Pabongkha Hermitage (Pabongkha Ritrö)
Introduction
 A view of Pabongkha from the south. |  A view of Pabongkha from the rear, looking down into the Nyangdren Valley. |
Pabongkha, one of the largest and most important of the Sera hermitages (ritrö), lies about eight kilometers northwest of downtown Lhasa on the southern (Lhasa-facing) slope of a peak known as Mount Parasol (Udukri), northwest of Sera. It takes a little over one hour to walk from Pabongkha to Sera. Pabongkha is the starting point for the “Sixth-Month Fourth-Day” (Drukpa Tsezhi) Sera Mountain Circumambulation Circuit (Seré Rikhor) pilgrimage. To see images of the circumambulation taken in 2002, click here.
The site has a long history that is said to go back to the time of the first Buddhist king (of Tibet) Songtsen Gampo (Chögyel Songtsen Gampo).2 Although originally the site of his castle (kukhar) or fort, it appears that Pabongkha was quickly converted into a monastery, perhaps as early as the reign of the second great Buddhist king (of Tibet) Trisong Detsen (Chögyel Trisong Detsen). The monastery was partially destroyed as part of King Langdarma’s (d. 842) campaign to dismantle monastic Buddhism. During the so-called “later propagation period” (chidar), Pabongkha was taken over by members of the Kadampa school. Later, Tsongkhapa (1357-1419) lived at the site as a hermit, and it eventually became a Geluk institution. Before 1959, Pabongkha was apparently an autonomous institution that belonged to no other monastery, although at various times it has had informal ties to Sera through the person of the various Sera lamas that served as its abbots. The monastery suffered considerable destruction from 1960 to the mid-1980s. Sera monks began renovating the buildings in the mid-1980s, and today the monastery belongs to Sera. Since the mid-80s, all of Pabongkha’s monks are Sera monks, and the hermitage is managed by a senior Sera monk. As was the case before 1959, and as is typical of the Sera hermitages in general, Pabongkha is principally a ritual institution. It maintains its own tradition of monthly and yearly ritual cycles.3 The most important of these yearly ritual events (at least for the laity) are:
- the six-day (three sets of two-day) Avalokiteśvara fasting rituals (nyungné) that take place during the time of the Tibetan New Year (Losar) celebrations,
- the sixteen-day (eight sets of two-day) Avalokiteśvara fasting rituals that take place during the fourth Tibetan month. This attracts many (especially elderly) people from Lhasa and the surrounding area, and
- the ritual and other events that take place during the “Sixth-Month Fourth-Day” pilgrimage.
Location and Layout
Various kinds of rhetoric have been used to portray Pabongkha as a sacred site – metaphysical, historical, archival, and so forth. In the more metaphysical accounts, Pabongkha is depicted as a site that is sacred by its very nature – that is, sacred by virtue of the fact that from among the twenty-eight sites in the world associated with the deity Cakrasaṃvara (Demchok), Pabongkha is one of the Four Principal Sites (Nyewé Né Zhi): “the one called Debikoṭi (Debi Koti).”4 In these accounts, then, Pabongkha is depicted as sacred at a deep or ontological level because it is a part of the body of a deity, Cakrasaṃvara.
But other discourses on the sacredness of the site exist alongside the metaphysical one. As is typical of many Tibetan religious institutions, various auspicious self-arisen images (rangjön)5 and rock formations are believed to exist on the mountains behind Pabongkha. The parasol has already been mentioned in other contexts; there is also a famous rock formation that resembles a conch. These various magical properties of the landscape are considered signs of the “purity of the site” (sajang). [Click here to read a discussion of the metaphysics of sacred space at a site like Sera.]
The “white conch shell” rock formation, one of the signs of holiness visible in the mountains above Pabongkha.
Pabongkha is located on a rise above the fields in the Lhasa suburb of Nyangdren. Just east of the monastery is a cemetery (durtrö) that is in use even to this day. The cemetery is identified as one of the cemeteries in the maṇḍala of Cakrasaṃvara. Informants report that before 1959 only fully ordained monks could be brought here for “sky burial.” Today no such restriction exists, and the bodies of lay people are also disposed of here. Inside the main temple at Pabongkha there is a small stone statue of a Buddha6 said to have magically emerged self-arisen image out of a stone as Songtsen Gampo was gestating in his mother’s womb. By the time the king was born, the statue, which was slowly emerging from the stone over the nine months he was in his mother’s womb, took its final and present form. The image faces the cemetery, and – like the Maitreya statue at Keutsang Hermitage (Keutsang Ritrö) that gazes down upon the eastern cemetery of Lhasa – this statue too is said to effectuate the “transition of consciousness” (powa) to the pure land for any deceased person whose remains are brought to this cemetery.
The first temple that one sees as one arrives at Pabongkha is the Temple of the Three Protectors (Riksum Gönpo Lhakhang). The temple that presently exists at this site is recent. Before 1959, it seems that only a small shrine to the Three Protectors (Riksum Gönpo) existed at this spot.7 The present temple was built sometime in the late 1980s. In 2004 it was being renovated, and new murals depicting the Eighty Deeds of Tsongkhapa (Tsongkha Gyepchu) were being painted on its walls by a group of artists from Tsang province. The temple contains several important icons:
The self-arisen image of the Buddha housed in the Pabongkha temple. It emerged from a rock slowly as Songtsen Gampo was gestating in his mother’s womb.
- In the center portion of the main altar one finds the stone self-arisen images of the Three Protectors – Avalokiteśvara, Mañjuśrī, and Vajrapāṇi.
- On the western portion of the main altar – the left side as one is facing it – there is a miraculous statue of Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara, which is said to grow slightly in size every time the yearly fasting ritual of the deity is performed in this temple.
- Along the eastern wall of the temple, one finds the famous stone containing the six-syllable mantra (oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ) that was carved into (or that emerged miraculously from) the rock onto which Tönmi (seventh century), the legendary founder of the Tibetan written language, wrote these letters as the first exemplar of Tibetan writing.
Proceeding northwest from the Temple of the Three Protectors, one arrives at what is arguably the most important structure in the monastery: the temple called The Boulder House (Pabongkha/ng). Known originally as Maru Castle (Kukhar Maru), it sits atop the largest boulder on the site, the so-called “Female Turtle” (Rübelmo)Boulder (see below). The castle – reportedly the first structure built on this site – is said to date from the time of Songtsen Gampo. It is not clear, however, whether the present temple is (or contains) a remnant of that original building, or whether the castle was completely destroyed and later rebuilt as the temple that exists there today.
The Pabongkha Temple, purportedly the oldest temple at the hermitage, sits atop the Female Turtle Boulder. At the bottom of the boulder (in the center) one can see the small door that leads into Songtsen Gampo’s meditation cave (druppuk).
