Property:Glossary-BasicMeaning
From Bodhicitta
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The mind or mental attitude that aspires towards enlightenment. +
A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. +
The ethical code or 'vow' taken by a practitioner on the Great Vehicle path. It is a formal commitment to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all living beings, involving the avoidance of selfish actions and the active practice of helping others. Unlike other Buddhist vows, this commitment is maintained across multiple lifetimes until all beings are liberated. +
Brahman is the universal principle, supreme truth or ultimate reality in the Hindu religion considered to be absolute, eternal and blissful. A metaphysical concept, it is described as the single binding unity behind the diversity of all that exists. In Buddhism, while this metaphysical principle is not presented, one finds frequent mention of the deity named Brahmā, who is the personification of this principle. +
A synonym for tathāgatagarbha widely used throughout the East Asian Buddhist traditions, as found in its translations as the Chinese term ''fó xìng'' and Japanese term ''busshō''. +
This refers to a series of five texts that, according to the Tibetan tradition, Asaṅga received directly from Maitreya in the pure realm of Tuṣita. +
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. +
Though it is sometimes used synonymously with Yogācāra, it is in fact one of the more prominent philosophical theories associated with this school. It asserts that the objects in the external world with which we interact are actually mentally created representations appearing as those objects. The character of these perceptions is predetermined by our own karmic conditioning that is stored in the ālayavijñāna. +
A significant spiritual practice of formally requesting or entreating a Buddha or a qualified teacher to share the Dharma. It is part of a series of practices called the Supreme Worship and encourages the flourishing of the Dharma. +
The fundamental expanse from which all phenomena emerge. +
"Truth body" or "true being" — One of the three bodies of a buddha. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, it often refers to a kind of fundamental principle or the true nature of reality itself. +
The true nature of phenomenal existence. +
A state of deep, one-pointed concentration where the mind is stable, calm, and focused on a single object, serving as a foundation for developing wisdom. +
A fundamental component or essential constituent. +
''Analytical meditation'' is a technique involving critical analysis that focuses the mind on a specific contemplation, such as impermanence. +
Dzogchen is an advanced system of meditation techniques to reveal the innate state of perfection primarily, but not exclusively, espoused by the Nyingma Buddhist tradition and the Tibetan Bön tradition. +
The notion that ultimately there is only one vehicle, or means, of achieving enlightenment. +
The Geluk tradition traces its origin to Tsongkhapa, who propagated a modified version of the Kadampa lojong and lamrim teachings. It is the dominant tradition of Tibet, having established its control of the government under the figure of the Dalai Lama. +
Disposition, lineage, or class; an individual's ''gotra'' determines the type of enlightenment one is destined to attain. +
The term ''Great Madhyamaka'' is utilized in different contexts depending on the tradition. In the Jonang tradition, it generally refers to the Zhentong Madhyamaka philosophy as it was developed and systematized by Dölpopa. In this context, the Great Madhyamaka refers to the presentation of ultimate truth, while Madhyamaka describes the emptiness of the relative level of truth. In the Nyingma tradition, Great Madhyamaka refers to the subtle, inner Madhyamaka that unifies the philosophical positions of Nāgārjuna and Asaṅga. This is presented in opposition to the coarse, outer Madhyamaka that is the dialectic approach of Prāsaṅgika and Svātantrika. In the Kagyu tradition, the term is used in a similar vein in that Madhyamaka is used to refer to philosophical inquiry, while Great Madhyamaka is used to refer to the view arrived at through yogic accomplishment. However, in all of these traditions, Great Madhyamaka is heavily associated with buddha-nature (''tathāgatagarbha'') and the definitive status of these teachings. +
