The Tantra on the Origin of All Rites of Tārā, Mother of All the Tathāgatas
Glossary

See “five acts with immediate retribution.”

Roughly synonymous with abhicāra (assaulting), this broad category of rites includes those ritual practices and magical acts that are used to curse, exorcise malevolent influences, deter, harm, and kill enemies, and otherwise engage in hostile activities directed towards human and nonhuman targets.

A yakṣa, a guardian of the southeast.

One of the five primary tathāgatas, he presides over the vajra family.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The buddha of the western buddhafield of Sukhāvatī, where fortunate beings are reborn to make further progress toward spiritual maturity. Amitābha made his great vows to create such a realm when he was a bodhisattva called Dharmākara. In the Pure Land Buddhist tradition, popular in East Asia, aspiring to be reborn in his buddha realm is the main emphasis; in other Mahāyāna traditions, too, it is a widespread practice. For a detailed description of the realm, see The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī, Toh 115. In some tantras that make reference to the five families he is the tathāgata associated with the lotus family.

Amitābha, “Infinite Light,” is also known in many Indian Buddhist works as Amitāyus, “Infinite Life.” In both East Asian and Tibetan Buddhist traditions he is often conflated with another buddha named “Infinite Life,” Aparimitāyus, or “Infinite Life and Wisdom,”Aparimitāyurjñāna, the shorter version of whose name has also been back-translated from Tibetan into Sanskrit as Amitāyus but who presides over a realm in the zenith. For details on the relation between these buddhas and their names, see The Aparimitāyurjñāna Sūtra (1) Toh 674, i.9.

One of the five primary tathāgatas, he presides over the karma family.

The ambrosia that prevents death or spiritual death (hence the Tibetan term meaning “crushes spiritual death”). The Sanskrit term literally means “immortality.” It is often used metaphorically to mean the Dharma.

The fire that will destroy the universe at the end of the eon, according to Indic cosmogony.

One of the four primary categories of ritual activities that includes rites for aggressively overcoming adversarial influences, both human and nonhuman.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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 (gods).

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the “eight close sons of the Buddha,” he is also known as the bodhisattva who embodies compassion. In certain tantras, he is also the lord of the three families, where he embodies the compassion of the buddhas. In Tibet, he attained great significance as a special protector of Tibet, and in China, in female form, as Guanyin, the most important bodhisattva in all of East Asia.

Pentapetes phoenicea.

A wrathful form of the goddess Tārā.

The female form of the epithet commonly applied to buddhas and other awakened beings. The Sanskrit word bhaga means, among other factors, “good fortune,” “happiness,” “prosperity,” and “excellence.” The suffix -vat indicates possession. A common English translation is thus “blessed one” or “fortunate one.” The three syllables of the Tibetan translation mean that the being has “overcome” or “conquered” (Tib. bcom), is “endowed [with qualities]” (Tib. ldan), and has “gone beyond [saṃsāra]” (Tib. ’das).

The male form of the epithet commonly applied to buddhas and other awakened beings. The Sanskrit word bhaga means, among other factors, “good fortune,” “happiness,” “prosperity,” and “excellence.” The suffix -vat indicates possession. A common English translation is thus “blessed one” or “fortunate one.” The three syllables of the Tibetan translation mean that the being has “overcome” or “conquered” (Tib. bcom), is “endowed [with qualities]” (Tib. ldan), and has “gone beyond [saṃsāra]” (Tib. ’das).

Literally “the mind of awakening,” but more technically a person’s aspiration to become fully awakened for the specific purpose of liberating all sentient beings. This is the necessary and sufficient condition to be a bodhisattva.

Gesture in which the arm is extended down and the palm faces outward.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A high-ranking deity presiding over a divine world; he is also considered to be the lord of the Sahā world (our universe). Though not considered a creator god in Buddhism, Brahmā occupies an important place as one of two gods (the other being Indra/Śakra) said to have first exhorted the Buddha Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. The particular heavens found in the form realm over which Brahmā rules are often some of the most sought-after realms of higher rebirth in Buddhist literature. Since there are many universes or world systems, there are also multiple Brahmās presiding over them. His most frequent epithets are “Lord of the Sahā World” (sahāṃpati) and Great Brahmā (mahābrahman).

Literally “The Eye of the Buddha,” a female deity in the esoteric Buddhist pantheon.

A piece of cloth that covers corpses being carried to a cremation ground and that remains draped over them on the funeral pyre.

Chel Lotsāwa Chökyi Sangpo (d. 1216) was a Tibetan translator active in the thirteenth century.

Cloud formations that look like elaborate celestial cities, one classical example of illusory phenomena.

