The Inquiry of Lokadhara
Glossary

A general term for states of deep concentration. One of the synonyms for meditation, referring in particular to a state of complete concentration or focus.

The capacity to accept or tolerate experiences which ordinary beings cannot tolerate. It is the preparatory step to profound insight into reality. It also refers to the third stage of the path of joining (prayogamārga, sbyor lam). It is also the third transcendent perfection, in which context it has been rendered here as patience.

See “five aggregates for appropriation.”

See “five aggregates for appropriation.”

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A major śrāvaka disciple and personal attendant of the Buddha Śākyamuni during the last twenty-five years of his life. He was a cousin of the Buddha (according to the Mahāvastu, he was a son of Śuklodana, one of the brothers of King Śuddhodana, which means he was a brother of Devadatta; other sources say he was a son of Amṛtodana, another brother of King Śuddhodana, which means he would have been a brother of Aniruddha).

Ānanda, having always been in the Buddha’s presence, is said to have memorized all the teachings he heard and is celebrated for having recited all the Buddha’s teachings by memory at the first council of the Buddhist Saṅgha, thus preserving the teachings after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. The phrase “Thus did I hear at one time,” found at the beginning of the sūtras, usually stands for his recitation of the teachings. He became a patriarch after the passing of Mahākāśyapa.

One of the five or six classes of sentient beings, considered to be the karmic fruition of past miserliness. In Sanskrit, literally “the departed”; they are analagous to the ancestral spirits of Vedic tradition, the pitṛs, who starve without the offerings of descendants. They live in the realm of Yama, the Lord of Death. They are particularly known to suffer from great hunger and thirst and the inability to acquire sustenance.

See “four applications of mindfulness.”

A term for the apprehension of a subject, an object, and the relationships that exist between subjects and objects. The term might also be translated as “referentiality,” meaning a system based on the existence of referent objects, referent subjects, and the referential relationships that exist between them. As part of their doctrine of “threefold non-apprehension/non-referentiality” (’khor gsum mi dmigs pa), Mahāyāna Buddhists famously assert that all three categories of apprehension lack substantiality.

In some texts, four types of appropriation are listed: of desire (rāga), of view (dṛṣṭi), of rules and observances as paramount (śīla­vrata­parāmarśa), and of belief in a self (ātmavāda). The term nye bar len pa also means “grasping” and it was rendered as such when it refers to the ninth of the twelve links of dependent origination, between craving and becoming.

A buddha from the past.

An optional set of thirteen practices that monastics can adopt in order to cultivate greater detachment. They consist of 1) wearing patched robes made from discarded cloth rather than from cloth donated by laypeople; 2) wearing only three robes; 3) going for alms; 4) not omitting any house while on the alms round, rather than begging only at those houses known to provide good food; 5) eating only what can be eaten in one sitting; 6) eating only food received in the alms bowl, rather than more elaborate meals presented to the Saṅgha; 7) refusing more food after indicating one has eaten enough; 8) dwelling in the forest; 9) dwelling at the root of a tree; 10) dwelling in the open air, using only a tent made from one’s robes as shelter; 11) dwelling in a charnel ground; 12) satisfaction with whatever dwelling one has; and 13) sleeping in a sitting position without ever lying down.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas (gods).

A bodhisattva in the Buddha’s retinue.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Buddhist literature, an epithet applied to buddhas, most often to Śākyamuni. The Sanskrit term generally means “possessing fortune,” but in specifically Buddhist contexts it implies that a buddha is in possession of six auspicious qualities (bhaga) associated with complete awakening. The Tibetan term‍—where bcom is said to refer to “subduing” the four māras, ldan to “possessing” the great qualities of buddhahood, and ’das to “going beyond” saṃsāra and nirvāṇa‍—possibly reflects the commentarial tradition where the Sanskrit bhagavat is interpreted, in addition, as “one who destroys the four māras.” This is achieved either by reading bhagavat as bhagnavat (“one who broke”), or by tracing the word bhaga to the root √bhañj (“to break”).

