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 Please see our Content Disclaimer regarding English terms in LYWA publications that may be outdated and should be considered in context.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 Buddhist philosophical schools

drubtha zhi (Tib); grub mtha' bzhi (Wyl)

The tenets propounded by the great Indian Buddhist masters and categorized by Tibetan Buddhist scholars into four main philosophical systems, each with a progressively subtle explanation of selflessness. The two Hinayana (Lesser Vehicle) schools are Vaibhashika (Great Exposition) and Sautrantika (Sutra), and the two Mahayana (Great Vehicle) schools are Cittamatra (Mind Only) and Madhyamaka (Middle Way).

four continents

According to Buddhist cosmology the four world systems clustered around Mount Meru, one for each cardinal point. Ours is the southern continent, Jambudvipa (Rose-apple Land; Tib: dzam bu ling), the others being Godaniya (Cattle Gift Land; Tib: ba lang chö) in the west; Kuru (Unpleasant Sound; Tib: dra mi nyän) in the north and Videha (Tall Body Land; Tib: lü phag po) in the east. These continents appear in the mandala offering and are part of the symbolic representation of the entire universe.

four dignities

Mythical animals that represent various aspects of the bodhisattva attitude: dragon for power, tiger for confidence, snow lion for fearlessness and garuda for wisdom.

four empties

tong pa zhi (Tib); stong pa bzhi (Wyl)

In Highest Yoga Tantra, they are the increasingly subtle minds experienced as the clear light is approached. They are empty, very empty, great empty and all empty. The term refers not to emptiness (shunyata) but to a lack of the previous grosser minds. They correspond to the white, red, dark and clear light appearances of the death dissolutions.

four factors (of a completed karmic act)

The four elements that make an action of body or speech complete so that the full result is experienced. They are the intention (Tib: sam pa; Wyl: bsam pa), object (Tib: shi; Wyl: gzhi), action (Tib: jor wa; Wyl: sbyor ba) and completion (Tib: tar tug; Wyl: mthar thug). Each of these four brings its own result and—if it is negative—can be purified by one of the four opponent powers. Actions that lack all four parts are weaker in strength and bring weaker results.

four great arhats

Shariputra, known for his understanding of the Abhidharma; Maudgalyayana, known for his psychic powers; Mahakashyapa, the great ascetic; and Ananda, the personal attendant of the Buddha who recalled every word he spoke.

four great eons

The four periods of a world system; they are the great eons of evolving, existing, decaying and being empty.

four guardian kings

The protectors in the form of kings of the four cardinal directions always found at the entrance of monasteries and temples in China and Tibet; they are: Dhritarashtra of the east, Virudhaka of the south, Virupaksha of the west and Vaishravana of the north.

four harmonious brothers

Four animals, an elephant, a monkey, a rabbit, and a bird, that lived in the forest and spread harmony to the other animals, creating peace and prosperity in the whole kingdom.

four immeasurables

caturapramana (Skt); tsä mä zhi (Tib); tshad med bzhi (Wyl)

Also known as the four immeasurable thoughts or the four sublime attitudes (Skt: brahmavihara), these are four states of mind or aspirations: loving kindness (Skt: maitri; Tib: jam pa; Wyl: byams pa), compassion (Skt: karuna; Tib: nying je; Wyl: snying rje), sympathetic joy (Skt: mudita; Tib: ga ba; Wyl: dga' ba) and equanimity (Skt: upeksha; Tib: tang nyom; Wyl: btang snyoms). They are usually expressed in the prayer: may all sentient beings have happiness and its causes, be free from suffering and its causes, be inseparable from sorrowless bliss, and abide in equanimity—or longer variations of the same.

four kindnesses of the mother

In the seven points of cause and effect technique for developing bodhicitta, the second, remembering the kindness of the mother, can include how the mother has been kind in four ways: 1) the kindness of giving her body; 2) the kindness of protecting our life from danger; 3) the kindness of bearing hardship; and 4) the kindness of leading us in the ways of the world. The lineage of this came to Lama Zopa Rinpoche from Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen Rinpoche.

four Mahayana Dharma wheels

The four external conditions conducive to spiritual development. They are: 1) relying on holy beings; 2) abiding in a harmonious environment; 3) having supportive family and friends; and 4) collecting merit and making prayers. See also the eight ripening qualities.

four maras

du zhi (Tib); bdud bzhi (Wyl)

The four external and internal hindrances or obstacles to our spiritual progress. They are: 1) the mara of the (contaminated) aggregates (Skt: skhandha-mara); 2) the mara of delusions (Skt: klesha-mara); 3) the mara of the Lord of Death (Skt: mrityu-mara); and 4) the mara of the deva's son (Skt: devaputra-mara), the demon of desire and temptation. See also Mara.