A kettledrum played horizontally that is wider in the middle, with the skin at both ends played by the hands. One drumhead is smaller than the other. A South Indian drum, it maintains the rhythm in Karnatak music.

A word that can refer, in different formulations, to the fundamental constituents of material and/or mental phenomena, or to the realms of existence. It also has the general meaning of the nature of something.

Crystalized bile deposits of cattle. 

An incantation, spell, or mnemonic formula that distils essential points of the Dharma and is used by practitioners to attain mundane and supramundane goals. It also has the sense of “retention,” referring to the special capacity of practitioners to memorize and recall detailed teachings.

In distinction to the rūpakāya, or form body of a buddha, this is the eternal, imperceivable realization of a buddha. In origin it was a term for the presence of the Dharma, and it has since become synonymous with the true nature.

An Indian paṇḍita active in the eleventh century.

Eight manifestations of the female buddha Tārā who grant protection from the eight fears, which are commonly enumerated as the fear of lions, elephants, fire, snakes, water, imprisonment, thieves, and cannibals.

Dangers posed by lions, elephants, fire, snakes, drowning, bondage, thieves, and demons.

Circumstances that do not provide the freedom to practice the Buddhist path, i.e., being born in the realms of (1) the hells, (2) pretas, (3) animals, and (4) long-lived gods; in the human realm (5) among barbarians, (6) among extremists, and (7) in places where the Buddhist teachings do not exist; and (8) without adequate faculties to understand the teachings where they do exist.

One of the four primary categories of ritual activities, it involves summoning and controlling a desired target. Though the target is often a person, this category of rite also includes “magnetizing” (ākarṣaṇa; dgug pa) objects, wealth, and so forth.

The ultimate nature of things, the way things are in reality as opposed to the way they appear to beings who have not awakened.

The casting of a prescribed offering into a ritual fire. The practice of homa is first attested in pre-Buddhist Vedic literature and serves as a core, pervasive ritual paradigm in exoteric and esoteric rites in both Buddhist and non-Buddhist traditions into modern times. In Buddhist esoteric rites, the ritual offerings are made repeatedly, with each throw accompanied by a single repetition of the respective mantra.

Five actions that bring immediate and severe consequences at death, such that the person who commits them will take rebirth in the lower realms directly after they die. The five are patricide, matricide, killing an arhat, intentionally injuring a buddha, and causing a schism within the saṅgha.

The vajra family, lotus family, tathāgata family, jewel family, and karma family.

Fragrances, flowers, incense, lamps, and food items.

Fragrances, flowers, incense, lamps, and food items.

Here the five are listed as gold, pearl, crystal, coral, and sapphire.

A subsidiary set of actions that bring immediate and severe consequences at death, such that the person who commits them will take rebirth in the lower realms directly after they die. These five are damaging a caitya, killing a bodhisattva, violating a woman who has exhausted her afflictions, killing a novice student, and stealing from the saṅgha.

Milk, yogurt, clarified butter, cow urine, and cow dung.

The four primary categories of ritual activities: pacifying, increasing, enthralling, and assaulting.

Seemingly the four families cited in this section; namely the lotus, tathāgata, jewel, and karma families.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The meditations on love (maitrī), compassion (karuṇā), joy (muditā), and equanimity (upekṣā), as well as the states of mind and qualities of being that result from their cultivation. They are also called the four abodes of Brahmā (caturbrahmavihāra).

In the Abhidharmakośa, Vasubandhu explains that they are called apramāṇa‍—meaning “infinite” or “limitless”‍—because they take limitless sentient beings as their object, and they generate limitless merit and results. Love is described as the wish that beings be happy, and it acts as an antidote to malice (vyāpāda). Compassion is described as the wish for beings to be free of suffering, and acts as an antidote to harmfulness (vihiṃsā). Joy refers to rejoicing in the happiness beings already have, and it acts as an antidote to dislike or aversion (arati) toward others’ success. Equanimity is considering all beings impartially, without distinctions, and it is the antidote to both attachment to pleasure and to malice (kāmarāgavyāpāda).

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of generally benevolent nonhuman beings who inhabit the skies, sometimes said to inhabit fantastic cities in the clouds, and more specifically to dwell on the eastern slopes of Mount Meru, where they are ruled by the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. They are most renowned as celestial musicians who serve the gods. In the Abhidharma, the term is also used to refer to the mental body assumed by sentient beings during the intermediate state between death and rebirth. Gandharvas are said to live on fragrances (gandha) in the desire realm, hence the Tibetan translation dri za, meaning “scent eater.”

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

In Indian mythology, the garuḍa is an eagle-like bird that is regarded as the king of all birds, normally depicted with a sharp, owl-like beak, often holding a snake, and with large and powerful wings. They are traditionally enemies of the nāgas. In the Vedas, they are said to have brought nectar from the heavens to earth. Garuḍa can also be used as a proper name for a king of such creatures.

