The Heart of Unconditional Love
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exoteric Buddhism. See Sutra.
five paths. The fivefold path of Mahayana training. (1) The path of accumulation (Tib. tsoglam, tshogs lam; Skt. sambhara-marga), (2) the path of joining/application (Tib. jorlam, sbyor lam; Skt. prajoya-marga), (3) the path of insight (Tib. thonglam, mthong lam; Skt. darshana-marga ), (4) the path of meditation (Tib. gomlam, bsgom lam; Skt. bhavana-marga), and (5) the path of no-more-training (Tib. miloplam, mi slob lam; Skt. ashaiksha-marga ).
Five Perfections. The first five of the Six Perfections: generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, and contemplation. Progressing in these five will help the practitioner to reach the sixth perfection, wisdom.
five wisdoms of Buddhahood. (1) Ultimate wisdom (Tib. chöying yeshe, ch’os dbying ye shes; Skt. dharmadhatu-jnana); (2) mirror-like wisdom (Tib. melong, me long ye shes; Skt. adarsha-jnana); (3) wisdom of equality (Tib. nyam-nyi, mnyam nyid ye shes; Skt. shamata-jnana); (4) discriminative (or discerning; all-knowing) wisdom (Tib. sortog, sor rtog ye shes; Skt. pratyavekshana-jnana); and all-accomplishing wisdom (Tib. jadrup, bya grub ye shes, Skt. krityanushthana-jnana). See also wisdom.
fivefold wisdoms. See five wisdoms of Buddhahood.
four boundless attitudes (Tib. tsemepa zhi, tshad med pa bzhi; Skt. chaturaprameya; “four immeasurables”). The following four attitudes are each accompanied by the wish that beings become enlightened: (1) loving-kindness (Tib. jampa, byams pa; Skt. maitri), (2) compassion (Tib. nyingje, snying rje; Skt. karuna), (3) sympathetic joy (Tib. gawa, dga’ ba; Skt. mudita), and (4) equanimity (Tib. tang-nyom, btang snyoms; Skt. upeksha). See also four virtuous attitudes.
four causes of taking rebirth in the pure land. (1) Thinking about the details of the Pure Land, (2) making merits, (3) developing bodhichitta, the aspiration “May all take rebirth in the Pure Land,” and (4) dedicating all the merits that you have to all beings, as the seed for them to take rebirth in the Pure Land, and making aspiration prayers for this.
four virtuous attitudes (Tib. tsangpe nepa zhi, tshangs pa’i gnas pa bzhi; Skt. brahmavihara, “divine attitude”). Thoughts of (1) loving-kindness (wishing joy to all beings), (2) compassion (wishing that all beings should be free from suf-fering), (3) sympathetic joy (rejoicing in the happiness of others), and (4) equanimity (wishing well toward all beings equally). In this training, one does not wish for both beings’ happiness and their full enlightenment; compare the entry for “four boundless attitudes.”
fourfold enlightened bodies. The four bodies (Skt. kayas) of Buddhahood: (1) ultimate essence: emptiness, the primordial purity (Tib. ngowo nyi ku, ngo bo nyid sku; Skt. svabhavikakaya); (2) ultimate body (Tib. chökyi ku, chos kyi sku; Skt. dharmakaya); (3) enjoyment body (Tib. longchö dzog ku, longs spyod rdzogs sku; Skt. sambhogakaya); (4) emanated body (Tib. trulpe ku, sprul pa’i sku; Skt. nirmanakaya). See also three bodies.
grasping at “self” (Tib. dagdzin, bdag ’dzin; Skt. atmagriha). Getting attached to or becoming possessive about any mental object, in ourselves or others. When we see a mental object as if it were a truly existing entity, we are grasping at it. As our minds tighten the grip of this grasping, we suffer. Thus, grasping at “self” is the root of afflicting emotions. See also dualistic concepts.
Hayagriva (Skt.; Tib. Tamdrim, rta mgrin). A wrathful form of Avalokiteshvara. He is usually depicted as red, with a horse’s head protruding from his head.
interdependent arising (Tib. tendrel, rten ’brel; Skt. pratitya-samutpada). Also translated as interdependent causation, dependent origination, dependent coarising, and codependent origination. According to Buddhism, mental states and physical phenomena do not develop or function independently, by chance, or by virtue of some higher power, but rather through the interdependence of causes and conditions. When we realize the ultimate nature and attain enlightenment, we relinquish our ignorance and in so doing we stop the wheel of the “twelve links of interdependent arising”: ignorance (unenlightened state), formation, consciousness, name and form, the six sense faculties, contact, feeling, craving, clinging, becoming, birth, and old age and death.
karma (Skt.). The natural law of causation. A habitual pattern sown in our mind stream by our thoughts, words, and deeds. Our karmic patterns determine the kind of life experiences we will have, now and in the future. The word also sometimes means simply a deed or action.
