The Tibetan Book of the Dead

by Dorje, Gyurme

  Mental Body yid-lus, Skt. manokāya

  The non-corporeal body assumed during the intermediate state of rebirth, which is said to have an initial similitude to the physical body of the previous life. See Chapter 11.

  Mental Factor sems-byung, Skt. caitasika See Mind.

  Merit bsod-nams, Skt. puṇya Merit refers to the wholesome tendencies imprinted in the mind as a result of positive and skilful thoughts, words, and actions that ripen in the experience of happiness and well-being. According to the Greater Vehicle, it is important to dedicate the merit of one’s wholesome actions to the benefit of all sentient beings, ensuring that others also experience the results of the positive actions generated.

  Middle Way dbu-ma’i lam, Skt. madhyamapratipad

  See Madhyamaka.

  Mind sems, Skt. citta

  In Buddhism, mind is defined as a dynamic process, which is simply the awareness of an object or event. In its technical usage mind is contrasted with fifty-one mental factors, which are enumerated in the abhidharma literature. In the context of this differentiation the primary function of ‘mind’ is to be aware of the referent object as a whole, whereas the modalities which relate to the specific aspects of the object are defined as ‘mental factors’. It is important to understand that mind in Buddhism should not be conceived of as a static thing or as something composed of a spiritual substance. Although some Buddhist philosophical schools of thought do identify mind as the essence of being or personal identity, the notion of self or person is not an essential component of the Buddhist concept of mind. In the Dzogchen teachings an important distinction is made between the Tibetan terms ‘sems’ and ‘rig-pa’. Here, our ‘ordinary mind’ (sems) is the gross dualising consciousness (rnam-shes) whereas pure awareness (rig-pa) is free from the dualistic perceptions of subject and object. See Awareness, Intrinsic Awareness, and Consciousness.

  Mind of Enlightenment byang-chub sems

  See Bodhicitta.

  Mindfuness dran-pa, Skt. smṛti Mindfulness is the faculty which enables the mind to maintain its attention on a referent object, thus allowing for the development of familiarity with the object and also the ability to retain its imprint within memory for future recollection. Together with mental alertness, it is one of the two indispensable mental factors for the development of calm abiding. It is mindfulness which counteracts the arising of forgetfulness, and forgetfulness is one of the greatest obstacles to a successful cultivation of meditative stability.

  Monastic Community dge-’dun, Skt. saṅgha

  In its classical Buddhist usage, the term refers mainly to the spiritual communities of ordained practitioners, both monks and nuns (Skt. bhikṣu/ bhikṣuṇῑ). The actual saṅgha, when viewed as an object of refuge in the context of the Three Precious Jewels, is a highly realised, ‘supreme assembly’ of those who have gained a direct insight into the true nature of reality - emptiness (i.e. those who have attained the path of insight).

  Monastic Preceptor mkhan-po, Skt. upādhyāya

  The term monastic preceptor specifically indicates one who presides over the monastic ordination ceremony of new monks. However, in some Tibetan traditions, the word ‘khenpo’ (mkhan-po) suggests an ordained professor of Buddhist philosophy, in which case it is equivalent to the term geshe (dge-shes) in its later usage. See Spiritual Friend. The same term can also be used to refer to the abbot of a monastery, in which case it often takes the honorific form mkhan rin-po-che, the precious abbot.

  Monastic Vows sdom-pa, Skt. saṃvara

  See Vows.

  Mother and Child Aspeets of Reality chos-nyid ma-bu

  The ‘mother’ and ‘child’ aspects of reality are those associated respectively with the inner radiance of the ground and the inner radiante of the path. See Inner Radiante.

  Motivational Tendencies ’du-byas, Skt. saṃskāra

  See Aggregate of Motivational Tendencies.

  Mount Gampodar sgam-po-gdar-gyi ri-bo

  Mount Gampodar in Dakpo is the treasure-site (gter-kha) from which the cycle of the Peaceful and Wrathful Deities: Natural Liberation through [Recognition of] Enlightened Intention (Zhi-khro dgongs-pa rang-grol) was unearthed as treasure (gter-ma) by Karma Lingpa during the fourteenth century. See Gyurme Dorje’s

  ‘Brief Literary History’.

