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Ekayāna + (There is ultimately only one way to become a buddha.)
Bīja + (This term can be used in a variety of cont … This term can be used in a variety of contexts, though one of the more common usages is related to the Buddhist notion of karma, cause and effect. In this sense, bīja are the seeds of karmic actions, which have the potential to ripen into karmic consequences.tential to ripen into karmic consequences.)
Avidyā + (This term can have different meanings and … This term can have different meanings and connotations depending on the context. Especially among Tibetan traditions such as the Nyingma, in which ''rig pa'', usually translated as awareness, became a key concept, its opposite, ''ma rig pa'', references the state in which that awareness is not recognized. In this context, ''ma rig pa'' should likely be treated as an indigenous Tibetan term rather than a direct translation of the Sanskrit term ''avidyā''.anslation of the Sanskrit term ''avidyā''.)
Kun gzhi + (This term entered the Tibetan lexicon as a … This term entered the Tibetan lexicon as a translation of ''ālaya'', and thus it is often rendered back to its Sanskrit antecedent in modern scholarship and translations. However, as a Tibetan term, it is more commonly read literally as the compound ''all-ground'', or ''ground of everything''. As such it is often used to describe a common locus, or substrate, out of which both saṃsāra and nirvāṇa emerge. of which both saṃsāra and nirvāṇa emerge.)
Gzhan stong + (Though, as a noun, this term is commonly u … Though, as a noun, this term is commonly used to reference a subsect of the Madhyamaka school that lies in opposition to the more mainstream stance that asserts self-emptiness (''rang stong''), or the universal lack of inherent existence (''rang bzhin med pa''), it can also refer to different types of emptiness that describe the ultimate and relative levels of reality. Hence, relative phenomena are deemed to be self-empty since they lack independent defining characteristics, while the ultimate is said to be empty of other—namely, the afflictions and defilements that only incidentally seem to obscure it but by which it has actually never been sullied. which it has actually never been sullied.)
Thugs dam + (Thugs dam generally refers to meditation a … 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.lightened spirit leaves the physical body.)

Dhātu + (A term that has numerous meanings dependin … A term that has numerous meanings depending on the context, including physical realms or regions, the (five) elements, as well as aspects of the sense organs, bases, and fields. In terms of buddha-nature theory, it is often treated as synonymous with terms like ''gotra'' and ''garbha'' or even as equivalents of buddha-nature itself, such as ''sugatagarbha''.a-nature itself, such as ''sugatagarbha''.)

Tathāgatagarbha + (The seed or essence of enlightenment. ''Ta … 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.r revealed when one attains enlightenment.)
Prajñāpāramitā + (The term itself references a type of intelligence, discernment, or knowledge that embodies the insight which transcends the notions of the three spheres of agent, object, and action.)
Gotra + (''Gotra'' is used in Buddhist literature in a wide variety of ways. In Yogācāra it is used in the sense of family, lineage, or type to classify beings according to their innate capacity for progress on the path to enlightenment.)
Vajrapada + (''Vajra'' has a variety of meanings depend … ''Vajra'' has a variety of meanings depending on the context, thus it is often left untranslated. For instance, it can refer to both a physical diamond and something which has the physical qualities of a diamond (i.e., something that is indestructible or indivisible). In this latter sense it is often rendered as "adamantine." In the ''Ratnagotravibhāga'' the seven main topics of the treatise are called "vajra" subjects because they are difficult to penetrate through an understanding that is arrived at through merely hearing or contemplating. In other words, they require direct experience.her words, they require direct experience.)
Anātman + (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.)
Amalavijñāna + (According to East Asian Yogācāra, the abso … According to East Asian Yogācāra, the absolute purity of mind of a buddha. While the Sanskrit term appears in Vasubandhu's ''Abidharmakośa'' and the accompanying ''Bhaṣya'', the term as it is used in the sense of pure consciousness was first used in Chinese by Paramārtha and then expanded and changed by later Chinese Yogācāra writers. While Paramārtha associated it with thusness and used it to refer to a catalyst for enlightenment, it has come to refer to a ninth consciousness which only appears when the ālayavijñāna, the eighth consciousness, ceases. As such, it is pure, luminous, and permanent. Some writers, however, have equated it to the pure aspect of the ālayavijñāna, as well as with prakṛtiprabhāsvaracitta (the absolute purity of mind), tathāgatagarbha, and even emptiness.ind), tathāgatagarbha, and even emptiness.)
Ngo bo + (According to Ives Waldo, it is similar to ''rang bzhin'', but when referring to ''sugatagarbha'', ''ngo bo'' refers to the emptiness part, whereas ''rang bzhin'' refers to the luminosity or clarity part.)
