The Hevajra Tantra
Hevajratantram
“Indestructible”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
Literally the “truth of the highest meaning,” this is the knowledge that can only be directly realized, but not grasped conceptually.
The first of the four seals associated with the four bodies of a buddha, this term is typically used to refer to the physical sexual consort. It represents the first level of practice on the stage of the arisen, where the
The negative states of mind that bind one to saṃsāra. The main three are delusion, anger, and desire.
The five aggregates of individual existence are form (
The Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit rendering of Adhomukhā, a Buddhist goddess.
One of the five tathāgatas, he is located in the eastern quarter of tantric maṇḍalas and presides over the vajra family.
A posture in which the right foot is extended forward and the left knee is slightly bent.
A system of code words and terms with symbolic meaning that are used in the higher tantras.
There are two types of
Another name of Amitābha.
One of the five tathāgatas, he is located in the western quarter of tantric maṇḍalas and presides over the lotus family.
Referring to the tathāgata Amitābha, one of the five tathāgatas associated with the elements.
One of the five tathāgatas, he is located in the southern quarter of tantric maṇḍalas and presides over the karma family.
One of the eight nāga kings. He is also the cosmic serpent that Viṣṇu sleeps upon.
Another name of Yama.
The god of the realm of the dead and the guardian of the southern quarter.
Another name of Yama.
One of the secondary kṣetras.
An offering that consists primarily of water, which is made ritually to the deity as an act of welcome and to bid farewell. The ritual act is based on the similar practice of receiving a guest in the home.
Another name for Amitābha.
A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas.
The eternal principle of individual self, taught in the Brahmanical Upaniṣads and espoused by the Vedānta tradition. It is a concept rejected by Buddhism.
Literally meaning “heat,” the term refers to intense, austere practices intended to generate yogic energy.
One of the three main subtle channels associated with the experience of emptiness; it is located in the center of the body. In the Hevajra system, this channel is identified with Nairātmyā.
The worst of all hells, where the suffering is most intense.
An offering to the deity or spirits that consists chiefly of food.
The ritual activity of banishing or exorcising hostile forces. A type of hostile rite (
A polyvalent term that refers in tantric scriptures to the
“Generating”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
A Buddhist goddess.
One of the fifteen yoginīs that inhabit the thirty-two subtle channels. Also, the name of a yoginī in the maṇḍala of Nairātmyā.
This term in its broadest sense can refer to any being, whether human, animal, or nonhuman. However, it is often used to refer to a specific class of nonhuman beings, especially when bhūtas are mentioned alongside rākṣasas, piśācas, or pretas. In common with these other kinds of nonhumans, bhūtas are usually depicted with unattractive and misshapen bodies. Like several other classes of nonhuman beings, bhūtas take spontaneous birth. As their leader is traditionally regarded to be Rudra-Śiva (also known by the name Bhūta), with whom they haunt dangerous and wild places, bhūtas are especially prominent in Śaivism, where large sections of certain tantras concentrate on them.
Also called
In the general Mahāyāna teachings, the “mind of awakening” (
The levels or stages through which a bodhisattva progresses before becoming fully awakened. There are between ten and thirteen levels, depending on the traditions of explanation.
A code word for male genitalia.
One of the primary deities of the Brahmanical pantheon in which he is considered a creator god. Brahmā occupies an important place in Buddhism as one of two deities (the other being Śakra) who are said to have first exhorted Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. He is also considered to be the “Lord of the Sahā world” (our universe).
“Brahmin woman,” one of the five mudrās, representing the activity family in the Hevajra system.
Literally “wheel,” cakra is an energy center in the subtle body where subtle channels converge. In tantric Buddhism there are either four or five main cakras. The
One of the fifteen yoginīs that inhabit the thirty-two subtle channels. She is roused as a mystic heat or fire during a yoga practice of the same name. She is also one of the five mudrās, representing the tathāgata family in the Hevajra system. Also, the name of a yoginī in the maṇḍala of Nairātmyā.
