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 Please see our Content Disclaimer regarding English terms in LYWA publications that may be outdated and should be considered in context.

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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.