  Mount Potālaka ri-bo po-ta-la-ka

  Mount Potālaka, the abode of Avalokiteśvara, is reputedly identified with a mountain in modern Karnataka State, South India, according to the classical Indian Buddhist tradition. However, in the Chinese Buddhist tradition, it is identified with the eastern island of Putuo Shan in the bay of Hangzhou.

  Mount Sumeru ri-rab

  Mount Sumeru is the axis mundi of Indian cosmology, the centre of the world. In terms of the Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Bon pilgrimage traditions, it is widely identified with the sacred Mount Kailash in far-west Tibet. See Four Continents and Eight Subcontinents.

  Nāgārjuna klu-sgrub

  A pre-eminent second-century AD Indian scholar and the founder of the Madhyamaka philosophical school of Buddhist thought.

  Natural Expression rang-bzhin, Skt. svabhāva

  While the term svabhāva conveys other meanings, such as self-identity and inherent existence in the contexts of Madhyamaka philosophy and sūtra-based literature in general, here in the specific terminology of the Nyingma school, it is rendered as ‘natural expression’ because it describes the dynamic of the Buddha-body of Perfect Resource. As such, it is contrasted with the essence - the dynamic of the Buddha-body of Reality, and compassionate energy - the dynamic of the Buddha-body of Emanation. The Buddha-body of Perfect Resource is said to be endowed with seven aspects of natural expression: 1) ripening in the nature of reality, 2) buddha attributes which are spontaneously present, 3) dimensionless pristine congnition, 4) intrinsic rather than external manifestation, 5) unqualified sameness, 6) freedom from single and multiple concepts, and 7) inseparability at all times. In the context of the present work, the term ‘natural expression’ also refers to the modalities of the twenty-eight wrathful Īśvarῑ, when contrasted with the ‘natural purity’ (gnas-dag) of the peaceful deities and the ‘natural transformation’ (gnas-gyur) of the wrathful deities.

  Natural Liberation rang-grol

  According to the terminology of the Nyingma school and in the context of the title of our text Peaceful and Wrathful Deities: Natural Liberation through [Recognition of] Enlightened Intention (Zhi-khro dgongs-pa rang-grol) the term ‘natural liberation’ refers to a natural process of recognition of the actual nature of the object, which is free from any form of renunciation or antidote. Dudjom Rinpoche explains the term ‘natural liberation’ (rang-grol) to mean that recognition or awareness is ‘uncontrived by any antidote, and all that arises is liberated without reference to other liberating activities’. This accomplishment is a distinctive feature of the resultant vehicles, such as Atiyoga, in contrast to the causal vehicles, in which the application of antidotes and renunciation are required.

  Natural Pristine Cognition rang-byung ye-shes

  This term denotes the presence of intrinsic awareness which is pristone cognition as an uncultivated seed, said to abide atemporally in the mental continua of all sentient beings. See Intrinsic Awareness and Pristone Cognition.

  Natural Purity gnas-su dag-pa/rnam-par dag-pa

  According to the terminology of the Nyingma school and in the context of the present work, the term ‘natural purity’ refers to the quiescent naturally abiding purity of the psycho-physical aggregates, elemental properties, and sensory and mental processes as represented by the forty-two peaceful deities of the maṇḍala. ‘Natural purity’ indicates the presence of the assembly of peaceful deities in the continuum of the ground. See Appendix Two.

  Natural Transformation gnas gyur-pa

  In contrast to the term ‘natural purity’, the term ‘natural transformation’ refers to the transformative energies of the fifty-eight wrathful deities of the maṇḍala, which bring a
bout the active transformation of the conditioned psycho-physical aggregates , elemental properties, and sensory and mental processes. ‘Natural transformation’ indicates the presence of the assembly of wrathful deities in the continuum of the ground. See Appendix Two.

  Naturally Manifest rang-snang

  In the terminology of the Nyingma school, the term ‘naturally manifest’ or ‘intrinsically manifest’ (rang-snang) refers to the non-dual mode in which the natural radiance (rang-gsal) of pristine cognition (ye-shes) arises as intrinsic awareness (rang-rig). See Intrinsic Awareness. An important distinction is also made between the Buddha-body of Perfect Resource, which manifests naturally or intrinsically, and the Buddha-body of Emanation, which manifests extraneously (gzhan-snang), for the sake of sentient beings.