“Fierce One”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
The god of the moon, or the moon personified.
One of the pīlavas.
One of the fifteen yoginīs that inhabit the thirty-two subtle channels. Also, one of the yoginīs in the maṇḍala of Nairātmyā.
The third of the
“Place of delight.” A type of a sacred site.
The defining quality of a thing. When used in the plural the term can denote the thirty-two physical characteristics of a buddha.
A place for the disposal or cremation of corpses, counted among the six types of sacred site.
The deity with whom one has a special karmic or astrological connection.
Secondary conditions that contribute to the arising of a given result.
Citta (“Thought”) or Citteśa (“Lord of Thoughts”) is, in the context of the five lords of the families, another name of Akṣobhya.
Obscurations caused by conceptuality and dualistic thinking.
A technical term in the Yoginī tantras that refers to categories that are concealed or hidden because of their highly esoteric implications. The esoteric category is said to be “concealed” within an exoteric one. The concealed content and its container are regarded as indivisible. In the context of pledges and vows,
Similar in meaning to the “relative truth” (
A specific mode of prescribed tantric conduct that is accepted as a formal commitment (
An assumed conviction or mental resolution that certain categories of ordinary phenomena are, or represent, higher-order, sacred categories.
A symbol or implement derived from two vajras crossed at their hub.
A Buddhist goddess.
A class of powerful beings, often equated or on the level of asuras or devas. In the
This term covers a wide range of meanings—in general a female being, not necessarily benevolent, ranging from a powerful spirit to a retinue deity in a maṇḍala. In the sūtras and Kriyā tantras, they are typically female spirits of a lower order. In the higher tantras they are powerful, realized deities linked to the channels within the subtle body.
A small, hourglass-shaped hand drum played by rotating the wrist, causing the swinging strikers to sound the two opposite-facing drumheads. In some cases, it is made from two human skulls covered in human skin.
The duration of a single breath, from the moment of inhalation until the moment of the next inhalation.
Literally “outflow.” These are negative traits resulting from the past karma.
This term refers to the definitive (
Deity yoga consists in visualizing oneself in the form of the deity, and identifying with that.
One of the three primary afflictions, along with anger and delusion.
In the most general sense the devas—the term is cognate with the English divine—are a class of celestial beings who frequently appear in Buddhist texts, often at the head of the assemblies of nonhuman beings who attend and celebrate the teachings of the Buddha Śākyamuni and other buddhas and bodhisattvas. In Buddhist cosmology the devas occupy the highest of the five or six “destinies” (gati) of saṃsāra among which beings take rebirth. The devas reside in the devalokas, “heavens” that traditionally number between twenty-six and twenty-eight and are divided between the desire realm (kāmadhātu), form realm (rūpadhātu), and formless realm (ārūpyadhātu). A being attains rebirth among the devas either through meritorious deeds (in the desire realm) or the attainment of subtle meditative states (in the form and formless realms). While rebirth among the devas is considered favorable, it is ultimately a transitory state from which beings will fall when the conditions that lead to rebirth there are exhausted. Thus, rebirth in the god realms is regarded as a diversion from the spiritual path.
One of the kṣetras.
“Wealth Giver,” another name of Kubera/Vaiśrāvaṇa.
It is uncertain which deity this name refers to; possibly to Kubera.
The second of the four seals associated with the four bodies of a buddha. This represents the second level of the practice of the stage of the arisen, where the nature of the
A term describing the totality of phenomena as they truly are, without being distorted by dualistic conceptualization.
The “body of qualities,” one of the three bodies of a buddha, acquired when the ultimate reality is realized and actualized. The other two bodies are sambhogakāya (“enjoyment body”) and nirmāṇakāya (“creation body”).
Literally “source of phenomena.” this refers to the principle of creation represented, in its simplest form, by a (white) triangle pointing down. It is equated with the triangular area of the vagina. It can also have the form of two intersecting triangles and other more elaborate forms.
The third moment in sexual yoga, corresponding to the moment when pleasure subsides.