One enters this temple building from the north side. The first floor is little more than a vestibule containing stairs that lead to the second story. Ascending the flight of stairs, one arrives at the three chapels that together comprise the second floor:
- A small chapel that houses statues of some of the more important figures in the history of the monastery
- The large assembly hall (dukhang) has room for about one-hundred monks. This is the main meeting hall used by the monks of the monastery today. In a small case on the eastern side of this room, facing the windows overlooking the cemetery, one finds the self-arisen image of the Buddha that emerged from a stone during Songtsen Gampo’s gestation.
- Behind the main assembly hall is a small protector deity chapel (gönkhang).
The third floor contains the private rooms of the lama.
Beneath the main temple, in the interior of this boulder is a cave chapel, the place where Songtsen Gampo remained in retreat in order to pacify the negative forces that were hindering the building of the Jokhang. There is a mortar throne in the middle of the room that is said to be Songtsen Gampo’s actual meditation seat. The altar along the northern wall of this cave contains a self-arisen image rock image of the deity Pel Lhamo, who appeared in a vision to the king while he was in retreat here.
Tsongkhapa’s meditation hut lies just north of the Pabongkha main temple. Tsongkhapa is said to have stayed here when he once took the one-day Mahāyāna Precepts (Tekchen Sojong). Beside Tsongkhapa’s hut is a small chapel containing a self-arisen image stone image of the Medicine Buddha (Menla).
North of Tsongkhapa’s meditation hut are a series of stūpas that are said to date to the time that the site was a Kadampa monastery. And north of these is the building, which contains two chapels:
- A small building, and
- A large building. This chapel has large clay statues of Tsongkhapa and his two disciples, as well as statues of Tsongkhapa in various forms as he appeared in visions to his disciple Kedrupjé (1385-1438). This set of images of Tsongkhapa is collectively known as the “Five Visions of the Lord (Tsongkhapa)” (Jé Zikpa Ngaden).
In the foreground, the (white) meditation hut of Tsongkhapa. Behind it are the stūpas that are said to date to the time that Pabongkha was a Kadampa institution. Behind the stūpas is the Temple of the Five Visions of the Lord (Tsongkhapa).
Northeast of the Temple of the Five Visions of the Lord (Tsongkhapa) is the Male Turtle (Rübelpo)Boulder (see below) with a small structure atop it. Before 1959, there was a stūpa where this small structure now stands.
Finally, to the east of the Male Turtle Boulder are the ruins of what used to be the headquarters of the estate of Lhaptsün Rinpoché (Lhaptsün Rinpoché Labrang).
In addition to the buildings just mentioned there are many other buildings, like the kitchen, as well as minor structures and shrines, and of course various large buildings that contain monastic living quarters.
History
Founding Narratives
Pabongkha, also known as Maru Castle, has a history that spans more than thirteen-hundred years. Traditional accounts tell us that the oldest building on the site, the temple known as Pabongkha (“Boulder House/Man”),8 predates the Jokhang, Lhasa’s central cathedral. If this is true – and carbon-14 dating may prove definitive in deciding this, as it has in helping us to fix the date of the interior portions of the Jokhang itself – it would make the main temple at Pabongkha one of the oldest Buddhist monuments in the Tibetan world, dating to seventh century.
There are two distinct narratives of the founding of Pabongkha. The first relates the founding of the hermitage to the building of the Jokhang. The second relates it to the figure of Tönmi, the legendary founder of the Tibetan writing system and literary language. In each case, the founding of the monastery is associated with foundational events in the introduction of Buddhism into Tibet. In both narratives, the turtle spirit, who resides within the giant boulder at the site, is seen as something to be controlled or dominated. But in the second account, it is portrayed as something wondrous rather than as a threat. In neither of these narratives is the turtle gendered, as it will be in the later apocalyptic myths of the Pabongkha site (see below).
Version One9
According to many Tibetan sources, the Jokhang – the central cathedral of Lhasa and the first Buddhist temple built in Tibet – is said to have been constructed to house the statue of the Jowo Mikyö Dorjé, brought to Tibet by Songtsen Gampo’s Nepalese queen. But the building of the Jokhang was no easy thing. The site where the temple was supposed to sit was a swamp or lake (tso), and the water of this lake was the heart’s-blood (nyingdrak) of the female demon that lay supine over (or in some accounts that actually was) the landscape of Tibet. The demoness, we are told, had to be subjugated if Buddhism was to thrive in the country.10 And so, the narrative continues, Songtsen Gampo ordered that the area be filled with dirt. The dirt was carried on the backs of goats.11 Once the site had been prepared, construction on the Jokhang began. But the portion of the walls that went up by day would be destroyed by demons at night. The Nepalese queen asked her co-wife, the Chinese queen, to perform an astrological prognostication to determine how to deal with this problem. The Chinese queen determined that an earth spirit, a golden turtle named Ser Maha,12 who lived in the northern mountains of the Lhasa Valley, was the cause of the problem.13 She recommended that the king build a fortress at the site: an edifice that, being placed atop the huge turtle-boulder, would subdue the spirit beneath it, thus clearing away the obstacles that were impeding the building of the Jokhang temple.
The interior of Songtsen Gampo’s meditation cave located in the Female Turtle Boulder. The throne is said to have been Songtsen Gampo’s actual meditation seat.
Songtsen Gampo then built a nine-story fort made of bricks mortared with molten metal on the “back” of the Female Turtle Boulder.14 It was fastened to the boulder in each of the four directions with powerful, magically-blessed chains. He and his two wives then set themselves to meditating in this building for a period of three years. According to an alternate tradition, Songtsen Gampo meditated not in the castle but in a cave inside the huge boulder: a cave that has been preserved to this day.15 While living in this cave he had a vision of a goddess, Pel Lhamo,16 who promised to act as the protectress of the site, and of Buddhism in general. According to another account,17 on the third day of their retreat, the king and his two queens had visions of the Three Protectors, who promised to help the king realize his plan to introduce Buddhism into Tibet. They dissolved into a rock, and the figures of the three deities then emerged spontaneously from the rock-face. These self-arisen images of the three deities are to this day found on the main altar of the Temple of the Three Protectors in the southern part of Pabongkha hermitage. Finally, Pabongkha is said to be the place where Songtsen Gampo and his court created Tibet’s first legal code: the set of “sixteen rules of purity for the populace” (michö tsangma chudruk), which was then spread throughout the empire.18
The self-arisen image of the protector deity Pel Lhamo inside Songtsen Gampo’s meditation cave.
