Glossary-Phonetic=tüjye |Glossary-Devanagari=करुणा |Glossary-Sanskrit=Karuṇā |Glossary-Pali=karuṇā |Glossary-Chinese=悲 |Glossary-Pinyin=bēi |Glossary-JapanTranslit=hi |Glossary-Korean=bi |Glossary-English=compassion |Glossary-En..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=Karuṇā
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=compassion; great compassion; mercy; pity
|defaultSort=Karuna
|Glossary-Tibetan=ཐུགས་རྗེ་
|Glossary-Wylie=thugs rje
|Glossary-Phonetic=tüjye
|Glossary-Devanagari=करुणा
|Glossary-Sanskrit=Karuṇā
|Glossary-Pali=karuṇā
|Glossary-Chinese=悲
|Glossary-Pinyin=bēi
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=hi
|Glossary-Korean=bi
|Glossary-English=compassion
|Glossary-EnglishKB=compassion
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=thugs rje
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The profound wish for all sentient beings to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. It is a core virtue in Buddhism and, in the Mahāyāna tradition, develops into 'great compassion' (''mahākaruṇā''), the driving force behind the pursuit of enlightenment for the benefit of others.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=A fundamental wholesome mental factor (Skt. ''karuṇā''; T. ''སྙིང་རྗེ་'') defined as the state of mind that cannot bear the suffering of others and fervently desires their release from all forms of distress and its causes. It is one of the four immeasurables (''brahmavihāra''). In Mahāyāna, it transforms into ''mahākaruṇā'' (great compassion), which is universally directed and serves as one of the indispensable method (''upāya'') components, that combined with wisdom (''prajñā''), lead to the full enlightenment of a Buddha.
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=
# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): ''Karuṇā'' (T. ''སྙིང་རྗེ་'') is a wholesome mental factor that serves as the direct antidote to the mental affliction of cruelty or viciousness (''vihiṃsā''). It is defined as the aspiration for sentient beings to be free from suffering. It is traditionally counted as one of the four immeasurables (''brahmavihāra'' or ''ཚང་པའི་གནས་བཞི་''). In this context, it is cultivated by meditating upon the sufferings of all beings and aspiring for their relief.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In the Mahāyāna tradition, ''karuṇā'' is of supreme importance, culminating in ''mahākaruṇā'' (great compassion; T. ''སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་'').
#* ''Mahākaruṇā'' is the compassion that perceives the suffering of all sentient beings throughout the six realms and works ceaselessly and universally for their liberation. It is considered the root of ''bodhicitta'' (the mind of enlightenment) and is one of the defining qualities of a ''bodhisattva''.
#* Great compassion is understood as the ''upāya'' (method or skillful means) aspect of the path, which must be united inseparably with ''prajñā'' (wisdom, the realization of emptiness) to achieve the complete enlightenment of a Buddha. Compassion prevents one from falling into the extreme of merely tranquil nirvana, ensuring one continues working for others.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): ''Karuṇā'' (''thugs rje'') continues to be the indispensable method aspect, representing the activity and responsiveness of the awakened mind. It is inherently non-dual with wisdom (''prajñā''). The very spontaneous manifestation of enlightened qualities and the capacity to perceive the suffering of others is an expression of this great compassion.
# Dzogchen/Mahāmudrā (Indo-Tibetan): In the context of the ultimate nature of mind, ''karuṇā'' (*thugs rje*) is seen not merely as an emotional state but as the spontaneous, all-pervasive, and unobstructed capacity of the ultimate nature (''dharmakāya'' or ''rigpa'').
#* It is the energetic potential (''rtsal'') or light-like radiance that arises naturally from the emptiness (''stong pa nyid'') of the true nature.
#* It is the unimpeded, responsive luminosity of the mind's ultimate essence, which manifests in forms and activities to benefit beings. This view emphasizes the inseparability of emptiness and compassion as the two aspects of reality.
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, ''karuṇā'' is one of the four sublime abodes (P. ''brahmavihāra'') along with loving-kindness (''mettā''), sympathetic joy (''muditā''), and equanimity (''upekkhā''). The cultivation of ''karuṇā'' is a meditative practice aimed at purifying the mind by radiating the wish for all beings to free from suffering, thereby opposing ill-will and cruelty.
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=ཚངས་པའི་གནས་པ་བཞིའི་ནང་གསེས། ནད་སོགས་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱིས་མནར་བའི་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་དག་སྡུག་བསྔལ་དང་བྲལ་ན་ཅི་མ་རུང་སྙམ་པ་སྟེ། རྣམ་པར་འཚེ་བའི་སེམས་ཀྱི་གཉེན་པོའོ།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=ནད་སོགས་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱིས་མནར་བའི་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་དག་སྡུག་བསྔལ་དང་བྲལ་ན་ཅི་མ་རུང་སྙམ་པའི་སེམས་བྱུང་དེ་ཡིན། ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོའི་ལམ་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་རྩ་བ་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཡིན་ཏེ། ཆོས་ཡང་དག་པར་སྡུད་པའི་མདོ་ལས། བཅོམ་ལྡན་འདས་སངས་རྒྱས་ཐོབ་པར་འདོད་པས་ཆོས་མང་པོ་ལ་བསླབ་པར་མི་བགྱི་། ཆོས་གཅིག་ལ་བསླབ་པར་བགྱིའོ། ། དེ་གང་ཞེ་ན་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོའོ་ཞེས་གསུངས། སེམས་ཅན་ཐམས་ཅད་འཁོར་བ་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱི་གནས་ལས་སྒྲོལ་བའི་ཁུར་འཁྱེར་བ་ནི་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་ལ་རག་ལས་ཏེ། མདོ་སྡེ་རྒྱན་ལས་། དང་པོ་རྩ་བ་ཐ་མ་འབྲས་མཆོག་ལྡན། འདི་ནི་སྙིང་རྗེའི་ལྗོན་ཤིང་ཆེན་པོ་ཡིན། རྩ་བ་སྙིང་རྗེ་མེད་གྱུར་ན། །དཀའ་སྤྱད་བཟོད་པ་ཉིད་མི་འགྱུར། ། ཞེས་གསུངས། དེ་ལྟར་སྙིང་རྗེ་ཆེན་པོ་ཡོན་ཏན་ཐམས་ཅད་ཀྱི་འབྱུང་གནས་སུ་གྱུར་པ་དེ་དཔེར་ན་ཤིང་གི་རྩ་བ་དང་སྡོང་པོ་སོགས་འོག་མ་འོག་མ་གོང་མ་སྐྱེ་ཞིང་། དེ་མེད་ན་མི་འབྱུང་བ་དང་འདྲ་བར་། སྙིང་རྗེ་རང་རྒྱུད་ལ་སྐྱེས་པར་བྱེད་པ་གལ་གནད་ཤིན་ཏུ་ཆེའོ། །
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=ཚངས་པའི་གནས་པ་བཞིའི་ནང་གསེས། ནད་སོགས་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱིས་མནར་བའི་སེམས་ཅན་དེ་དག་སྡུག་བསྔལ་དང་བྲལ་ན་ཅི་མ་རུང་སྙམ་པ་སྟེ། རྣམ་པར་འཚེ་བའི་སེམས་ཀྱི་གཉེན་པོའོ། །
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=compassion; great compassion; sorrow; mercy; pity; sympathetic joy
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Karuṇā'' is the very foundation and root of ''bodhicitta'', the mind aspiring to enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It begins as the simple wish to alleviate the suffering of others and matures into ''mahākaruṇā'' (great compassion; T. ''thugs rje chen po''), which is universal in scope and unwavering in its aspiration that all beings be free from even the subtlest of sufferings. This great compassion, when combined with ''prajñā'' (wisdom) – the realization of emptiness (''śūnyatā'') – forms the core practice of the ''bodhisattva''. ''Mahākaruṇā'' is the force that propels the ''bodhisattva'' to complete the six perfections (''pāramitā'') and attain Buddhahood, ensuring that the liberated state is not a passive one but an active, spontaneous, and ceaseless engagement for the welfare of others. It prevents the ''bodhisattva'' from settling for the lesser goal of personal liberation.
}}

