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© Victor & Victoria Trimondi
The
Shadow of the Dalai Lama – Glossary
Glossary
of some Tantric Terms
The Sanskrit terms are written without
diacritical marks.
Literal translations appear in quotation
marks.
abhisheka – „annointing“ – a form of consecration,
often involving sprinkling, that transforms an heir apparent into a royal
sovereign, or a novice into a monk or member of a religious order. In Tantra, abhisheka qualifies a
person to initiate or consecrate others.
acarya – “teacher, preceptor” – a guru or
instructor of sacred or secret teachings.
advaita – “nondualism” – the philosophical
position that all is One
ahimsa – “noninjury”
– doctrine of noninjury or non-violence
ajna – name of the sixth of the
seven charkas of the yogic body. It is at the level of the ajna that the three principle subtle channels come
together in a plait between the eyebrows. See also chakra and nadi
Amitabha - Amitabha is the most commonly used name
for the Buddha of Infinite Light and Infinite Life. A transhistorical Buddha venerated by all Mahayana schools and,
particularly, Pure Land. Presides over the Western Pure Land (Land of
Ultimate Bliss), where anyone can be reborn through utterly sincere
recitation of His name, particularly at the time of death.
Anuttarayoga Tantra – “Tantra of
Supreme Yoga” – one of the four classes of Buddhist Tantric texts, sects,
and teachings
arhat - a Buddhist saint who has attained liberation from the cycle of
Birth and Death, generally through living
a
monastic life in accordance with the Buddhas'
teachings.
arya - any individual ennobled by
his/her own continuing effort on the path to enlightenment.
asana – “seated position” – yogic posture in which a practitioner holds
himself immobile while practicing breath control and various types of
meditation.
asura - titanic demons, enemies of
the gods.
Avalokitesvara - The name is a compound of Ishwara,
meaning Lord, and avalokita, looked upon or seen,
and is usually translated as the Lord Who Observes (the cries of the
world); the Buddhist embodiment of compassion as formulated in the Mahayana
Dharma.
atman – the individual self or soul
avadhuti – in Tantric Buddhist mapping of the yogic body, the female energy
that rises up from the lower abdomen to the heart or cranial vault, where
it melts or is merged with the subtle male principle. See also candali.
bardo (Tibetan) – “liminal passage, intermediate state” – the state of
consciousness in the course of migration between death and rebirth. A stage
varying from seven to forty-nine days, after
which the Karmic body from previous lives will certainly be reborn.
bija – “seed” – the seminal essence
of a sacred utterance or formula, usually monosyllabic, which constitutes
the energy of the deity it acoustically embodies. See also mantra.
bhiksu - Religious mendicant; Buddhist fully
ordained monk. Bhiksuni is the equivalent term
designating a woman.
bodhi – “enlightenment” – perfect
knowledge or wisdom by which a person becomes a Buddha.
bodhicitta – “thought of enlightenment” –
the mental state in which an individual takes the decision to become an
enlightened being. In Buddhist Tantra the inner
energy of fluid that flows through the practitioner’s charkas following the
internal union of female Wisdom (prajna) and male
Skill in Means (upaya).
bodhisattva – “One
who possesses the essence of enlightenment” – a deified saviour figure, a
fully enlightened being who remains in the world in order to release other
creatures from suffering existence.
buddha – “enlightened being”
candali – “female outcast” – the
Tantric consort; also the subtle body, the “red element”, female energy
that rises up from the lower abdomen to melt the male “white element” in
the cranial vault. See also avadhuti.
Carya Tantra – “Tantra of
Observance” – one of the four classes of Buddhist Tantric texts, sects and
teachings.
chakra – “circle, wheel” – one of the usually seven energy centres aligned
along the spinal column of the yogic body.
chakravala - the nine chakravala
or concentric mountain ranges or continents, separated by eight seas, of a
universe.
chakravartin – “wheel-turner” – an universal emperor and protector of Buddhism
cintamani - a talismanic pearl, a symbol
of bestowing fortune and capable of fulfilling every wish.
citta - mind or heart. the two terms being synonymous in Asian religious
philosophy.
dakini – one of a group of powerful female beings, possessed by the power
of flight, who mediate between the worlds of the buddhas,
the demonic, and the human in Tantric ritual and meditative practice. A
woman embodying enlightened wisdom.
chöd yul –
“The object
that is to be cut off” – system of dramatic shamanic practices that effect
the severing or cutting off of demons as a means to annihilating the ego
that otherwise keeps one trapped in suffering existence.
damaru – hourglass-shaped two-headed “schaman’s drum” carried and played by Tantric deities
and practitioners.