The pride associated with confidently identifying oneself with the deity.
“Divine”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
Another name of Ḍombinī. One of the five mudrās, representing the vajra family in the Hevajra system.
One of the fifteen yoginīs that inhabit the thirty-two subtle channels. Also, the name of a yoginī in the maṇḍala of Nairātmyā.
“Hateful”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
“Vajra Hatred,” one of the six emanations of Nairātmyā that correspond to the six sense faculties and the six mental poisons.
These are the progressively more subtle states of meditative attainment. Simplified, they could be summed up as follows: (1) one that consists in looking at external forms while perceiving (
The eighty characteristics of a buddha or perfect being that complement the thirty-two major marks of perfection.
One of the four main ritual activities, this involves bringing a target under one’s influence.
The way phenomena are experienced indivisibly on the level of absolute truth.
The first of the
These are typically milk, curd, ghee, honey, and sugar, but they also have their “impure” counterparts. The list of these varies, but typically includes urine, feces, blood, semen, and flesh.
See the entry for “five buddhas.”
Vairocana, Akṣobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitābha, and Amoghasiddhi. They are the heads of the tathāgata, vajra, jewel, lotus, and karma families, respectively.
Also called the “five great elements” (
The five types of attire that distinguish the deities that are associated with charnel grounds. The five, all made of human bone, are a circlet, earrings, necklace, bracelets, and girdle. In some cases they are listed as six, including ashes from a funeral pyre.
Fragrances, flowers, incense, lamps, and food items.
The five types of wisdom, or knowledge, associated with awakening: mirror-like wisdom, the wisdom of equanimity, the wisdom of discrimination, the wisdom of accomplishing activities, and the wisdom of the (perfectly pure) dharmadhātu.
The deities ruled over by Māra are also symbolic of the defects within a person that prevent awakening. These four personifications are (1) the divine māra (
The qualities of teachers that enable them to gather disciples, namely, that they should be generous, their language should be pleasant, they should teach each individual according to that person’s needs, and they should act in conformity with what they teach.
The four seals are the four levels of realization corresponding to the four bodies of a buddha—the activity seal is the creation body, the great seal is the enjoyment body, the quality seal is the body of qualities, and the samaya seal is the body of the true nature. As a system of practice, the four seals rely on the four
The first teaching of the Buddha on suffering, the source of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path to the cessation of suffering.
The River Ganges.
One of the fifteen yoginīs that inhabit the thirty-two subtle channels. Also, one of the yoginīs in the maṇḍala of Nairātmyā.
Four types of gaze—leftward, rightward, upward, and downward—that are used, respectively, in the activities of enthralling, summoning, killing, and banishing. Their descriptions vary according to source; the four gazes described in the
“Dwelling”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
One of the goddesses who offers the articles of worship.
One of the secondary kṣetras.
Normally a title of respect for a bodhisattva or other realized being, it has a range of esoteric meanings in the
In its esoteric meaning, this term refers to the innate state in which realized beings, such as Hevajra, abide.
One of the epithets of Hevajra. The
Any of the principal five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space.
This term may refer to the realized state of mind where wisdom and
The second of the three vehicles in the scheme of Foundational Vehicle (
Literally “being suffused with a particular smell,” in its technical meaning the term implies a karmically determined habit or tendency.
One of the chandohas.
A wrathful counterpart of an awakened deity that is closely associated with charnel grounds. Hevajra and Cakrasaṃvara are examples of herukas.
A wrathful deity representing buddhahood itself, one of the most prominent in the system of the Yoginī tantras. There are three forms of Hevajra with two, six, and sixteen arms.
One of the secondary kṣetras.
A fire offering, usually repetitive, where each oblation is accompanied by a single recitation of the mantra while being cast into the fire. A wide variety of substances and materials can be offered during a homa.
One of the four primary categories of ritual activities, it includes rites for aggressively overcoming adversarial influences, both human and nonhuman.
