States of existence within the cycle of rebirth, conditioned by our past actions, where the experience of suffering, arising from hatred, anger and fear, is most intense and extended. Abhidharma literature mentions two main types of such hell-like existences, characterised by the dominance of either freezing coldness or burning heat. These two are in turn divided into eighteen subcategories.
Eight Minor Marks dpe-byad brgyad-cu, Skt. asῑtyanuvyañjana
See Major and Minor Marks.
Eight-four Thousand Aspects of the [Sacred] Teaching chos-sgo brgyad-khri bzhi stong
The Buddha’s teachings are said to comprise eighty-four thousand aspects or approaches, when they are classified according to their function as an antidote. It is said that there are eighty-four thousand dissonant mental states, comprising twenty-one thousand aspects respectively of attachment (rāga), aversion (dveśa), delusion (moha), and their combination; and there is an antidote within the Buddha’s teachings corresponding to each of these dissonant mental states.
Elemental Forces ’byung-po, Skt. bhūta
A category of forces associated with the elements: earth, water, fire, wind and space, which are said to move through the body in a monthly cycle and to whom certain illnesses and paediatric disorders are attributed in Tibetan medicine. These may be appeased or brought back into balance by the application of medicinal antidotes, or by the counteracting rituals prescribed in the tantras, as outlined in Chapter 9.
Elements / Elemental Properties ’byung ba, Skt. bhūta
See Five Elements.
Eleven Vehicles theg-pa bcu-gcig
See Vehicle.
EMA e-ma
Identical to EMAHO.
EMAHO e-ma-ho
An exclamation of great wonder or astonishment.
Empowerment dbang-bskur, Skt. abhiṣeka
A ritual ceremony performed by accomplished spiritual teachers and lineage holders to empower prospective trainees, prior to their engaging in the various vehicles and specific practices of the tantras. The meditative processes of the empowerment ritual are intended to activate the potentials inherent within the body, speech and mind of the trainee, in other words to awaken the seed of the natural ability to engage in the practice. Such empowerment ceremonies are an essential prerequisite for the practice of tantra in the Buddhist tradition. See also Four Empowerments.
Emptiness stong-pa-nyid, Skt. śūnyatā
The ultimate nature of reality. According to the Madhyamaka school it is the total absence of inherent existence and self-identity with respect to all phenomena. Its synonyms include ultimate truth (Skt. paramārthasatya), actual reality (Skt. dharmatā ), and suchness (Skt. tathatā). Though presented in the scriptures of both the Lesser Vehicle and the Greater Vehicle, the theory of emptiness is most systematically developed in the writings of the second-century Buddhist thinker Nāgārjuna, the founder of the Madhyamaka school. According to this view, all things and events, both external and internal, are devoid of any independent, intrinsic reality that constitutes their essence. Nothing can be said to exist independently from the complex network of factors that gives rise to their origination, nor are phenomena independent of the cognitive processes and conceptual designations (mental constructs) that make up the conventional framework within which their identity and existence are posited. It is our deeply ingrained tendency to conceive of things as materially existing in their own right that conditions and compels us to perceive and grasp at a substantial reality of things and our own existence. In turn, when all levels of conceptualisation dissolve and when all forms of dichotomising tendencies are quelled through deliberate meditative deconstruction of conceptual elaborations, Nāgārjuna argues, the ultimate nature of reality - the emptiness - will finally become manifest to the person. Although the term is known also in the literature of the Lesser Vehicle, it is in the philosophical tenets of the Madhyamaka school that the different interpretations of emptiness were greatly elaborated. See Madhyamaka.
Energy Centre rtsa-’khor, Skt. cakra
According to the tantras and related medical traditions, there are five energy centres within the subtle body. These are located at the crown, throat, heart, navel and genitalia, where the right and left channels are said to loop around the central channel (avadhūti), forming knots (rtsa-mdud) which obstruct the flow of subtle energy into the central channel. At each of the five energy centres, there are a diverse number of channel branches (rtsa-’dab), through which vital energy is conducted throughout the body.