Saṃvṛtibodhicitta

2026-01-28T15:35:30Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=saṃvṛtibodhicitta
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=relative bodhicitta; conventional bodhicitta
|defaultSort=samvrtibodhicitta
|Glossary-Tibetan=ཀུན་རྫོབ་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས་
|Glossary-Wylie=kun rdzob byang chub kyi sems
|Glossary-Phonetic=kündzop changchup kyi sem
|Glossary-Devanagari=संवृतिबोधित्त
|Glossary-Sanskrit=saṃvṛtibodhicitta
|Glossary-Chinese=世俗菩提心
|Glossary-Pinyin=shìsú pútíxīn
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=sezoku bodaishin
|Glossary-Korean=sesok borisim
|Glossary-English=relative bodhicitta
|Glossary-Term-Alt=saṃvṛttibodhicitta; relative bodhicitta; kun rdzob sems bskyed
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB='''saṃvṛtibodhicitta'''. (T. ''kun rdzob byang chub kyi sems'').
"In Sanskrit, 'conventional (or relative) aspiration to enlightenment.' In Indian MAHĀYĀNA scholastic literature, this term is contrasted with the 'ultimate aspiration to enlightenment' (PARAMĀRTHABODHICITTA). The term saṃvṛtibodhicitta is used to refer to BODHICITTA in its more common usage, as the aspiration to achieve buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings. It is the generation of this aspiration for enlightenment (BODHICITTOTPĀDA) that marks the beginning of the bodhisattva path and the Mahāyāna path of accumulation (SAṂBHĀRAMĀRGA). The ultimate aspiration or mind of enlightenment refers to the bodhisattva’s direct realization of the ultimate truth (PARAMĀRTHASATYA). In the case of the MADHYAMAKA school’s interpretation, this would be the direct realization of emptiness (ŚŪNYATĀ)".
|Glossary-Definition=Relative bodhicitta is the aspirational wish to attain the fully-enlightened state of a buddha. It aspires both to alleviate the suffering of all beings, and therefore to attain buddhahood in order to spontaneously and effortlessly act for the welfare of all beings
|Glossary-Senses=the conventional mind of enlightenment that wishes to attain the enlightened state to be of spontaneous benefit for all beings
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): ''Saṃvṛtibodhicitta'' (T. ''kun rdzob byang chub kyi sems''), often translated as "conventional bodhicitta" or "relative bodhicitta," is a foundational concept in Mahāyāna Buddhism, representing the compassionate and altruistic mind aspiring towards Buddhahood for the sake of all sentient beings. It stands in contrast to, yet is indispensable for cultivating, ultimate bodhicitta (''paramārthabodhicitta''; T. ''don dam byang chub kyi sems''), the direct wisdom realizing emptiness.
''Saṃvṛtibodhicitta'' is comprised of two distinct yet sequential stages:
#* Aspirational Bodhicitta (Skt. ''praṇidhicitta'' or ''bodhipraṇidhicitta''; T. ''smon pa byang chub kyi sems'' or ''byang chub tu smon pa'i sems''): This is the heartfelt yearning and unwavering intention to attain complete enlightenment (Buddhahood) with the primary motivation of liberating all beings from suffering and leading them to the same state of awakening. It is likened to the desire to embark on a journey. This stage involves cultivating boundless love (''maitrī''), compassion (''karuṇā''), joy (''muditā''), and equanimity (''upekṣā''), and developing a strong sense of responsibility for others. Key practices include the "sevenfold cause and effect instruction" and "exchanging self and others" (''ātmaparivartana'').
#* Engaging Bodhicitta (Skt. ''prasthānacitta'' or ''bodhiprasthānacitta''; T. '' 'jug pa byang chub kyi sems'' or ''byang chub la 'jug pa'i sems''): This is the practical application and active engagement that follows the cultivation of aspirational bodhicitta. It involves formally taking the bodhisattva vows (''bodhisattvasaṃvara'') and diligently practicing the path of the six perfections (''ṣaṭpāramitā''): generosity (''dāna''), ethical discipline (''śīla''), patience (''kṣānti''), effort (''vīrya''), meditative concentration (''dhyāna''), and wisdom (''prajñā''). This stage is likened to actually undertaking the journey.
The cultivation of ''saṃvṛtibodhicitta'' is considered the gateway to the Mahāyāna path. It is the very essence of the bodhisattva's way of life and the driving force behind all their virtuous actions. Texts like Śāntideva's ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' provide extensive teachings on how to cultivate and maintain both aspects of conventional bodhicitta. While conceptual in nature, it is the necessary precursor to the non-conceptual realization of ultimate bodhicitta.
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=Relative bodhicitta (Skt. ''saṃvṛtibodhicitta''; T. ''kun rdzob byang chub kyi sems'') is the altruistic wish to become a fully enlightened Buddha in order to help all other beings who are suffering. It has two aspects: the strong wish and aspiration to become enlightened, and then actually engaging in the practices of the bodhisattva that lead to Buddhahood, like generosity and patience.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=''Saṃvṛtibodhicitta'' (T. ''kun rdzob byang chub kyi sems''), relative or conventiional bodhicitta, is one of the two primary aspects of the 'mind of awakening,' the other being ultimate bodhicitta (''paramārthabodhicitta''). ''Saṃvṛtibodhicitta'' is characterized by the altruistic intention to attain perfect enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is further divided into:
1. Aspirational Bodhicitta (''praṇidhicitta''; T. ''smon pa byang chub kyi sems''): The sincere wish and resolve to achieve Buddhahood to liberate all beings from ''saṃsāra''.
2. Engaging/Applicational Bodhicitta (''prasthānacitta''; T. '''jug pa byang chub kyi sems''): The actual engagement in the bodhisattva's path, which involves taking the bodhisattva vows and diligently practicing the six perfections (''pāramitā''). This is the practical application of the initial aspiration.
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=''Saṃvṛtibodhicitta'' (T. ''kun rdzob byang chub kyi sems''), or conventional/relative bodhicitta, is the practical and compassionate aspect of the 'mind of awakening' (bodhicitta) central to the Mahāyāna path. It is the altruistic resolve to achieve full enlightenment (Buddhahood) not for oneself alone, but for the ultimate benefit and liberation of all sentient beings from the cycle of suffering (''saṃsāra''). This profound aspiration is the hallmark of a ''bodhisattva''.
It is comprised of two essential stages:
1. Aspirational Bodhicitta (''praṇidhicitta''; T. ''smon sems''): This is the fundamental wish and firm intention to attain Buddhahood for the sake of all beings. It involves cultivating deep empathy and compassion, recognizing that all beings desire happiness and wish to avoid suffering. This aspiration is often cultivated through specific meditative techniques like the "sevenfold cause and effect instruction" or "exchanging self for others" (''ātmaparivartana''). It is the decision to embark on the path.
2. Engaging Bodhicitta (''prasthānacitta''; T. '' 'jug sems''): Following the generation of the aspiration, engaging bodhicitta involves actively undertaking the practices that lead to enlightenment. This primarily means taking the bodhisattva vows and diligently training in the six perfections (''pāramitā''): generosity (''dāna''), ethical discipline (''śīla''), patience (''kṣānti''), joyful effort (''vīrya''), meditative concentration (''dhyāna''), and wisdom (''prajñā''). This is the actual journey along the path.
Conventional bodhicitta, though operating on the relative level of reality, is the indispensable foundation for developing ultimate bodhicitta (''paramārthabodhicitta''), the direct realization of emptiness. It is the compassionate heart of the Mahāyāna, motivating all actions and guiding the practitioner towards becoming a fully awakened Buddha capable of benefiting all beings.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=relative bodhicitta; conventional bodhicitta; conventional mind of awakening
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=རགས་པ་བརྡ་ལས་བྱུང་བའི་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས་ཀུན།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=བདག་གཞན་མཉམ་བརྗེའི་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས་ལ་སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་ཀྱི་ལྟ་བས་མ་ཟིན་པ་ལ་ཟེར། ཞིབ་པར་ཕར་ཕྱིན་སྐབས་དང་པོའི་སེམས་བསྐྱེད་ཀྱི་སྐབས་སུ་གསལ།
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=རགས་པ་བརྡ་ལས་བྱུང་བའི་བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས་ཀུན།
}}

Bodhicitta

2026-01-28T15:08:29Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=bodhicitta
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=thought of awakening; mind of enlightenment; mind of awakening; awakening mind
|Glossary-Tibetan=བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས།
|Glossary-Wylie=byang chub sems
|Glossary-Phonetic=jangchubsem
|Glossary-Devanagari=बोधिचित्त
|Glossary-Sanskrit=bodhicitta
|Glossary-PhoneticSkt=bodhicitta
|Glossary-Chinese=菩提心
|Glossary-Pinyin=pútí xīn
|Glossary-English=mind of enlightenment
|Glossary-EnglishRB=awakened mind
|Glossary-EnglishJH=mind of enlightenment
|Glossary-EnglishGD=enlightened mind; enlightened attitude
|Glossary-Term-Alt=རྫོགས་པའི་བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས།
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-Definition=The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution.
|Glossary-Senses=As this is the desire to achieve and help achieve the state of enlightenment for all sentient beings, it is called the thought or mind of awakening or enlightenment.
|Glossary-Simon=The term bodhicitta has been translated as the mind of enlightenment or the awakening mind.
Bodhicitta is the altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspirations: (1) a compassion aspiration aimed at sentient beings and their suffering and (2) and an aspiration that aims for the fully enlightened state, since that is the most effective way to help sentient beings to be free of suffering and to attain the enlightened state themselves.

Maitreya states in his Ornament of Clear Realization (Abhisamayālaṃkāra) that bodhicitta is the wish to attain the state of perfect enlightenment for the sake of other sentient beings.

Bodhicitta is the gateway to the Mahāyāna path and is the motivating force that distinguishes a practitioner of the Great Vehicle from a Hināyāna practitioner. Because it is the desire for oneself to achieve the highest state of enlightenment, and when that is attained to continuously and spontaneously help other beings to also attain that unsurpassed state, it is called the thought of enlightenment or the mind of awakening.

To fully qualify as bodhicitta, it should be an uncontrived state of mind that arises almost automatically, without having to constantly recall all the preceding causal stages that bring it about. When this uncontrived mind of bodhicitta first arises in a being’s mindstream, that moment is considered the first moment of the Mahāyāna path of accumulation and marks the beginning of the bodhisattva path.

Bodhicitta is one of the principal factors on the Mahāyāna path, along with the realization of emptiness, that acts as a primary cause for the perfect enlightenment of the Buddhas.

Bodhicitta can be divided into ultimate and relative bodhicitta. This wish to attain enlightenment for the welfare of all is relative bodhicitta. Ultimate bodhicitta is the direct and nonconceptual apprehension of the ultimate nature of all phenomena.
|Glossary-SimpleUsage=Thought of awakening
|Glossary-RelatedTopics=https://www.bhutan.virginia.edu/subjects/8260/text-node/51131/nojs
|Glossary-EnglishRY=a mind directed towards pure and total presence, a mind set on enlightenment, bodhichitta, awakened heart, enlightened mind, attitude, the [primordial] state of pure and total presence; enlightened mind. བྱང་ meaning – pure of obscurations and chub meaning perfect in enlightened attributes.
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=[1869] dmigs pa gzhan don la dmigs nas rnam pa rdzogs byang thob 'dod kyi 'dun pa las byung zhing theg chen lam gyi gzhung shing du gyur pa'i yid kyi rnam rig khyad par can/ de la dbye na smon sems dang 'jug sems gnyis/ ...
}}

Anumāna

2026-01-28T14:50:07Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=anumāna
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=inference; inferential cognition; logical inference; reasoning; deduction
|defaultSort=anumana
|Glossary-Tibetan=རྗེས་དཔག་
|Glossary-Wylie=rjes dpag
|Glossary-Phonetic=jepak
|Glossary-Devanagari=अनुमान
|Glossary-Sanskrit=anumāna
|Glossary-Pali=anumāna
|Glossary-Chinese=比量
|Glossary-Pinyin=bǐliàng
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=hiryō
|Glossary-Korean=biryang
|Glossary-English=inference
|Glossary-Term-Alt=rjes su dpag pa; rjes dpag tshad ma
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=anumāna (T. rjes su dpag pa; C. tuiliang; J. suiryō; K. churyang fēn). In Sanskrit and Pāli, “inference.” In Buddhist logic and epistemology, inference is considered to be one of the two forms of valid knowledge (pramāṇa), along with direct perception (pratyakṣa). Inference allows us to glean knowledge concerning objects that are not directly evident to the senses. In the Buddhist logical traditions, inferences may be drawn from logical signs (hetu, liṅga); e.g., there is a fire on the mountain (sādhya), because there is smoke (sādhana), like a stove (sapakṣa), unlike a lake (vipakṣa).
|Glossary-Definition=a form of conceptual cognition that does not apprehend its object directly, but by using logical signs and valid reasons to infer the existence of more subtle phenomena that are not immediately accessible to our sense consciousnesses
|Glossary-Senses=a conceptual cognition that uses evidence and reasoning to imply or infer the existence of phenomena not directly manifest to us
|Glossary-Simon=Inference (Skt. ''anumāna''; T. ''rjes dpag'') is a way of knowing something indirectly, using logic and reasoning to access rather than direct experience. It is used in the Buddhist tradition to gain insight into deeper levels of reality of self and phenomena.