deva – “shining one” – a celestial
deity who is nevertheless “un-liberated”.
dharini - extended mantra used in esoteric branch of
Buddhism to focus and expand the mind. Its words, or sounds, should not
communicate any recognizable meaning.
dharma – the teachings of the Buddha; the law, doctrine, or ethical
precepts of Buddhism; an underlying cosmic principle taught by the Buddha;
constituent element of reality; a phenomenon. The complex of religious and
social obligations that a devout s required to fulfil; right action, duty,
morality, virtue
dharmadhatu – the absolute reality experienced in enlightenment
dharmakaya – “body of teaching” – in
Mahayana and later forms of Buddhism, the third and most exalted of the
three bodies of the Buddha, composed of Buddha’s teachings. Tantric
Buddhism knows of a fourth, called the diamond body (see also vajrakaya).
dhatu – the space or sphere of absolute reality itself
dhyana – ritual visualisation, inner
vision, yogic meditation; instructions for visualizing a Tantric deity.
dorje – see: vajra
guru – a
religious percept or teacher, often the person from whom one receives
initiation or consecration.
hatha yoga – body of yogic practice that
combines posture, breath control, seals, and locks as a means to bodily
immortality and supernatural power.
ida – mapping of the yogic body,
the major subtle channel identified with the moon that runs the length of
the spinal column, to the left of the medial channel. See also nadi.
inana – “gnosis” – supreme knowledge;
the highest form of knowledge, which affords liberation from suffering
existence.
kalpa – sacred precept, law, ritual, or ordinance;
an eon, a fantastically long period of time.
kama –
desire and sexuality used as a means to liberation or transcendence of the
human condition
karma - volition, volitional or intentional activity. Karma is always
followed by its fruit, Vipaka. Karma and Vipaka are oftentimes referred to as the law of
causality, a cardinal concern in the Teaching of the Buddha.
Kriya Tantra –“Action Tantra”
– one of the four classes of Buddhist Tantric texts, sects and teachings.
kshatriya - the second of the four Hindu Castes at the
time of Shakyamuni, they were the royal caste,
the noble landlord, the warriors and the ruling castes.
maharaja - a great or superior king.
kundalini – “She who is coiled”; the
female energy that lies coiled at the base of the yogic body. Through
combined techniques, the Kundalini is “awakened”
and made to rise through the charkas to the cranial vault. See also: shakti.
lama – a Tantric teacher or Guru in
Tibetan Buddhism
linga – the male sexual organ. See
also yoni.
mahamudra – “great seal” – gnosis
realizing the mind’s own emptiness in a non-dual, androgynous fashion. The
“inner woman” as part of the yogic body. The ultimate nature of mind; an
instantaneous practice for purifying the mind.
mahasiddha – “great perfect being” –
“great sorcerer” – a highly perfected and accomplished mystic; one of a
legendary class of demigods or superhuman Tantric practitioners who
propagated Tantra throughout South Asia and
Tibet.
mani - a jewel, gem, precious stone;
especially a pearl bead or other globular ornament.
maithuna – “Pairing, coupling” – sexual intercourse as a means of
liberation, gnosis and transcendence of the human condition; the fifth and
ultimate Tantric “sacrament”; an iconic representation of a pair engaging
in sexual intercourse. See also yab-yum.
mandala – “circle” – an idealized
circular model of the cosmos, with the source of cosmic or temporal power
located at the centre, and deities or beings representing lesser powers or
energies radiating outward toward the periphery, the limits of the system.
In Tantric practice, Mandalas are often employed
as visual meditation support.
mantra – “mental device, instrument oft thought”
– an acoustic formula whose sound shape embodies the energy-level of a
deity; a spell, incantation or charm employed in Tantric ritual or sorcery.
Chants, magical formulae.
maya – “That which is measured out; cosmic illusion”
Meru - the central mountain of every universe.
mudra – “seal” – a symbolic gesture of the body
with ritual meanings. In Buddhist Tantra mudra is on of the terms used
for a male practitioner’s female consort.
nadi – one of an elaborate network
of 72.000 subtle ducts of the yogic body through which breath and energy
are channelled.
nirmanakaya – “form body” – the first of
the three bodies of the Buddha, the physical form in which the historical
Buddha appeared to the world.
nirvana –
“extinction” – the soteriological goal of
Buddhism; the final cessation of rebirth into suffering existence.
pingala – mapping of the yogic body,
the major subtle channel identified with the un that runs the length of the
spinal column, to the right of the medial channel. See also nadi.
pitha – “bench, footstool” – a
pilgrimage site and power place identified with a goddess and her male
consort.