Version Two19
In the alternate narrative of the founding of Pabongkha, the Jokhang has already been built, and the king and his ministers are residing in Lhasa. One morning, while inspecting the Lhasa Valley from atop the roof of the White Palace in Lhasa, they noticed “a large dark shape” (nakril chenpo zhik) in the middle of the trees on the side of Cakrasaṃvara mountain north of Lhasa. The next day they went to inspect the site, and saw that the dark shape was a giant rock shaped like a turtle. Songtsen Gampo thought to himself, “Tönmi is about to return from India, and I should build him a palace that can serve as the headquarters from which he can spread the new written language. This place [Pabongkha] is a beautiful place, and the turtle is a wondrous thing. I will build Tönmi’s palace here.” The king designed the palace himself. Once the foundation was finished, he had molten metal poured onto it so that the turtle-rock and the nine-story building would be forever fused as one. Once Tönmi arrived, Songtsen Gampo set him up in this palace, and Tönmi began to teach the written language – first to the king and his ministers, and then to others, who in turn spread this knowledge throughout Tibet.20 But before beginning to instruct his fellow Tibetans, Tönmi wrote the six-syllable mantra (oṃ maṇi padme huṃ) for the sake of good luck. According to one account, the king saw these letters, was amazed, and had them engraved onto a rock. An alternative account tells us that Tönmi from the outset traced out the letters onto the rock’s surface, and that they then magically emerged in bas-relief in a self-arisen image fashion. This rock has been preserved, and can be seen in the Temple of the Three Protectors at Pabongkha Hermitage (Pabongkha Ritrö) even to this day.21
The stone bearing what oral lore says are the first Tibetan letters written by Tönmi, kept in the Temple of the Three Protectors at Pabongkha.
The Gendered/Sexual Landscape
There is one other aspect of the site – related to the narrative of the turtle – that must be mentioned. Oral tradition has it that there are in fact not one but two turtle spirits on the site, each associated with its own boulder. The boulder that sits lower on the hill – the one on which Songtsen Gampo built his castle – is said to be the Female Turtle. Northeast of the Female Turtle, farther uphill, there is another larger boulder identified as the Male Turtle. A small structure (before 1959, it was a stūpa) has been built atop it. Oral tradition has it that the Male Turtle is attempting to slide down the hill to unite sexually with the Female Turtle, and that if this event occurs, it will usher in an apocalypse – that is, the destruction of the universe by wind, fire, water, and so forth.
There are two factors that are seen as preventing this. First, each of the two turtle boulders is fixed in its respective location by Buddhist monuments. The Female Turtle is fixed in place by the castle/temple built by Songtsen Gampo, which is said to have a mythic axis/pole running through its middle that pierces the heart of the Female Turtle and holds her in place so that she cannot move.22 The Male Turtle is held in place by the previously-mentioned stūpa. Second, the stūpas that have been built between the two turtles are said to act as an additional barrier – a second line of defense, as it were – between the two boulders/spirits. In one account, there are said to be one hundred and eight stūpas, each one of them containing one bead from Tsongkhapa’s rosary.23
The Male Turtle Boulder.
The myth of the turtles both presumes and reinforces aspects of Tibetan gender ideology. First, the relative position of the two turtles is hardly accidental. In the natural world, as in the social world, the male must be located higher. Sexually speaking, as well, the cultural logic requires that the male be in a position to mount the female – yet another reason for situating the Male Turtle on top of (and descending towards) the female. It might seem strange that sexual union, a generative act, should be seen here not only as threatening, but as the very deed that ushers in the end of the world cycle. But we must remember that this was most likely an oral myth created by monks, and that for monks sex is the end of a world – the end of their vows, and therefore of their life/world as celibates. Sex that takes place within the confines of a monastery is, moreover, considered to be a great sin (dikpa chenpo). Sex in a holy place also brings pollution. From several vantage points, therefore, there is an imperative to keep sex from happening within the confines of Pabongkha. Finally, we must not forget that the turtles are in actuality geo-spirits (sadak): the powerful indigenous gods who are the original “owners” of Lhasa. The mating of the two spirits might have been seen as potentially leading to the proliferation of these creatures as a species, or to their reassertion of power over the land that was once theirs. To have allowed this to happen is to have risked the destruction of the world of Buddhism, whose existence on Tibetan soil depends metaphysically on the control of Tibet’s native spirits. The stūpas that separate the turtle spirits in the physical space of the monastery are the physical symbols of Buddhism as the force that controls the indigenous spirits of the country in the meta-physical sphere.
Later History
Although the various accounts agree that Pabongkha was originally built as a fort and not as a monastery, traditional lore has it that the site was converted into a religious center very early in its history. Initially, it is said to have served as the home to “about a hundred tantrikas.”24 According to some accounts, after Tibetans began to get ordained as Buddhist monks, Pabongkha was converted into a residence for the first seven Tibetan monks (semi dün). This would have taken place during the reign of Trisong Detsen). If this is true,25 it would make Pabongkha one of the oldest monasteries in Tibet.
Pabongkha was destroyed during the reign of King Langdarma. There are different accounts of this event. In the more naturalistic version given by Dungkar Rinpoché, the temple on the rock was completely destroyed by the king. According to the more super-naturalistic version current among the monks of the monastery, Langdarma began to destroy the nine-story temple story-by-story starting from the top. After destroying four stories, the deity Pel Lhamo appeared to him and told him to stop.26 A five-story temple then remained. During the Cultural Revolution the temple lost two more stories. This explains how today it is a three-story building.
We know little about Pabongkha between the time of Langdarma and the eleventh century. It was then that the site was re-established as a Kadampa monastery by one of the most important masters of that tradition. The great Kadampa master Potowa Rinchen Sel (1027/31-1105) is said to have lived in the so-called “Cave of the Tenth Day” (Tsechupuk),27 for a period of time. Pabongkha is the site where Potowa Rinchen Sel transmitted many of the Kadampa teachings to Geshé Drakkarwa (1032-1111), one of his eight great close disciples (kabap buchen gyé).28 Because Potowa Rinchen Sel was quite old at the time, he regretted that he could not bring Pabongkha back to its former glory, so he entrusted this work to his student. It is Geshé Drakkarwa, then, who is credited with the re-establishment of Pabongkha as a monastic institution.29 He stayed in retreat in the Cave of the Tenth Day for quite some time, and during this period gathered many disciples. He then began the process of reconstruction, and rebuilt at least two stories of the temple that had been destroyed during Langdarma’s reign. He also taught extensively at Pabongkha until his death at around the age of eighty. During his decades of residence at Pabongkha, upwards of three hundred monks gathered around him. The monastery appears to have remained a Kadampa institution for the next two hundreds of years, passing through seven or more abbots, and growing in size to upwards of four hundred monks.30 Many stūpas31 are said to have been built at the site by the successive Kadampa masters who held the throne of Pabongkha, and some of these monuments still exist at the site today. A small clay tablet repository (tsakhang) to the east of the temple of the Three Protectors is also said to have been built during the Kadampa period as an antidote to demonic influences.