In the Buddhist tradition of logic and epistemology, valid cognition (''pramāṇa''; T. ''tshad ma'') is required to validate phenomena and to establish their existence. There are principal forms of this valid cognition– direct perception (''pratyakṣa''; T. ''mngon sum'') and inference, or inferential valid cognition (Skt. ''anumāna''; T. ''rjes dpag'').
In contrast to non-conceptual direct perception, inference is a conceptual cognition that uses mental images of phenomena to apprehend things that are hidden from our senses and therefore not directly accessible to us. Inference is particularly used in the Buddhist tradition to establish the existence of slightly hidden phenomena (T. ''cung zad lkog gyur''), using correct logical reasons (''liṅga'') or signs (''hetu''). In the classical examples, we use these logical structures to infer simple examples, such as the existence of fire hidden behind a hill using the presence of smoke as evidence. Logical statements with deeper meaning are then used to prove the subtle impermanence of conditioned phenomena with the reason of being produced by causes and conditions; or proving the lack of true existence with the reason of being interdependent.
Inference is the conceptual cognition that apprehends these less manifest objects, and is the consciousness that is the product of the reasoning process.
The system of Buddhist epistemology using inference was particularly developed and systematized by the Indian masters Dignāga and Dharmakīrti.
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Pramāṇa (Indo-Tibetan): ''Anumāna'' (T. ''rjes dpag'' or ''rjes su dpag pa''), or inferential cognition, is a cornerstone of Buddhist epistemology, particularly as systematized by ''Dignāga'' and ''Dharmakīrti''. It is one of only two accepted ''pramāṇas'' (valid cognitions), alongside direct perception (''pratyakṣa''). This twofold division corresponds to two types of objects: unique particulars (''svalakṣaṇa''; T. ''rang mtshan''), which are known through direct perception, and universals or generally characterized phenomena (''sāmānyalakṣaṇa''; T. ''spyi mtshan''), which are understood through inference. Inference is defined as a conceptual, non-erroneous cognition that ascertains a hidden phenomenon (''parokṣa''; T. ''lkog gyur'') based on a logical mark (''liṅga''/''hetu''; T. ''rtags'') possessing three essential characteristics (''trairūpya''; T. ''tshul gsum''):
#* ''Pakṣadharmatā'' (T. ''phyogs chos''): The presence of the mark in the subject (e.g., smoke exists on the mountain pass).
#* ''Anvayavyāpti'' (T. ''rjes khyab'' or ''rjes su 'gro ba'i khyab pa''): The positive concomitance or pervasion of the mark by the predicate (e.g., wherever there is smoke, there is fire, as in a kitchen).
#* ''Vyatirekavyāpti'' (T. ''ldog khyab'' or ''ldog pa'i khyab pa''): The negative concomitance or counter-pervasion (e.g., wherever there is no fire, there is no smoke, as in a lake).
# Pramāṇa (Indo-Tibetan) — Types Based on the Knower:
#* ''Svārthānumāna'' (T. ''rang don rjes dpag''): Inference for oneself—the internal cognitive process by which one arrives at knowledge through reasoning, without requiring formal demonstration.
#* ''Parārthānumāna'' (T. ''gzhan don rjes dpag''): Inference for others—the articulation of a logical argument (syllogism; T. ''sbyor ba'i ngag'') to generate understanding in another person. ''Dharmakīrti'' and his Indo-Tibetan successors prescribed a two-membered form involving a thesis (''pratijñā''; T. ''dam bca' ''), reason (''hetu''), and example (''dṛṣṭānta''; T. ''dpe''). Unlike the five-membered syllogism of the ''Nyāya'' school, the Buddhist form omits the explicit statement of the conclusion.
# Pramāṇa (Indo-Tibetan) — Types Based on the Logical Reason:
#* ''Kāryahetu'' / ''Kāryaliṅga'' (T. '' 'bras bu'i rtags''): An inference based on an effect as the reason (e.g., inferring fire from smoke, since smoke is the effect of fire).
#* ''Svabhāvahetu'' / ''Svabhāvaliṅga'' (T. ''rang bzhin gyi rtags''): An inference based on essential nature or identity as the reason (e.g., inferring "tree" from "oak tree" because being an oak is pervaded by being a tree; or inferring impermanence from being a produced thing).
#* ''Anupalabdhihetu'' / ''Anupalabdhiliṅga'' (T. ''mi dmigs pa'i rtags''): An inference based on non-apprehension or absence as the reason, used to establish non-existence (e.g., inferring the absence of a jar in a specific spot because it is not perceived despite all conditions for perception being met).
# Pramāṇa (Indo-Tibetan) — Tibetan Developments: In Tibetan epistemology, particularly following ''Chapa Chökyi Sengé'', inference (''rjes dpag'') is classified as one of the seven kinds of cognition (''blo rig bdun''), along with direct perception, subsequent cognition (''bcad shes''), correct assumption (''yid dpyod''), inattentive cognition (''snang la ma nges''), doubt (''the tshom''), and false cognition (''log shes''). Tibetan commentators further classify inference according to the basis of the reason:
#* ''Dngos stobs rjes dpag'': Factual inference or inference by the power of the fact—based on actual causal or essential relations.
#* ''Grags pa'i rjes dpag'': Inference through popular convention—based on conventional or linguistic agreement.
#* ''Yid ches rjes dpag'': Inference through trust or scripture—relying on trustworthy testimony.
# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): While the ''pramāṇa'' tradition provides the detailed framework for inference, Abhidharma texts establish the conceptual groundwork by analyzing mental factors involved in cognition. The discriminative awareness (''prajñā''; T. ''shes rab'') that analyzes phenomena provides the basis for inferential reasoning. Inference operates through conceptual cognition (''kalpanā''; T. ''rtog pa''), which involves the application of mental images and universal concepts to particular objects. The process of analyzing ''dharmas'' to move beyond doubt aligns with the function of inference.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Mahāyāna, particularly ''Madhyamaka'', inference is extensively used to deconstruct mistaken views about inherent existence and to establish understanding of emptiness (''śūnyatā''). The wisdom derived from contemplation (''cintāmayī prajñā''; T. ''bsam pa las byung ba'i shes rab'') largely relies on inferential reasoning based on teachings and logical arguments before it matures into direct realization through meditation (''bhāvanāmayī prajñā''). The great ''Mādhyamika'' masters like ''Nāgārjuna'' and ''Candrakīrti'' employed sophisticated logical arguments, a form of ''parārthānumāna'', to guide others towards understanding emptiness. Inferential valid cognition (''anumānapramāṇa''; T. ''rjes dpag tshad ma'') plays a crucial role in understanding subtle impermanence, emptiness, the karmic process, and other key Buddhist tenets not directly perceivable through ordinary sense faculties.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Vajrayāna, while the ''pramāṇa'' framework is maintained for philosophical analysis and debate, the emphasis shifts toward direct experience and yogic perception. Training in valid cognition (''tshad ma'') remains foundational in monastic education, as it develops the analytical capacity necessary for understanding and realizing the tantric view. The distinction between conceptual inference and non-conceptual direct awareness becomes particularly important in the context of recognizing the nature of mind.
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, while the systematic ''pramāṇa'' theory developed by ''Dignāga'' and ''Dharmakīrti'' is not emphasized, the term ''anumāna'' appears in the sense of reasoning or inference. The Pāli texts acknowledge the importance of reasoning (''takka'', ''vitakka'') as part of the investigation of ''dhamma'', though direct insight (''vipassanā'') and personal realization are prioritized over mere logical deduction.
# Indian Philosophical Context: Buddhist ''anumāna'' theory developed in dialogue with the Hindu ''Nyāya'' school's logic. While ''Nyāya'' accepts a five-membered syllogism and additional ''pramāṇas'' such as verbal testimony (''śabda''), comparison (''upamāna''), and postulation (''arthāpatti''), the Buddhist ''pramāṇa'' tradition accepts only perception and inference as independent sources of valid knowledge, with scripture being validated through inference regarding the reliability of the Buddha as a teacher (''pramāṇabhūta'').
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=Inference (Skt. ''anumāna''; T. ''rjes dpag'') is a way of knowing something indirectly, using logic and reasoning rather than direct experience. For example, if you see smoke rising from a distant mountain, you can infer that there is a fire there, even if you can't see the fire directly yourself. It's a key way to understand things that are hidden from our senses. It is used in the Buddhist tradition to gain insight into deeper levels of reality of self and phenomena.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=''Anumāna'' (T. ''rjes dpag'') is one of the two principal means of valid cognition (''pramāṇa''; T. ''tshad ma'') in Buddhist epistemology, contrasted with direct perception (''pratyakṣa''; T. ''mngon sum''). It is a conceptual cognition that ascertains an unperceived or hidden object (e.g., fire on a mountain, impermanence of a sound) through the force of a logical reason or mark (''liṅga'' or ''hetu''; T. ''rtags'') which is invariably connected to it. The etymology of both the Sanskrit ''anumāna'' (anu- "after" + māna "measuring/knowing") and the Tibetan ''rjes dpag'' ("inferring after") indicates that inference follows perception—one first perceives a sign and then infers what is not directly observed. This connection is established through the three characteristics of a valid reason (''trairūpya''; T. ''tshul gsum''). Key forms include inference for oneself (''svārthānumāna''; T. ''rang don rjes dpag'') and inference for others (''parārthānumāna''; T. ''gzhan don rjes dpag''), which involves a formal syllogistic statement.
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=Inferential cognition (''anumāna''; T. ''rjes dpag'') is vital on the ''bodhisattva's'' path, particularly for developing the wisdom that understands emptiness (''śūnyatā''). While direct, non-conceptual realization of emptiness is the ultimate goal, the initial understanding and conviction are often cultivated through inference. By relying on the teachings of the Buddha and the logical reasonings elucidated by masters like ''Nāgārjuna'', a ''bodhisattva'' uses inference to analyze phenomena and deconstruct the illusion of inherent existence. This inferential understanding—a form of wisdom arising from contemplation("cintāmayī prajñā")—creates a stable foundation for meditative practice (''bhāvanāmayī prajñā''), which can then lead to the direct perception of emptiness. Thus, inference is an indispensable tool for sharpening wisdom, overcoming doubts, and progressively realizing the profound nature of reality necessary for attaining Buddhahood for the sake of all beings. It helps in understanding concepts like impermanence, suffering, and selflessness at a deeper level, which fuels the motivation of ''bodhicitta''. The transition from conceptual understanding established through ''anumāna'' to non-conceptual wisdom marks the ''bodhisattva's'' attainment of the path of seeing (''darśanamārga''; T. ''mthong lam''), where emptiness is directly realized. Furthermore, ''parārthānumāna'' (inference for others) becomes a skillful means (''upāya'') for teaching and guiding other beings toward liberation.
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=inference; inferential cognition; logical inference; reasoning; deduction
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=རྟགས་མཐོང་ཞིང་འབྲེལ་བ་ངེས་པའི་རྗེས་སུ་སྒྲུབ་བྱ་དཔོག་པའམ་གཞལ་བྱ་ལྐོག་གྱུར་འཇལ་བ་སྟེ། དུ་བ་དང་ཆུ་སྐྱར་གྱི་རྟགས་ལས་མེ་དང་ཆུ་ཡོད་པར་དཔོག་པ་ལྟ་བུའོ།།
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=〈ཨནུམཎ〉རྟགས་མཐོང་ཞིང་འབྲེལ་བ་ངེས་པའི་རྗེས་སུ་བསྒྲུབ་བྱ་དཔོག་པའམ་གཞལ་བྱ་ལྐོག་གྱུར་འཇལ་བ་སྟེ། དུ་བ་དང་ཆུ་སྐྱར་གྱི་རྟགས་ལས་མེ་དང་ཆུ་ཡོད་པར་དཔོག་པ་ལྟ་བུའོ། །དབྱིན་སྐད་དུ་reasoning ཟེར།
}}