Dharmakāya + (Although this term is sometimes rendered i … Although this term is sometimes rendered into English as “truth body,” dharmakāya seems to have originally been meant to refer to the entire corpus (''kāya'') of the Buddha’s transcendent qualities (''dharma''). (''The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism'', p. 242)rinceton Dictionary of Buddhism'', p. 242))
Śrāvaka + (Because they mainly rely on the words of the Buddha in their spiritual practice, they are known as Hearers or Listeners. The śrāvaka vehicle is the one of the three vehicles or yānas in Buddhism beside the vehicles of Solitary Realizers and Bodhisattvas)
Nirmāṇakāya + (Emanation body is considered as an apparit … Emanation body is considered as an apparitional form and thus not the actual physical form of a buddha but one projected for the purpose of helping sentient beings. This concept became later conflated with the Tibetan culture of religious incarnation and many lamas who are considered to be rebirths of earlier ones are also referred to as trulku.rlier ones are also referred to as trulku.)
Brahman + (It has the sense of being pure and expansive as the universal principle. It is the source from which all things emanate, and to which they return.)
Mahāyāna + (It is known as the Great Vehicle in compar … It is known as the Great Vehicle in comparison to the earlier schools of Buddhism which aimed only to reach individual liberation. Thus, this system claims to be superior to the early Buddhist schools in terms of the philosophical understanding of reality and the moral scope of rescuing all sentient beings.ral scope of rescuing all sentient beings.)
Lam rim + (Lam rim has the sense of gradual or graded practice starting from basic techniques to cultivate the thoughts of renunciation, compassion and loving kindness, etc. to insight into ultimate emptiness.)
Sūtra + (Sūtras originally referred to the aphorist … 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.and condensed the teachings in the sūtras.)
Pāramitā + (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.)
Dpyad sgom + (The practical approach to gaining incontro … The practical approach to gaining incontrovertible conceptual certainty is called analytical meditation or superior insight. ([[Brunnhölzl]], ''[[The Center of the Sunlit Sky]]'', 29)</br></br>"Another division of meditation is into “the analytical meditation of scholars” and “the resting meditation of mendicants,” or simply analytical meditation and resting meditation. The analytical meditation of scholars refers to the intellectual examination of all phenomena through reasoning. There are two key terms here: “discriminating knowledge” and “personally experienced wisdom.” The first step in this analytical meditation is to cultivate discriminating knowledge. This refers to all the levels of increasingly refined inferential valid cognition that are based on reasoning and developed through studying, reflecting, and meditating." ([[Brunnhölzl]], ''[[The Center of the Sunlit Sky]]'', 279)</br></br>"The general scope of analytical meditation encompasses all of the teachings of the Buddha, starting from contemplating impermanence and the preciousness of human existence up through ascertaining the two kinds of identitylessness. Resting meditation includes all types of meditations in which the conclusions achieved through preceding investigation become absorbed by the mind." ([[Brunnhölzl]], ''[[The Center of the Sunlit Sky]]'', 281) Sunlit Sky]]'', 281))
Bodhisattva + (The term Bodhisattva rendered into Tibetan … The term Bodhisattva rendered into Tibetan as བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ་ (wyl. byang chub sems dpa') has the sense of heroic beings who have developed the thought of enlightenment or awakening. Thus, a Bodhisattva is defined as a person who has given rise to Bodhicitta or the thought of enlightenment.odhicitta or the thought of enlightenment.)
Arhat + (The term arhat refers to someone worthy of veneration as well as someone who has overcome the enemies. The Tibetan translation has the latter meaning as arhats are said to have defeated the foes of defiling emotions.)
Pramāṇa + (The term has the sense of being valid, authentic or standard. In Buddhist epistemology, a correct cognition is considered to be the most authentic knowledge or accurate measure of the way things are.)
Abhidharma + (The term has the sense of making knowledge and meaning manifest through intelligent analysis and systematic presentation.)
Sarma + (The term often refers to the new translati … 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. to known as sngags gear ma or new mantra.)
Hīnayāna + (The term was used mainly by the proponents of the Greater Vehicle, who considered the goals, understanding, practices, methods, and results of this school as being lesser in scope.)
Trikāya + (The three aspects of perfect enlightenment … 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.from the enlightened state to help others.)
Nītārtha + (The unadulterated truth, in the sense of something that is taught explicitly without any underlying intention or need for further interpretation.)
Uttaratantra + (There is extensive discussion of the title … There is extensive discussion of the title in multiple academic sources. For further information about the text and its title, please see the entry for this text, ''[[Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra]]''. And for a short essay on the translation of this term, see "[[Continuum vs. Teachings]]."ntinuum vs. Teachings]].")