Stūpas at Pabongkha that are said to date to the Kadampa period.
After the seventh Kadampa abbot of Pabongkha, the monastery went into a period of decline. It appears that it may have then become a Sakya institution around the time of Pakpa (1235-1280), remaining under Sakyapa control for a period of about two hundred years. At the time of Pakmo Drupa hegemony, Pabongkha once again went into a period of decline. Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelukpa school, apparently remained in retreat at Pabongkha for a short period of time. The site was once again revived – this time as a Geluk institution – by Penchen Delek Nyima (sixteenth century). Under Penchen Delek Nyima’s abbacy, Pabongkha thrived, at least for a short period of time, but, like many institutions in and around Lhasa, it suffered as a result of the internecine warfare that plagued Central Tibet as a whole, and Pabongkha once again went into a period of decline.
It was in year 1619 that Pabongkha came under the aegis of the great Gelukpa master Khöntön Peljor Lhündrup (1561-1637). Khöntön was a lama renowned for his ecumenical outlook. He was an important figure in the history of Sera, and one of the teachers of the Fifth Dalai Lama. After the death of Khöntön, the Fifth Dalai Lama had “a three story palace”32 built at Pabongkha. He commissioned an image of his teacher, and endowed the institution generously by providing it with fields, pastures for animals, and many head of yak.33 He also became (at least nominally) the head of Pabongkha, and it seems that he inaugurated a tradition according to which all of the successive Dalai Lamas visited the institution at least once in their lives.
Desi Sanggyé Gyatso (1653-1705), the regent of the Fifth Dalai Lama, lists the following abbots from the time of Khöntön up to his own day:
- Peljor Rapgyé (1604-1669)
- Serapa Jamyang Drakpa (b. seventeenth century)
- Khen Ngawang Tendzin34
- Mé Lazur Lozang Döndrup35
Pabongkha has remained a Geluk institution up to the present time. Informants tell us that one of the great lamas of Sera, Lhaptsün Rinpoché, established a lama’s residence (labrang) at Pabongkha at some point in time, but we do not know when precisely this was. This compound now lies in ruins.
The ruins of the Lhaptsün Rinpoché’s estate (Lhaptsün Rinpoché Labrang) at Pabongkha.
Before 1959 Pabongkha was an independent monastery, albeit one that had had strong historical and social ties to Sera for several hundred years of its history. According to one informant, before 1959 only fully ordained monks were allowed to live at Pabongkha. While this may have been true in theory, it is difficult to imagine that this rule was strictly observed, given that so much of the menial labor in small monasteries like this one (hauling water, cleaning, serving tea, etc.) is traditionally done by novice monks.
As with many of Tibet’s great monasteries, Pabongkha was forcibly closed after the events of 1959. Many of its important images36 were destroyed. It remained closed until the monks of Sera formally applied for permission to rebuild the site. They began the project of restoring Pabongkha in the mid 1980s. Today Pabongkha is owned and administered by Sera, and all of the monks of the hermitage are Sera monks.
Glossary
Note: The glossary is organized into sections according to the main language of each entry. The first section contains Tibetan words organized in Tibetan alphabetical order. To jump to the entries that begin with a particular Tibetan root letter, click on that letter below. Columns of information for all entries are listed in this order: THL Extended Wylie transliteration of the term, THL Phonetic rendering of the term, the English translation, the Sanskrit equivalent, associated dates, and the type of term. To view the glossary sorted by any one of these rubrics, click on the corresponding label (such as “Phonetics”) at the top of its column.
| Ka | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ka thung | katung | short pillar | Term | ||
| ka ring | karing | long pillar | Term | ||
| kang shi | Kangshi | Kangxi | 1654-1722 | Person | |
| kun rig rnam par snang mdzad | Künrik Nampar Nangdzé | Sarvavid Vairocana | Buddha | ||
| ke’u tshang | Keutsang | Monastery | |||
| ke’u tshang | keutsang | cave, cavern, or overhang | Term | ||
| ke’u tshang sku phreng lnga pa | Keutsang Kutreng Ngapa | the fifth Keutsang incarnation | Person | ||
| ke’u tshang sku phreng gnyis pa | Keutsang Kutreng Nyipa | the second Keutsang incarnation | b. 1791 | Person | |
| ke’u tshang sku phreng gnyis pa blo bzang ’jam dbyangs smon lam | Keutsang Kutreng Nyipa Lozang Jamyang Mönlam | the second Keutsang incarnation Lozang Jamyang Mönlam | b. 1791 | Person | |
| ke’u tshang sku phreng dang po byams pa smon lam | Keutsang Kutreng Dangpo Jampa Mönlam | the first Keutsang incarnation Jampa Mönlam | d. 1790 | Person | |
| ke’u tshang ’jam dbyangs blo gsal | Keutsang Jamyang Losel | Person | |||
| ke’u tshang nub | Keutsang Nup | Keutsang West | Monastery | ||
| ke’u tshang nub ri khrod | Keutsang Nup Ritrö | Keutsang West Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| ke’u tshang sprul sku | Keutsang Trülku | Keutsang incarnation | Person | ||
| ke’u tshang bla brang | Keutsang Labrang | Keutsang Lama’s estate | Monastery | ||
| ke’u tshang bla ma | Keutsang Lama | Person | |||
| ke’u tshang ri khrod | Keutsang Ritrö | Keutsang Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| ke’u tshang shar | Keutsang Shar | Keutsang East | Monastery | ||