Bodhicitta

2026-01-28T14:42:44Z

Simon:

Anumāna

2026-01-28T12:45:50Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=anumāna |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=inference; inferential cognition; logical inference; reasoning; deduction |defaultSort=anumana |Glossary-Tibetan=རྗེས་དཔག་ |Glossary-Wylie=rjes dpag |Glossary-Phonetic=jepak |Glossary-Devanagari=अनुमान |Glossary-Sanskrit=anumāna |Glossary-Pali=anumāna |Glossary-Chinese=比量 |Glossary-Pinyin=bǐliàng |Glossary-JapanTranslit=hiryō |Glossary-Korean=..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=anumāna
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=inference; inferential cognition; logical inference; reasoning; deduction
|defaultSort=anumana
|Glossary-Tibetan=རྗེས་དཔག་
|Glossary-Wylie=rjes dpag
|Glossary-Phonetic=jepak
|Glossary-Devanagari=अनुमान
|Glossary-Sanskrit=anumāna
|Glossary-Pali=anumāna
|Glossary-Chinese=比量
|Glossary-Pinyin=bǐliàng
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=hiryō
|Glossary-Korean=biryang
|Glossary-English=inference
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=rjes su dpag pa; rjes dpag tshad ma
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=Inference (Skt. ''anumāna''; T. ''rjes dpag'') is a way of knowing something indirectly, using logic and reasoning rather than direct experience. For example, if you see smoke rising from a distant mountain, you can infer that there is a fire there, even if you can't see the fire directly yourself. It's a key way to understand things that are hidden from our senses. It is used in the Buddhist tradition to gain insight into deeper levels of reality of self and phenomena.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=''Anumāna'' (T. ''rjes dpag'') is one of the two principal means of valid cognition (''pramāṇa''; T. ''tshad ma'') in Buddhist epistemology, contrasted with direct perception (''pratyakṣa''; T. ''mngon sum''). It is a conceptual cognition that ascertains an unperceived or hidden object (e.g., fire on a mountain, impermanence of a sound) through the force of a logical reason or mark (''liṅga'' or ''hetu''; T. ''rtags'') which is invariably connected to it. The etymology of both the Sanskrit ''anumāna'' (anu- "after" + māna "measuring/knowing") and the Tibetan ''rjes dpag'' ("inferring after") indicates that inference follows perception—one first perceives a sign and then infers what is not directly observed. This connection is established through the three characteristics of a valid reason (''trairūpya''; T. ''tshul gsum''). Key forms include inference for oneself (''svārthānumāna''; T. ''rang don rjes dpag'') and inference for others (''parārthānumāna''; T. ''gzhan don rjes dpag''), which involves a formal syllogistic statement.
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB= anumāna (T. rjes su dpag pa; C. tuiliang; J. suiryō; K. churyang fēn). In Sanskrit and Pāli, “inference.” In Buddhist logic and epistemology, inference is considered to be one of the two forms of valid knowledge (pramāṇa), along with direct perception (pratyakṣa). Inference allows us to glean knowledge concerning objects that are not directly evident to the senses. In the Buddhist logical traditions, inferences may be drawn from logical signs (hetu, liṅga); e.g., there is a fire on the mountain (sādhya), because there is smoke (sādhana), like a stove (sapakṣa), unlike a lake (vipakṣa).
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra= # Pramāṇa (Indo-Tibetan): ''Anumāna'' (T. ''rjes dpag'' or ''rjes su dpag pa''), or inferential cognition, is a cornerstone of Buddhist epistemology, particularly as systematized by ''Dignāga'' and ''Dharmakīrti''. It is one of only two accepted ''pramāṇas'' (valid cognitions), alongside direct perception (''pratyakṣa''). This twofold division corresponds to two types of objects: unique particulars (''svalakṣaṇa''; T. ''rang mtshan''), which are known through direct perception, and universals or generally characterized phenomena (''sāmānyalakṣaṇa''; T. ''spyi mtshan''), which are understood through inference. Inference is defined as a conceptual, non-erroneous cognition that ascertains a hidden phenomenon (''parokṣa''; T. ''lkog gyur'') based on a logical mark (''liṅga''/''hetu''; T. ''rtags'') possessing three essential characteristics (''trairūpya''; T. ''tshul gsum''):
#* ''Pakṣadharmatā'' (T. ''phyogs chos''): The presence of the mark in the subject (e.g., smoke exists on the mountain pass).
#* ''Anvayavyāpti'' (T. ''rjes khyab'' or ''rjes su 'gro ba'i khyab pa''): The positive concomitance or pervasion of the mark by the predicate (e.g., wherever there is smoke, there is fire, as in a kitchen).
#* ''Vyatirekavyāpti'' (T. ''ldog khyab'' or ''ldog pa'i khyab pa''): The negative concomitance or counter-pervasion (e.g., wherever there is no fire, there is no smoke, as in a lake).
# Pramāṇa (Indo-Tibetan) — Types Based on the Knower:
#* ''Svārthānumāna'' (T. ''rang don rjes dpag''): Inference for oneself—the internal cognitive process by which one arrives at knowledge through reasoning, without requiring formal demonstration.
#* ''Parārthānumāna'' (T. ''gzhan don rjes dpag''): Inference for others—the articulation of a logical argument (syllogism; T. ''sbyor ba'i ngag'') to generate understanding in another person. ''Dharmakīrti'' and his Indo-Tibetan successors prescribed a two-membered form involving a thesis (''pratijñā''; T. ''dam bca' ''), reason (''hetu''), and example (''dṛṣṭānta''; T. ''dpe''). Unlike the five-membered syllogism of the ''Nyāya'' school, the Buddhist form omits the explicit statement of the conclusion.
# Pramāṇa (Indo-Tibetan) — Types Based on the Logical Reason:
#* ''Kāryahetu'' / ''Kāryaliṅga'' (T. '' 'bras bu'i rtags''): An inference based on an effect as the reason (e.g., inferring fire from smoke, since smoke is the effect of fire).
#* ''Svabhāvahetu'' / ''Svabhāvaliṅga'' (T. ''rang bzhin gyi rtags''): An inference based on essential nature or identity as the reason (e.g., inferring "tree" from "oak tree" because being an oak is pervaded by being a tree; or inferring impermanence from being a produced thing).
#* ''Anupalabdhihetu'' / ''Anupalabdhiliṅga'' (T. ''mi dmigs pa'i rtags''): An inference based on non-apprehension or absence as the reason, used to establish non-existence (e.g., inferring the absence of a jar in a specific spot because it is not perceived despite all conditions for perception being met).
# Pramāṇa (Indo-Tibetan) — Tibetan Developments: In Tibetan epistemology, particularly following ''Chapa Chökyi Sengé'', inference (''rjes dpag'') is classified as one of the seven kinds of cognition (''blo rig bdun''), along with direct perception, subsequent cognition (''bcad shes''), correct assumption (''yid dpyod''), inattentive cognition (''snang la ma nges''), doubt (''the tshom''), and false cognition (''log shes''). Tibetan commentators further classify inference according to the basis of the reason:
#* ''Dngos stobs rjes dpag'': Factual inference or inference by the power of the fact—based on actual causal or essential relations.
#* ''Grags pa'i rjes dpag'': Inference through popular convention—based on conventional or linguistic agreement.
#* ''Yid ches rjes dpag'': Inference through trust or scripture—relying on trustworthy testimony.
# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): While the ''pramāṇa'' tradition provides the detailed framework for inference, Abhidharma texts establish the conceptual groundwork by analyzing mental factors involved in cognition. The discriminative awareness (''prajñā''; T. ''shes rab'') that analyzes phenomena provides the basis for inferential reasoning. Inference operates through conceptual cognition (''kalpanā''; T. ''rtog pa''), which involves the application of mental images and universal concepts to particular objects. The process of analyzing ''dharmas'' to move beyond doubt aligns with the function of inference.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Mahāyāna, particularly ''Madhyamaka'', inference is extensively used to deconstruct mistaken views about inherent existence and to establish understanding of emptiness (''śūnyatā''). The wisdom derived from contemplation (''cintāmayī prajñā''; T. ''bsam pa las byung ba'i shes rab'') largely relies on inferential reasoning based on teachings and logical arguments before it matures into direct realization through meditation (''bhāvanāmayī prajñā''). The great ''Mādhyamika'' masters like ''Nāgārjuna'' and ''Candrakīrti'' employed sophisticated logical arguments, a form of ''parārthānumāna'', to guide others towards understanding emptiness. Inferential valid cognition (''anumānapramāṇa''; T. ''rjes dpag tshad ma'') plays a crucial role in understanding subtle impermanence, emptiness, the karmic process, and other key Buddhist tenets not directly perceivable through ordinary sense faculties.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Vajrayāna, while the ''pramāṇa'' framework is maintained for philosophical analysis and debate, the emphasis shifts toward direct experience and yogic perception. Training in valid cognition (''tshad ma'') remains foundational in monastic education, as it develops the analytical capacity necessary for understanding and realizing the tantric view. The distinction between conceptual inference and non-conceptual direct awareness becomes particularly important in the context of recognizing the nature of mind.
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, while the systematic ''pramāṇa'' theory developed by ''Dignāga'' and ''Dharmakīrti'' is not emphasized, the term ''anumāna'' appears in the sense of reasoning or inference. The Pāli texts acknowledge the importance of reasoning (''takka'', ''vitakka'') as part of the investigation of ''dhamma'', though direct insight (''vipassanā'') and personal realization are prioritized over mere logical deduction.
# Indian Philosophical Context: Buddhist ''anumāna'' theory developed in dialogue with the Hindu ''Nyāya'' school's logic. While ''Nyāya'' accepts a five-membered syllogism and additional ''pramāṇas'' such as verbal testimony (''śabda''), comparison (''upamāna''), and postulation (''arthāpatti''), the Buddhist ''pramāṇa'' tradition accepts only perception and inference as independent sources of valid knowledge, with scripture being validated through inference regarding the reliability of the Buddha as a teacher (''pramāṇabhūta'').
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC= རྟགས་མཐོང་ཞིང་འབྲེལ་བ་ངེས་པའི་རྗེས་སུ་སྒྲུབ་བྱ་དཔོག་པའམ་གཞལ་བྱ་ལྐོག་གྱུར་འཇལ་བ་སྟེ། དུ་བ་དང་ཆུ་སྐྱར་གྱི་རྟགས་ལས་མེ་དང་ཆུ་ཡོད་པར་དཔོག་པ་ལྟ་བུའོ།།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionTP= 〈ཨནུམཎ〉རྟགས་མཐོང་ཞིང་འབྲེལ་བ་ངེས་པའི་རྗེས་སུ་བསྒྲུབ་བྱ་དཔོག་པའམ་གཞལ་བྱ་ལྐོག་གྱུར་འཇལ་བ་སྟེ། དུ་བ་དང་ཆུ་སྐྱར་གྱི་རྟགས་ལས་མེ་དང་ཆུ་ཡོད་པར་དཔོག་པ་ལྟ་བུའོ། །དབྱིན་སྐད་དུ་reasoning ཟེར།