Energy Channels rtsa, Skt. nāḍῑ
In the tantras and related medical traditions, it is said that there are 72,000 vein-like channels through which flow the vital energies or subtle winds (rlung, Skt. vāyu) that sustain life and which also give rise to various conceptual states within the individual’s mind. Three main channels run vertically from the crown fontanelle of the head down to the genitalia, intersecting at the five energy centres (Skt. cakra) of the crown, throat, heart, navel and genitalia. All the minor energy channels branch off from these energy centres to permeate the body. Among the three main channels, the one to the left is known as the rkyang-ma (Skt. lalanā), the one to the right as the ro-ma (Skt. rasanā), and the central channel as the dbu-ma (Skt. avadhūti).
Enlightened Family rigs, Skt. gotra/kula
This term may render either the Sanskrit gotra, in which case it is synonymous with buddha nature, or the Sanskrit kula, in which case it refers to the five families (Skt. pañcakula) into which the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities are grouped. See the individual entries under Buddha Family, Vajra Family, Ratna Family, Padma Family and Karma Family and Appendix Two.
Enlightened Intention dgongs-pa, Skt. abhiprāya
In the context of our text, enlightened intention refers to the unimpeded, non-conceptual and compassionate intention of the buddhas, whether or not it is clearly discerned by an observer.
Enlightenment byang-chub, Skt. bodhi
In the Buddhist context, ‘enlightenment’ refers to an individual’s awakening to the mind’s actual nature. The Tibetan equivalent byang-chub implies the purification (byang) of obscurations and the perfection (chub) of omniscience. The process of attaining enlightenment therefore proceeds in conjunction with the dispelling of the dissonant mental states which obscure the perception of actual reality. On the bodhisattva path, thirty-seven distinct aspects of enlightenment are sequentially cultivated. A fully enlightened being is a buddha who is totally free from all obstruction to true knowledge and the state of liberation, and is hence omniscient in the knowledge of reality.
Enrichment rgyas-pa’i las, Skt. puṣṭikriyā
See Four Aspects of Enlightened Activity and Buddha-activties.
Envy phrag-dog, Skt. ῑrṣā
Envy, which includes all the various forms of self-cherishing ambition, is one of the five poisons of the mind (dug-lnga), along with aversion, delusion, pride, and attachment. In its extreme manifestation, of persistent hostile competitiveness, it is said to characterise the worlds of the antigods (asuraloka).
Equanimity btang-snyoms, Skt. upekṣā
Equanimity is one of the four immeasurable aspirations, along with loving kindness, compassion and empathetic joy, which are cultivated in the preliminary practices and commonly repeated before engaging in daily practice. Equanimity is an essential element of the cultivation of the altruistic intention to attain enlightenment for the benefit of others, in the context of which the practitioner cultivates an unbiased attitude towards all sentient beings, regarding them as being completely equal and thus overcoming any sense of partiality towards them. Normally one’s attitude towards other persons, for example, is strongly prejudiced by one’s classification of others into seemingly incompatible groups of friends, enemies or those regarded with indifference. See also under Bodhicitta.
Esoteric Instructional Class man-ngag-gi sde, Skt. upadeśavarga
See under Great Perfection.
Essence, Natural Expression and Co
mpassionate Energy ngo-bo rang-bzhin thugs-rje
In the terminology of the Great Perfection, the essence (ngo-bo) is the modality of the Buddha-body of Reality, natural expression (rang-bzhin) is the modality of the Buddha-body of Perfect Resource, and compassionate energy or spirituality (thugs-rje) is the modality of the Buddha-body of Emanation. These three modalities may be cultivated through the techniques known as Cutting through Resistance (khregs-chod) and All-supassing Realisation (thod-rgal ). The term natural expression (rang-bzhin) also has another distinctive usage in the context of the present work, where it frequently refers to the attributes represented by the twenty-eight Īśvarῑ among the assembly of the fifty-eight wrathful deities. See Natural Expression.
Eternalist mu-stegs-pa, Skt. tῑrthika
In general Buddhist usage, the term ‘eternalist’ refers to the four so-called eternalistic schools of ancient India, namely Sāṃkhya, Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Jainism, which posit the existence of an independent self or soul (ātman, Tib. bdag). By contrast, Buddhist schools identify the self in terms of the five psycho-physical aggregates (pañcaskandha), and therefore do not accept the notion of self in the sense of an eternal, unchanging, independently existing entity. Both eternalism and nihilism are regarded as the two extreme views, which are to be avoided when seeking an insight into emptiness, the true nature of reality, by means of the Middle Way (madhyamapratipad). Here all apprehensions of inherent existence constitute falling into the extreme of eternalism, and a total denial of the laws of cause and effect in association with past and future lives constitutes falling into nihilism.
