རང་རྒྱལ། | Glossary of Terms

“Solitary buddha.” Someone who has attained liberation entirely through their own contemplation, hence their alternate epithet, pratyayajina, which means “one who has become a jina, or buddha, through dependence [on external factors that were contemplated].” This is the result of progress in previous lives, but unlike a buddha, they do not have the necessary accumulation of merit or the motivation to teach others.

Someone who has attained liberation entirely through their own contemplation as a result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, does not have the accumulated merit and motivation to teach others. Like śrāvaka, this term is also used to denote Buddhists who do not follow the Mahāyāna.

Someone who obtains personal liberation through very little or no instruction from others; “solitary buddha” in some interpretations.

Someone who has attained liberation entirely through their own contemplation as a result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, does not have the accumulated merit and motivation to teach others. See also UT22084-051-001-731 and UT22084-051-001-734.

Someone who has attained liberation entirely through his own contemplation as a result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, does not have the accumulated merit and motivation to teach others.

“Solitary buddha.” Someone who has attained liberation entirely through their own contemplation, hence their alternate epithet, pratyayajina, which means one who has become a jina, or buddha, through dependence [on external factors that were contemplated upon]. This is the result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, they do not have the necessary accumulated merit nor the motivation to teach others.

“Solitary realizer” or “solitary buddha.”

Someone who has attained liberation entirely through their own contemplation as a result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, does not have the accumulated merit and motivation to teach others.

The disciples of the Buddha who followed the Lesser Vehicle (Hīnayāna). The term “pratyekabuddha” means that they “on their own” became “buddhas.”

An individual who, in his or her last life, attains realization by realizing the nature of interdependent origination without relying upon a spiritual guide.

Those who attain buddhahood through their own contemplation as a result of progress in previous lives, but who are born in a time when a buddha’s doctrine is no longer available in the world and so remain either in solitude or among peers, without teaching the path to liberation to others.

A “solitary buddha” who pursues nirvāṇa on their own, without a teacher.

A “solitary enlightened one,” or “buddha on one’s own,” this refers to one who has attained liberation but does not teach the path to liberation to others. Pratyekabuddhas are said to appear in universes and at times in which there is no fully enlightened buddha who has rediscovered the path and taught it to others.

One who has attained liberation entirely through their own contemplation as a result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, does not have the accumulated merit and motivation to teach others.

Someone who has attained liberation entirely through their own contemplation as a result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, does not have the accumulated merit and motivation to teach others.

An arhat/arhantī who reaches spiritual awakening through their own effort and facilitated by the immense stock of merit accumulated in former lives, without the help of the teachings of a Buddha in their last life.

“Solitary buddha,” so called because he attains nirvāṇa on his own.

A being who has attained awakening without the help of a tathāgata.

A category of awakened being (buddha) who is variously described as having attained awakening but not then teaching the Dharma to others, and as attaining awakening without relying on a teacher. In this way, the solitary buddha is sometimes contrasted with the “disciple” (śrāvaka) and the “perfect, fully awakened buddha” (saṃyaksam­buddha), as well as with the bodhisattava who aspires to become a fully awakened buddha.

Someone who has attained liberation entirely through their own contemplation as a result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, does not have the accumulated merit and motivation to teach others. They are named as “rhinoceros-like” (khaḍgaviṣāṇakalpa) for their preference for staying in solitude or as “congregators” (vargacārin) when their preference is to stay among peers.

Someone who obtains personal liberation through very little or no instruction from others.

Someone who obtains personal liberation through very little or no instruction from others.

An individual who attains a certain level of realization and liberation (different in some respects from those of an arhat and well short of those of a buddha) through understanding the nature of interdependent origination, without relying upon a spiritual guide.

An individual who, in their last life, attains realization by awakening to the nature of dependent arising without relying upon a spiritual guide.

An individual who, in their last life, attains realization by realizing the nature of interdependent origination without relying on a spiritual guide.

Someone who has attained liberation entirely through their own contemplation as a result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, does not have the accumulated merit and motivation to teach others.

An individual who, in his or her last life, attains realization by realizing the nature of interdependent origination without relying upon a spiritual guide.

Beings who attain buddhahood without relying on a teacher in their final lifetime. They may live alone or with peers, but do not teach the path of liberation to others because of a lack of motivation or the requisite merit.

Someone who has attained liberation entirely through their own contemplation as a result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, does not have the accumulated merit and motivation to teach others.

One who, in their last birth in saṃsāra, attains the realization of the selflessness of the person and a partial realization of the selflessness of phenomena, by observing the suchness of all that arises through interdependence on their own, without relying on a teacher.

Literally, “buddha for himself,” or “solitary realizer.” Those who attain buddhahood in a time when the Buddha’s doctrine is no longer available in the world, and who remain either in solitude or among peers, without teaching the path to liberation to others. Their attainment is the result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, they do not have the necessary accumulated merit nor the motivation to teach others.

Someone who has attained liberation entirely through their own contemplation as a result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, does not have the accumulated merit and motivation to teach others.

An individual who, in his or her last life, attains realization by realizing the nature of interdependent origination without relying upon a spiritual guide.

One who has attained liberation entirely through their own contemplation as a result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, does not have the accumulated merit and motivation to teach others.

Someone who has attained liberation entirely through their own contemplation as a result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, does not have the accumulated merit and motivation to teach others.

An individual who, in his or her last life, attains realization by realizing the nature of interdependent origination without relying upon a spiritual guide.

Individuals who, in their last life, attain realization by realizing the nature of dependent origination without relying upon a spiritual guide.

A person who in his final life achieves realization through contemplating the twelve links of dependent origination without following an external teacher.

An individual who, in their last life, attains realization by realizing the nature of interdependent origination without relying upon a spiritual guide.

Someone who has attained liberation without relying on a teacher in their final lifetime and as a result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, does not have the accumulated merit and motivation to teach others. Like śrāvaka (“hearer”), this term is also used to denote Buddhists who do not follow the Mahāyāna.

An individual who attains a certain level of realization and liberation (different in some respects from those of an arhat and well short of those of a buddha) through understanding the nature of interdependent origination, without relying upon a teacher in that lifetime.

One who has attained liberation entirely through their own contemplation as a result of progress in previous lives but, unlike a buddha, does not have the accumulated merit and motivation to teach others.

“Solitary buddha,” so called because they attain nirvāṇa on their own

An individual who, in his or her final life, attains realization by realizing the nature of dependent origination without relying upon a spiritual guide.

These are beings who in their final existence achieve a lower enlightenment than that of the complete and perfect buddhas, and do so without relying on a teacher.

An individual who has attained realization by understanding the nature of dependent origination without relying on a teacher. They have neither the required merit nor the motivation to teach others.

Those who, in times when there is no buddha, reach enlightenment on their own, but do not teach the Dharma to others.

Literally, “buddha for himself,” or “solitary realizer.” Those who attain buddhahood in a time when a buddha’s doctrine is no longer available in the world, and who remain either in solitude or among peers, without teaching the path of liberation to others. They are sometimes called “rhinoceros-like” for their preference to stay in solitude.

An individual who, in their last life, attains realization by realizing the nature of dependent origination without relying upon a spiritual guide.

Synonymous with pratyeka­buddha.