An old term for Mahāyāna corpus.

The dimension of a buddha that corresponds to relative truth and is perceptible to either ordinary beings (nirmāṇakāya) or sublime beings (saṃbhogakāya).

A king in Royal Mountain of Great Intelligence’s buddha realm.

A pure realm manifested by a buddha or advanced bodhisattva through the power of their great merit and aspirations.

This term refers to composite objects in the generic sense. In other contexts, it can also refer to “formations.”

The third link of dependent origination, the fifth of the five aggregates. In most Abhidharma accounts it comprises the six sensory consciousnesses (eye, ear, nose, taste, body, and mind), but in Yogācāra theory two more kinds of consciousness, afflicted (kliṣṭamanas) and storehouse (ālayavijñāna), are added. For the sixth consciousness, see also “mind consciousness.”

The ultimate meaning of a given Dharma teaching.

In Buddhist cosmology, it is our sphere of existence where beings are driven primarily by the urge for sense gratification.

Usually this term refers to a statement, or spell, meant to protect or bring about a particular result. Here however, the term also has the meaning of “recall” or “memory.”

The term “dharma” (chos) conveys ten different meanings, according to Vasubandhu’s Vyākhyā­yukti. It may mean the Buddhist teachings, the awakened qualities which buddhas and bodhisattvas acquire, phenomena or things in general, etc. In the context of this work, it was rendered as “Dharma” when it refers to the teachings, and in other contexts, rendered according to the specific meaning, namely as phenomena and qualities. See also i.­4.

One of the subdivisions in the collection of dharmas that constitutes a Buddha, variously explained but usually more closely related to the aspect of ultimate truth.

A teaching or spiritual method by which the Dharma is understood.

One of the most reknowned of former buddhas.

One way of describing experience and the world in terms of eighteen elements (eye, form, and eye consciousness; ear, sound, and ear consciousness; nose, odor, and nose consciousness; tongue, taste, and tongue consciousness; body, touch, and body consciousness; mind, mental phenomena, and mind consciousness).

Correct view, thought, speech, actions, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and absorption. These eight are part of the thirty-seven factors of awakening.

See “eighteen elements.”

The set of practices that lead to awakening, traditionally listed as thirty-seven.

The seventh link of dependent origination. The second of the five aggregates.

See “five aggregates for appropriation.”

The five aggregates (skandha) of form, feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness. On the individual level the five aggregates refer to the basis upon which the mistaken idea of a self is projected. They are referred to as the “bases for appropriation” (upādāna) insofar as all conceptual grasping arises on the basis of these aggregates.

The five degenerations are: (1) degeneration of life span, (2) degeneration of views, (3) degeneration of the afflictions (4) degeneration of beings, and (5) the degeneration of the era.

Longing for desires (kāmacchanda), malice (vyāpāda), sloth and torpor (styānamiddha), excitement and remorse (auddhatyakaukṛtya), and doubt (vicikitsā).

Faith, diligence, mindfulness, absorption, and insight. These are the same as the five strengths at a lesser stage of development. See also n.­64.

Faith, diligence, mindfulness, absorption, and insight. These are the same as the five powers, at a further stage of development.

The first of the five aggregates. The third of the eighteen elements.

In Buddhist cosmology, the sphere of existence one level more subtle than our own (the desire realm), where beings, though subtly embodied, are not driven primarily by the urge for sense gratification.

Fourth of the five aggregates, second of the twelve links of dependent origination, and in the context of the aggregates sometimes also called “volitions,” “volitional formations,” or “compositional factors,” these are complex propensities that bring about action.

In Buddhist cosmology, the sphere of existence two levels more subtle than our own (the desire realm), where beings are no longer physically embodied, and thus not subject to the sufferings that physical embodiment brings.

Four contemplations on: (1) the body, (2) feelings, (3) mind, and (4) mental objects. These four contemplations are part of the thirty-seven factors of awakening.