Kuan Yin (Chinese, Guanyin; Japanese, Kannon). The bodhisattva or Buddha of Compassion or Loving-Kindness, in female form.
loving-kindness (Tib. jampa, byams pa; Skt. maitri; Pali, metta). The thought of wishing joy for all beings, or the vow of bringing joy to all. A related term, bodhichitta, is the vow to bring Buddhahood to all. In this book, we are meditating on loving-kindness and the development of bodhichitta together—taking the vow of bringing both happiness and enlightenment to all beings.
loving-kindness free from concepts (Tib. migpa mepe jampa, dmigs pa med pa’i byams pa). Unconditional love purified of concepts, emotions, and sensations. The highest stage of loving-kindness training, which is the perfection of loving-kindness and compassion.
Madhyamaka (Skt.; Tib. wuma, dbu ma). The Middle Way, a Mahayana philosophical school founded by Nagarjuna. Following the Middle Way entails not adhering to extreme views, such as eternalism and nihilism.
Mahamudra (Skt., “Great Seal”). Meditation practices of the highest sutric and tantric teachings.
Mahayana (Skt.). The Great Vehicle. One of the three major divisions of Buddhism, and the type practiced in Tibetan Buddhism. In the Mahayana, the trainings that lead to enlightenment are called the ten stages and five paths.
mala (Skt.). Rosary or prayer beads used in mantra practice or recitation.
mandala (Skt.; Tib. kyil khor, dkyil ’khor ). (1) An assembly of many deities. (2) A circle of deities. (3) An altar for esoteric rites. (4) A symbol or diagram of the Buddha Pure Land.
manifested pure land. See pure land.
mantra (Skt.; Tib. ngak, sngags). Sacred syllables, sounds, and expressions with esoteric meaning and power as taught in Tantra. Mantras are used as extraordinary prayers to invoke the Buddhas, expressions of mystical energies, and manifestations of esoteric power itself. See also OM MA-NI PAD-ME HUNG.
mara (Skt.). A demonic or evil figure.
meditative absorption (Skt. dhyana). There are four main meditative absorptions (Tib. samten zhi, bsam gtan bzhi; Skt. chatvari dhyanasamapatti). In the first absorption, you focus your mind pointedly and settle with both concepts and discernment (Tib. rtog pa and dpyod pa); in the second absorption with delight (Tib. dga’ ba); in the third absorption with bliss (Tib. bde ba); and in the fourth with equanimity (Tib. btang snyoms).
merit (Tib. sönam, bsod nams; Skt punya). The positive effect of practicing virtuous thoughts and deeds. Accumulating merits (Tib. tsog sag, tshogs bsags) involves skillful means such as practicing virtuous thoughts, generosity, moral discipline, tolerance, diligence, patience, and contemplation. It also includes devotion, prayers, and loving-kindness with concepts. Merit making is one of the two accumulations. See two accumulations.
mindstream. The continuous flow of moments of consciousness.
mother-beings. All sentient beings. Every being, even the smallest insect, has in one lifetime or another been our mother. We are therefore taught to regard all mother-beings with loving compassion.
nectar of light. Blessing nectar whose true nature is wisdom-light. Nectar of lights is inseparable from the Buddha and his Pure Land since all are wisdom-light in their true nature. See also wisdom-light.
Nirmanakaya (Skt.; Tib. tulku, sprul sku) See three bodies; tulku.
nirvana (Skt.; Tib. nyangen le depa, mya ngan las ’das pa). The cessation of sorrow and cyclic existence, samsara. Through spiritual training we attain the cessation of ignorance and afflicting emotions and experience everlasting peace and joy. In Mahayana teachings, however, nirvana is not the fully enlightened state of Buddhahood, which transcends both the suffering of samsara and the mere peace of nirvana.
obscurations, two (Tib. dribnyi, sgrib gnyis; Skt, divi-avarana). Emotional obscurations (Tib. nyöndrib, nyon sgrib; Skt. kleshavarana) and intellectual obscurations (obscurations of dualistic concepts, Tib. shedrib, shes sgrib; Skt. jnanavarana).