| ke’u tshang shar ri khrod | Keutsang Shar Ritrö | Keutsang East Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| kong po jo rdzong | Kongpo Jodzong | Place | |||
| krung go’i bod rig pa dpe skrun khang | Trunggö Börikpa Petrünkhang | Publisher | |||
| klong rdol bla ma ngag dbang blo bzang | Longdöl Lama Ngawang Lozang | 1719-1794 | Person | ||
| dkar chag | karchak | inventory | Term | ||
| dkar chag | karchak | catalogue | Term | ||
| bka’ ’gyur | Kangyur | Scriptures | Tibetan text collection | ||
| bka’ ’gyur lha khang | Kangyur lhakhang | Scripture Temple | Building | ||
| bka’ brgyud | Kargyü | Organization | |||
| bka’ gdams pa | Kadampa | Organization | |||
| bka’ gdams lha khang | Kadam Lhakhang | Kadam Chapel | Room | ||
| bka’ babs bu chen brgyad | kabap buchen gyé | eight great close disciples | Term | ||
| bka’ babs ming can brgyad | Kabap Mingchen Gyé | the “eight great ones who were named to receive the oral instructions” | |||
| bkra shis chos gling | Trashi Chöling | Monastery | |||
| bkra shis chos gling ri khrod | Trashi Chöling Ritrö | Trashi Chöling Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| bkra shis gser nya | trashi sernya | two auspicious golden fish | Term | ||
| bkra shis lhun po | Trashi Lhünpo | Monastery | |||
| sku mkhar | kukhar | castle | Term | ||
| sku mkhar ma ru | Kukhar Maru | Maru Castle | Building | ||
| sku bzhi khang | Kuzhi Khang | Chapel of the Four Statues | Room | ||
| sku rim grwa tshang | kurim dratsang | ritual college | Term | ||
| bskang gso | kangso | propitiation ritual | Ritual | ||
| bskal bzang rgya mtsho | Kelzang Gyatso | 1708-1757 | Person | ||
| Kha | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| khang tshan | khangtsen | regional house | Term | ||
| khams | Kham | Place | |||
| khal | khel | a unit of weight/volume equal to about 25-30 lbs. | Term | ||
| khri byang sku phreng gsum pa blo bzang ye shes | Trijang Kutreng Sumpa Lozang Yeshé | the third Trijang incarnation Lozang Yeshé | 1901-1981 | Person | |
| khri byang rin po che | Trijang Rinpoché | 1901-1981 | Person | ||
| khrod | trö | in the midst of | Term | ||
| khrod | trö | on the side of | Term | ||
| mkhan ngag dbang bstan ’dzin | Khen Ngawang Tendzin | Person | |||
| mkha’ spyod dbyings | Khachö Ying | Room | |||
| mkhar rdo | Khardo | Monastery | |||
| mkhar rdo sku phreng lnga pa jam dbyangs chos kyi dbang phyug | Khardo Kutreng Ngapa Jamyang Chökyi Wangchuk | the fifth Khardo incarnation Jamyang Chökyi Wangchuk | 19th-20th centuries | Person | |
| mkhar rdo sku phreng drug pa ’jam dpal thub bstan nyan grags rgya mtsho | Khardo Kutreng Drukpa Jampel Tupten Nyendrak Gyatso | the sixth Khardo incarnation Jampel Tupten Nyendrak Gyatso | 1909/12?-1956? | Person | |
| mkhar rdo sku phreng bdun pa ’jam dpal bstan ’dzin nyan grags rgya mtsho | Khardo Kutreng Dünpa Jampel Tendzin Nyendrak Gyatso | the seventh Khardo incarnation Jampel Tendzin Nyendrak Gyatso | Person | ||
| mkhar rdo sku phreng bzhi pa padma dga’ ba’i rdo rje | Khardo Kutreng Zhipa Pema Gawé Dorjé | the fourth Khardo incarnation Pema Gawé Dorjé | 19th century | Person | |
| mkhar rdo sku phreng gsum pa chos kyi rdo rje | Khardo Kutreng Sumpa Chökyi Dorjé | the third Khardo incarnation Chökyi Dorjé | b. 18th century | Person | |
| mkhar rdo sku phreng gsum pa rigs ’dzin chos kyi rdo rje | Khardo Kutreng Sumpa Rikdzin Chökyi Dorjé | the third Khardo incarnation Rikdzin Chökyi Dorjé | Person | ||
| mkhar rdo mthun mchod | Khardo Tünchö | Festival | |||
| mkhar rdo ba | Khardowa | Person | |||
| mkhar rdo bla brang | Khardo Labrang | Khardo Lama’s estate | Organization | ||
| mkhar rdo tshoms chen | Khardo Tsomchen | Khardo Assembly Hall | Room | ||
| mkhar rdo ri khrod | Khardo Ritrö | Khardo Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| mkhar rdo rin po che | Khardo Rinpoché | Person | |||
| mkhar rdo srong btsan | Khardo Songtsen | Buddha | |||
| mkhar rdo sgrub sde gsum | Khardo Drupdé Sum | the three practice centers of kardo | Monastery | ||
| mkhar rdo ba | Khardowa | Person | |||
| mkhar rdo bla ma | Khardo Lama | Person | |||
| mkhar rdo bzod pa rgya mtsho | Khardo Zöpa Gyatso | 1672-1749 | Person | ||
| mkhar rdo gshin rje ’khrul ’khor | Khardo Shinjé Trülkhor | Khardo (Hermitage’s) Lord of Death Machine | Term | ||
| mkhas grub rje | Kedrupjé | 1385-1438 | Person | ||
| ’khon ston | Khöntön | 1561-1637 | Person | ||
| ’khon ston dpal ’byor lhun grub | Khöntön Peljor Lhündrup | 1561-1637 | Person | ||
| ’khrungs dbu rtse | Trung Utsé | Birth Peak | Place | ||
| ’khrungs ba’i bla ri | Trungwé Lari | Birth Soul Mountain | Place | ||
| ’khrungs ba’i lha ri | Trungwé Lhari | Birth Deity Peak | Place | ||
| Ga | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| ga ru | Garu | Monastery | |||
| ga ru | Garu | dance | Term | ||
| ga ru dgon pa | Garu Gönpa | Garu Nunnery | Monastery | ||
| gar | gar | dance | Term | ||
| gar dgon bsam gtan gling | Gargön Samten Ling | Dance Gompa: Place of Meditative Equipoise | Monastery | ||
| gar dgon bsam gtan gling gi lo rgyus mun sel mthong ba don ldan | Gargön Samten Linggi Logyü Münsel Tongwa Dönden | A History of Gargön Samten Ling: Clearing Away Darkness, Meaningful to Behold | Tibetan text title | ||
| gar lo | Garlo | A History of Garu [Nunnery] | Tibetan text title | ||
| gu ru rin po che | Guru Rinpoché | 8th century | Person | ||
| grub thob lha khang | Druptop Lhakhang | Siddha Chapel | Room | ||
