The Quintessence of the Sun
Glossary

A buddha realm located in the eastern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni. Also called Absence of Torment.

The absence of the conceptual identification of perceptions, knowing that the true nature has no attributes, such as color or shape. One of the three gateways of liberation.

A buddha realm located in the eastern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni. Also called Absence of Heat.

The absence of any conceptual goal that one is focused upon achieving, knowing that all composite phenomena create suffering. One of the three gateways of liberation.

A synonym for meditation, this refers to the state of deep meditative immersion that results from different modes of Buddhist practice.

A nāga king.

A medicine goddess.

The five extremely negative actions that, once those who have committed them die, result in immediate rebirth in the hells without the experience of the intermediate state. They are killing an arhat, killing one’s mother, killing one’s father, creating a schism in the Saṅgha, and maliciously drawing blood from a tathāgata’s body.

The five aggregates of form, sensation, 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.

A nāga king.

Another name for Kauṇḍinya. As he was the first to understand the Buddha Śākyamuni’s teaching on the four truths of the noble ones, he received the name Ājñātakauṇḍinya (Kauṇḍinya Who Understood).

A bodhisattva residing in a buddha realm in the northern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

A nāga king.

A nāga king.

A name for both seizures and the demon that causes seizures and loss of consciousness. The Tibetan specifically means “causing forgetting.”

A fundamental practice of Buddhist meditation: close application of mindfulness to the body, close application of mindfulness to feelings, close application of mindfulness to mind, and close application of mindfulness to phenomena.

A monk in the past, son of the king Free of Flowers during the time of the Buddha Śikhin.

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 monk in charge of providing for monastery residents and visitors. One of several official administrative or managerial positions at a monastery.

A nāga king.

A nāga king.

Name of a buddha realm located in the southern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

Name of a sage.

A generic term for spirits or ghosts.

King of Magadha who lived at the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

One of the eight hot hells.

A nāga.

A nāga king.

A nāga king.

A nāga king.

A demon leader.

A high-ranking deity, presiding over a divine world where other beings consider him the creator; he is also considered to be the “Lord of the Sahā World” (our universe).

The highest of the four classes in the Indian caste system, it is most closely associated with religious vocations.

A location in Khaṣa.

A holy site blessed by the presence of sages.

A nāga king.

Roughly a synonym for “universe,” although Buddhist cosmology contains many universes of different types and dimensions. “Buddha realm” indicates, in regard to any type of universe, that it is the field of influence of a particular buddha.

A buddha residing in the eastern direction at the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

A holy site blessed by the presence of sages.

Name of a mercenary demon.

A being who attains victory (i.e., awakening) through specific circumstances. A synonym for a solitary buddha.

A past buddha.

A nāga king.

A holy site blessed by the presence of sages.

A holy site blessed by the presence of sages.

The fifth of the six perfections. Generally one of the synonyms for meditation, referring to a state of mental stability. The specific four concentrations are four successively subtler states of meditation that are said to lead to rebirth into the corresponding four levels of the form realm.

A nāga king.

Butön includes the Kashmiri abbot Dharmākara in his list of ninety-three paṇḍitas invited to Tibet to assist in the translation of the Buddhist scriptures. Tāranātha dates Dharmākara to the rule of *Vanapāla, son of Dharmapāla. With Paltsek, he translated two of Kalyāṇamitra’s works on Vinaya, the Vinaya­praśnakārikā (’dul ba dri ba’i tshig le’ur byas pa, Toh 4134) and the Vinaya­praśnaṭīkā (’dul ba dri ba rgya cher ’grel pa, Toh 4135).

The buddha who preceded Śākyamuni and gave him the prophecy of his buddhahood.

A mountain in Godānīya.

A series of progressively more subtle states of meditative realization or attainment. There are several presentations of these found in the canonical literature. One of the most common is as follows: (1) One observes form while the mind dwells at the level of the form realm. (2) One observes form externally while discerning formlessness internally. (3) One dwells in the direct experience of the body’s pleasant aspect. (4) One dwells in the realization of the sphere of infinite space by transcending all conceptions of matter, resistance, and diversity. (5) Transcending the sphere of infinite space, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of infinite consciousness. (6) Transcending the sphere of infinite consciousness, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of nothing whatsoever. (7) Transcending the sphere of nothing whatsoever, one dwells in the realization of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception. (8) Transcending the sphere of neither perception and nonperception, one dwells in the realization of the cessation of conception and feeling.

Circumstances that do not provide the freedom to practice the Buddhist path: being in the realms of (1) the hells, (2) pretas, (3) animals, and (4) long-lived gods; or in the human realm among (5) barbarians or (6) extremists, (7) in places where the Buddhist teachings do not exist, and (8) without adequate faculties to understand the teachings where they do exist.

