Sems nyid

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Key Term	sems nyid
Topic Variation	nature of mind
Hover Popup Choices	nature of mind; mind as such
In Tibetan Script	སེམས་ཉིད་
Wylie Tibetan Transliteration	sems nyid
Devanagari Sanskrit Script	चित्तत्व
Romanized Sanskrit	cittatva
Tibetan Phonetic Rendering	semnyi
English Standard	nature of mind
Karl Brunnhölzl's English Term	mind as such
Dan Martin's English Term	mind proper
Ives Waldo's English Term	mind itself
Alternate Spellings	citta eva; cittatā
Term Type	Noun
Source Language	Tibetan
Basic Meaning	Commonly found in Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā literature, this term denotes the true natural state of mind as it is. Often used in these traditions as a synonym for buddha-nature.
Has the Sense of	The essence of mind.
Related Terms	Dharmatā
Definitions
Rangjung Yeshe's English Term	The nature of one's mind which is taught to be identical with the essence of all enlightened beings, the sugata garbha. It should be distinguished from 'mind' (sems) which refers to ordinary discursive thinking based on ignorance of the nature of thought
Tshig mdzod Chen mo	1) sems kho na/ ... 2) sems kyi chos nyid/

Commonly found in Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā literature, this term denotes the true, natural state of mind as it is. Often used in these traditions as a synonym for buddha-nature.

Commonly found in Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā literature, this term denotes the true, natural state of mind as it is. Often used in these traditions as a synonym for buddha-nature.

Mahāmudrā refers to an advanced meditation tradition in Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna forms of Into-Tibetan Buddhism that is focused on the realization of the empty and luminous nature of the mind. It also refers to the resultant state of buddhahood attained through such meditation practice. In Tibet, this tradition is particularly associated with the Kagyu school, although all other schools also profess this tradition. The term also appears as part of the four seals, alongside dharmamūdra, samayamudrā, and karmamudrā.

Literally "unknowing," it refers to a lack of knowledge or misunderstanding of the nature of reality. As such, it is considered to be the root cause of suffering and the basis for the arising of all other negative mental factors.