| grog mo chu mig | Drokmo Chumik | Ravine Spring | Place | ||
| grong smad | Drongmé | Place | |||
| grwa tshang byes | Dratsang Jé | Jé College | Monastery | ||
| grwa tshang smad | Dratsang Mé | Mé College | Monastery | ||
| grwa bzhi | Drapchi | Building | |||
| grwa bzhi lha khang | Drapchi Lhakhang | Drapchi Temple | Building | ||
| glang dar ma | Langdarma | d. 842 | Person | ||
| dga’ chos dbyings | Gachö Ying | Room | |||
| dga’ ldan | Ganden | Monastery | |||
| dga’ ldan khri pa | Ganden tripa | throne-holder of Ganden | Term | ||
| dga’ ldan lnga mchod | Ganden Ngamchö | the Ganden Feast of the 25th | Festival | ||
| dga ldan chos ’nyung bai ḍūrya ser po | Ganden Chönyung Baidurya Serpo | Yellow Lapis: A History of the Ganden [School] | Tibetan text title | ||
| dga’ ldan pho brang | Ganden Podrang | Ganden Palace | Organization | ||
| dga’ spyod dbyings | Gachö Ying | Room | |||
| dgun nyi ldog gi cho ga | Gün Nyidokgi Choga | Winter Solstice Ritual | Ritual | ||
| dge lugs | Geluk | Organization | |||
| dge lugs pa | Gelukpa | Organization | |||
| dge bshes | geshé | Term | |||
| dge bshes pha bong khar grags pa | Geshé Pabongkhar drakpa | “Geshé Pabongkha” | Person | ||
| dge bshes brag dkar ba | Geshé Drakkarwa | 1032-1111 | Person | ||
| dge bshes ye shes dbang phyug | Geshé Yeshé Wangchuk | b. 20th century | Person | ||
| dge bshes seng ge | Geshé Senggé | d. 1990s | Person | ||
| dge slong | gelong | fully-ordained monk | Term | ||
| dgon pa | gönpa | monastery | Term | ||
| dgon pa gsar | Gönpasar | Monastery | |||
| dgon pa gsar | gönpa sar | new monastery | Term | ||
| dgon pa gsar sku phreng dang po ngag dbang don grub | Gönpasar Kutreng Dangpo Ngawang Döndrup | first Gönpasar incarnation Ngawang Döndrup | 18th century | Person | |
| dgon pa gsar ri khrod | Gönpasar Ritrö | Gönpasar Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| mgon dkar | Gönkar | White Mahākāla | Buddha | ||
| mgon khang | gönkhang | protector deity chapel | Term | ||
| mgon po | Gönpo | Mahākāla | Buddha | ||
| mgon po gtor rgyag | Gönpo Torgyak | Throwing of the Torma to Mahākāla | Ritual | ||
| mgon po phyag drug | Gönpo Chakdruk | Six-Armed Mahākāla | Buddha | ||
| mgon po a gho | Gönpo Agho | Buddha | |||
| ’gyed | gep | money offering to monks | Term | ||
| rgya mtsho mtha’ yas | Gyatso Tayé | Person | |||
| rgya res | Gyaré | Buddha | |||
| rgya res tshoms chen | Gyaré Tsomchen | Building | |||
| rgyal chen karma ’phrin las | Gyelchen Karma Trinlé | Buddha | |||
| rgyal ba lnga pa chen po | Gyelwa Ngapa Chenpo | the Great Fifth Dalai Lama | 1617-1682 | Person | |
| rgyal ba’i rigs lnga bla ri | Gyelwé Riknga Lari | Soul Mountain of the Buddhas of the Five Families | Place | ||
| rgyal mo tshe ring bkra shis | Gyelmo Tsering Trashi | Queen Tsering Trashi | 18th century | Person | |
| rgyal tshab rje | Gyeltsapjé | 1364-1432 | Person | ||
| rgyal rabs gsal ba’i me long | Gyelrap Selwé Melong | The Clear Mirror: A Royal History | Tibetan text title | ||
| rgyal rong khang tshan | Gyelrong Khangtsen | Gyelrong Regional House | Monastery subunit | ||
| rgyugs | gyuk | examination | Term | ||
| rgyud stod | Gyütö | Upper Tantric [College] | Monastery | ||
| rgyud smad | Gyümé | Lower Tantric [College] | Monastery | ||
| rgyud smad grwa tshang | Gyümé Dratsang | The Lower Tantric College | Monastery | ||
| rgyun ja | gyünja | daily tea or prayer | Term | ||
| sgo gnyer | gonyer | temple attendant | Term | ||
| sgo srung | gosung | door-keeper | Term | ||
| sgom chen | gomchen | meditator | Term | ||
| sgom sde nam kha’ rgyal mtshan | Gomdé Namkha Gyeltsen | 1532-1592 | Person | ||
| sgom sde pa | Gomdepa | 1532-1592 | Person | ||
| sgra ’dzin chu mig | Dradzin Chumik | Sound-Catcher (or Ear) Spring | Place | ||
| sgrub khang | drupkhang | meditation hut | Term | ||
| sgrub khang dge legs rgya mtsho | Drupkhang Gelek Gyatso | 1641-1713 | Person | ||
| sgrub khang pa | Drupkhangpa | 1641-1713 | Person | ||
| sgrub khang sprul sku | Drupkhang Trülku | Drupkhang incarnation | Person | ||
| sgrub khang bla brang | Drupkhang Labrang | Drupkhang Lama’s estate | Organization | ||
| sgrub khang bla ma | Drupkhang lama | Person | |||
| sgrub khang ri khrod | Drupkhang Ritrö | Drupkhang Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| sgrub grwa | drupdra | practice center | Term | ||
| sgrub thabs | druptap | ritual method of realization | Term | ||
| sgrub sde | drupdé | practice-center | Term | ||
| sgrub phug | druppuk | meditation cave | Term | ||
| sgrol chog | Drölchok | Tārā Ritual | Ritual | ||
| sgrol ma | Drölma | Tārā | Buddha | ||
| sgrol ma lha khang | Drölma Lhakhang | Tārā Chapel | Building | ||
| brgya | gya | hundred | Term | ||
| brgyad | gyé | eight | Term | ||
| Nga | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| ngag dbang byams pa | Ngawang Jampa | 1682-1762 | Person | ||
| ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho | Ngawang Lozang Gyatso | 1617-1682 | Person | ||
| ngag dbang sman rgyal | Ngawang Mengyal | 20th century | Person | ||
| ngul gyi par khang | ngülgyi parkhang | money printing press | Term | ||
| sngags | ngak | mantra | Term | ||
| sngags pa | ngakpa | tantric priest | Term | ||
| sngags pa grwa tshang | Ngakpa Dratsang | Tantric College | Monastery | ||
| Ca | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| gcig bu pa | chikbupa | recluse | Term | ||
| bca’ yig | chayik | constitution | Term | ||
