Glossary

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Alaya	'Source consciousness'. Pure, primary awareness untainted by life experiences, judgements, or preconceptions. Called in Zen 'the face you had before your parents were born'.
Ananda	The historical Buddha's brother and one of his chief disciples, responsible for organization and discipline. Comes through in some of the stories about him as being something of a prig who thinks the teaching is a set of rules rather than a way of life.
Anatta	Literally, 'no-self'. This Buddhist doctrine holds that what we call our 'self' is just a convenient name for bundling certain phenomena, in the same way that the word 'crowd' can refer to the spectators of a football game while the game is on, but loses its usefulness for describing them when the game is over. One very important implication is that all the effort we spend on defining, defending, and extending the boundaries of the 'self' is a complete waste of time (and of course the cause of a lot of unhappiness.)
Aperture of Brahma	The energy spot at the top of the head (also known as the seventh chakra). Gateway for energy of higher consciousness
Bardo	The intermediate state between death and rebirth in the Tibetan world-view. Tibetans believe that this state, which bears some similarities to a dream, is an opportunity to let go of the previous life and learn its lessons, as well as to orient the soul towards a suitable future birth. The main thing to be avoided, just as in life, is letting the spirit lose awareness and get sucked into compulsive habitual patterns (perhaps leading, for instance, to an animal rebirth.) The classic guide to the Bardo is the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which in Tibetan culture is generally read to the dying person just before and also after death.
Bodhi	Clarity, enlightenment
Bodhicitta	'Enlightened Mind' or 'Enlightened Heart'. Another way of viewing the world than our normal limited and self-centered one. Divided into: Relative Bodhicitta, universal compassion and kinship with all sentient beings Absolute Bodhicitta, the direct perception of the falsity of our usual limited and conditioned world-view and of the pure unbounded nature beyond those limited concepts.
Bodhidharma	Semi-legendary figure who bought Buddhism from India to China in the seventh century. Eccentric, totally dedicated, and fierce; the subject of many legends. Also reputed to be the originator of the Shaolin Temple, the Chinese martial arts, and some of the subtle energetic healing practices for which China is famous.
Bodhisattva	One who is committed to the enlightenment of others before his or her own. This is not as unselfish as it seems, for no-one can be enlightened who does not see others as perfect also.
Buddha	The founder of Buddhism, born a prince in Bengal, India in the sixth century B.C. Realized the futility of the life he was leading, left his wife, son and kingdom and went into the forest to meditate. Realized the true nature of reality, and despite his initial misgivings that his understanding would be impossible to pass on, came back to teach for over fifty years.
buddhadharma	The teaching of the Buddha.
Buddhahood	Total awareness of the nature of things as they are.
Chekawa	The author of the basic text on the Seven Points of Mind Training. He saw a fellow monk's book open at the words: Gain and Victory for others, Loss and Defeat for Oneself. He was so intrigued by this teaching that he sought out a teacher in the lineage of the author of that text (who was already dead), and studied with him for twelve years. He lived with lepers, taught them these practices, and cured many of them. It is said that on his death-bed he asked his disciples to pray that he be re-born in the hell-realms so that he could help the beings there: he wept tears of sorrow when he had a dream that night that revealed that he would instead go to the Pure Land of the great Buddhist masters.
Circumambulation	Walking around a sacred shrine as a spiritual practice.
Deva(s)	Gods, goddesses, nature-spirits.
Dharmapalas	'Protectors of the Dharma'. Wrathful deities, often depicted as wielding swords, whirling skulls, drinking blood, dancing in flames, and having sex with beautiful women. They ruthlessly cut away all confusion and illusion and also embody the divinity of all parts of our nature.
Dharma	The way, the truth. Buddhist teaching.
Dharmapalas	Protective deities, or wrathful deities, who protect the dharma and cut through negativity and hypocrisy. Often portrayed with numerous heads and arms, drinking blood, having sex with beautiful women or men, etc. Developments of the gods and spirits of the pre-Buddhist Böm religion.
dharmas	Either: a. Teachings or b. Ways of being
