| abhisheka |
Literally
"sprinkling" (cf. the above passage on "The Ambrosia shop of the
Buddha"), it is the Sanskrit word used for a tantric initiation. The Tibetan word is
"dBang" (pronounced "wang"). |
|
| ambrosia |
Skt.
amrita. |
|
| amrita |
Sanskrit
for " elixir of immortality", it literally means
"deathlessness". This has obvious parallels in "ambrosia" the name of
the classical Greek "food of the gods" which means "no death". |
|
| asuras |
A
race of anti-gods, comparable to the Titans in classical Greek mythology. |
|
| beer |
Tibetan
chhang ("barley beer"). |
|
| bimba tree |
Probably
Momordica monadelpha |
|
| dutsi |
A
phonetic rendering of the Tibetan bDud.rTsi, equivalent to Skt., amrita, soma,
Eng. "ambrosia". |
|
| eating ambrosia |
Considering
that this ambrosia has been described as something which may be "sprinkled" we
must suspect the accuracy of this translation. |
|
| empowerment |
A
more literal translation of the Tibetan word dBang meaning "initiation". |
|
| goma |
This
appears to be Japanese pronunciation of "homa". |
|
| hala hala |
(Sanskrit)
Presumably a corrupt form of kalakuta or khalakuta, the equivalent terms
in the Hindu myth. Like these terms neither its precise meaning nor its etymology is
understood. |
|
| haoma |
The
Iranian equivalent of soma. The word is cognate with Skt. homa, "fire
ritual", "sacrifice". |
|
| herbal pills |
T.
J. Tsarong gives the composition only of bDud.rTsi.Ril.dKar ("the white nectar
pill"), which is used medicinally, but not of bDud.rTsi.Ril.dMar ("the
red nectar pill") which is used by yogins and for initiations. The "white nectar
pill" contains "Ash of a fossilized stone (Bya.rDo), Hedychium
spicatum, black salt, Hippophae rhamnoides, Piper longum". |
|
| hevajra Tantra |
The
"Hevajra Tantra" is a complex and arcane Buddhist work which concerns itself
with the ecstatic, yogic and magical means to enlightenment. |
|
| homa |
Skt.,
"fire ritual", "sacrifice". |
|
| Jetsun |
A
Tibetan honorific, in this case referring to Milarepa |
|
| Kyungpo Naljor |
Tib.
K'yung.Po rNal.'Byor ("Garuda yogin") |
|
| lhamayin |
The
Tibetan word Lha.Ma.Yin (literally "Not a god") is a translation of the
Sanskrit asura. |
|
| Mandavya |
I
have, as yet, been unable to find any other reference to "the sage Mandavya,
who dwelt on the Vindhyas". The Vindhyas are a range of mountains in the South of
India inhabited by Dravidian people. In the Indian tradition mountains are considered to
be repositories of medicinal herbs. |
|
| Milarepa |
Tib.
Mi.La.Ras.Pa ("Mila the cotton-clad") |
|
| naga-king |
Nagas
are snake-spirits. They have the power to change their shape, their females (nagini)
often assuming the guise of beautiful women. Although they inhabit the subterranean land
of "Patala", they are connected with the water element and have the power to
bring rain. |
|
| Natakubera |
The
wealth deity Kubera (also written Kuvera, Sanskrit for "deformed") is considered
the lord of the yakshas and is thus called yaksharaja. The name Natakubera
literally means "the bent and misshapen one". |
|
| pacifying practice |
Tib.
gCod |
|
| Patala |
The
underworld realm of the asuras. Due to their common "anti-god"
alignment, it is also said to house the yakshas and the nagas. Patala
should not be confused with either:
(a) Potala, the "pure land" of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, or
(b) the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. This palace was the seat of the Dalai Lamas from
the 16th to the 20th centuries. It was built by the "Great Fifth" Dalai Lama who
named it after the realm of Avalokiteshvara. |
|
| piyusha |
The
words piyusha, amrita, sudha are modern Hindi synonyms for soma. Das gives them in
the Devanagari alphabet |
|
| Perfection of Wisdom |
Ashtasahasrika
Prajñaparamita Sutra (Skt., "The Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000
Verses"), a seminal Mahayana text, probably composed in the 1st century C.E. |
|
| sadhaka |
One
who practices a sadhana. |
|
| sadhana |
A
tantric system of meditation, often involving the visualization of a deity while
reciting a mantra appropriate to that deity. |
|
| secret water |
A
note on "secret water" explains "Probably she poured urine in
the skull cup for him to drink." |
|
| siddha |
(Skt)
"accomplished", "adept". One who has achieved enlightenment by
following the Vajrayana path. See siddhi. |
|
| siddhi |
(Skt)
"accomplishment". In the Vayrayana tradition there is only one accomplishment
worth considering and that is enlightenment. See siddha. |
|
| soma-raja |
M.
Monier-Williams, ("A Sanskrit-English Dictionary", Motilal Banarsidass, New
Delhi 1993) interprets the closely-related words soma-rajika and soma-raji
as being the plant Vernonia anthelminthica. |
|
| tail of a dragon |
Actually
the tail of a naga or giant, supernatural snake. |
|
| three essentials |
The
three essentials components of an initiation are (1) the substance to be eaten or drunk,
(2) the visualization of the deity and (3) the mantra of that deity. |
|
| Vajrapani |
Skt.
Vajrapani, "Thunderbolt-holder", becomes, in Tibetan, P'yag.Na.rDo.rJe,
"Thunderbolt-in-hand". This is frequently abbreviated to P'yag.rDor
(pronounced Chak-dor). |
|
| vajrayana |
Skt.,
"diamond/thunderbolt vehicle", also known as the Guhyamantrayana, "secret
mantra vehicle". |
|
| Vyasa |
Skt.,
"author" |
|
| world of the asuras |
see
Patala |
|
| yaksha |
Originally
a class of gigantic, goblin-like, chthonic demons in Indian popular culture, sometimes
said to bring disease. In Buddhist literature, converted Yakshas are
frequently cited as protectors of Buddhism. |
|
| yakshini Kali |
The word Yakshini is the feminine form of yaksha.
I think we may confidently assume that the yakshini in question is the Hindu
goddess Kali in Buddhist guise. That she is said to be a mere yakshini and a servant of
Kuvera (Kubera) is an example of the mutual denigration of deities which typified the
inter-religious rivalry between Hindus and Buddhists. |
|