OM MA-NI PAD-ME HUNG. The mantra of the Buddha of Loving-Kindness, the most popular mantra in Tibetan Buddhism, sometimes referred to as the Six-Syllable Mantra (or Prayer). The last syllable, hum, is pronounced by Tibetans as hung (hoong). People from Central Tibet often pronounce padme as peme. See also Six-Syllable Mantra.
openness. In this book, “openness” mostly refers to emptiness (Skt. shunyata; Tib. tongpa nyi, stong pa nyid). The word “openness” might convey the meaning of tongpa nyi better for many readers than its common, literal translation, “emptiness.” However, I sometimes use “openness” to convey the feeling of an open heart. So not all the instances of “openness” in this book are the technical translation of tongpa nyi. When citing lines of texts, however, I tried to stick with the literal term, “emptiness.” See also emptiness.
perfection stages. See development and perfection stages.
pure land (Tib. zhingkham, zhing khams; Skt. buddhakshetra, “Buddha-field”). A world or paradise of everlasting peace and joy, an abode of the Buddhas and enlightened ones. The absolute pure land is the state of Dharmakaya and Sam-bhogakaya, the true Buddhahood and Buddha Pure Land that can be perceived only by the enlightened ones. Then there are infinite Nirmanakaya pure lands, worlds of peace and joy, manifested by the Buddhas in various forms so that fortunate beings can enjoy them. After taking rebirth in a Nirmanakaya Pure Land, the attainment of Buddhahood will be certain. See also Blissful Pure Land.
refuge. Going for refuge means taking protection in or guidance of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
relative truth. See two truths.
Sambhogakaya (Skt.; Tib. long-ku, longs sku). See three bodies.
samsara (Skt.; Tib. khorba, ’khor ba ). The six realms of cyclic existence, in which beings endlessly live, die, and take rebirth in higher and lower realms, depending on their karma. Samsara is a synonym for our mundane world.
sending and receiving. See tonglen.
Sevenfold Vairochana Posture. (1) Sit with crossed legs (also known as lotus posture); (2) rest hands in the lap, right palm on top of left palm, facing up; (3) spine held up straight; (4) shoulders spread; (5) head and chin are slightly lowered; 6) tip of the tongue touching the upper palate; and (7) eyes gazing past the tip of the nose. The important thing in all postures is sitting straight. When your spine is straight, the channels, arteries, and veins will be straight. When these are straight, the breathing will be balanced. When the breathing is normal, mind functions more calmly and clearly.
Shakyamuni Buddha. The historical Buddha of this world age, whose epithet means “Sage of the Shakya clan.” He lived around the fifth century b.c.e.
Six Perfections (Skt. paramita, “perfection”). The path of the bodhisattva includes training in and perfecting six virtues: generosity (or giving), discipline (or moral conduct), patience, diligence, contemplation, and wisdom. The first five perfections are the accumulation of merits. The sixth perfection is the accumulation of wisdom.
Six-Syllable Prayer. The prayer or mantra of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of Loving-Kindness: om ma-ni pad-me hum. The last syllable is pronounced hung (hoong) by Tibetans. In the terma tradition, the heart-seed syllable of Avalokiteshvara (hri) is added at the end, making it a prayer of seven syllables. The Six Syllables are referred to as a prayer in the common teachings of Buddhism. In tantric chanting practice, it is called a mantra.
skillful means (Tib. tab, thabs; Skt. upaya). One of the two major ways of training in Buddhism; the other is wisdom (Tib. sherab, shes rab; Skt. prajna). Skillful means are all the positive concepts and activities of relative truth, such as generosity, moral discipline, patience, diligence, contemplation, compassion, and effort. Wisdom consists of meditative training, realization of absolute truth, and freedom from concepts. The combination of both wisdom and skillful means leads us to enlightenment.
suchness (Skt. tathata; Tib. dezhinnyi, de bzhin nyid). The true nature, as it is.
Sutra. The tradition of exoteric Buddhist teachings; the common path. The sutras are the Buddha’s oral teachings that were later written down by his disciples.
Tantra. The tradition of esoteric Buddhist teachings, known as the uncommon path (in contrast to the common path, which is Sutra). Many of the tantras, or tantric texts, are believed to have been taught by the historical Buddha and other Buddhas. See also esoteric Buddhism.
ten stages. The stages (Skt. bhumis ) that a bodhisattva passes through on the path to becoming a Buddha.
ten virtuous deeds. Refraining from the ten unvirtuous deeds: (1) three unvirtuous deeds of the mind—greed, anger, and ignorance; (2) four unvirtuous deeds of speech—telling lies, divisive speech, harsh words, and gossip; and (3) three unvirtuous deeds of the body—killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct.
ter (Tib. gter, “treasured ones”). Also called terma (gter ma). Mystically concealed and discovered Dharma treasures. Guru Padmasambhava concealed many esoteric teachings and religious objects around the eighth century c.e. for the benefit of future humanity. From the eleventh century through today, the rebirths of his disciples have been rediscovering these ter through their mystical power. Ter teachings are practiced mainly by the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. For details of the ter tradition, see Hidden Teachings of Tibet by Tulku Thondup.
tertön (Tib. gter ston). One who discovers ter.