| Cha | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| chab rdzing gling kha | Chapdzing Lingkha | Pond Park | Place | ||
| chu mo yos | chumo yö | female-water-hare (year) | Date | ||
| chu bzang | chupzang | good waters | Term | ||
| chu bzang | Chupzang | Monastery | |||
| chu bzang dgon | Chupzang Gön | Chupzang Nunnery | Monastery | ||
| chu bzang ye shes rgya mtsho | Chupzang Yeshé Gyatso | 1789-1856 | Person | ||
| cho ga phyag len | choga chaklen | ritual | Term | ||
| chos kyi rdo rje | Chökyi Dorjé | b. 18th century? | Person | ||
| chos kyi seng ge | Chökyi Senggé | Person | |||
| chos skyong | chökyong | protector deity | Term | ||
| chos khang rtse ba dgon pa | Chökhang Tsewa Gönpa | Chökhang Tsewa Monastery | Monastery | ||
| chos ’khor dus chen | Chönkhor Düchen | Festival of the Turning of the Wheel of the Doctrine | Festival | ||
| chos gos | chögö | yellow ceremonial robe | Term | ||
| chos rgyal | Chögyel | Dharmarāja | Buddha | ||
| chos rgyal khri srong lde’u btsan | Chögyel Trisong Detsen | the Buddhist king (of Tibet) Trisong Detsen | 742-796 | Person | |
| chos rgyal srong btsan sgam po | Chögyel Songtsen Gampo | the Buddhist king (of Tibet) Songtsen Gampo | 617-650 | Person | |
| chos thog | chötok | ritual cycle | Term | ||
| chos sdings | Chöding | Monastery | |||
| chos sdings ri khrod | Chöding Ritrö | Chöding Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| chos me khang | chömé khang | butter-lamp offering house | Term | ||
| chos mtshams | chötsam | doctrine retreat | Term | ||
| chos gzhis | chözhi | estate lands | Term | ||
| chos rwa | chöra | Dharma enclosure or Dharma courtyard | Term | ||
| mchod mjal | chönjel | worship | Term | ||
| mchod rten dkar chung | Chöten Karchung | Little White Stūpa | Monument | ||
| ’chi med lha khang | Chimé Lhakhang | Chapel of Deathlessness | Building | ||
| Ja | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| ja bdun dang thug pa gnyis | ja dün dang tukpa nyi | seven teas and two soups | Term | ||
| jo khang | Jokhang | Monastery | |||
| jo ston bsod nams rgyal mtshan | Jotön Sönam Gyeltsen | 17th century | Person | ||
| jo bo | jowo | the Lord | Term | ||
| jo bo mi bskyod rdo rje | Jowo Mikyö Dorjé | Buddha | |||
| jo mo si si | Jomo Sisi | Place | |||
| ’jam dpal bla ri | Jampel Lari | Mañjuśrī Peak | Place | ||
| ’jam dpal dbyangs kyi bla ri | Jampelyangkyi Lari | the Soul-Mountain of Mañjuśrī | Place | ||
| ’jam dbyangs grags pa | Jamyang Drakpa | Person | |||
| ’jigs byed kyi me long | Jikjekyi Melong | Mirror of Vajrabhairava | Place | ||
| ’jigs byed lha bcu gsum | Jikjé Lha Chuksum | Thirteen-Deity Vajrabhairava | Buddha | ||
| ’jog po | Jokpo | Monastery | |||
| ’jog po ngag dbang bstan ’dzin | Jokpo Ngawang Tendzin | b. 1748 | Person | ||
| ’jog po bla brang | Jokpo Labrang | Jokpo Lama’s estate | Organization | ||
| ’jog po bla brang | Jokpo Labrang | Jokpo Lama’s residence | Organization | ||
| ’jog po ri khrod | Jokpo Ritrö | Jokpo Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| ’jog po rin po che | Jokpo Rinpoché | b. 1748 | Person | ||
| ’jog ri ngag dbang bstan ’dzin | Jokri Ngawang Tendzin | b. 1748 | Person | ||
| rje btsun nam mkha’ spyod sgrol rdor dbang mo | Jetsün Namkhachö Dröldor Wangmo | Jetsün (or Khachö) Dröldor Wangmo | Person | ||
| rje btsun bla ma ngag dbang rnam grol | Jetsün Lama Ngawang Namdröl | Person | |||
| rje gzigs pa lnga ldan | Jé Zikpa Ngaden | Five Visions of the Lord (Tsongkhapa) | Painting series | ||
| rje shes rab seng ge | Jé Sherap Senggé | 1383-1445 | Person | ||
| Nya | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| nyang bran | Nyangdren | Place | |||
| nyang bran rgyal chen | Nyangdren Gyelchen | Buddha | |||
| nyi ’od pho brang | Nyiwö Podrang | Palace of the Rays of the Sun | Room | ||
| nye ba’i gnas bzhi | nyewé né zhi | Four Principal Sites | Place | ||
| gnyer pa | nyerpa | manager | Term | ||
| gnyer tshang | nyertsang | manager’s room | Term | ||
| rnying | nying | old | Term | ||
| rnying ma | Nyingma | Organization | |||
| rnying ma sgrub grwa | Nyingma drupdra | Nyingma practice center | Term | ||
| rnying ma pa | Nyingmapa | Organization | |||
| rnying ma bla ma | Nyingma lama | Term | |||
| snying khrag | nyingdrak | heart’s-blood | Term | ||
| bsnyen pa | nyenpa | approximation retreat | Term | ||
| Ta | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| tā rā’i bla ri | Taré Lari | the Soul-Mountain of Tārā | Place | ||
| trak shad | Trakshé | Buddha | |||
| gter | ter | treasure | Term | ||
| gter bdag srong btsan | Terdak Songtsen | Treasure Lord Songtsen | Buddha | ||
| gter nas ston pa | terné tönpa | discovered as treasure | Term | ||
| rta mgrin | Tamdrin | Hayagrīva | Buddha | ||
| rta mgrin gsang sgrub | Tamdrin Sangdrup | Hayagrīva in his “Secret Accomplishment” form | Buddha | ||
| rta ma do nyag | Tama Donyak | Place | |||
| rta tshag ye shes bstan pa’i mgon po | Tatsak Yeshé Tenpé Gönpo | 1760-1810 | Person | ||
| rtag brtan | takten | permanent and stable | Term | ||
| rtags brtan | takten | stable sign | Term | ||
| rtags brten | Takten | Monastery | |||
| rtags brten ri khrod | Takten Ritrö | Takten Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| rtags bstan | takten | revealed sign | Term | ||
| rtags bstan | Takten | Monastery | |||
| rtags bstan sgrub phug | Takten Druppuk | Monastery | |||
| rtags bstan ri khrod | Takten Ritrö | Takten Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| rten khang | tenkhang | Term | |||
