Property:Glossary-Senses
This is a property of type Text.
P
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. +
R
Since relative phenomena arise in dependence on causes and conditions, they cannot be said to exist based solely on their own defining characteristics. Thus they are deemed to be empty of an innate nature. As a noun, this term generally refers to the more traditional, or orthodox, philosophical stance of the Madhyamaka school and its view of emptiness, as opposed to those who profess other-emptiness (''gzhan stong''). For the latter group, self-emptiness is also asserted to be true, but it is only used to describe the relative truth. However, for traditional Mādhyamikas, emptiness is universally applied, and thus the lack of inherent existence is itself the ultimate truth. +
S
Fluidity, in that it is a potential that is developed through personal habits of study, practice, and exposure to a particular vehicle of Buddhism. +
The term often refers to the new translation of Buddhist texts in contrast to the translations carried out in the first millennium, particularly of the tantric literature. The tantric tradition which is based on the tantras translated in the period of Early Diffusion of Buddhism in Tibet came to be known as sngags rnying ma or ancient mantra and those based on tantras translated during the Later Diffusion came to known as sngags gear ma or new mantra. +
The enjoyment body of the buddha is so called for its perfect and luxurious nature. It is the highest physical form and normally enumerated as one of the three enlightened bodies of a buddha beside truth and emanation bodies. +
Reality as it is experienced by ordinary people whose perception is clouded by ignorance, in contrast to "ultimate truth" or "absolute truth," which is reality as perceived by an enlightened being. Relative truth has practical value in daily life, but upon examination all phenomena are found to be empty of individual, permanent existence. +
The essence of enlightenment present in all sentient beings. +
An innate attribute that establishes the completely independent existence of an entity, which is typically refuted in the Madhyamaka notion of emptiness. +
Mind seeing mind. The classic example is that of a lamp that illuminates the surrounding area as well as itself. +
Sūtras originally referred to the aphoristic sayings and discourses, although one can find many exegetical and descriptive sūtras. In the Buddhist tradition, sūtras are generally considered to be the words of the Buddha or his immediate disciples, in contrast to the commentarial or synoptic literature, some of which summarized and condensed the teachings in the sūtras. +
T
The term implies a continuum or stream and is thus used to refer to scriptures which teach a substrate nature, such as buddha-nature, that underlies empirical phenomena. +
A synonym for emptiness or the nature of things, ''dharmatā''; it can also be used to describe the unity of dependent origination and emptiness. (Source: Erik Pema Kunsang, ''Lamp of Mahamudra'', 1989.) +
The seed or essence of enlightenment. ''Tathāgata'' loosely translates as "one who has gone to a state of enlightenment," while ''garbha'' has the sense of "womb," "essence," and "embryo." Tathāgatagarbha thus suggests a potential or an innate buddhahood possessed by all sentient beings that is either developed or revealed when one attains enlightenment. +
Reality or the natural state of things are called suchness or thatness in order to indicate that reality is the nature as it is without any any fabrication or imputation. +
The mind in its natural state. Often used as a synonym for the nature of mind and buddha-nature. +
Thugs dam generally refers to meditation and spiritual commitment of a religious practitioner but often has the specific meaning of remaining in the state of meditation after death in the Himalayan Buddhist tradition. Highly realised beings are said to remain in this state for period after their death until their enlightened spirit leaves the physical body. +
The three aspects of perfect enlightenment of a buddha: the enlightened state of one's mind after full transformation, the pure physical existence one attains as a result of inner perfection, and the myriad forms one can emanate from the enlightened state to help others. +
These three are traditionally featured as the central hub in depictions of the so-called wheel of life (Skt. ''bhāvacakra'', Tib. ''srid pa'i 'khor lo''). In these images they are represented by a pig known for sleeping in their own filth and other such behavior as the embodiment of ''moha'', a type of Indian bird that is known for its possessive attachment to its mate as the embodiment of ''rāga'', and a snake that is quick to strike at the slightest provocation as the embodiment of ''dveṣa''. These three are likewise depicted as chasing after, or being pulled along, by each other in a circle to demonstrate how these emotional reactions feed into each other and thus perpetuate this cycle. Though sometimes it is the pig which is pictured biting the tails of both the bird and the snake to show that both those emotional responses are rooted in our lack of understanding. +