  Negativity sdig-pa, Skt. pāpa

  The negativity arising from the performance of non-virtuous past actions, which, along with negative obscurations (sgrib) and their habitual tendencies (bag-chag), all have their basis in delusion, attachment, and aversion. Negativity, therefore, generates a momentum towards a less favourable rebirth within cyclic existence. New and Old/Ancient Translation Schools gsar-ma-dang rnying-ma See Nyingma.

  Nihilist chad-lta-ba/mur-stug-pa, Skt. naiṣṭhika

  Nihilism and eternalism are the two extreme views which must, according to Buddhist thought, be transcended in order for any philosophical position to be considered well-founded. Nihilism in general refers to the view that denies the existence of objects, laws of cause and effect and the principle of dependent origination . However, based on one’s metaphysical position with regard to the nature of reality, the criteria of what constitutes a denial of the existence of phenomena or the law of cause and effect may differ. In ancient India the nihilist view was characteristic of the Carvāka and Bārhaspatya materialist schools. See Eternalist and Madhyamaka.

  Nine Sequences of the Vehicle theg-pa’i rim-pa dgu

  See under Nine Vehicles.

  Nine Vehicles theg-pa dgu, Skt. navayāna

  In the Nyingma school, the Buddhist teachings are systematised according to a hierarchy of the three outer or causal vehicles (those of the pious attendants, hermit buddhas and bodhisattvas), those of the three outer classes of tantra (Kriyātantra, Ubhayatantra and Yogatantra), and those of the three inner classes of tantra (Mahāyoga, Anuyoga and Atiyoga). See the nine individual entries.

  Nirvāna myang-’das

  Nirvāṇa (lit. ‘state beyond sorrow’) refers to the permanent cessation of all suffering and the dissonant mental states which cause and perpetuate suffering, along with all misapprehension with regard to the nature of emptiness (Skt. śūnyatā). Nirvāṇa is therefore the antithesis of cyclic existence (Skt. saṃsāra). Since it is through the misapprehension of the nature of actual reality (Skt. dharmatā) that our conscious states of delusion arise, a total elimination of these dissonant mental states can only be effected by generating a genuine insight into the true nature of actual reality. All the bodhisattva paths expounded in the sūtras and all the aspects of the continuum of the path which are expounded in the tantras are regarded as the means by which nirvāṇa might be attained. Classical Buddhist literature mentions three types of nirvāṇa: 1) nirvāṇa with residue, i.e. the initial state of nirvāṇa when the person is still dependent on his or her karmically conditioned psycho-physical aggregates (skandha); 2) nirvāṇa without residue, i.e. an advanced state of nirvāṇa where the former aggregates have also been consumed within emptiness; and 3) non-abiding nirvāṇa, i.e. a state that has transcended both the extremes of conditioned cyclic existence and also the isolated peace or quiescence of nirvāṇa.

  Non-virtuous Action mi-dge-ba, Skt. akuśala

  See Virtuous Action.

  Nucleus of the Sugata/Tathāgata bde-gshegs snying-po / de-gshegs snying-po, Skt. sugatagarbha/tathāgatagarbha

  Both Sugata (One Who Has Gone to Bliss) and Tathāgata (One Who Has Thus Gone) are epithets of Buddha. However, the expression ‘nucleus of the sugata’ or ‘nucleus of the tathāgata’ refers to the seed of buddha nature present but uncultivated in the mental continuum of all sentient beings, and without which the attainment of enlightenment or buddhahood would be impossible. See Buddha nature.

  Nyinda Choje nyin-zla chos-rje

  The name of the son of Karma Lingpa. See Gyurme Dorje’s ‘Brief Literary History’.

  Nyinda Ozer nyin-zla ‘od-zer

  The name of a second-generation lineage-holder of Karma Lingpa. See Gyurme Dorje’s ‘Brief Literary History’.

