This glossary contains an alphabetical list of Buddhist terms that you may find on this website. Many of the terms now include phoneticized Sanskrit (Skt) as well as two forms of Tibetan—the phonetic version (Tib), which is a guide to pronunciation, and transliteration using the Wylie method (Wyl). Search for the term you want by entering it in the search box or browse through the listing by clicking on the letters below. Please see our Content Disclaimer regarding English terms in LYWA publications that may be outdated and should be considered in context.

Glossary terms for "F"

All A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W Y Z

four white dharmas

karpöi chö zhi (Tib); dkar po'i chos bzhi (Wyl)

Four actions that speed your spiritual progress; they are: 1) never lying to your guru even at the cost of your life; 2) inspiring sentient beings to follow the Mahayana path; 3) respecting a bodhisattva just as you would a buddha; and 4) being honest to all beings. See also four black dharmas.

four wrong concepts

They are: that impermanent things are permanent, that suffering is pleasure, that the impure is pure and that the self has an independent nature.

fourfold practice

Four practices considered best for accumulating merit and purifying obscurations. They are: 1) accumulating merit by making offerings to deities and spiritual teachers; 2) making offerings such as torma cakes to malevolent spirits; 3) making offerings to Dharma protectors for a successful Dharma practice; and 4) purifying negative karma by making charity.

front generation

dünkye (Tib); mdun bskyed (Wyl)

The practice in Vajrayana where the deity is visualized in front of the meditator. See also self generation.

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