Glossary (by Tharpa Lowry)
Abhidharma (Skt.)—The portion of Buddhist scriptures concerned with detailed teachings on cosmology and psychology. fic›rya (Skt.)—A religious master or preceptor, usually translated into Tibetan as loppön. It has the connotation of a teacher-preceptor, someone who performs the traditional ceremonies and ordinations. Afflictive emotions (Skt. kleŸa)—States of mind that are experienced as or lead to confusion and suffering. The three root afflictive emotions are passion, aggression, and ignorance. Aggregates (Skt. skandha)—The constituent parts of a sentient being: form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. Sometimes the word aggregate is used to refer to the entire body. Akani˝˛a (Skt.)—The highest of all the pure lands. Amit›bha (Skt.; Tib. Öpame, ’Od dpag med)—The celestial Buddha of compassion who through his enlightened aspiration created the western pure land, Sukhavatı, in which beings can take rebirth to avoid further suffering in cyclic existence. Amit›yus (Skt.; Tib. Tsepame, Tshe dpag med)—A yidam deity traditionally associated with practices of longevity and good health. AvalokiteŸvara (Skt.; Tib. Chenrezi, Spyan ras gzigs)—Also, the Great Compassionate One. One of the most important yidams of Tibetan Buddhism, the bodhisattva who represents the compassion of the buddhas. Bardo (Tib. bar do)—The transitional state between different types of consciousness, generally referring to the transition between death and rebirth. Bodhicitta (Skt.)—On the relative level, this is the wish to attain buddhahood for the sake of sentient beings, together with the practice necessary to accomplish this. On an absolute level, it is nondual wisdom, the ultimate nature of mind and the true status of phenomena. In certain tantric contexts, bodhicitta refers to the essential physical substance, a fluid found in the heart center, which is the support of mind.