Possibly a poisonous plant of the Ranunculaceae family, known more commonly by names such as wolfsbane and monkshood.

Cognate with the English term divine. The devas are most generically a class of divine, celestial beings who populate the narratives of Indian mythology. The term can also be used to refer to the major gods of the brahmanical pantheon.

A class of nonhuman beings able to enter and possess the human body. They have a harmful effect on physical and mental health, and are specifically said to cause seizures and insanity. Often this term is used to broadly refer to multiple classes of beings who can affect a person’s physical and mental health.

The most essential mantra of a deity.

A term applied to the central deity of a tantric maṇḍala.

A wrathful form of the goddess Tārā.

One of the four primary categories of ritual activities.

A Vedic god who eventually emerged as one of the most important in the Vedic pantheon. Indra retains his role as the “Lord of the Gods” in Buddhist literature, where he is often referred to by the name Śakra. As a guardian of the directions, he guards the eastern quarter.

See note 52.

A ritual initiation into the maṇḍala and practice system of a specific tantric deity. The term means “to anoint,” as it evokes Indic rites of royal coronation that involve sprinkling consecrated water.

The introductory section of a sūtra or other Buddhist scripture that establishes the time and setting of the discourse.

A form of Śiva, a guardian of the northeast.

One of the five buddha families, it is presided over by the Tathāgata Ratnasambhava.

One of the five buddha families, it is presided over by the Tathāgata Amoghasiddhi.

Khedrup Jé Gelek Palsang (mkhas grub rje dge legs dpal bzang, 1385–1438) one of the main disciples of Tsongkhapa.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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.

The king of yakṣas and an important wealth deity, he is also one of the Four Great Kings in Buddhist cosmology. In this capacity he is commonly known as Vaiśravaṇa, the guardian of the northern quarter.

A female deity of the lotus family, associated with the activity of enthralling.

A dye made from the insect Laccifer lacca.

A wrathful form of the goddess Tārā.

An epithet of kings.

One of the five buddha families. This family is associated mainly with the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara and includes deities such as Tārā and Bhṛkuṭī. This family is presided over by the Tathāgata Amitābha.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Literally “great serpents,” mahoragas are supernatural beings depicted as large, subterranean beings with human torsos and heads and the lower bodies of serpents. Their movements are said to cause earthquakes, and they make up a class of subterranean geomantic spirits whose movement through the seasons and months of the year is deemed significant for construction projects.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

The bodhisattva Maitreya is an important figure in many Buddhist traditions, where he is unanimously regarded as the buddha of the future era. He is said to currently reside in the heaven of Tuṣita, as Śākyamuni’s regent, where he awaits the proper time to take his final rebirth and become the fifth buddha in the Fortunate Eon, reestablishing the Dharma in this world after the teachings of the current buddha have disappeared. Within the Mahāyāna sūtras, Maitreya is elevated to the same status as other central bodhisattvas such as Mañjuśrī and Avalokiteśvara, and his name appears frequently in sūtras, either as the Buddha’s interlocutor or as a teacher of the Dharma. Maitreya literally means “Loving One.” He is also known as Ajita, meaning “Invincible.”

For more information on Maitreya, see, for example, the introduction to Maitreya’s Setting Out (Toh 198).

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

One of the five trees of Indra’s paradise, its heavenly flowers often rain down in salutation of the buddhas and bodhisattvas and are said to be very bright and aromatic, gladdening the hearts of those who see them. In our world, it is a tree native to India, Erythrina indica or Erythrina variegata, commonly known as the Indian coral tree, mandarava tree, flame tree, and tiger’s claw. In the early spring, before its leaves grow, the tree is fully covered in large flowers, which are rich in nectar and attract many birds. Although the most widespread coral tree has red crimson flowers, the color of the blossoms is not usually mentioned in the sūtras themselves, and it may refer to some other kinds, like the rarer Erythrina indica alba, which boasts white flowers.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Mañjuśrī is one of the “eight close sons of the Buddha” and a bodhisattva who embodies wisdom. He is a major figure in the Mahāyāna sūtras, appearing often as an interlocutor of the Buddha. In his most well-known iconographic form, he is portrayed bearing the sword of wisdom in his right hand and a volume of the Prajñā­pāramitā­sūtra in his left. To his name, Mañjuśrī, meaning “Gentle and Glorious One,” is often added the epithet Kumārabhūta, “having a youthful form.” He is also called Mañjughoṣa, Mañjusvara, and Pañcaśikha.

In this text:

Also called here Youthful Mañjuśrī.

A class of beings portrayed as the primary adversaries and tempters of people who vow to take up the religious life, they are the personification of everything that functions as a hindrance to awakening.