four neighbouring hells

nye khor we nyälwa zhi (Tib); nye 'khor ba'i dmyal ba bzhi (Wyl)

Four hells surrounding the major hot hells, they are: the fiery trench (Skt: Kukulam; Tib: mema mur; Wyl: me ma mur), the putrid swamp (Skt: Kunapam; Tib: ronyag; Wyl: ro myags), the plain of swords (Skt: Kshuradharammargah; Tib: pa dri tam pä tang; Wyl: spa gri gtams pa'i tang), the uncrossable torrent (Skt: Vaitarani; Tib: chu wo rap me; Wyl: chu bo rap med).

four noble disciplines

Avoiding responding to: 1) anger with anger; 2) physical harm with physical harm; 3) criticism with criticism; and 4) verbal argument with verbal argument. These are said to distinguish real practitioners and are part of the secondary bodhisattva vows.

four noble truths

denpa zhi (Tib); bden pa bzhi (Wyl)

The subject of the Buddha's first turning of the wheel of Dharma. The truths of suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path to the cessation of suffering as seen by an arya.

four opponent powers

nyenpo tob zhi (Tib); gnyen po stobs bzhi (Wyl)

The four practices used to purify nonvirtuous imprints on the mindstream. They are: 1) the power of the object, taking refuge in the Three Rare Sublime Ones and generating bodhicitta; 2) the power of regret, feeling deep regret for the negativity committed; 3) the power of resolve, determining not to repeat that negativity; and 4) the power of remedy, a practice such as Vajrasattva that effectively acts as an antidote to the negativity.

four outlines of karma

Karma is definite, karma is expandable, we cannot meet the result unless we have created the cause, and once the cause has been created the result cannot be lost.

four powerful Dharmakaya Relic mantras

Four mantras placed in holy objects such as stupas. Simply circumambulating an object containing these mantras purifies the karma to be reborn in the hot hells. They are: the most precious heart mantra of stainless beam, the most precious mantra of secret relic, the most precious mantra of ornament of enlightenment and the very precious root mantra of stainless pinnacle.

four powers

The four types of attainments often described in tantric initiations. They are: pacification (of delusions), increase (of realizations), control (of whatever needs controlling) and subduing (of negative forces).

four purities

Also called the four complete purities. In tantra, the practice of transcending ordinary appearance and seeing place, body, enjoyments and action as pure. The place or environment is seen as the deity's mandala, the ordinary body is seen as the deity's, the sense enjoyments are offered to the deity and all actions are regarded as the actions of the deity.

four seals

The four basic tenets that define Buddhism. They are: all compositional phenomena are impermanent, all contaminated phenomena are by nature suffering, all phenomena are empty of self-existence and nirvana is true peace.

Four Thoughts (That Turn the Mind to Dharma)

lo dog nam zhi (Tib); blo ldog rnam bzhi (Wyl)

The four contemplations are: 1) the difficulties of finding a precious human rebirth; 2) the impermanence of life; 3) the sufferings of samsara; and 4) karma (cause and effect).

four types of grasping

They are: grasping at sense pleasures, grasping at the wrong view of denying what exists, grasping at the wrong view of holding our own beliefs as superior and grasping at the wrong view of the sense of a self-existent I.

four types of reliance

tönpa zhi (Tib; rton pa bzhi (Wyl)

Taught by the Buddha shortly before showing the aspect of passing away, they are: 1) relying on the message and not the personality of the teacher; 2) relying on the meaning of the message and not just the words; 3) relying on definitive meaning and not the provisional; and 4) relying on wisdom and insight, and not the ordinary, judgmental mind.

four unknowing minds

The four types of very subtle ignorance that arhats and higher bodhisattvas still have that a buddha does not, due to the subtle imprints of delusions not yet fully eliminated. They are: the inability to see the secret actions of a buddha, the inability to see the subtle karma of sentient beings, the inability to see things that happened a very long time ago and the inability to see very long distances.

four vajra drops

Four attainments of the union of clear light and illusory body, they are: the posture of the drop, retaining the drops while in union without emission; the posture of the wind, using the wind to block the channel by use of a syllable; the posture of the channel, the meeting of channels of the father and mother; and the posture of the body, the syllables that adorn the secret places at the time of unification.

four vital points of analysis

One of the main techniques for meditating on emptiness. They are: 1) determining the object to be negated; 2) determining that a truly existent self must either be identical with the aggregates or separate from them; 3) determining that a truly existent self cannot be identical with the aggregates; and 4) determining that a truly existent self cannot be separate from the aggregates.

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