84000 Glossary of Terms

Our trilingual glossary combining entries from all of our publications into one useful resource, giving translations and definitions of thousands of terms, people, places, and texts from the Buddhist canon.

རིགས་ལྔ། | Glossary of Terms

    རིགས་ལྔ།

    rigs lnga

    pañcakula

  • Term
Publications: 2
Translation by Julian Schott
  • Five families
  • རིགས་ལྔ།
  • rigs lnga
  • pañcakula

The tathāgata, vajra, jewel, lotus, and karma families. Each of these families is associated with a specific direction, type of activity, and mode of awakened wisdom, and each is headed by a specific tathāgata. When displayed in maṇḍala formation, Vairocana heads the tathāgata family at the center, and Akṣobhya presides over the vajra family in the east, Ratnasambhava over the jewel family in the south, Amitābha/Amitāyus over the lotus family in the west, and Amoghasiddhi over the karma family in the north. In maṇḍalas associated with the Mahāyoga tantras, Vairocana and Akṣobhya switch places.

Tantra Text Warning

Warning: Readers are reminded that according to Vajrayāna Buddhist tradition there are restrictions and commitments concerning tantra. Practitioners who are not sure if they should read this translation are advised to consult the authorities of their lineage. The responsibility for reading this text or sharing it with others who may or may not fulfill the requirements lies in the hands of readers.

Translation by Laura Dainty · Khenpo Tsöndrü Sangpo
  • Five families
  • རིགས་ལྔ།
  • rigs lnga
  • pañcakula

The vajra family, lotus family, tathāgata family, jewel family, and karma family.