“Happy countenance”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
In a Yogācāra context, this term refers to the appearance of objects as mere “appearances” in the mind. These appearances are then erroneously perceived in dualistic terms. This term synonymous with
One of the principal Vedic gods who also appears frequently in Buddhist literature, often under the name Śakra. In Buddhist cosmology he rules over the Heaven of the Thirty-Three.
The ritual process of being introduced to and authorized in the practice of specific deities, maṇḍalas, and yogas. The term literally means “sprinkling” or “anointing,” and is modeled on rites of royal investiture.
The fourth of the
The “innate” or natural state of mind that is always there but remains unrecognized for as long as duality prevails. This state can be recognized during the innate joy (
The generative cause, usually karmic, as opposed to the circumstantial cause (
The period between death and rebirth.
“Vajra Envy,” one of the six emanations of Nairātmyā that correspond to the six sense faculties and the six mental poisons.
Another name of Varuṇa.
One of the pīṭhas.
In the Jaina philosophy, jīva is an independently existing individual being.
A code word for female genitalia.
One of the secondary chandohas.
One of the pīṭhas.
“Lover”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
One of the chandohas.
One of the kṣetras.
One of the kṣetras.
One of the pīlavas, better known as Kumārapura.
A staff or spear with skulls or human heads impaled on its shaft. It is typically wielded by deities in their more fearsome aspects. In the Hevajra practice of the
One of the fifteen yoginīs that inhabit the thirty-two subtle channels. Also, the name of a yoginī in the maṇḍala of Nairātmyā.
The ritual act of taking life. It falls under the category of hostile rites (
A class of nonhuman beings that resemble humans to the degree that their very name—which means “is that human?”—suggests some confusion as to their divine status. Kinnaras are mythological beings found in both Buddhist and Brahmanical literature, where they are portrayed as creatures half human, half animal. They are often depicted as highly skilled celestial musicians.
In a general sense, this term refers to the cognitive process of knowing, with all its associated connotations. In a technical sense, the term refers to direct cognition or knowledge that is free from sensory distortions or dualistic concepts.
A term describing omniscience that emphasizes the capacity to know all aspects of existence, including one’s own and everyone else’s past existences.
One of the secondary chandohas.
One of the pīṭhas.
One of the pīlavas.
A class of tantric scripture that generally features elaborate rites directed toward both mundane goals—such as health, prosperity, and protection—and to the ultimate goal of liberation. The
“Field.” A type of a sacred place.
A yakṣa who is regarded as the lord of wealth and the guardian of the northern quarter.
One of the secondary kṣetras.
A code word for sexual intercourse.
“Born from a tortoise”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
A female Buddhist deity with the specific power to enthrall. She is typically portrayed shooting the arrows of love from a bow made of flowers. She is also popular in some Śākta cults.
One of the main subtle channels, which carries female energy; it is located on the left side of the body. In the Hevajra system, this channel is identified with Nairātmyā.
One of the chandohas.
A set of secret gestures used by practitioners of tantra to identify and communicate with one another.
The consort of the tathāgata Akṣobhya.
The third bodhisattva level.
A variation of the name of the Mahāsāṅghika, one of the four main congregations. They split from the Sthaviravāda during the Second Council.
Hevajra in his form of great bliss.
One of the secondary pīṭhas.
The consort of the tathāgata Ratneśa.
A term describing one whose practice is primarily oriented towards mantra recitation and esoteric ritual.
The demon who assailed Śākyamuni prior to his awakening; any demonic force; the personification of conceptual and emotional obstacles.
“Destroyer of Māra”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
The sun, or the god of the sun.
“Mother”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
The “mothers,” a class of powerful female spirits associated with charnel grounds who are venerated in both the Brahmanical and Buddhist traditions.
The skillful means employed to guide and liberate beings. Also a technical term for the male partner in sexual yoga.
“Meeting place.” A type of a sacred place.
One of the
“Vajra Delusion,” one of the six emanations of Hevajra that correspond to the six sense faculties and six mental poisons.