|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=inference; inferential cognition; logical inference; reasoning; deduction
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=Inferential cognition (''anumāna''; T. ''rjes dpag'') is vital on the ''bodhisattva's'' path, particularly for developing the wisdom that understands emptiness (''śūnyatā''). While direct, non-conceptual realization of emptiness is the ultimate goal, the initial understanding and conviction are often cultivated through inference. By relying on the teachings of the Buddha and the logical reasonings elucidated by masters like ''Nāgārjuna'', a ''bodhisattva'' uses inference to analyze phenomena and deconstruct the illusion of inherent existence. This inferential understanding—a form of wisdom arising from contemplation("cintāmayī prajñā")—creates a stable foundation for meditative practice (''bhāvanāmayī prajñā''), which can then lead to the direct perception of emptiness. Thus, inference is an indispensable tool for sharpening wisdom, overcoming doubts, and progressively realizing the profound nature of reality necessary for attaining Buddhahood for the sake of all beings. It helps in understanding concepts like impermanence, suffering, and selflessness at a deeper level, which fuels the motivation of ''bodhicitta''. The transition from conceptual understanding established through ''anumāna'' to non-conceptual wisdom marks the ''bodhisattva's'' attainment of the path of seeing (''darśanamārga''; T. ''mthong lam''), where emptiness is directly realized. Furthermore, ''parārthānumāna'' (inference for others) becomes a skillful means (''upāya'') for teaching and guiding other beings toward liberation.
}}

Category:Terms

2026-01-28T12:32:23Z

Simon:

This is a category page.
It lists all of the pages in category "Terms" as well as all subcategories of category "Terms" if any exist.

{{#default_form:GlossaryEntry}}|Glossary-Term=anumāna
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=inference; inferential cognition; logical inference; reasoning; deduction
|defaultSort=anumana
|Glossary-Tibetan=རྗེས་དཔག་
|Glossary-Wylie=rjes dpag
|Glossary-Phonetic=jepak
|Glossary-Devanagari=अनुमान
|Glossary-Sanskrit=anumāna
|Glossary-Pali=anumāna
|Glossary-Chinese=比量
|Glossary-Pinyin=bǐliàng
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=hiryō
|Glossary-Korean=biryang
|Glossary-English=inference
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=rjes su dpag pa; rjes dpag tshad ma
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=Inference (Skt. ''anumāna''; T. ''rjes dpag'') is a way of knowing something indirectly, using logic and reasoning rather than direct experience. For example, if you see smoke rising from a distant mountain, you can infer that there is a fire there, even if you can't see the fire directly yourself. It's a key way to understand things that are hidden from our senses. It is used in the Buddhist tradition to gain insight into deeper levels of reality of self and phenomena.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=''Anumāna'' (T. ''rjes dpag'') is one of the two principal means of valid cognition (''pramāṇa''; T. ''tshad ma'') in Buddhist epistemology, contrasted with direct perception (''pratyakṣa''; T. ''mngon sum''). It is a conceptual cognition that ascertains an unperceived or hidden object (e.g., fire on a mountain, impermanence of a sound) through the force of a logical reason or mark (''liṅga'' or ''hetu''; T. ''rtags'') which is invariably connected to it. The etymology of both the Sanskrit ''anumāna'' (anu- "after" + māna "measuring/knowing") and the Tibetan ''rjes dpag'' ("inferring after") indicates that inference follows perception—one first perceives a sign and then infers what is not directly observed. This connection is established through the three characteristics of a valid reason (''trairūpya''; T. ''tshul gsum''). Key forms include inference for oneself (''svārthānumāna''; T. ''rang don rjes dpag'') and inference for others (''parārthānumāna''; T. ''gzhan don rjes dpag''), which involves a formal syllogistic statement.
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB= anumāna (T. rjes su dpag pa; C. tuiliang; J. suiryō; K. churyang fēn). In Sanskrit and Pāli, “inference.” In Buddhist logic and epistemology, inference is considered to be one of the two forms of valid knowledge (pramāṇa), along with direct perception (pratyakṣa). Inference allows us to glean knowledge concerning objects that are not directly evident to the senses. In the Buddhist logical traditions, inferences may be drawn from logical signs (hetu, liṅga); e.g., there is a fire on the mountain (sādhya), because there is smoke (sādhana), like a stove (sapakṣa), unlike a lake (vipakṣa).
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra= # Pramāṇa (Indo-Tibetan): ''Anumāna'' (T. ''rjes dpag'' or ''rjes su dpag pa''), or inferential cognition, is a cornerstone of Buddhist epistemology, particularly as systematized by ''Dignāga'' and ''Dharmakīrti''. It is one of only two accepted ''pramāṇas'' (valid cognitions), alongside direct perception (''pratyakṣa''). This twofold division corresponds to two types of objects: unique particulars (''svalakṣaṇa''; T. ''rang mtshan''), which are known through direct perception, and universals or generally characterized phenomena (''sāmānyalakṣaṇa''; T. ''spyi mtshan''), which are understood through inference. Inference is defined as a conceptual, non-erroneous cognition that ascertains a hidden phenomenon (''parokṣa''; T. ''lkog gyur'') based on a logical mark (''liṅga''/''hetu''; T. ''rtags'') possessing three essential characteristics (''trairūpya''; T. ''tshul gsum''):
#* ''Pakṣadharmatā'' (T. ''phyogs chos''): The presence of the mark in the subject (e.g., smoke exists on the mountain pass).
#* ''Anvayavyāpti'' (T. ''rjes khyab'' or ''rjes su 'gro ba'i khyab pa''): The positive concomitance or pervasion of the mark by the predicate (e.g., wherever there is smoke, there is fire, as in a kitchen).
#* ''Vyatirekavyāpti'' (T. ''ldog khyab'' or ''ldog pa'i khyab pa''): The negative concomitance or counter-pervasion (e.g., wherever there is no fire, there is no smoke, as in a lake).
# Pramāṇa (Indo-Tibetan) — Types Based on the Knower:
#* ''Svārthānumāna'' (T. ''rang don rjes dpag''): Inference for oneself—the internal cognitive process by which one arrives at knowledge through reasoning, without requiring formal demonstration.
#* ''Parārthānumāna'' (T. ''gzhan don rjes dpag''): Inference for others—the articulation of a logical argument (syllogism; T. ''sbyor ba'i ngag'') to generate understanding in another person. ''Dharmakīrti'' and his Indo-Tibetan successors prescribed a two-membered form involving a thesis (''pratijñā''; T. ''dam bca' ''), reason (''hetu''), and example (''dṛṣṭānta''; T. ''dpe''). Unlike the five-membered syllogism of the ''Nyāya'' school, the Buddhist form omits the explicit statement of the conclusion.
# Pramāṇa (Indo-Tibetan) — Types Based on the Logical Reason:
#* ''Kāryahetu'' / ''Kāryaliṅga'' (T. '' 'bras bu'i rtags''): An inference based on an effect as the reason (e.g., inferring fire from smoke, since smoke is the effect of fire).
#* ''Svabhāvahetu'' / ''Svabhāvaliṅga'' (T. ''rang bzhin gyi rtags''): An inference based on essential nature or identity as the reason (e.g., inferring "tree" from "oak tree" because being an oak is pervaded by being a tree; or inferring impermanence from being a produced thing).
#* ''Anupalabdhihetu'' / ''Anupalabdhiliṅga'' (T. ''mi dmigs pa'i rtags''): An inference based on non-apprehension or absence as the reason, used to establish non-existence (e.g., inferring the absence of a jar in a specific spot because it is not perceived despite all conditions for perception being met).
# Pramāṇa (Indo-Tibetan) — Tibetan Developments: In Tibetan epistemology, particularly following ''Chapa Chökyi Sengé'', inference (''rjes dpag'') is classified as one of the seven kinds of cognition (''blo rig bdun''), along with direct perception, subsequent cognition (''bcad shes''), correct assumption (''yid dpyod''), inattentive cognition (''snang la ma nges''), doubt (''the tshom''), and false cognition (''log shes''). Tibetan commentators further classify inference according to the basis of the reason:
#* ''Dngos stobs rjes dpag'': Factual inference or inference by the power of the fact—based on actual causal or essential relations.
#* ''Grags pa'i rjes dpag'': Inference through popular convention—based on conventional or linguistic agreement.
#* ''Yid ches rjes dpag'': Inference through trust or scripture—relying on trustworthy testimony.
# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): While the ''pramāṇa'' tradition provides the detailed framework for inference, Abhidharma texts establish the conceptual groundwork by analyzing mental factors involved in cognition. The discriminative awareness (''prajñā''; T. ''shes rab'') that analyzes phenomena provides the basis for inferential reasoning. Inference operates through conceptual cognition (''kalpanā''; T. ''rtog pa''), which involves the application of mental images and universal concepts to particular objects. The process of analyzing ''dharmas'' to move beyond doubt aligns with the function of inference.
# Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Mahāyāna, particularly ''Madhyamaka'', inference is extensively used to deconstruct mistaken views about inherent existence and to establish understanding of emptiness (''śūnyatā''). The wisdom derived from contemplation (''cintāmayī prajñā''; T. ''bsam pa las byung ba'i shes rab'') largely relies on inferential reasoning based on teachings and logical arguments before it matures into direct realization through meditation (''bhāvanāmayī prajñā''). The great ''Mādhyamika'' masters like ''Nāgārjuna'' and ''Candrakīrti'' employed sophisticated logical arguments, a form of ''parārthānumāna'', to guide others towards understanding emptiness. Inferential valid cognition (''anumānapramāṇa''; T. ''rjes dpag tshad ma'') plays a crucial role in understanding subtle impermanence, emptiness, the karmic process, and other key Buddhist tenets not directly perceivable through ordinary sense faculties.
# Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Vajrayāna, while the ''pramāṇa'' framework is maintained for philosophical analysis and debate, the emphasis shifts toward direct experience and yogic perception. Training in valid cognition (''tshad ma'') remains foundational in monastic education, as it develops the analytical capacity necessary for understanding and realizing the tantric view. The distinction between conceptual inference and non-conceptual direct awareness becomes particularly important in the context of recognizing the nature of mind.
# Theravāda/Pāli Tradition Context: In the Pāli tradition, while the systematic ''pramāṇa'' theory developed by ''Dignāga'' and ''Dharmakīrti'' is not emphasized, the term ''anumāna'' appears in the sense of reasoning or inference. The Pāli texts acknowledge the importance of reasoning (''takka'', ''vitakka'') as part of the investigation of ''dhamma'', though direct insight (''vipassanā'') and personal realization are prioritized over mere logical deduction.
# Indian Philosophical Context: Buddhist ''anumāna'' theory developed in dialogue with the Hindu ''Nyāya'' school's logic. While ''Nyāya'' accepts a five-membered syllogism and additional ''pramāṇas'' such as verbal testimony (''śabda''), comparison (''upamāna''), and postulation (''arthāpatti''), the Buddhist ''pramāṇa'' tradition accepts only perception and inference as independent sources of valid knowledge, with scripture being validated through inference regarding the reliability of the Buddha as a teacher (''pramāṇabhūta'').
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC= རྟགས་མཐོང་ཞིང་འབྲེལ་བ་ངེས་པའི་རྗེས་སུ་སྒྲུབ་བྱ་དཔོག་པའམ་གཞལ་བྱ་ལྐོག་གྱུར་འཇལ་བ་སྟེ། དུ་བ་དང་ཆུ་སྐྱར་གྱི་རྟགས་ལས་མེ་དང་ཆུ་ཡོད་པར་དཔོག་པ་ལྟ་བུའོ།།
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=
|Glossary-DefinitionTP= 〈ཨནུམཎ〉རྟགས་མཐོང་ཞིང་འབྲེལ་བ་ངེས་པའི་རྗེས་སུ་བསྒྲུབ་བྱ་དཔོག་པའམ་གཞལ་བྱ་ལྐོག་གྱུར་འཇལ་བ་སྟེ། དུ་བ་དང་ཆུ་སྐྱར་གྱི་རྟགས་ལས་མེ་དང་ཆུ་ཡོད་པར་དཔོག་པ་ལྟ་བུའོ། །དབྱིན་སྐད་དུ་reasoning ཟེར།