Dharmic	Relating to the Dharma
dharmakaya
Dr. Seuss	Author of instructive and humorous illustrated children's books such as 'The Cat in the Hat' and 'The Grinch Who Stole Christmas'.
Eternalism
Gampo Abbey	Remote monastery in Nova Scotia in the tradition of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Pema Chödrön is its spiritual director.
Gautam Buddha	The founder of Buddhism, born a prince in Bengal, India in the sixth century B.C. Realized the futility of the life he was leading, left his wife, son and kingdom and went into the forest to meditate. Realized the true nature of reality, and despite his initial misgivings that his understanding would be impossible to pass on, came back to teach for over fifty years.
Gurdjeff	Famous and eccentric Russian spiritual teacher active in the early part of this century who would pressure his students to go beyond their self-imposed limits by many methods, including apparent inconsistency and irrationality.
Hinayana	'Lesser vehicle'. Name given to the earlier schools of Buddhism that emphasized the achievement of enlightenment through one's own effort in meditation. Then name was bestowed bhe sixth century B.C. Realized the futility of the life he was leading, left his wife, son and kingdom and went into the forest to meditate. Realized the true nature of reality, and despite his initial misgivings that his understanding would be impossible to pass on, came back to teach for over fifty years.
buddhadharma	The teaching of the Buddha.
Buddhahood	Total awareness of the natureism.
Kagyu	One of the primary lineages of Tibetan Buddhism, characterized by a 'whispered transmission' of oral instructions passed on by a master to his student. Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa, and Milarepa are the first four teachers in this lineage.
Karma	The impact of your past imprinting on your present and your future.
Kayas
Kleshas	Emotions that defile or confuse, such as anger, fear, and resentment.
Kundalini	Hindu term for life force supposed to reside in the spine.
Lao Tzu	Semi-legendary Taoist sage who (reluctantly) authored the Tao Te Ching (the classic text of Taoism) because a customs official refused to let him cross the border into the mountains where he wished to seclude himself until he has written down his knowledge.
Lojong	Mind training - the mental discipline of the fifty-nine proverbs that are associated with the tonglen (taking and sending) practice and help to keep the practice on track and in balance. A particular way of looking at the world with total acceptance and joy.
Madhyamaka
Mahayana	'Great Vehicle', in which one does not distinguish between self and other, and so does not try to achieve liberation for one's own sake alone but either: Strives to help all sentient beings liberate themselves or Holds the view that they are already liberated, so that any fault we may see in them is due to our own faulty perception.
Maitri	Universal loving-kindness.
Mara	God of, or embodiment of, illusion. By illusion is meant: taking the commonly-accepted constructs, lies, and simplifications we all live by as ultimate truth.
Maras	Demons of illusion
Milarepa	Famous Tibetan yogi of the 11th century who was born in extreme poverty and, at his mother's urging, studied black magic and used it to take revenge on his aunt and uncle who had stolen the family's possessions. The extreme remorse and fear of the karmic effects of what he had done led him to study the Dharma with several teachers of whom only one, Marpa, was able to get through to him, and that only by using seemingly irrational cruelty and hardness of heart toward his disciple. Marpa denied him instruction and initiation, and forced him to build several towers out of stone, single-handed. As soon as a tower was nearing completion Marpa would find some trivial fault with it, or simply change his mind, and make Milarepa tear it down and start over. Eventually Marpa relented and gave him instruction. He meditated under Marpa's guidance for a number of years, then returned home to see if his mother was still alive. She had passed away, the family home was in ruins, and his sister was a wandering beggar. There followed a period in which he meditated with periodic visits from the aunt and uncle who had taken his possessions, his sister, and the girl to whom he had been betrothed. Slowly these relationships were resolved through renunciation and forgiveness on both sides, and Milarepa took a vow to meditate intensely in total isolation until he either achieved total realization or died. Milarepa meditated for years without any apparent result at all, during which time his skin turned green from the nettles that were for a long time his only food. He finally achieved total enlightenment. Among his many disciples was Gampopa, the founder of the most prominent school of modern Tibetan Buddhism. See 'The Life of Milarepa', translated by Lopsang P. Lalungpa, and 'The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa', translated by Garma C.C. Chang.