The four moments of sexual yoga: varied, ripe, dissolving, and without characteristic. They are correlated with the
These basic precepts are five in number for the laity: (1) not killing, (2) not stealing, (3) chastity, (4) not lying, and (5) avoiding intoxicants. For monks, there are three or five more; avoidance of such things as perfumes, makeup, ointments, garlands, high beds, and afternoon meals. (Provisional 84000 definition. New definition forthcoming.)
A “seal” in a literal and a metaphoric sense. In the latter usage it can mean a hand gesture that expresses a certain principle or activates a certain power, or to a concept or principle that applies to and defines another referent. The term also can refer to a female partner in a ritual or sexual yoga, in which sense the term is interchangeable with
One of the kṣetras.
According to the Ratnākaraśāṇti, this is a unit of time equal to 1/32 of one day-and-night period. This differs from the definition in the Kālacakra system, where a
The channels in the body, imperceptible to ordinary senses, that
One of the secondary pīṭhas, said to be the same as Pāṭaliputra.
The central female deity of the Hevajra Tantra, typically depicted in sexual union with Hevajra. Nairātmyā is also one of the fifteen yoginīs that inhabit the thirty-two subtle channels.
A prominent rākṣasa who is the guardian of the southwestern direction.
“Dancing Woman,” she is one the five mudrās, associated with the lotus family in the Hevajra system.
The body that buddhas create that is accessible to ordinary sense perception. It is one of the two “form bodies,” the other being the sambhogakāya.
Literally “extinguishing,” this is a state of liberation in which the afflictions (
One of the four ritual activities, featuring rites that nourish life or promote prosperity.
Mental obscurations caused by the afflictions.
The obscurations to awakening, which are of two main types: the obscuration of the afflictions (
One of the pīṭhas.
“Omniscient knowledge” or “knowledge of the omniscient ones” is a type of knowing that is attributed exclusively to the fully realized buddhas.
One of the four ritual activities, featuring rites for pacifying malevolent influences and agents.
One of the eight nāga kings.
The “lotus type” of woman, one of four types of ideal women who can be partners in sexual yoga, the other three being
Another name of Pāṇḍurā.
“White One,” also called Pāṇḍaravāsinī (Clad in White), is the consort of the tathāgata Amitāyus or Amitābha.
A ritual activity falling under the category of hostile rites (
The “System of Perfections” is another name for the Great Vehicle that is used to differentiate the exoteric teaching of the Great Vehicle from the esoteric, tantric teaching preserved in the “System of Mantra” (
A Buddhist goddess who typically takes the form of a piśācī.
A city in ancient India, now Patna, Bihar.
One of the pīṭhas, also called Pullīramalaya.
“Purifier”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
A name of Hevajra.
A type of a sacred place. The name, derived from
“Vajra Spite,” one of the six emanations of Hevajra that correspond to the to the six sense faculties and the six mental poisons.
A type of a sacred place.
The visualized process of assigning and placing syllables in various body parts.
A unit of time equal to about three hours. Day and night are each divided into four
The sixth of the “six perfections” (
“Sloping”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
“Loving”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
One of the five or six classes of sentient beings, into which beings are born as the karmic fruition of past miserliness. As the term in Sanskrit means “the departed,” they are analogous to the ancestral spirits of Vedic tradition, the pitṛs, who starve without the offerings of descendants. It is also commonly translated as “hungry ghost” or “starving spirit,” as in the Chinese 餓鬼 e gui.
They are sometimes said to reside in the realm of Yama, but are also frequently described as roaming charnel grounds and other inhospitable or frightening places along with piśācas and other such beings. They are particularly known to suffer from great hunger and thirst and the inability to acquire sustenance. Detailed descriptions of their realm and experience, including a list of the thirty-six classes of pretas, can be found in The Application of Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma, Toh 287, 2.1281– 2.1482.
The provisional meaning as opposed to the definitive meaning (
In Buddhism,
One of the fifteen yoginīs that inhabit the thirty-two subtle channels. Also, the name of a yoginī in the maṇḍala of Nairātmyā.