The four progressive levels of concentration of the form realm that culminate in pure one-pointedness of mind, and are a requirement for cultivation of the five or six superknowledges, and so on. These are part of the nine gradual attainments.

Four types of effort consisting in abandoning existing negative mind states, abandoning the production of such states, giving rise to virtuous mind states that are not yet produced, and letting those states continue.

The four foundations or bases of miraculous power are: determination, discernment, diligence, and absorption. These are among the thirty-seven factors of awakening.

The four “main” or “great” outer elements of earth, water, fire, air, and (when there is a fifth) space.

This refers to the four confidences or fearlessnesses of the Buddha: confidence in having attained realization, confidence in having attained elimination, confidence in teaching the Dharma, and confidence in teaching the path of aspiration to liberation.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies, sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are under the jurisdiction of the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as celestial musicians who serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also used to refer to the mental body assumed by any sentient being in the realm of desire (kāma­dhātu) during the intermediate state between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning “scent eater.”

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Cognate with the English term divine, the devas are most generally a class of celestial beings who frequently appear in Buddhist texts, often at the head of the assemblies of nonhuman beings who attend and celebrate the teachings of Śākyamuni and other buddhas and bodhisattvas. In Buddhist cosmology the devas occupy the highest of the five or six “destinies” (gati) of saṃsāra among which beings take rebirth. The devas reside in the devalokas, “heavens” that traditionally number between twenty-six and twenty-eight and are divided between the desire realm (kāmadhātu), material realm (rūpadhātu), and immaterial realm (ārūpyadhātu). A being attains rebirth among the devas either through meritorious deeds (in the desire realm) or the attainment of subtle meditative states (in the material and immaterial realms). While rebirth among the devas is considered favorable, it is ultimately a transitory state from which beings will fall when the conditions that lead to rebirth there are exhausted. Thus, rebirth in the god realms is regarded as a diversion from the spiritual path.

The largest universe spoken of in Buddhist cosmology, consisting of one billion smaller world systems.

It is usually defined as “those who hear the teaching from the Buddha and make it heard to others.” Primarily it refers to those disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain the state of an arhat by seeking self liberation and nirvāṇa.

One of the six heavens of the desire realm, where all future buddhas dwell prior to their awakening.

One of the six heavens of the desire realm.

One of the five or six classes of sentient beings, engendered by anger and powerful negative actions. They are dominated by great suffering and said to dwell in eight different hells with specific caracteristics.

Meaning which can be logically inferred from a Dharma teaching, though is stated explicitely.

The sixth of the six perfections, it refers to the profound understanding of the emptiness of all phenomena, the realization of ultimate reality. It is also one of the five powers.

The southern continent, one the four comprising our world in the Buddhist cosmology.

Literally, “The kalandaka Feeding Ground,” a location within the Veṇuvana where the Buddha stayed; it received its name from the many kalandaka that lived or were fed there. The Tibetan rendering bya ka lan da ka makes it clear that the Tibetans considered the kalandaka to be a kind of bird, while Sanskrit and Pali sources generally agree that it is a kind of squirrel‍—perhaps therefore the Indian flying squirrel, Petaurista philippensis.

A buddha who resides to the east of our world.

A buddha from the past.

A buddha from the past.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name‍—which means “is that human?”‍—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human, half animal. They are also usually depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.

A son of King Bringer of Benefit and a bodhisattva in a story told by the Buddha.

Limitless Power upon his awakening.

A son of King Bringer of Benefit.

Limitless Intelligence upon his awakening.

A bodhisattva and the main interlocutor of this sūtra.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Literally “great serpents,” mahoragas are supernatural beings depicted as large, subterranean beings with human torsos and heads and the lower bodies of serpents. Their movements are said to cause earthquakes, and they make up a class of subterranean geomantic spirits whose movement through the seasons and months of the year is deemed significant for construction projects.

The future buddha.

A buddha from the past.