|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=inference; inferential cognition; logical inference; reasoning; deduction
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=Inferential cognition (''anumāna''; T. ''rjes dpag'') is vital on the ''bodhisattva's'' path, particularly for developing the wisdom that understands emptiness (''śūnyatā''). While direct, non-conceptual realization of emptiness is the ultimate goal, the initial understanding and conviction are often cultivated through inference. By relying on the teachings of the Buddha and the logical reasonings elucidated by masters like ''Nāgārjuna'', a ''bodhisattva'' uses inference to analyze phenomena and deconstruct the illusion of inherent existence. This inferential understanding—a form of wisdom arising from contemplation("cintāmayī prajñā")—creates a stable foundation for meditative practice (''bhāvanāmayī prajñā''), which can then lead to the direct perception of emptiness. Thus, inference is an indispensable tool for sharpening wisdom, overcoming doubts, and progressively realizing the profound nature of reality necessary for attaining Buddhahood for the sake of all beings. It helps in understanding concepts like impermanence, suffering, and selflessness at a deeper level, which fuels the motivation of ''bodhicitta''. The transition from conceptual understanding established through ''anumāna'' to non-conceptual wisdom marks the ''bodhisattva's'' attainment of the path of seeing (''darśanamārga''; T. ''mthong lam''), where emptiness is directly realized. Furthermore, ''parārthānumāna'' (inference for others) becomes a skillful means (''upāya'') for teaching and guiding other beings toward liberation.
}}

Ratnatraya

2026-01-20T21:20:11Z

Simon: Created page with "{{GlossaryEntry |Glossary-Term=ratnatraya |Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun |Glossary-HoverChoices=Three Jewels; Triple Gem; three places of refuge; the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha |defaultSort=ratnatraya |Glossary-Tibetan=དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ |Glossary-Wylie=dkon mchog gsum |Glossary-Phonetic=könchok sum |Glossary-Devanagari=रत्नत्रय / त्रिरत्न |Glossary-Sanskrit=ratnatraya (alt. triratna) |Glossary-Pali=ratanattaya (..."