The “pure” correlate of a feature of dualistic reality. This term is used to associate a characteristic of the awakened experience with conceptual phenomena.
In Sāṅkhya philosophy, a concept denoting consciousness as separate and independent from matter.
One of the twenty-eight lunar mansions (
“Vajra Desire,” one of the six emanations of Nairātmyā that correspond to the six sense faculties and the six mental poisons.
“Washerwoman,” she is one the five mudrās, representing the activity family in the Hevajra system.
Another name of Nairṛti.
One of the apsarases.
One of the three main subtle channels, located on the right side of the body.
Normally one of the two wives of Kāmadeva, here the name is used as an epithet (meaning “Pleasure”) of Nairātmyā.
A short form of Ratnasambhava, one of the five tathāgatas.
Another name of Ratnasambhava, one of the five tathāgatas.
One of the five tathāgatas, he is located in the southern quarter of tantric maṇḍalas and presides over the jewel family.
One of the eight hot hells.
Literally, “the state of being that.” The nature of things or their actual state, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. The term can also be used more generally to refer to a basic principle or fact about a given referent.
The twofold requisites for awakening—the accumulation of merit (
Similar in meaning to “absolute truth” (
The second moment in sexual yoga when pleasure climaxes. This moment is associated with supreme joy.
Originally the god of tempests, he later became regarded as a wrathful form of Śiva.
One of the offering goddesses.
One of the fifteen yoginīs that inhabit the thirty-two subtle channels. Also, the name of a yoginī in the maṇḍala of Nairātmyā.
Derived from the Sanskrit verb √sādh, “to accomplish,” the term sādhana most generically refers to any method that brings about the accomplishment of a desired goal. In Buddhist literature, the term is often specifically applied to tantric practices that involve ritual engagement with deities, mantra recitation, the visualized creation and dissolution of deity maṇḍalas, etc. Sādhanas are aimed at both actualizing spiritual attainments (siddhi) and reaching liberation. The Tibetan translation sgrub thabs means “method of accomplishment.”
An alternative name for Indra, lord of the gods, who appears frequently in Buddhist literature. According to Buddhist cosmology, he resides in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three.
In a general sense, samādhi can describe a number of different meditative states. In the Mahāyāna literature, in particular in the Prajñāpāramitā sūtras, we find extensive lists of different samādhis, numbering over one hundred.
In a more restricted sense, and when understood as a mental state, samādhi is defined as the one-pointedness of the mind (cittaikāgratā), the ability to remain on the same object over long periods of time. The Drajor Bamponyipa (sgra sbyor bam po gnyis pa) commentary on the Mahāvyutpatti explains the term samādhi as referring to the instrument through which mind and mental states “get collected,” i.e., it is by the force of samādhi that the continuum of mind and mental states becomes collected on a single point of reference without getting distracted.
“Shared”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
Literally “coming together,” in its technical meaning the term refers to the bond that the practitioner has with the deity or the master; it also means the pledge or commitment that they both share. The term
The visualized form of the deity cultivated in meditative practice sessions. The notion of the samaya being presupposes the notion of the wisdom being (
The deity in its true nature, indistinct from the dharmakāya. This term is used in contradistinction to the “samaya being,” which is the visualized form of the deity.
One of the four seals associated with the four bodies of a buddha.
The form of Tārā associated with the activity of enthralling. The consort of the tathāgata Amoghasiddhi.
The “enjoyment body,” one of the two form bodies (
A unit of time related to breathing.
A variation on the name of the Sāmmitiyās, one of the four main congregations. One of the offshoots of the Vātsīputrīya.
One of the six main philosophical systems of India whose main doctrine is that of
“Variegated,” one of the subtle channels in the body.
One of the four main congregations. One of the later subdivisions of the Sthaviravāda.
In Jainism,
Another name of Vajrasattva.
The archetypal deity of the vajra family from whom Hevajra emanates. When used as an epithet of Hevajra, it is interchangeable with Vajradhara. In systems of six buddha families, Vajrasattva/Vajradhara presides over the sixth family.