Expanse of [Actual] Reality chos-dbyings, Skt. dharmadhātu
The expanse of actual reality is a synonym for the expanse of emptiness. As such, it indicates both the dimension of the Buddha-body of Reality, and the pristine cognition of reality’s expanse (dharmadhātujñāna).
Extremes mtha’, Skt. anta
From the perspective of the Greater Vhicle, the Buddha-body of Reality is said to be free from the dualistic extremes of creation and cessation (skye-’gag), eternalism and nihilism (rtag-chad), existence and non-existence (yod-med), and appearance and emptiness (snang-stong).
Feast-offering tshogs [kyi ’khor-lo], Skt. gaṇacakra
The Tibetan word tshogs generally has two senses, corresponding to the Sanskrit sambhāra and gaṇacakra. In the latter case it refers to the feast-offerings which are a unique tantric method for conferring accomplishment and pacifying obstacles. In general, feast-offerings are frequently held to commemorate important events in the Buddhist calendar, such as the tenth-day feast-offering, dedicated to Padmasambhava . The overall purpose is to distribute merit and pristine cognition in the context of a specific tantric ritual. See also under Accumulation.
Final Nirvāṇa yongs-su mya-ngan-las ’das, Skt. parinirvāṇa
The expression ‘final nirvāṇa’ refers specifically to the passing away of buddhas, such as Śākyamuni, and it is considered to be the last of the twelve principal deeds, exemplified by the death of Śākyamuni at Kuśinagara. See also under Nirvāṇa and Buddha activities.
Five Aggregates phung-po lnga, Skt. pañcaskandha
See the separate entries, under Aggregate of Consciousness, Aggregate of Form, Aggregate of Feelings, Aggregate of Perceptions, and Aggregate of Motivational Tendencies.
Five Appendages yan-lag lnga, Skt. pañcāṅga
The head and the four limbs.
Five Approximating Crimes nye-ba’i mtshams-med lnga, Skt. pañcopāntarῑya The five crimes which approximate the five inexpiable crimes (mtshams-med lnga) in their severity are: to rape a female arhat (dgra-bcom-ma-la ’dod-log spyod-pa), to kill one who abides on the level of a genuine bodhisattva (byang-sems nges-gnas gsod-pa), to kill a trainee monk (slob-pa’i dge-’dun gsod-pa), to misappropriate the income of the monastic community (dge-’dun-gyi ’du-sgo ’phrog-pa), and to destroy a stūpa (mchod-rten bshig-pa).
Five Buddha-bodies sku lnga, Skt. pañcakāya
The Buddha-body of Reality, Buddha-body of Perfect Resource, Buddha-body of Emanation, Buddha-body of Awakening, and Buddha-body of Indestructible Reality. See Buddha-body and individual entries.
Five Degenerations snyigs-ma lnga, Skt. pañcakaṣāya
The five degenerations comprise: degeneration of the lifespan (ayuḥkaṣāya), degeneration in terms of views (dṛṣṭikaṣāya), degeneration in terms of dissonant mental states (kleśakaṣāya), degeneration of sentient beings (sattvakaṣāya), and degeneration of the present age (kalpakaṣāya).
Five Elements ’byung-ba lnga / khams lnga, Skt. pañcabhūta/ pañcadhātu
According to the Indo-Tibetan system, as expounded in the tantras, and in medical and astrological texts, the five elements - earth, water, fire, wind, and space - are five basic components that make up our environment, our bodies, and, at their subtle levels, modalities of the mind. At the subtlest level, the elemental properties exist as the pure natures represented by the five female buddhas (Akāśadhātvῑśvarῑ, Buddhalocanā, Māmakῑ, Pāṇḍaravāsinῑ and Samayatārā) and these manifest as the physical properties of earth (solidity), water (fluidity), fire (heat and light), wind (movement and energy), and space - in other words as all the qualities that constitute the physical forms that we experience through our senses. A proper understanding of the elements and the way in which their properties permeate the nature of mind, the body and our environment is fundamental to the practice of Buddhist tantra. See Chapters 8 and 11 and Appendix Two.