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=ratnatraya
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=Three Jewels; Triple Gem; three places of refuge; the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha
|defaultSort=ratnatraya
|Glossary-Tibetan=དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་
|Glossary-Wylie=dkon mchog gsum
|Glossary-Phonetic=könchok sum
|Glossary-Devanagari=रत्नत्रय / त्रिरत्न
|Glossary-Sanskrit=ratnatraya (alt. triratna)
|Glossary-Pali=ratanattaya (alt. tiratana)
|Glossary-Chinese=三寶
|Glossary-Pinyin=sānbǎo
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=sanbō
|Glossary-Korean=sambo
|Glossary-English=Three Jewels
|Glossary-EnglishKB=
|Glossary-EnglishRB=
|Glossary-EnglishJH=
|Glossary-EnglishGD=
|Glossary-EnglishIW=
|Glossary-Term-Alt=triratna; Three Jewels; Triple Gem; Three Treasures; dkon mchog gsum; དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-Etymology=Skt. ''ratnatraya'' is a compound of ''ratna'' ("jewel, gem, precious thing") + ''traya'' ("triad, group of three"). The alternate form ''triratna'' reverses the compound elements (''tri-'' + ''ratna''). The Pali ''ratanattaya'' follows the same structure. The Tibetan ''dkon mchog gsum'' (དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་) is a semantic translation: ''dkon pa'' ("rare, scarce") + ''mchog'' ("supreme, excellent") + ''gsum'' ("three"). Tibetan translators chose this interpretive rendering (''don 'gyur'') over a phonetic transcription (''sgra 'gyur'') to convey the philosophical significance of the term. The Chinese 三寶 (''sānbǎo'') is a direct translation: 三 ("three") + 寶 ("treasure, jewel").
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The Three Jewels—the Buddha, the Dharma (his teachings), and the Saṅgha (the spiritual community)—are the three central objects of refuge and inspiration for all Buddhists.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=The ''ratnatraya'' (Skt.; alt. ''triratna''; P. ''ratanattaya''/''tiratana''; T. ''dkon mchog gsum''), or Three Jewels, constitute the core objects of Buddhist refuge: the Buddha (the enlightened teacher), the Dharma (the path and teachings), and the Saṅgha (the community of noble beings). They are termed "jewels" (Skt. ''ratna'') because, like wish-fulfilling gems, they are rare, precious, and possess the power to provide protection from the sufferings of ''saṃsāra''. The Tibetan translation ''dkon mchog'' ("rare-supreme") is a semantic rendering that emphasizes these qualities rather than a phonetic transcription of ''ratna''. The refuge formula in Sanskrit is: ''Buddhaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Dharmaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Saṃghaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi.'' ("I go to the Buddha for refuge. I go to the Dharma for refuge. I go to the Saṅgha for refuge.") The Tibetan equivalent is: སངས་རྒྱས་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་མཆིའོ། །ཆོས་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་མཆིའོ། །དགེ་འདུན་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་མཆིའོ། (''sangs rgyas la skyabs su mchi'o / chos la skyabs su mchi'o / dge 'dun la skyabs su mchi'o'').
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=ratnatraya (alt. triratna) (P. ratanattaya/tiratana; T. dkon mchog gsum; C. sanbao; J. sanbō; K. sambo 三寶). In Sanskrit, the "three jewels," also translated into English as the "triple gem" or the "three treasures." In the Buddhist tradition, RATNATRAYA refers to the three principal objects of veneration: the Buddha, the DHARMA, and the SAṂGHA. One of the most common practices that define a Buddhist is "taking refuge" (see ŚARAṆA) in the three jewels. This formula, which accompanies many lay and monastic rituals, involves a formal declaration that the practitioner "goes to" each of the three jewels for refuge (śaraṇa) or protection. The Sanskrit formula is as follows: "Buddhaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Dharmaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi. Saṃghaṃ śaraṇaṃ gacchāmi." meaning "I go to the Buddha for refuge. I go to the dharma for refuge. I go to the saṃgha for refuge." By repeating this formula three times, one identifies oneself as a Buddhist. (See also TRIŚARAṆA.) The precise meanings of these three terms, how they relate to one another, and exactly how each one is to be venerated are all subjects of extensive commentary within the tradition. The term buddha refers first, and most obviously, to the historical Buddha, GAUTAMA or ŚĀKYAMUNI, the sage of ancient India who realized and then taught the way to end all suffering. But the Buddha may also refer to any number of buddhas found in the extensive MAHĀYĀNA pantheon. In some varieties of the Mahāyāna, buddha may even refer to the inherent state of buddhahood that is the fundamental characteristic of all sentient beings. The term dharma refers to the teachings of a buddha, which can take a variety of possible forms including specific beliefs, texts, or practices; the dharma is sometimes divided into the scriptural dharma (ĀGAMADHARMA) and the realized dharma (ADHIGAMADHARMA). In the context of the three jewels, one is said to go for refuge in the latter. However, dharma may also refer to the pervasive, universal truth that is realized by a buddha, particularly as enshrined in the teaching of the FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS (catvāry āryasatyāni). Some commentators specify that in the context of the three jewels, the dharma refers to the third and fourth of the four truths, the truth of cessation (NIRODHASATYA) and the truth of the path (MĀRGASATYA), and most specifically to the truth of cessation. The term saṃgha refers to the community that seeks to realize and enact the teachings of a buddha for the sake of its own liberation and the liberation of others. Saṃgha is usually understood to include only those followers who have renounced the life of a householder (PRAVRAJITA) and taken up the life of a monk (BHIKṢU) or nun (BHIKṢUNĪ). However, the saṃgha is also sometimes interpreted to include both laymen (UPĀSAKA) and laywomen (UPĀSIKĀ) as well. In the context of refuge, the Saṃgha is generally said to refer to those members of the community who are Āryapudgala.
|Glossary-DefinitionTsadra=# Abhidharma (Indo-Tibetan): In the ''Abhidharma'' context, the Three Jewels (''ratnatraya''/''triratna'') are the primary objects of refuge from the sufferings of cyclic existence. The term ''ratna'' (T. ''dkon mchog'') is applied to them because they are rare, flawless, powerful, and provide great benefit, much like precious gemstones. #* The Buddha Jewel (''buddharatna'') is defined in terms of the complete perfection of abandonment (''prahāṇa'') and realization (''jñāna''). #* The Dharma Jewel (''dharmaratna''), in the strict context of refuge, refers specifically to the realized dharma (''adhigamadharma'') — namely, the truth of cessation (''nirodhasatya'') and the truth of the path (''mārgasatya'') as actualized in the mindstream of noble beings. The transmitted teachings (''āgamadharma''/''deśanādharma'') serve as the means to realize this dharma but are not themselves the object of ultimate refuge. #* The Saṅgha Jewel (''saṅgharatna'') refers to the community of noble beings (''āryapudgala'') who have attained direct realization of the truth, from stream-enterers (''śrotāpanna'') up to arhats and bodhisattvas on the noble grounds. # Mahāyāna (Indo-Tibetan): The Mahāyāna provides a deeper analysis of the Three Jewels through the framework of the three bodies (''trikāya''). #* The ultimate Buddha Jewel is the ''dharmakāya'', the inseparable nature of abandonment and wisdom. The form bodies (''rūpakāya'')—the ''saṃbhogakāya'' and ''nirmāṇakāya''—are the manifestations that appear for the sake of sentient beings. #* The ultimate Dharma Jewel is the truth of cessation and the truth of the path as realized by the buddhas. #* The ultimate Saṅgha Jewel consists of the noble ''bodhisattvas'' who have attained the grounds (''bhūmis'') of the bodhisattva path. The Three Jewels are also described as having six qualities of a jewel, as stated by Maitreya in the ''Uttaratantraśāstra'' (Skt. ''Ratnagotravibhāga''; T. ''rgyud bla ma''): འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་ཕྱིར་དྲི་མེད་ཕྱིར། །མཐུ་ལྡན་ཕྱིར་དང་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི། །རྒྱན་གྱུར་ཕྱིར་དང་མཆོག་ཉིད་ཕྱིར། །འགྱུར་བ་མེད་ཕྱིར་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཉིད། །"Because of being (1) rare in occurrence, (2) stainless, (3) powerful, (4) an ornament of the world, (5) supreme, and (6) unchanging — [they are called] jewels." These six qualities demonstrate the analogy between the Three Jewels and a wish-fulfilling gem (''cintāmaṇi''; T. ''yid bzhin nor bu''). # Vajrayāna (Indo-Tibetan): In Vajrayāna or Secret Mantra, the Three Jewels remain the foundation of refuge but are augmented by the three roots (''rtsa ba gsum''; Skt. ''mūlatraya''). #* The ''triratna'' are considered the outer refuge (''phyi'i skyabs gnas''), while the three roots constitute the inner refuge (''nang gi skyabs gnas''). #* The three roots are: (1) the Guru (''bla ma''), source of blessings (''byin rlabs''); (2) the ''iṣṭadevatā'' or ''yidam'' (''yi dam''), source of accomplishments (''dngos grub''/''siddhi''); and (3) the ''ḍākinī'' (''mkha' 'gro ma'') and/or ''dharmapāla'' (''chos skyong''), source of enlightened activities (''phrin las''). The identification of the third root varies by lineage: some traditions list ''ḍākinī'' alone, others ''dharmapāla'' alone, and others combine both. #* The Guru is often identified as the embodiment of all Three Jewels: the Guru's mind is the Buddha, speech is the Dharma, and body is the Saṅgha. #* Some systems speak of the "Four Jewels" (''dkon mchog bzhi''), adding the Guru as a fourth jewel, or the "Six Jewels" (''dkon mchog drug''), which enumerate the three jewels and three roots together. In certain Nyingma and Kagyü formulations, there is also a "secret refuge" (''gsang ba'i skyabs gnas'') in the three bases: the channels (''rtsa''), winds (''rlung''), and essential drops (''thig le''), or alternatively, the ''dharmakāya'', ''sambhogakāya'', and ''nirmāṇakāya''.
|Glossary-DefinitionTDC=སངས་རྒྱས་དང༌། ཆོས། དགེ་འདུན་ཏེ་གསུམ། མནའ་སྐྱེལ་བའི་ཚིག
|Glossary-DefinitionDKTDC=སངས་རྒྱས་ཆོས་ལུགས་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་འགྲོ་བའི་ཡུལ་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་སྟེ། ༡་ཆོས་གསུངས་པ་པོ་སངས་རྒྱས། ༢དེས་གསུངས་པའི་ཆོས། ༣ཆོས་དེ་ཉམས་སུ་ལེན་པའི་དགེ་འདུན་བཅས་གསུམ་ནི་ཧ་ཅང་དཀོན་པ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ལས་ལྷག་པ་དང་བསོད་ནམས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ་ཡིན་པས་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཟེར། དེ་ཡང་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ནི་འཇིག་རྟེན་དུ་བྱུང་བའི་དུས་སྐབས་ཤིན་ཏུ་དཀོན་པ་དང་། བསོད་ནམས་གསོག་པའི་ཞིང་ལྔའི་ནང་ནས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ་ཡིན་པས་ན་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཅེས་བོད་ཀྱི་ལོ་ཙཱ་བ་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་རྒྱ་གར་སྐད་རནྟ་ཞེས་པ་ཐད་བསྒྱུར་མ་མཛད་པར་དོན་འགྱུར་མཛད་པ་ཡིན། དེ་ཡང་རྗེ་བཙུན་བྱམས་པ་མགོན་པོས། འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་ཕྱིར་དྲི་མེད་ཕྱིར། མཐུ་ལྡན་ཕྱིར་དང་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི། རྒྱན་གྱུར་ཕྱིར་དང་མཆོག་ཉིད་ཕྱིར། འགྱུར་བ་མེད་ཕྱིར་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཉིད། ཅེས་གསུངས་པ་ལྟར་ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་དང་ཆོས་དྲུག་གི་སྒོ་ནས་མཚུངས་པས་ན་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཅེས་པའི་མཚན་གསོལ། ཆོས་མཚུངས་ཚུལ་ནི་དང་པོ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྣོད་བཅུད་སྐལ་བ་ཕུན་སུམ་ཚོགས་པའི་དུས་འགའ་རེ་ལ་འབྱུང་གི་གཞན་དུ་མི་འབྱུང་བས་འབྱུང་བ་ཤིན་ཏུ་དཀོན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་པོ་ཡང་གདུལ་བྱའི་བསོད་ནམས་དང་སྨོན་ལམ་ཁྱད་པར་ཅན་འཛོམས་ན་འབྱུང་གི་དེ་ལས་གཞན་དུ་མི་འབྱུང་བས་འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་པ། གཉིས་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེར་གཡའ་ལ་སོགས་པའི་ཉེས་སྐྱོན་གྱི་དྲི་མས་མ་གོས་པ་བཞིན་དུ་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་ཉེས་པའི་དྲི་མས་མ་གོས་པས་དྲི་མ་མེད་པ་དང་། གསུམ་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེར་རྒྱལ་ཁམས་དབུལ་ཕོངས་སེལ་བའི་མཐུ་དང་ལྡན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་གདུལ་བྱའི་སྡུག་བསྔལ་སེལ་བའི་མཐུ་དང་ལྡན་པས་མཐུ་ལྡན། བཞི་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་རྒྱན་ཡིན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་ཐར་པ་དོན་གཉེར་བ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་རྒྱན་ཡིན་པས་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་རྒྱན། ལྔ་པ། དེ་འཇིག་རྟེན་པའི་རྒྱན་གྱི་མཆོག་ཡིན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་སྐྱབས་གནས་གཞན་ལས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ། དྲུག་པ། དེ་ལ་བསྟོད་སྨད་སོགས་ཀྱིས་རྣམ་པར་འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པ་ལྟར་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་རྣམ་པར་གྱུར་པའི་རང་བཞིན་ཅན་མ་ཡིན་པས་འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པའོ། དེ་ལྟ་བུའི་དཀོན་མཆོག་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་རྣམ་པ་གསུམ་གྱི་མཚན་ཉིད་དང་། མཚན་གཞི་ནི། དོན་གཉིས་མཐར་ཕྱིན་པའི་སྐྱབས་གནས་མཐར་ཐུག་སངས་རྒྱས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། སངས་རྒྱས་ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ་ལྟ་བུ་དང་དེའི་སྐུ་གསུང་ཐུགས་ཀྱི་ཡོན་ཏན་མཐའ་དག་སངས་རྒྱས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་གཞི་ཡིན། འགོག་ལམ་གང་རུང་གིས་བསྡུས་པའི་འཕགས་པའི་རྣམ་བྱང་བདེན་པ་ཆོས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། ཉོན་མོངས་མ་ལུས་པ་སྤངས་པའི་སོ་སོར་བརྟགས་འགོག་ལྟ་བུ་མཚན་གཞི། རིག་གྲོལ་གྱི་ཡོན་ཏན་བརྒྱད་སོགས་གང་རུང་དང་ལྡན་པའི་འཕགས་པའི་གང་ཟག་དགེ་འདུན་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། ཀླུ་སྒྲུབ་ཡབ་སྲས་ལྟ་བུ། དེའི་མཚན་གཞི། ཐེག་པ་གསུམ་གྱི་འཕགས་པའི་གང་ཟག་རེ་རེ་བ་དང་། སོ་སྐྱེའི་བཙུན་པ་ཁྲིམས་ལྡན་བཞི་སྡེ་ཡན་ཆད་དགེ་འདུན་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་དོད་ཐུབ་ཏུ་འཇོག་པ་ཡིན།
|Glossary-DefinitionTP=སངས་རྒྱས་ཆོས་ལུགས་ལ་སྐྱབས་སུ་འགྲོ་བའི་ཡུལ་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་སྟེ། ༡ ཆོས་གསུངས་པ་པོ་སངས་རྒྱས། ༢ དེས་གསུངས་པའི་ཆོས། ༣ ཆོས་དེ་ཉམས་སུ་ལེན་པའི་དགེ་འདུན་བཅས་གསུམ་ནི་ཧ་ཅང་དཀོན་པ་རིན་ཆེན་ལས་ལྷག་པ་དང་བསོད་ནམས་ཀྱི་ཞིང་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ་ཡིན་པས་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཟེར། དེ་ཡང་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ནི་འཇིག་རྟེན་དུ་བྱུང་བའི་དུས་སྐབས་ཤིན་ཏུ་དཀོན་པ་དང་། བསོད་ནམས་གསོག་པའི་ཞིང་ལྔའི་ནང་ནས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ་ཡིན་པས་ན་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཅེས་བོད་ཀྱི་ལོ་ཙཱ་བ་རྣམས་ཀྱིས་རྒྱ་གར་སྐད་རཏྣ་ཞེས་པ་ཐད་བསྒྱུར་མ་མཛད་པར་དོན་འགྱུར་མཛད་པ་ཡིན། དེ་ཡང་རྗེ་བཙུན་བྱམས་པ་མགོན་པོས། འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་ཕྱིར་དྲི་མེད་ཕྱིར། །མཐུ་ལྡན་ཕྱིར་དང་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི། །རྒྱན་གྱུར་ཕྱིར་དང་མཆོག་ཉིད་ཕྱིར། །འགྱུར་བ་མེད་ཕྱིར་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཉིད། །ཅེས་གསུངས་པ་ལྟར་ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་དང་ཆོས་དྲུག་གི་སྒོ་ནས་མཚུངས་པས་ན་དཀོན་མཆོག་ཅེས་པའི་མཚན་གསོལ། ཆོས་མཚུངས་ཚུལ་ནི་དང་པོ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་སྣོད་བཅུད་སྐལ་བ་ཕུན་སུམ་ཚོགས་པའི་དུས་འགའ་རེ་ལ་འབྱུང་གི་གཞན་དུ་མི་འབྱུང་བས་འབྱུང་བ་ཤིན་ཏུ་དཀོན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་པོ་ཡང་གདུལ་བྱའི་བསོད་ནམས་དང་སྨོན་ལམ་ཁྱད་པར་ཅན་འཛོམས་ན་འབྱུང་གི་དེ་ལས་གཞན་དུ་མི་འབྱུང་བས་འབྱུང་བ་དཀོན་པ། གཉིས་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེར་གཡའ་ལ་སོགས་པའི་ཉེས་སྐྱོན་གྱི་དྲི་མས་མ་གོས་པས་དྲི་མ་མེད་པ་དང་། གསུམ་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེར་རྒྱལ་ཁམས་དབུལ་ཕོངས་སེལ་བའི་མཐུ་དང་ལྡན་པ་ལྟར། བཞི་པ། ཡིད་བཞིན་གྱི་ནོར་བུ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་རྒྱན་ཡིན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་ཐར་པ་དོན་གཉེར་བ་རྣམས་ཀྱི་རྒྱན་ཡིན་པས་འཇིག་རྟེན་གྱི་རྒྱན། ལྔ་པ། དེ་འཇིག་རྟེན་པའི་རྒྱན་གྱི་མཆོག་ཡིན་པ་ལྟར། དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་སྐྱབས་གནས་གཞན་ལས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པས་མཆོག་ཏུ་གྱུར་པ། དྲུག་པ། དེ་ལ་བསྟོད་སྨད་སོགས་ཀྱིས་རྣམ་པར་འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པ་ལྟར་དཀོན་མཆོག་གསུམ་ཡང་རྣམ་པར་གྱུར་པའི་རང་བཞིན་ཅན་མ་ཡིན་པས་འགྱུར་བ་མེད་པའོ། དེ་ལྟ་བུའི་དཀོན་མཆོག་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་རྣམ་པ་གསུམ་གྱི་མཚན་ཉིད་དང་། མཚན་གཞི་ནི། དོན་གཉིས་མཐར་ཕྱིན་པའི་སྐྱབས་གནས་མཐར་ཐུག་སངས་རྒྱས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། སངས་རྒྱས་ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ་ལྟ་བུ་དང་དེའི་སྐུ་གསུང་ཐུགས་ཀྱི་ཡོན་ཏན་མཐའ་དག་སངས་རྒྱས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་གཞི་ཡིན། འགོག་ལམ་གང་རུང་གིས་བསྡུས་པའི་འཕགས་པའི་རྣམ་བྱང་བདེན་པ་ཆོས་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། ཉོན་མོངས་མ་ལུས་པ་སྤངས་པའི་སོ་སོར་བརྟགས་འགོག་ལྟ་བུ་མཚན་གཞི། རིག་གྲོལ་གྱི་ཡོན་ཏན་བརྒྱད་སོགས་གང་རུང་དང་ལྡན་པའི་འཕགས་པའི་གང་ཟག་དགེ་འདུན་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་མཚན་ཉིད། ཀླུ་སྒྲུབ་ཡབ་སྲས་ལྟ་བུ། དེའི་མཚན་གཞི། ཐེག་གསུམ་གྱི་འཕགས་པའི་གང་ཟག་རེ་རེ་བ་དང་། སོ་སྐྱེའི་བཙུན་པ་ཁྲིམས་ལྡན་བཞི་སྡེ་ཡན་ཆད་དགེ་འདུན་དཀོན་མཆོག་གི་དོད་ཐུབ་ཏུ་འཇོག་པ་ཡིན།
|Glossary-DefinitionLotsawas=Three Jewels; Triple Gem; three places of refuge
|Glossary-DefinitionBodhicittaWiki=On the ''bodhisattva'' path, the Three Jewels (''ratnatraya'') serve as the supreme objects of refuge and the source of the vows and aspirations necessary to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. The cultivation of ''bodhicitta'' is always preceded by taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha. In the Mahāyāna, the Buddha is seen as the guide who has perfected the two accumulations (''sambhāradvaya'') of merit (''puṇya'') and wisdom (''jñāna''); the Dharma as the path of the six perfections (''ṣaṭpāramitā''); and the Saṅgha as the community of noble ''bodhisattvas'' (''āryabodhisattvasaṅgha'') who accompany the practitioner on the path. The Three Jewels are described as a "field of merit" (''puṇyakṣetra''; T. ''tshogs zhing'') because making offerings, prostrations, and other devotional practices toward them cultivates the virtuous roots (''kuśalamūla'') necessary for awakening.
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Anātman

