calm abiding
See shamatha.
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 Please see our Content Disclaimer regarding English terms in LYWA publications that may be outdated and should be considered in context.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 "C"
causal refuge
The objects of refuge—the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha—existing in the mental continua of others, as opposed to resultant refuge. Only by relying upon these external refuge objects can we achieve our own internal resultant refuge. Causal refuge can be both absolute and relative Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. See also absolute refuge, conventional refuge.
causative phenomena
Things that come about in dependence upon causes and conditions; includes all objects experienced by the senses, as well as the mind itself; impermanent phenomena.
cause and effect
See karma.
central channel
sushumna or avadhuti (Skt); tsa uma (Tib); rtsa dbu ma (Wyl)
The central channel runs from the crown of the head to the secret chakra. It is the major energy channel of the vajra body, and is visualized as a hollow tube of light in front of the spine. See also five chakras.
cessation with residue
sopadhishesha-nirvana (Skt); lhag chä pä nya ngen lä dä pa (Tib); lhag bcas pa’i mya ngan las ’das pa (Wyl)
The attainment of nirvana while still in a contaminated body, hence “with residue” or “with remainder.” One of the three types of nirvana, or liberation. See also cessation without residue and non-abiding nirvana.
cessation without residue
nirupadhishesha-nirvana (Skt); lhag mä pä nya ngen lä dä pa (Tib); lhag med pa’i mya ngan las ‘das pa (Wyl)
The attainment of nirvana once the contaminated body (the residue) perishes, hence “without residue” or “without remainder.” One of the three types of nirvana, or liberation. See also cessation with residue and non-abiding nirvana.
cessation, the truth of
nirodhasatya (Skt); gog den (Tib); 'gog bden (Wyl)
The third of the four noble truths, the complete elimination of all disturbing-thought obscurations, thus stopping suffering and attaining the state of liberation or nirvana. See also obscurations.
chakra (Skt)
khorlo (Tib); 'khor lo (Wyl)
See five chakras.
Chakrasamvara (Skt)
khorlo demchog (Tib); 'khor lo bde mchog (Wyl)
See Heruka Chakrasamvara.
Chandragomin
A famous seventh-century Indian lay practitioner who challenged Chandrakirti to a debate that lasted many years. His writings include Twenty Verses on the Bodhisattva Vows (Skt: Bodhisattvasamvaravimshakah; Tib: jam chug sem pä dom pa nyi shu pa) and Letter to a Disciple (Skt: Shisyalekha; Tib: lob ma la tring pä tring yik).
Chandrakirti (Skt)
Dawa Dragpa (Tib); zla bag rags pa (Wyl)
The sixth century CE Indian Buddhist philosopher who wrote commentaries on Nagarjuna's philosophy. His best-known work is A Guide to the Middle Way (Skt: Madhyamakavatara; Tib: u ma la jug pa).
chang (Tib)
Beer made from fermented grain, often barley.
changeable mental factors
anyathabhava-chaitta (Skt); zhen gyur sem jung (Tib); gzhan ’gyur sems byung (Wyl)
One of the six groups of mental factors, these are factors that can be virtuous, nonvirtuous or neutral depending on one's motivation and the specific situation. There are four: sleep, contrition, investigation and analysis.
channel
nadi (Skt); tsa (Tib); rtsa (Wyl)
A constituent of the vajra body through which energy winds and drops flow. The central, right, and left are the major channels; there are 72,000 subtle channels in all. See also five chakras and central channel.
Charya Tantra (Skt)
chö gyü (Tib); spyod rgyud (Wyl)
The second of four classes of tantra, also called Performance Tantra because it emphasizes rituals and recitation.
Chekawa Yeshe Dorje, Geshe (1101–75)
The Kadampa geshe who was inspired by Geshe Langri Tangpa's Eight Verses of Thought Transformation and later composed the famous thought transformation text Seven-Point Mind Training.
Chengawa Lodrö Gyaltsen (1390–1448)
A disciple of Khedrub-je, one of Lama Tsongkhapa's heart disciples.
Chengawa Tsultrim Bar, Geshe (1033–1103)
Kadampa master and one of Dromtönpa's three main disciples, the other two being Geshe Potowa and Phuchungwa Shönu Gyaltsen (1031–1106).
chöd
chö (Tib); chod (Wyl)
A tantric practice aimed at destroying self-grasping, where the practitioner visualizes dissecting and distributing the parts of the ordinary body to spirits and other beings as a feast offering.
Chöden Rinpoche (1933-2015)
An ascetic, learned Gelugpa lama who meditated in a small room in Lhasa for nineteen years after the Chinese occupation; a guru of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Chogye Trichen Rinpoche (1919–2007)
A highly learned and attained lama who was head of the Tsarpa branch of the Sakya tradition; a guru of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Chökyi Dorje
The great fifteenth-century siddha whose chief disciple was Gyalwa Ensapa.
chömdze (Tib)
chos mdzad (Wyl)
The title given to a monk, usually a tulku, who has made a substantial offering to the monastery and is therefore exempt from work obligations.
chuba (Tib)
chu pa (Wyl)
A long dress or coat worn by Tibetan lay people.
chulen (Tib)
bcud len (Wyl)
Literally, “taking the essence.” Chulen pills are made of essential ingredients; taking but a few each day, accomplished meditators can remain secluded in retreat for months or years without having to depend upon normal food.
circumambulation
A practice of purifying negative karma and accumulating merit in which a person walks clockwise around a holy object such as a stupa or statue.
Cittamatra (Skt)
sem tsam pa (Tib); sems tsam pa (Wyl)
The Mind Only school, one of the two Mahayana (Great Vehicle) philosophical schools. The Mind Only school does not accept external objects but does assert truly established self-knowers. See also the four Buddhist philosophical schools.
clear light
ö sel (Tib); ’od gsal (Wyl)
The extremely subtle mind which is directly recognized as the culmination of successful tantric practice, and is also accessible or recognizable to ordinary beings at the time of death.
clear light and the illusory body
ö sel (Tib); ’od gsal (Wyl); and gyulu (Tib); sgyu lus (Wyl)
Collected Topics
dura (Tib); bsdus grwa (Wyl)
A preliminary subject in the Tibetan Gelug tradition that serves as an introduction to syllogistic reasoning and systematizes and defines basic Buddhist concepts and terms.