prajna – “wisdom” – insight into the true nature in reality; a Tantric
practitioner‘s female consort . The prajna becomes deified as a Buddhist goddess with a bipolar relationship to the
male upaya (“skill”) represented by a god, a buddha or a bodhisattva.
prajna-paramita – “perfection of wisdom” – the
female embodiment of wisdom. Prajna-paramita
becomes deified as a Buddhist goddess, also considered to be the “mother of
all buddhas”.
prana – “breath” – the breath of
life; one of the multiple breaths or energies that, flowing through the nadis, vitalizes and is the active element in the
transformation of the yogic body.
pratyekabuddha – a Buddha who loves a solitary
existence and realizes nirvana for himself alone.
puja –“honouring, veneration”; the
body of practices that comprise the worship of a deity.
rainbow body
(Tibet. ja’lus) – supernatural body attained
through Tantric techniques by means of which the practitioner is able to
disappear into another dimension.
rasa –
“juice, flavor’ – an essential fluid of yogic,
alchemical or Tantric practice. The semen feminile.
sadhaka – a Tantric practitioner
sadhana – Tantric practice
shakti – “energy” – the energy of a deity personified as his female
consort
samadhi – total yogic integration; ecstatic consciousness
samatha – “tranquil abiding,
quiescence” – a Buddhist form of meditation.
samaya – “coming together” –
conventional rule or practice; sacrament.
sambhogakaya – “body of shared enjoyment” –
the second of the Buddha’s three bodies, in which he preaches to the
assembled bodhisattvas.
samsara – “flowing together” – the
cycle of transmigration; suffering existence, phenomenal reality.
sangha – “assembly” – Buddhist society, comprised of monks, nuns, laymen
and laywomen
siddha – “perfected being”- a Tantric practitioner who has realized
embodied liberation. The siddhas also form a
class of demigods who inhabit the atmospheric regions.
siddhi – “perfection” – one of the
many supernatural powers possessed by siddhas as
a result of their practice, their sadhana.
Included among the siddhis are the power of
flight, invisibility, the power of attraction and the power to realize
one’s every desire.
shravaka – “auditor” – a person who
attains emancipation by listening a buddha.
stupa – a funerary monument in the
shape of a dome or pyramid, containing a relic of a Buddha or some other
objects of veneration; a meditation support symbolizing the formless body
of the Buddha and the essential structure of the cosmos.
shunyata – “emptiness” – the principle
that all objects of the senses, mental concepts, and categories are void of
self-existence.
susumna – mapping of the yogic body;
the major subtle channel identified with fire, which runs down through the
centre of the spinal column. See also nadi.
tathatgata - “one who comes thus” – an
epithet of the Buddha or of one the five celestial buddhas
terma – “treasure” – indigenous Tibetan Budhist collections of works, mainly containing
instructions for special forms of Tantric practice. They are brought to
light by treasure-discoverer specialists, either in the form of hidden
manuscripts or of visionary revelations with no physical substrate.
torma – conical flour and butter cones used as
ritual offerings to a person’s enlightened beings and protectors.
tulku – “the form body of a Buddha” –
the recognized reincarnation of a past Buddha master.
upaya – “skill in means” – array of
expedient devices employed by bodhisattvas to enlighten beings trapped in
suffering existence. Upaya becomes deified as the
male member of a bipolar relationship – with the female prajna
(“wisdom”).
vajra – (Tibetan dorje)
– “Thunderbolt, diamond, penis” – adamantine symbol of strength,
immovability, and transcendent nature of the state aimed at by Tantric
practitioners; name of an implement used in Tantric ritual.
vajrakaya – “diamond body”
vajrayoga – “adamantine union” – the
fusion of wisdom realizing emptiness and compassion, which spontaneously
manifests appearances in order to guide living beings to freedom from samsara.
vidya – “esoteric knowledge, wisdom”
– wisdom personified as a goddess. Vidya is one
of the terms used for a male practitioner’s female consort.
yab-yum (Tibetan) – “father-mother” –
term used to describe deities in sexual union.
yantra – “instrument of restraint; machine” – one of a group of
instruments, including diagrams, amulets, and alchemical apparatus, used by
a Tantric practitioners to control or subdue his own mind, demonic beings,
or elements of the phenomenal world.
yidam – “vow, oath, covenant” – a
tutelary deity.
Yoga
Tantra – “Tantra of
Yoga” – one of the four classes of Buddhist Tantric texts, sects and
teachings.
yogin – a male practitioner of yoga.
yogini – one of a class of powerful,
fierce and often sexually alluring female demigods and human sorceresses
who imitate or are identified with them; a female Tantric practitioner.
yoni – the female sexual organ,
womb.
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