2026-01-19T21:32:38Z

Simon:

{{GlossaryEntry
|Glossary-Term=anātman
|Glossary-PartOfSpeech=Noun
|Glossary-HoverChoices=selflessness
|Glossary-Tibetan=བདག་མེད་པ་
|Glossary-Wylie=bdag med pa
|Glossary-Phonetic=dakmépa
|Glossary-Devanagari=अनात्मन्
|Glossary-Chinese=无我
|Glossary-Pinyin=wúwǒ
|Glossary-JapanTranslit=muga
|Glossary-KoreanTranslit=mua
|Glossary-English=selflessness
|Glossary-EnglishKB=identitylessness
|Glossary-EnglishRB=nonexistence of identity; lack/absence of identity
|Glossary-EnglishJH=selflessness
|Glossary-EnglishIW=egoless[ness]
|Glossary-Term-Alt=nairātmya
|Glossary-SourceLanguage=Sanskrit
|Glossary-DefinitionPDB=See page 42: In Sanskrit, “no self” or “nonself” or more broadly “insubstantiality”; the third of the “three marks” (trilakṣaṇa) of existence, along with impermanence (anitya) and suffering (duḥkha). The concept is one of the key insights of the Buddha, and it is foundational to the Buddhist analysis of the compounded quality (samskrta) of existence: since all compounded things are the fruition (phala) of a specific set of causes (hetu) and conditions (pratyaya), they are therefore absent of any perduring substratum of being.
|Glossary-Definition=The nonexistence of the self as a permanent, unchanging entity.
|Glossary-Senses=A key feature of the Buddha's teachings that stood in direct contrast to the mainstream Indian religious-philosophical notion of an eternal self, or ātman.
|Glossary-PopUpBeginnerDefinition=The Buddhist teaching of "non-self" or "selflessness"—the understanding that there is no permanent, unchanging self or soul within living beings. Along with impermanence (''anitya'') and suffering (''duḥkha''), it is one of the three marks of existence that characterize all conditioned phenomena.
|Glossary-PopUpScholarDefinition=Anātman'' (P. ''anattā''; T. ''bdag med'') is a central Buddhist doctrine asserting the absence of a permanent, unchanging, independent self or soul (''ātman'') in persons and phenomena. It is one of the three marks of existence (''trilakṣaṇa''), along with impermanence (''anitya'') and suffering (''duḥkha''). The teaching is not primarily an ontological denial but a soteriological strategy: by recognizing the selfless nature of the ''pañcaskandha'' (five aggregates)—form, sensation, perception, mental formations, and consciousness—practitioners overcome attachment and attain liberation. In Mahāyāna, ''anātman'' is analyzed as twofold: the selflessness of persons (''pudgalanairātmya'') and the selflessness of phenomena (''dharmanairātmya''), with the latter extending the analysis to all ''dharmas''.
|Glossary-DidYouKnow=The teaching that there is no personal self was a crucial precursor to the Buddhist concept of emptiness.
|Glossary-RelatedTerms=Ātman; Svabhāva; Śūnyatā
|Glossary-EnglishRY=Nonexistence of the self of the individual personality and/ or self-nature of phenomena.
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