A traditional list that includes the great philosophical systems of India (Sāṅkhya, Yoga, etc.) as well as ordinary sciences and arts such as arithmetic, medicine, astrology, music, and archery.

Eighteen special features of a buddha’s behavior, realization, activity, and wisdom that are not shared by other beings. They are as follows: He never makes a mistake, he is never boisterous, he never forgets, his concentration never falters, he has no notion of distinctness, his equanimity is not due to lack of consideration, his will never falters, his energy never fails, his mindfulness never falters, he never abandons his concentration, his wisdom never decreases, his liberation never fails, all his physical actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, all his verbal actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, all his mental actions are preceded and followed by wisdom, his knowledge and vision perceive the past without any attachment or hindrance, his knowledge and vision perceive the future without any attachment or hindrance, and his knowledge and vision perceive the present without any attachment or hindrance.

Right view, intention, speech, actions, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.

A nāga king.

A nāga king. The Tibetan e la’i gdong seems to reflect elamukha rather than the attested elavarṇa.

One way of describing experience and the world in terms of eighteen elements (eye and form, ear and sound, nose and smell, tongue and taste, body and physical objects, and mind and mental phenomena, to which the six consciousnesses are added). Also refers here to the “four great elements.”

A nāga king.

A holy site blessed by the presence of sages.

In the Mahāyāna this is the term for how phenomena are devoid of any nature of their own. One of the three gateways of liberation along with the absence of wishes and the absence of marks.

A nāga king. (Note that this translation is partly tentative, as the Tibetan ba lang, which ordinarily means “cow,” “bull,” or “elephant,” has not been rendered into English, as its meaning here is unclear.)

A nāga king.

A state of mental equipoise derived from deep concentration.

Name of a buddha realm located in the western direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

A holy site blessed by the presence of sages.

A holy site blessed by the presence of sages.

Name of a king, a previous incarnation of the Buddha.

A yakṣa leader.

A nāga.

A rākṣasī.

A land in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent.

It is unclear who this might be.

Five aspects of life that indicate the degenerate nature of a given age. They are the impurities of views, of afflictions, of sentient beings, of lifespan, and of time.

Divine sight, divine hearing, the ability to know past and future lives, the ability to know the minds of others, and the ability to produce miracles.

One of the five aggregates, they are formative forces concomitant with the production of karmic seeds causing future saṃsāric existence.

These comprise (1) the attainment of the sphere of infinite space, (2) the attainment of the sphere of infinite consciousness, (3) the attainment of the sphere of nothing whatsoever, and (4) the attainment of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception.

The assemblies of monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen.

Four types of absorption related to intention, diligence, attention, and analysis as they manifest on the greater path of accumulation.

The four levels of concentration related to the form realm.

Genuine discrimination with respect to phenomena, meaning, language, and eloquence.

Earth, water, fire, and wind.

Four deities on the base of Mount Sumeru, each the guardian of his direction: Vaiśravaṇa in the north, Dhṛtarāṣṭra in the east, Virūpākṣa in the west, and Virūḍhaka in the south.

The fourfold division of an army into infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots.

Four symbols or personifications of the defects that prevent awakening. These four are devaputramāra (lha’i bu’i bdud), the divine māra, which is the distraction of pleasures; mṛtyumāra (’chi bdag gi bdud), the māra of death; skandhamāra (phung po’i bdud), the māra of the aggregates, which is the body; and kleśamāra (nyon mongs pa’i bdud), the māra of the afflictions.

These are traditionally listed as four: generosity, kind talk, meaningful actions, and practicing what one preaches.

The Buddha’s first teaching, which explains suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path to the cessation of suffering.

A holy site blessed by the presence of sages.

Name of a daughter of Māra.

A past king during the time of the Buddha Śikhin.

A nāga king.

A bodhisattva residing in a buddha realm in the southern direction at the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

An ancient kingdom once located in northwestern India in what is now Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan. It lasted from around the sixth century ʙᴄᴇ to the eleventh century ᴄᴇ and attained its height in the first to fifth centuries under the Buddhist Kushan kings.

A class of semidivine beings sometimes referred to as “heavenly musicians.”

The sacred river of North India.

A class of divine being described as an eagle-type bird with a gigantic wingspan. They were traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they were thought to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth

The family name of the Buddha Śākyamuni, it is often used by those who are not his followers.