The expression
A short form of Vajrasattva.
One of the chandohas.
A term denoting the distinct Buddhist ordination lineages, and by extension the Vinaya, Abhidhārma, and Sūtra collections central to them. Traditionally there were said to be as many as eighteen separate
A visualized syllable or a letter that serves as the “seed” for generating the form a given deity or any other feature of a tantric maṇḍala.
“Sprinkling”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
A mode of internal awareness or cognition where the dualistic distinction between subject and object, self and other, does not operate. It is sometimes described as the experience of equal taste.
There are eighteen bases, arranged into three groups of six bases—the first group (
The objects of the six senses, including those of the five physical senses (visual forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile sensations), plus the object of the mental faculty, mental phenomena (
The set of seven factors that characteristically manifest on the path of seeing. The seven are mindfulness, investigation of reality, energy, contentment, relaxation of body and mind, samādhi, and equanimity.
“Accomplished”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
One of the secondary pīṭhas.
The way phenomena are experienced indivisibly on the level of absolute truth.
“Cooling”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
One of the main gods of the Brahmanical tradition.
The emptiness of the five aggregates, five elements, five sense faculties, and, as the sixteenth, the emptiness of all aspects (
A type of tantric maṇḍala in which only the central deity and their consort are visualized without a circle of surrounding deities. Also the term applied to a deity appearing as such.
A type of hostile rite (
The Sanskrit term śrāvaka, and the Tibetan nyan thos, both derived from the verb “to hear,” are usually defined as “those who hear the teaching from the Buddha and make it heard to others.” Primarily this refers to those disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain the state of an arhat seeking their own liberation and nirvāṇa. They are the practitioners of the first turning of the wheel of the Dharma on the four noble truths, who realize the suffering inherent in saṃsāra and focus on understanding that there is no independent self. By conquering afflicted mental states (kleśa), they liberate themselves, attaining first the stage of stream enterers at the path of seeing, followed by the stage of once-returners who will be reborn only one more time, and then the stage of non-returners who will no longer be reborn into the desire realm. The final goal is to become an arhat. These four stages are also known as the “four results of spiritual practice.”
A stage of meditation in which the meditator generates themself as the deity and performs various actions as such.
A stage in the meditative process that follows after the stage of arising, when the innate is actualized.
The second bodhisattva level.
A variation of the name of the Sthaviravādins, one of the four main congregations. They split from the Mahāsaṅghika during the Second Council.
The buddhafield of the tathāgata Amitābha.
“Subtle form”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
“Benevolent”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
A ritual activity related to enthralling (
Generally, a term for the maṇḍala wherein the deities, as the “supported maṇḍala” (
This term refers to the circle of the deities abiding in the “support maṇḍala.” In the visualization process, this term can also refer to the subtle channels in one’s own body personified as deities.
The second of the
The god of the sun, or the sun personified.
One of the secondary chandohas.
A goddess whose name can be translated as “Savior.” She is known for giving protection and is variously presented in Buddhist literature as a great bodhisattva or a fully awakened buddha. An alternate name of Samayatārā in the
A frequently used synonym for buddha. According to different explanations, it can be read as tathā-gata, literally meaning “one who has thus gone,” or as tathā-āgata, “one who has thus come.” Gata, though literally meaning “gone,” is a past passive participle used to describe a state or condition of existence. Tatha(tā), often rendered as “suchness” or “thusness,” is the quality or condition of things as they really are, which cannot be conveyed in conceptual, dualistic terms. Therefore, this epithet is interpreted in different ways, but in general it implies one who has departed in the wake of the buddhas of the past, or one who has manifested the supreme awakening dependent on the reality that does not abide in the two extremes of existence and quiescence. It is also often used as a specific epithet of the Buddha Śākyamuni.
Acts of restraint in terms of body (not to kill, steal, or engage in sexual misconduct), of speech (not to lie, slander, use harsh words, or gossip), and of mind (not to be covetousness, have harmful intent, or hold wrong views).