  Nyingma rnying-ma

  The oldest school of Tibetan Buddhism, based on the teaching traditions and texts introduced to Tibet during the earliest phase of Buddhist propagation, which coincided with the reigns of the Buddhist kings of the Yarlung dynasty in the eighth to ninth centuries. These traditions were introduced from India by Padmasambhava , Vimalamitra and others, and maintained in Tibet by the twenty-five disciples of Padmasambhava. The distinction between the old and new schools of Tibetan Buddhism is made on the basis of the interregnum which followed the persecution of Buddhism during the ninth century and preceded the second or later phase of Buddhist propagation when a further corpus of Buddhist literature was introduced from India by Marpa, Drokmi Lotsāwa, Atiśa, Rinchen Zangpo and others during the eleventh century. Lineages derived from the earlier phase and works translated before the interregnum are known as Nyingma, or the ‘Ancient Translation school’, in contrast to those which emerged thereafter and are known as Sarma, or the ‘New Translation schools’.

  Nyingthig snying-thig

  The teachings known as the ‘Innermost Spirituality’ or ‘Heart-Essence’ (snying-thig) are the most important and essential pith instructions within the esoteric instructional class (upadeśavarga) of Atiyoga, including the techniques of Cutting through Resistance and All-surpassing Realisation. Two distinct lineages of these teachings were introduced from India by Padmasambhava and Vimalamitra, and then transmitted with great secrecy in Tibet until the time of Longchen Rabjampa (fourteenth century), who integrated them in his Four-part Innermost Spirituality (sNying-thig ya-bzhi), from which time they were widely disseminated and practised. Diverse traditions of Nyingthig are practised within the treasure (gter-ma) traditions of the Nyingma school, the most influential in more recent times being the Innermost Spirituality of Longchenpa (Klong-chen snying-thig), which was revealed during the eighteenth century by Rigdzin Jigme Lingpa on the basis of his inspirational visions of Longchen Rabjampa, and which has since become the most popular recension of Nyingthig teachings throughout Tibet.

  Oath-bound Protectors dam-can

  A class of protectors of the sacred teachings who are considered to have been originally indigenous Tibetan spirits, bound under an oath of allegiance to Buddhism by Padmasambhava during the eighth century.

  Obscuration sgrib-pa, Skt. āvaraṇa There are two main categories of obscurations (sgrib-pa), namely: the dissonant mental states (nyon-sgrib, Skt. kleśāvaraṇa) which are the obscurations to liberation, and the subtle propensities of these mental states as well as that of fundamental ignorance, which constitute the obscurations to omniscience (shes-sgrib, Skt. jñeyāvaraṇa ). As the terms themselves indicate, the first category of obscurations obstruct the individual from gaining total freedom from karmically conditioned cyclic existence , and the latter from attaining a direct and non-deceptive realisation of all aspects of reality. The obscurations to liberation include not only the conscious states of our deluded mind, such as desire, hatred, jealousy, harmful intent, etc., but also the psychological habitual tendencies which are imprinted by these states, which serve as seeds for their continuity and recurrence. The second category of obscurations refers to the ‘propensities for bewildering dualistic appearance’ (gnyis-snang khrul-pa’i bag-chags), the subtle dispositions and latent tendencies which are deeply ingrained within an individual’s psyche and which are the origins of our dualistic perceptions of the phenomenal world and of our own conscious
ness. A total overcoming of both obscurations (Tib. sgrib-gnyis) marks the attainment of buddhahood.

  Obstacle-causing Spirits bar-cad-kyi gdon

  The various classes of spirits (gdon) who cause obstacles to individuals and pollute the environment, which are said to impede certain localities, the physical body and human activities. In particular, there is an enumeration of eighteen such spirits to whom paediatric diseases are attributed by the Tibetan medical tradition.

  Obstruting Forces bgegs, Skt. vighna

  A class of forces which obstruct spiritual practice, but whose obstacles may be considered psychologically as cathartic in that their emergence may suggest that one’s own negative past actions are ripening and therefore their negative impact is finally maturing and coming to an end. Often when means for attainment are performed in accordance with the tantras, a torma-offering is dedicated to such obstructing forces prior to the commencement of the generation stage of meditation.