This is also known as the sixth consciouness and is the last of the eighteen elements. The Abhidharma speaks of five consciousnesses that grasp physical objects (form, sound, smells, tastes, bodily sensations) and are correlated with their respective physical sense faculties (indriya, dbang po), i.e. the eye, ear, etc. The mind consciousness, on the other hand, is said to have as its faculty simply the mind (manas, yid). It grasps all that exists, including what is presented by the physical consciousnesses as well as mental and abstract objects. These six consciousnesses, added to the twelve sense sources, constitute the Abhidharma schema of eighteen elements (dhātu, khams).

See “pure motivation.”

A semidivine class of beings who live in subterranean acquatic environments and who are known to hoard wealth and esoteric teachings. They are associated with snakes and serpents.

A follower of one of the non-Buddhist religious systems in India, who from a Buddhist perspective promote extreme views on the nature of reality.

That which obscurs insight into reality.

The buddha that Ratnaprabha becomes.

Nirvāṇa, the state beyond sorrow, denotes the ultimate attainment of buddhahood, the permanent cessation of all suffering and the afflicted mental states which cause and perpetuate suffering, along with all misapprehension with regard to the nature of emptiness. As such, it is the antithesis of cyclic existence. Three types of nirvāṇa are identified: (1) the residual nirvāṇa where the person is still dependent on conditioned psycho-physical aggregates, (2) the non-residual nirvāṇa where the aggregates have also been consumed within emptiness, and (3) the non-abiding nirvāṇa transcending the extremes of phenomenal existence and quiescence. Parinirvāṇa or final nirvāṇa implies the non-residual attainment.

The third of the five aggregates.

One of the meanings of the Skt. term “dharma.” This applies to “phenomena” or “things” in general, and, more specifically, “mental phenomena” which are the object of the mental faculty (manas, yid). See also “worldly phenomena” and “transcendent phenomena.”

A strong sense of determination, often associated with altruism.

The ancient capital of Magadha; the site where many Great Vehicle sūtras take place.

A bodhisattva in Majestic Mount Meru of Gold from the Jambū River’s assembly.

Lit. the “nature of phenomena,” or “phenomena themselves.” The quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Akin to other terms rendered here as thatness (tattva, de kho na nyid), true reality (bhūtatā, yang dag pa nyid), and suchness (tathatā, de bzhin nyid).

The buddha that the bodhisattva Limitless Intelligence becomes.

A buddha from the past.

A buddha from the past.

These can be listed as twelve or as six sense sources (sometimes also called sense fields, bases of cognition, or simply āyatanas):

In context of epistemology, it is one way of describing experience and the world in terms of twelve sense sources, which can be divided into inner and outer sense sources, namely: 1-2) eye and form, 3-4) ear and sound, 5-6) nose and odor, 7-8) tongue and taste, 9-10) body and touch, 11-12) mind and mental phenomena. (These are subsumed in the eighteen elements, where to the twelve sense sources, the six consciousnesses are added.)

In the context of the twelve links of dependent origination, only six sense sources are mentioned and they are the inner sense sources (similar to the six faculties) of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind.

The set of seven factors that characteristically manifest on the path of seeing.

The list of seven precious materials varies. Either they are: gold, silver, turquoise, coral, pearl, emerald, and sapphire; or else they are: ruby, sapphire, beryl, emerald, diamond, pearls, and coral.

See sense source.”

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.

An important form of Buddhist meditation focusing on developing insight into the nature of phenomena. Often presented as part of a pair of meditation techniques, the other being “tranquility.”

A personal tutor on spiritual matters; a spritual guide.

The quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Akin to other terms rendered here as thatness (tattva, de kho na nyid), true reality (bhūtatā, yang dag pa nyid), and reality (dharmatā, chos nyid).

A category of the distinctive qualities of a buddha. They are: knowing what is possible and what is impossible; knowing the results of actions or the ripening of karma; knowing the various inclinations of sentient beings; knowing the various elements; knowing the supreme and lesser faculties of sentient beings; knowing the paths that lead to all destinations of rebirth; knowing the concentrations, liberations, absorptions, equilibriums, afflictions, purifications, and abidings; knowing previous lives; knowing the death and rebirth of sentient beings; and knowing the cessation of the defilements.