Ritual hand gesture.

A rākṣasa, a guardian of the southwest.

Literally meaning “extinction,” it is the state beyond sorrow, referring to the ultimate attainment of buddhahood, the permanent cessation of all suffering and of the afflicted mental states that lead to suffering.

One of the four primary categories of ritual activities.

Fabric from the north Indian kingdom of Pañcāla.

A female buddha of the lotus family.

A piśācī renowned for her ability to cure disease, avert epidemics, and pacify obstacles She is often, but not exclusively, considered a form of Tārā.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

A class of nonhuman beings that are often, but certainly not always, considered demonic in the Buddhist tradition. They are often depicted as flesh-eating monsters who haunt frightening places and are ugly and evil-natured with a yearning for human flesh, and who additionally have miraculous powers, such as being able to change their appearance.

One of the five primary tathāgatas, he presides over the jewel family.

A synonym for the nature of things.

An alternate name of Indra; a Vedic god who, along with Brahmā, first exhorted Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. Śakra’s importance in the Brahmanical pantheon was eventually eclipsed by Viṣṇu.

1127–1225, an influential Kashmiri paṇḍita who visited Tibet from 1204–13.

The commitments specifically associated with tantric practice.

An enigmatic term that refers to a crust or deposit left on the earth after it is saturated by a fluid. When used together with a term for cremation ash, it seems to refer to the earth beneath the fire that has been saturated by the ghee used in the fire as well as by the melted bodily constituents.

A wrathful form of the goddess Tārā.

Literally “perfumed chamber,” this was the name given to the Buddha’s personal room at the Jetavana monastery. The term was then later applied to the room in any monastery where an image of the Buddha was installed to signify his presence. In the context of an Action Tantra, the term seems to refer generically to a shrine chamber, perhaps one specifically enshrining the deity that is the focus of a given rite.

One of the three gateways to liberation, it is the ultimate absence of marks and signs in perceived objects.

The perennially famous silk from the north Indian city now named Vārānasī/Benares.

The single form of a deity without its accompanying maṇḍala of deities.

A type of vīṇā.

A goddess (lit. “Savior”) known for giving protection. She is variously presented in Buddhist literature as a great bodhisattva or a fully awakened buddha.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

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.

One of the five buddha families, it is presided over by the Tathāgata Vairocana.

A ritual hand gesture (mudrā) of pointing the forefinger of the right hand menacingly.

Tsongkhapa Losang Drakpa (tsong kha pa blo bzang grags pa, 1357–1419) was an important Buddhist master and the founder of the Geluk (dge lugs) school.

Definition from the 84000 Glossary of Terms:

Tuṣita (or sometimes Saṃtuṣita), literally “Joyous” or “Contented,” is one of the six heavens of the desire realm (kāmadhātu). In standard classifications, such as the one in the Abhidharmakośa, it is ranked as the fourth of the six counting from below. This god realm is where all future buddhas are said to dwell before taking on their final rebirth prior to awakening. There, the Buddha Śākyamuni lived his preceding life as the bodhisattva Śvetaketu. When departing to take birth in this world, he appointed the bodhisattva Maitreya, who will be the next buddha of this eon, as his Dharma regent in Tuṣita. For an account of the Buddha’s previous life in Tuṣita, see The Play in Full (Toh 95), 2.12, and for an account of Maitreya’s birth in Tuṣita and a description of this realm, see The Sūtra on Maitreya’s Birth in the Heaven of Joy, (Toh 199).

An unspecified deity invoked in the mantra used for rites.

One of the five primary tathāgatas, he presides over the tathāgata family.

One of the five buddha families, it is presided over by the Tathāgata Akṣobhya.

A form of Tārā, the Buddhist goddess of compassion, commonly depicted as golden yellow in color, with four faces and eight arms.

The Vedic god of the waters, he presides over the western direction.

The Vedic god of wind, he presides over the southeastern direction.

The ultimate nature of things.

Andropogon muricatus.

A common epithet of the buddhas also used among the Jains, whose name is derived from the term jina.

A stringed instrument, similar to a sitar or lute, that is used in Indian classical music, especially of the Karnatak (South Indian) style.

One of the three gateways to liberation, it is the absence of any conceptual goal one may be focused on achieving; it comes about from knowing that all composite phenomena create suffering.

A class of guardian deities, usually presiding over the quarters of the world.

The god of death, a guardian of the southern quarter.

With a long history in South Asian folklore and religious traditions, yoginīs are liminal, transgressive, and often ferocious nonhuman female figures associated with the bestowal of temporal and transcendent spiritual accomplishment. In Buddhist tantra they are identical to ḍākinīs.

A term of address for the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī.