Key Terms/Bīja
From Bodhicitta
बीज bīja
seed
ས་བོན་
sa bon
無漏種
zhongzi
Sanskrit - Noun
Basic Meaning
A seed, commonly used figuratively in the sense of something which has the potential to develop or grow, and likewise as the basic cause for this development or growth.
Has the Sense of
This term can be used in a variety of contexts, though one of the more common usages is related to the Buddhist notion of karma, cause and effect. In this sense, bīja are the seeds of karmic actions, which have the potential to ripen into karmic consequences.
| Term Variations | |
| Key Term | Bīja |
|---|---|
| Topic Variation | bīja |
| Tibetan | ས་བོན་ |
| Wylie Transliteration | sa bon |
| Devanagari Sanskrit | बीज |
| Romanized Sanskrit | bīja |
| Chinese | 無漏種 |
| Chinese Pinyin | zhongzi |
| Japanese Transliteration | shuji |
| Buddha-nature Site Standard English | seed |
| Richard Barron's English Term | potential(ity) |
| Jeffrey Hopkin's English Term | seed |
| Dan Martin's English Term | seed |
| Gyurme Dorje's English Term | seed [of consciousness] |
| Ives Waldo's English Term | seed, germ |
| Term Information | |
| Source Language | Sanskrit |
| Basic Meaning | A seed, commonly used figuratively in the sense of something which has the potential to develop or grow, and likewise as the basic cause for this development or growth. |
| Has the Sense of | This term can be used in a variety of contexts, though one of the more common usages is related to the Buddhist notion of karma, cause and effect. In this sense, bīja are the seeds of karmic actions, which have the potential to ripen into karmic consequences. |
| Term Type | Noun |
| Definitions | |
| Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism | See page 119: In Sanskrit, “seed,” a term used metaphorically in two important contexts: (1) in the theory of karman, an action is said to plant a “seed” or “potentiality” in the mind, where it will reside until it fructifies as a future experience or is destroyed by wisdom; (2) in tantric literature, many deities are said to have a “seed syllable” or seed mantra that is visualized and recited in liturgy and meditation in order to invoke the deity. |
| Rangjung Yeshe Dictionary | 1) seed; germ, seed-corn, corn, grain. 2) potential(ity); seed, 3) seed syllable |
| Other Definitions | Jeffrey Hopkins clarifies: "In the Mind-Only (sems tsam, citta-mātra) school, this is a synonym of bag chags; in the Consequentialist (thal 'gyur, prAsaGgika) school, it is not the same as bag chags." |