Five Enlightened Families rigs lnga, Skt. pañcakula
See Buddha Family, Vajra Family, Ratna Family, Padma Family, and Karma Family and Appendix Two.
Five Hollow Viscera snod-lnga
According to the traditions of Tibetan medicine, the five hollow viscera are those of the stomach, the large intestine, the small intestine, the bladder, the gall bladder, and the reservoir of reproductive fluid (bsam-se’u).
Five Inexpiable Crimes mtshams-med lnga, Skt. pañcānantarῑya
The five inexpiable crimes, which are regarded as the most severe and consequently the most difficult to overcome by reparation, are: matricide (ma gsod-pa), arhatcide (dgra-bcom-pa gsod-pa), patricide (pha gsod-pa), creating a schism in the monastic community (dge-’dun-gyi dbyen-byas-ba), and intentionally wounding a buddha (de-bzhin gshegs-pa’i sku-la ngan-sems-kyis khrag ’byin-pa).
Five Poisons dug-lnga, Skt. pañcakleśa
The five poisons comprise five of the most basic dissonant mental states (kleśa) - all of which are grounded in fundamental ignorance (avidyā). They are: delusion (moha), attachment (rāga), aversion (dveṣa), pride (abhimāna), and envy/self-cherishing ambition (ῑrṣā).
Five Precious Substances rin-chen lnga
Gold, silver, turquoise, coral and pearl.
Five Pristine Cognitions ye-shes lnga, Skt. pañcājñāna
See under Pristine Cognition.
Five Sense-faculties/organs dbang-po rnam-lnga, Skt. pañcendriya
The five sense-faculties or sense-organs comprise: the eyes (cakṣurindriya), ears (śrotrendriya), nose (ghrāṇendriya), tongue (jihvendriya), and body (kāyendriya).
Five Solid Viscera don-lnga
According to the traditions of Tibetan medicine, the five solid viscera are the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and spleen.
Form Realm and Formless Realm
See Three World-systems.
Formal Description mngon-rtogs, Skt. abhisamaya
While practising the generation stage (utpattikrama) of meditation, the deities are visualised in accordance with their formal descriptions which are set down in the texts of the appropriate means for attainment (sgrub-thabs, Skt. sādhana). In other contexts the term ‘abhisamaya’ conveys the sense of ‘emergent or clear realisation’, as in Maitreya’s Ornament of Emergent Realisation (Abhisamayālaṃkāra).
Four Aspects of Enlightened Activity las-bzhi, Skt. catuṣkarman
These are specific ritual functio
ns based on the dynamic modes of a buddha’s activity, namely: pacification (śāntikriyā, Tib. zhi-ba’i las), which includes the pacification of obstacles to spiritual practice, illness and the causes of harm to society and the environment; enrichment (puṣṭikriyā, Tib. rgyas-pa’i las), which includes increasing the lifespan and prosperity; subjugation (vaṣitakriyā, Tib. dbang-gi las), which includes the controlling of negative and hostile forces; and wrath or transformation (maraṇakriyā, Tib. drag-po’i las), which includes the elimination of malevolent forces. The ritual enactment of these four rites is often undertaken in the context of a burnt offering ritual (homa).
Four Aspects of Ritual Service and Means for Attainment bsnyen-sgrub yan-lag bzhi, Skt. caturāṅgasevāsādhana
Whenever any means for attainment (Skt. sādhana) is practised, it will comprise the ‘four aspects of ritual service and means for attainment’. The four branches are: ritual service (sevā), further ritual service (upasevā), means for attainment (sādhana) and great means for attainment (mahāsādhana), which respectively entail 1) mantra recitation and one-pointed visualisation of the meditational deity, 2) prayers that the blessing of the deity will descend to transform mundane body, speech and mind into buddha-body, speech and mind, 3) the absorption of accomplishments from the actual deity into the visualised deity and thence into oneself, and 4) the realisation of primordial purity experienced when body, speech and mind are identical to those of the deity.
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