Theravada (Pali, “way of the elders”). A branch of Dharma that originated in one of the early schools of Buddhism and that now flourishes in Southeast Asia. It is considered one of the three main divisions of Buddhism, the others being Mahayana and Vajrayana.
three bodies (Skt. trikaya; Tib. kusum, sku gsum ). The three aspects of Buddhahood. The ultimate body (Skt. dharmakaya) is the pure emptiness aspect of Buddhahood. The enjoyment body (Skt. sambhogakaya) is the true Buddha-form body as enjoyed by Buddhas. They possess the richness of Buddha-qualities and the prosperity of the Buddha pure lands, but all in an everlasting state of oneness. The manifested body (Skt. nirmanakaya) is the physical form in which ordinary beings see the forms of a Buddha. Mahayana texts adds a fourth, transcendent body. See also fourfold enlightened bodies.
three disciplines (Tib. dompa, sdom pa). The discipline of individual liberation (the path of Theravada monks and nuns), bodhisattva discipline (the Mahayana), and tantric discipline (the Vajrayana).
three doors. Body (Skt. kaya; Tib. lu, lus), speech (Skt. vak; Tib. ngak, nyag), and mind (Skt. chitta; Tib. yi, yid).
three poisons. Three primary unvirtuous emotions or mental states: greed, hatred, and ignorance.
three worlds. Also called the three existents: the desire world, the form world, and the formless world. The desire realm is our world. The world of form is the realm of lesser celestial beings, and the formless world is the realm of higher celestial beings.
tonglen (Tib. gtong len). Sending and receiving (or giving and taking), a meditation practice in which you give your happiness to others and take others’ suffering upon yourself through the power of compassion and loving-kindness.
tulku (Tib. sprul sku; Skt. nirmanakaya). Emanation, manifestation and incarnation are different words for the Tibetan term tulku—one of the three bodies or aspects of Buddhahood. According to Buddhism, ordinary beings take rebirth, whether as humans, animals, or other beings, propelled by their karma, their past positive and negative mental and physical deeds. Highly accomplished adepts, however, do not need to take rebirth because they have transcended concepts and emotions, the root of karma. Instead, they emanate whatever forms would be helpful to others. The Buddhas could emanate infinite manifestations, as they are not limited by karmic conditions, but act out of boundless loving-kindness. See Incarnation by Tulku Thondup.
twelve links of interdependent arising. See interdependent arising.
two accumulations (Tib. tsoknyi, tshogs gnyis). Creating merits and realizing high stages of wisdom. Both are needed to attain Buddhahood. Accumulating merits (Tib. sonam, bsod nams; Skt, punya) involves skillful means such as practicing virtuous thoughts, generosity, moral discipline, tolerance, diligence, patience, and contemplation. It also includes devotion, prayers, and loving-kindness with concepts. Accumulating wisdom (Tib. sherab, shes rab; Skt. prajna) involves realizing the true nature of all, emptiness, as it is.
two truths. (1) The absolute (or ultimate) truth of the Dharma, and (2) the relative (or conventional) truth of the world of appearances. Absolute truth is the true nature of all phenomenal existence, loving-kindness free from concepts, and emptiness. Relative truth is phenomenal existence that arises through interdependent causation. It is what ordinary beings see and feel, all the dualistic virtuous and unvirtuous deeds, concepts, and sensual feelings.
vajra posture. See Sevenfold Vairochana Posture.
Vajrayana (Skt., “diamond vehicle”). See esoteric Buddhism.
wisdom. Used to translate two Tibetan words, sherab and yeshe, with different meanings. (1) Sherab (Tib. shes rab; Skt. prajna) refers to knowledge, wisdom, or realization, starting from the ordinary knowledge of accurately understanding the meaning of a text, all the way to the highest realization of the wisdom of Buddhahood. The sixth perfection (paramita) refers to wisdom (sherab) in this latter sense. (2) Yeshe (Tib. ye shes; Skt. jnana) refers exclusively to the highest wisdom of Buddha-hood. It is the omniscient wisdom, free from concepts, encompassing the five wisdoms of Buddhahood and, in this book, the essence of the Fourth Buddha Stage. See also five wisdoms of Buddhahood; two accumulations.