Thirty-two of the hundred and twelve identifying physical characteristics of both buddhas and universal monarchs, in addition to the so-called “eighty minor marks.”
The three are the world of desire (
Literally, “the state of being like this.” The state or condition of things as they really are. It is referred to as “thusness” because no words can adequately describe it.
One of the apsarases.
“Thrice-turning”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
Another name of the Brahmanical god Viṣṇu.
“Hot”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
Another name of Agni, the god of fire.
One of the five tathāgatas. In the Hevajra cycle he is located in the center of tantric maṇḍalas and presides over the buddha family.
Another name of Kubera. One of the Four Great Kings and a god of wealth, he presides over the northern quarter and rules over the yakṣas.
Literally “diamond” or “lightning,” in its technical meaning the term refers to the indestructible nature of emptiness and nonduality.
One of the fifteen yoginīs that inhabit the thirty-two subtle channels. Also, one of the yoginīs in the maṇḍala of Nairātmyā.
One of the fifteen yoginīs that inhabit the thirty-two subtle channels. Also, one of the yoginīs in the maṇḍala of Nairātmyā.
The deity who delivers the
The bodhisattva present at the original delivery of the Hevajra Tantra. He is the main interlocutor in the
“Vajra Chain,” the consort of the six-armed form of Hevajra.
A female Buddhist deity; the consort of some forms of Hevajra.
“Vajra holder,” often used as an epithet of Hevajra, or a heruka of the vajra family.
“Beautiful”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
“Dwarfish”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
One of the fifteen yoginīs that inhabit the thirty-two subtle channels. Also, another name of Vāriyoginī.
The first moment in sexual yoga that consists in embracing, kissing, etc. This moment is associated with the first joy.
The god of the oceans and the guardian of the western quarter.
The god of wind.
The textual bases for the Brahmanical tradition, and subsequently Hinduism. There are four Vedas: (1) Ṛgveda, (2) Yajurveda, (3) Sāmaveda, and (4) Atharvaveda.
The name of an asura king.
One of the goddesses who offers the articles of worship.
Literally “knowledge,” in a ritual context the term refers to women indispensable in the performance of the rite. Also, a mantra with magical power.
A broad term referring to nonhuman beings that cause obstructions. The term is often used as part of the stock phrase “vighnas and vināyakas.”
A class of nonhuman beings that cause obstructions. The term is often used as part of the stock phrase “vighnas and vināyakas.”
One of the pīlavas, and a mountain range in central India.
One of the primary gods of the Brahmanical tradition, he is associated with the preservation and continuance of the universe.
“Filled.” One of the subtle channels in the body.
“Wealth Bringer,” another name of Kubera.
“Separated”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
Also called
A synonym of Mantranaya, the “mantra system” that later became known as Vajranaya or Vajrayāna.
The name of the third of the four initiations, this involves union with a consort, who is identified by the term
One of the
One of the
One of the
Nondual wisdom or insight obtained through realization. In its tantric Buddhist usage, the term can refer to the consort of a male deity or a male practitioner identifying with the deity.
The fourth moment is the moment of recognition of the
A class of nonhuman beings who inhabit forests, mountainous areas, and other natural spaces, or serve as guardians of villages and towns, and may be propitiated for health, wealth, protection, and other boons, or controlled through magic. According to tradition, their homeland is in the north, where they live under the rule of the Great King Vaiśravaṇa.
Several members of this class have been deified as gods of wealth (these include the just-mentioned Vaiśravaṇa) or as bodhisattva generals of yakṣa armies, and have entered the Buddhist pantheon in a variety of forms, including, in tantric Buddhism, those of wrathful deities.
Literally meaning “union” or “application,” the term may refer to any practice that brings about mastery of a given goal. In tantric contexts,
This term applies to (1) various groups of female deities that appear in tantric maṇḍalas such as are found in the
A class of Buddhist tantra focused upon the figure of the yoginī and the meditative manipulation of the subtle energetic anatomy of the physical body. This genre is typified by the
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