The brother of Nadīkāśyapa and Uruvilvākāśyapa. A practitioner of fire offering at Uruvilvā (Bodhgaya), he and his two hundred pupils were converted to the Dharma, becoming bhikṣus (monks) under the Buddha. He and his brothers and their pupils were the third group to become followers of the Buddha Śākyamuni after his awakening. Also known as Mahāgayākāśyapa.

A nāga king.

A nāga king.

A nāga king.

A nāga king.

Name of a mahābrahmā.

A buddha residing in the northern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

A bodhisattva residing in a buddha realm in the western direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

One of the four continents of the human world according to traditional Indian cosmology, it is situated to the west of Mount Sumeru.

A sacred stūpa in Khaṣa, said to have been blessed by several past buddhas.

A river in the land of Khaṣa.

See “four great elements.”

A nāga king.

A nāga king.

A region of unknown location.

A nāga king.

The lowest of the heavenly realms, it is characterized by freedom from difficulty.

The fifth (counting from the lowest) of the six heavens in the desire realm.

The fourth level of the heavens of the realm of desire, it is the last stopping place of a buddha-to-be before his descent and reincarnation on earth; at present it is the abode of the future Buddha Maitreya.

The highest heaven in the desire realm.

The second-lowest heaven of the desire realm located above Mount Meru and reigned over by Indra, otherwise known as Śakra, and thirty-two other gods.

One of the eight hot hells.

One of the eight hot hells.

One of the eight hot hells.

One of the eight hot hells.

One of the eight hot hells.

One of the eight hot hells.

One of the eight hot hells.

Name of a sage.

A nāga king.

Supernormal cognitive powers possessed to different degrees by bodhisattvas and buddhas, they are listed as the five higher perceptions or the six higher perceptions.

The highest heaven of the form realm, where a buddha always receives the anointment of the ultimate wisdom, proceeding there mentally from his seat of awakening under the Bodhi tree.

A nāga king.

A family lineage from which many royal families claimed descent, it is the name of an early royal dynasty in India said to be a solar dynasty. Though there are many versions of how the dynasty received its name, they all relate it to the sugar cane (ikṣu). The Buddha Śākyamuni was considered to be in this family line.

A nāga king.

Literally “lord,” this term is an epithet for the god Śiva, but functions more generally in Buddhist texts as a generalized “supreme being” to whom the creation of the universe is attributed.

A nāga king.

A legendary river carrying the remains of the golden fruit of a legendary rose-apple (jambu) tree.

The name of the southern continent in Buddhist cosmology, which can mean the known world of humans or more specifically the Indian subcontinent. A gigantic, miraculous rose-apple (jambu) tree at the source of the great Indian rivers is said to give the continent its name.

Name of a sage.

Literally, the “Squirrel Feeding Ground.” A location within the Veṇuvana where the Buddha Śākyamuni stayed. The place received its name from the many squirrels living there, being fed by humans. It should be noted that Tibetan translations misunderstand the Sanskrit term kalandaka to be a kind of bird (Tib. bya).

One of the six buddhas who preceded Śākyamuni in this Fortunate Eon.

The capital city of the Śākya kingdom, which is where the Bodhisattva (i.e., Siddhārtha Gautama before his awakening) grew up.

A nāga king.

The northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent.

One of the six buddhas who preceded Śākyamuni in this Fortunate Eon. Also the name of one of the Buddha Śākyamuni’s principal pupils.

Ugly spirits with rotting bodies.

The first monk that the Buddha Śākyamuni recognized as having understood his teachings.

Another name for Indra. Kauśika, Śakra, and Indra all refer to the same god, of central importance in the Vedas, who in Buddhist cosmology is regarded as the king of gods in the realm of desire.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Paltsek (eighth to early ninth century), from the village of Kawa north of Lhasa, was one of Tibet’s preeminent translators. He was one of the first seven Tibetans to be ordained by Śāntarakṣita and is counted as one of Guru Rinpoche’s twenty-five close disciples. In a famous verse by Ngok Lotsawa Loden Sherab, Kawa Paltsek is named along with Chokro Lui Gyaltsen and Zhang (or Nanam) Yeshé Dé as part of a group of translators whose skills were surpassed only by Vairotsana.

He translated works from a wide variety of genres, including sūtra, śāstra, vinaya, and tantra, and was an author himself. Paltsek was also one of the most important editors of the early period, one of nine translators installed by Trisong Detsen (r. 755–797/800) to supervise the translation of the Tripiṭaka and help catalog translated works for the first two of three imperial catalogs, the Denkarma (ldan kar ma) and the Samye Chimpuma (bsam yas mchims phu ma). In the colophons of his works, he is often known as Paltsek Rakṣita (rak+Shi ta).