Neti Neti	Sankrit term meaning 'Neither...Nor.' The experience of actual reality that arises when the mind ceases its habitual tendencies to judge, categorize, distinguish, and divide.
Nihilism	Tibetan theological term. Very roughly, the Tibetans believe that the things we believe exist are not real in the way we think they are, but are the result of the categorizing and interpretation of our minds. This position falls between two extreme positions of Nihilism, which holds that nothing exists at all and everything is imaginary, and Eternalism, which holds that things are just as solid as we naively think they are.
nirmanakaya
nonduality	Reality beyond distinction of right and wrong, self and other, sacred and profane. Same as 'Neti, Neti'
Patanjali	Hindu sage. Author of classic treatise on meditation and spiritual practice that is at the root of the Hindu Yoga tradition.
Patrul Rinpoche	19th century Tibetan sage known for his eccentricity as well as his wisdom.
Phowa	'Ejection of consciousness'. Tibetan practice of letting go of the present body at the moment of death.
Pranayama	Yoga breath control practice.
prostrations	Tibetan Buddhists have a practice called 'ngondro' (pronounced 'nudro') in which the practioner makes 100,000 sacred diagrams (mandalas), recites 100,000 sacred mantras, and does 100,000 prostrations. When doing prostations, the practitioner touches the crown of the head, the 'third eye', and the throat (standing for body, speech, and mind), lies down full-length on the floor, then comes back to a standing position and starts over. Most Tibetan Buddhists also prostrate three times on entering any sacred space such as a temple of shrine, to show respect and let go of mundane concerns.
reify	Literally 'turn into a thing'. Create a pigeonhole for an experience by giving it a name.
sabbodhi	'Awareness of truth'. Seeing things as they are.
Sadhanas	Spiritual practices.
Samadhi	Word for enlightenment in the Hindu tradition. Also means something like 'trance': sometimes has the implication of being disconnected from everyday reality or even spaced out.
sambhogakaya
Samsara/ Samsaric	Cyclic nature of action and reaction. State of mind in which there is no freedom: all action comes out of habitual tendencies.
Sangha	Community of Buddhist practitioners who support each other's practice.
Sechibuwa	Author of an ancient and insightfuen betrothed. Slowly these relationships were resolved through renunciation and forgiveness on both sides, and Milarepa took a vow to meditate intensely in total isolation until he either achieved total realization or died. Milarepa meditated for years without any apparent result at all, during which time his skin turned green from the nettles that were for a long time his only food. He finally achieved total enlightenment. Among his many disciples was Gampopa, the founder of the most prominent schooltideva	Author of the 'Guide to a Bodhisattva's Way of Life'. Extensively quoted in Alan Wallace's 'A Passage from Solitude'.
shunyata	Literally, 'emptiness'. Perhaps better translated as 'freedom from limitation'.
siddha	Practitioner who has advanced far enough to have certain spiritual powers.
sutra	Buddhist or Hindu holy text. Sometimes meaning a basic text, as opposed to 'Tantra', advanced text.
Suzuki Roshi	Famous Zen teacher - first one to bring Zen Buddhism from Japan to the West. Author of the classic 'Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind'
swabhavakaya
svabhavikaya
Tantra
Tantric
Theravada	School of Buddhism, now mainly represented in South-East Asia, that particularly emphasizes self-cultivation and awareness through such meditation practices as watching the breath (as opposed to later schools in which much more weight is given to compasssion and relationship to other beings (Mahayana) or deity visualization and embodiment practices (Vajrayana)
tonglen	Literally, 'sending and taking'. The fundamental practice of Mind Training, in which the practitioner takes in all the world's sorrow on the in-breath and sends it all his joy on the out-breath.
Tsang-tsen	One of the protective deities in the Nyingma tradition, who has the reputation of being extremely easily irritated.
Vajrayana
Yidam
Yoga	Sanskrit word meaning 'Union, unity'. Generally used in these commentaries to refer to any kind of method used for ends of spiritual development.

Nyon-Yi

sabbodhi

sambhogakaya

Samsara/Samsaric

sutra

Yidam

Yoga

Samsara/
Samsaric