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.

སྙིང་སྣ། | Glossary of Terms

  • སྙིང་སྣ།

  • snying sna
  • Term
Publications: 1
  • bodily essences
  • སྙིང་སྣ།
  • snying sna
Definition in this text:

The exact identification of these substances is not explicitly stated in The Tantra of Glorious Mahākāla. The Suśrutasaṁhitā refers to seven “bodily essences” (Skt. sāra). These are vital fluid (Skt. sattva, perhaps signifying the amniotic fluid), semen (Skt. śukra), marrow (Skt. majjan), bone (Skt. asthi), lymph (Skt. medas), flesh (Skt. māṃsa), and blood (Skt. rakta). It is entirely possible, however, that these “bodily essences” correspond to the various bodily fluids that often accompany offerings of the five types of meat in the performance and maintenance of samaya.