An alternative name for the ancient kingdom of Khotan which was located on the southern branch of the Silk Road that passed through the Tarim Basin. The kingdom, which was an important oasis and center for trade, existed during the first millennium ᴄᴇ.

A buddha residing in the southern direction at the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

A class of semidivine beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name‍—which means “Is that a human?”‍—suggests some confusion as to their identity.

An ancient kingdom in North India.

One of the six buddhas who preceded Śākyamuni in this Fortunate Eon.

A nāga king.

The second highest of the four classes in the Indian caste system, it is associated with warriors, the aristocracy, and kings.

In this instances, the name of a demon leader. This name generally belongs to Vaiśravaṇa, one of the four great kings.

A class of beings subordinate to the great king of the south, Virūḍhaka. The name is a play on the word āṇḍa, which means “egg” but is a euphemism for testicle, as they are often depicted as having testicles as big as pots (from khumba, or “pot”).

A mountain in Pūrvavideha.

One of the initial levels of realization on the path of the hearers. Depending on classification system it is either the first or the second level (when it is preceded by the Śuklavipaśyanā level).

A holy site blessed by the presence of sages.

A holy site blessed by the presence of sages.

A synonym for ultimate reality.

A nāga.

A nāga prince.

A holy site blessed by the presence of sages.

The largest kingdom of North India during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.

Beings from the third heaven of the realm of form, meaning “great Brahmā.”

Alternate name of Gayākāśyapa, the brother of Nadīkāśyapa and Uruvilvākāśyapa. A practitioner of fire offering at Uruvilvā (Bodhgaya), he and his two hundred pupils were converted to becoming bhikṣus (monks) under the Buddha. He and his brothers and their pupils were the third group to become followers of the Buddha Śākyamuni after his awakening.

A collection of seventeen sūtras on a range of themes, compiled as a separate collection. Today, this collection only exists in Chinese translation, although several of the individual scriptures exist in Sanskrit and in Tibetan translation.

One of the most frequently used names for Śiva. The name is often synonymous with Īśvara, but it is sometimes presented as that of a separate deity.

A class of nonhuman beings shaped like enormous serpents.

The bodhisattva who embodies loving kindness; the next buddha to follow Śākyamuni.

A past buddha under whom Śākyamuni acquired merit along the first through ninth bhūmis, according to the Mahāvastu.

Name of a buddha realm located in the northern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni. Also called Manifestation of All Sounds.

Name of a buddha realm located in the northern direction during the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni. Also called Manifestation of All Perfumes.

A class of beings related to the demon Māra. See also the “four māras.”

An obstacle maker; a personification of evil.

A city in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located approximately fifty kilometers north of Agra.

Alternate name for Mahāmaudgalyāyana, one of the closest disciples of the Buddha Śākyamuni, who was known for his miraculous abilities.

A nāga king.

A mountain in Khaṣa. Gośṛṅga means “cow horn” in Sanskrit and the hill is said to have received this name due to having two pointed peaks.

A mountain located near Mount Sumeru.

In Buddhist cosmology, the sacred mountain at the center of the world.

A buddha realm in the past.

A nāga king.

A nāga king.

A nāga king.

Period of time in ancient India that corresponds to the thirtieth part of a full day.

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

One of the main nāga kings, usually associated with the nāga king Upananda.

A location in Jambudvīpa.

An alternate name for Viṣṇu (khyab ’jug).

A demon leader.

One who has achieved the third level of attainment on the path of the hearers and is free from further rebirth in the desire realm.

A class of supernatural beings that rob the strength of beings.

A nāga king.

One of the major North Indian kingdoms in the Buddha’s time, it was located to the west of the kingdom of Kośala and east of Kuru.

Killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, gossip, covetousness, ill will, and wrong views.

Not engaging in the paths of the ten nonvirtuous actions: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, gossip, covetousness, ill will, and wrong views.

See “six perfections.”

A class of nonhumans said to dwell in impure and perilous places, where they feed on impure things, including flesh.

A nāga king.

A class of sentient beings constantly suffering from hunger and thirst. They also represent one of the six realms of rebirth.

The second heaven in the realm of form. Also called Brahmapariṣadya.

Name of a sage.

A holy site blessed by the presence of sages.

The name of a lunar asterism. Its chief star is known as Beta Geminorum in the occidental tradition.

A holy site blessed by the presence of sages.

One of the four continents of the human world according to traditional Indian cosmology, it is situated to the east of Mount Sumeru.

A class of disease-causing spirits associated with cemeteries and dead bodies.

A bodhisattva residing in a buddha realm in the eastern direction at the time of the Buddha Śākyamuni.