The nature of things or their actual state, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Akin to other terms rendered here as suchness (tathatā, de bzhin nyid), true reality (bhūtatā, yang dag pa nyid), and reality (dharmatā, chos nyid).

These are: emptiness as a gateway to liberation, absence of marks of all phenomena as a gateway to liberation, and absence of wishes as a gateway to liberation. Among them, emptiness is characterized as the absence of inherent existence, absence of marks as the absence of mental images, and absence of wishes as the absence of hopes and fears.

The formless realm, the form realm, and the desire realm comprising the thirty-one planes of existence in Buddhist cosmology.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A frequently used synonym for buddha. According to different explanations, it can be read as tathā-gata, literally meaning “one who has thus gone,” or as tathā-āgata, “one who has thus come.” Gata, though literally meaning “gone,” is a past passive participle used to describe a state or condition of existence. Tatha­(tā), often rendered as “suchness” or “thusness,” is the quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Therefore, this epithet is interpreted in different ways, but in general it implies one who has departed in the wake of the buddhas of the past, or one who has manifested the supreme awakening dependent on the reality that does not abide in the two extremes of existence and quiescence. It also often used as a specific epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

One of the basic forms of Buddhist meditation, which focuses on calming the mind. Often presented as part of a pair of meditation techniques, with the other technique being “special insight.”

Lit. “dharmas beyond the world.” Trancendent or supramundane phenomena are things or factors related to liberation from saṃsāra. These include, for example, the four applications of mindfulness, the four correct exertions, the four foundations of miracles, the five powers, the five strengths, the seven branches of awakening, the eightfold path of the noble ones, the three gateways of liberation, and many other techniques and qualities of attainment. See also “worldly phenomena.”

Lit. “genuineness” or “authenticity.” The quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Akin to other terms rendered here as thatness (tattva, de kho na nyid), suchness (tathatā, de bzhin nyid), and reality (dharmatā, chos nyid).

The twelve causal links that perpetuate life in cyclic existence; starting with ignorance and ending with death. Through a deliberate reversal of these twelve links that one can succeed in bringing the whole cycle to an end. The twelve links are (1) ignorance, (2) formation, (3) consciousness, (4) name-and-form, (5) six sense sources, (6) contact, (7) feeling, (8) craving, (9) grasping, (10) becoming, (11) birth, (12) aging and death.

See “sense source.”

The famous bamboo grove near Rājagṛha where the Buddha regularly stayed and gave teachings. It was situated on land donated by King Bimbisāra of Magadha and, as such, was the first of several landholdings donated to the Buddhist community during the time of the Buddha.

The eight qualities of water: (1) sweet-tasting; (2) cool; (3) soft; (4) light; (5) transparent; (6) clean; (7) not harmful to the throat; and (8) beneficial to the stomach.

Epithet of a buddha, meaning “one who has reached bliss.”

Also known as “pristine awareness,” “primordial wisdom,” “primordial awareness,” “gnosis,” or the like. Typically refers to nonconceptual or unobscured states of knowledge.

See “worldly phenomena” and “transcendent phenomena.”

It refers to things or factors that are bound by causality. In some contexts, it is the eight worldy dharmas or concerns. See also “transcendent phenomena.”

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings who inhabit forests, mountainous areas, and other natural spaces, or serve as guardians of villages and towns, and may be propitiated for health, wealth, protection, and other boons, or controlled through magic. According to tradition, their homeland is in the north, where they live under the jurisdiction of the Great King Vaiśravaṇa.

Several members of this class have been deified as gods of wealth (these include the just mentioned Vaiśravaṇa) or as bodhisattva generals of yakṣa armies, and have entered the Buddhist pantheon in a variety of forms, including, in tantric Buddhism, those of wrathful deities.