| mchod rten | chöten | stūpa | Monument | ||
| bstan ’gyur | tengyur | Collection of Translated Śāstras | Tibetan text title | ||
| bstan ’gyur lha khang | Tengyur lhakhang | Tengyur chapel | Building | ||
| bstan nor mkhar rdo | Tennor Khardo | b. 1957 | Person | ||
| bstan ma | Tenma | Class of deities | |||
| Tha | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| thang ka | tangka | Term | |||
| thang stong rgyal po | Tangtong Gyelpo | 1361-1485 | Person | ||
| thu’u bkwan | Tuken | 1737-1802 | Person | ||
| theg chen gso sbyong | Tekchen Sojong | Mahāyāna Precepts | Term | ||
| phyag stong spyan stong | chaktong chentong | Thousand-Armed Thousand-Eyed Avalokiteśvara | Buddhist deity | ||
| thogs med rin po che | Tokmé Rinpoché | 20th century | Person | ||
| thod smyon bsam grub | Tönyön Samdrup | 12th century | Person | ||
| thon mi | Tönmi | 7th century | Person | ||
| Da | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| dā ma | dama | Term | |||
| dā ma la nyag | Damala Nyak | Place | |||
| da lai bla ma | Dalai Lama | Person | |||
| da lai bla ma sku phreng dgu pa | Dalai Lama Kutreng Gupa | the Ninth Dalai Lama | 1806-1815 | Person | |
| da lai bla ma sku phreng brgyad pa ’jam dpal rgya mtsho | Dalai Lama Kutreng Gyepa Jampel Gyatso | the Eighth Dalai Lama Jampel Gyatso | 1758-1804 | Person | |
| da lai bla ma sku phreng lnga pa | Dalai Lama Kutreng Ngapa | the Fifth Dalai Lama | 1617-1682 | Person | |
| da lai bla ma sku phreng lnga pa ngag dbang blo bzang rgya mtsho | Dalai Lama Kutreng Ngapa Ngawang Lozang Gyatso | the Fifth Dalai Lama Ngawang Lozang Gyatso | 1617-1682 | Person | |
| da lai bla ma sku phreng bcu bzhi pa | Dalai Lama Kutreng Chuzhipa | the Fourteenth Dalai Lama | b. 1935 | Person | |
| da lai bla ma sku phreng bcu gsum pa | Dalai Lama Kutreng Chuksumpa | the Thirteenth Dalai Lama | 1876-1933 | Person | |
| da lai bla ma sku phreng bcu gsum pa thub bstan rgya mtsho | Dalai Lama Kutreng Chuksumpa Tupten Gyatso | the Thirteenth Dalai Lama Tupten Gyatso | 1876-1933 | Person | |
| da lai bla ma sku phreng drug pa | Dalai Lama Kutreng Drukpa | the Sixth Dalai Lama | 1683-1706 | Person | |
| da lai bla ma sku phreng bdun pa | Dalai Lama Kutreng Dünpa | the Seventh Dalai Lama | 1708-1757 | Person | |
| da lai bla ma sku phreng bdun pa bskal bzang rgya mtsho | Dalai Lama Kutreng Dünpa Kelzang Gyatso | the Seventh Dalai Lama Kelzang Gyatso | 1708-1757 | Person | |
| da lai bla ma sku phreng gsum pa | Dalai Lama Kutreng Sumpa | the Third Dalai Lama | 1543-1588 | Person | |
| ḍākinī | dakini | ḍākinī | Term | ||
| dam chen chos rgyal | Damchen Chögyel | Dharmarāja | Buddha | ||
| dung dkar blo bzang ’phrin las | Dungkar Lozang Trinlé | 1927-1997 | Person | ||
| dung dkar tshig mdzod | Dungkar Tsikdzö | Dungkar Dictionary | Tibetan text title | ||
| dung dkar tshig mdzod chen mo | Dungkar Tsikdzö Chenmo | The Great Dungkar Dictionary | Tibetan text title | ||
| dung dkar rin po che | Dungkar Rinpoché | 1927-1997 | Person | ||
| dur khrod | durtrö | cemetery | Term | ||
| dus ’khor | Dükhor | Kālacakra | Buddha | ||
| de bi ko ṭi | Debi Koti | Debikoṭi | Place | ||
| de mo sku phreng brgyad pa ngag dbang blo bzang thub bstan ’jigs med rgya mtsho | Demo Kutreng Gyepa Ngawang Lozang Tupten Jikmé Gyatso | the eighth Demo incarnation Ngawang Lozang Tupten Jikmé Gyatso | 1778-1819 | Person | |
| dog bde | Dodé | Place | |||
| dog sde | Dokdé | Dodé | Place | ||
| dog sde lho smon | Dodé Lhomön | Place | |||
| dwags po grwa tshang | Dakpo Dratsang | Dakpo College | Monastery | ||
| drag phyogs kyi las | drakchokkyi lé | wrathful magical powers | Term | ||
| drang nges legs bshad snying po | Drangngé Lekshé Nyingpo | The Essence of Eloquence that Distinguishes between the Provisional and Definitive Meaning | Tibetan text title | ||
| drug pa tshe bzhi | Drukpa Tsezhi | Sixth-Month Fourth-Day | Festival | ||
| drung pa brtson ’grus rgyal mtshan | Drungpa Tsöndrü Gyeltsen | fl. 17th century | Person | ||
| drung pa rin po che | Drungpa Rinpoché | fl. 17th century | Person | ||
| gdan sa | densa | seats of learning | Term | ||
| gdan sa gsum | Densa Sum | the three great Geluk seats of learning | |||
| gdugs dkar | Dukar | Buddha | |||
| gdugs pa’i bla ri | Dukpé Lari | the Parasol Soul Mountain | Place | ||
| gdugs yur dgon | Dukyur Gön | Monastery | |||
| gdung rten | dungten | funerary stūpa | Term | ||
| bdag bskyed | dakkyé | self-generation | Term | ||
| bdag ’jug | danjuk | self-initiation | Term | ||
| bde chen pho brang | Dechen Podrang | Palace of Great Bliss | Room | ||
| bde mchog | Demchok | Cakrasaṃvara | Buddha | ||
| bde mchog gi pho brang | Demchokgi Podrang | Palace of Cakrasaṃvara | Place | ||
| bde mchog bla mchod | Demchok Lachö | Offering to the Master Based on the Deity Cakrasaṃvara | Ritual | ||
| bde mchog bla ri | Demchok Lari | Soul Mountain of Demchok | Place | ||
| mdo skal bzang | Do Kelzang | Sūtra of Good Fortune | Tibetan text title | ||
| ’du khang | dukhang | assembly hall | Term | ||
| ’dra sku | draku | simulacrum (type of statue) | Term | ||
| rdo sku | doku | stone image | Term | ||
| rdo cung cong zhi’i phug pa | Dochung Chongzhi Pukpa | Cavern of Dochung Chongzhi | Place | ||
| rdo rje ’jigs byed | Dorjé Jikjé | Vajrabhairava | Buddha | ||
| rdo rje rnal ’byor ma | Dorjé Neljorma | Vajrayoginī | Buddha | ||
| rdo rje btsun mo | Dorjé Tsünmo | Buddha | |||
| rdo rje g.yu sgron ma | Dorjé Yudrönma | Buddha | |||
| rdo rje shugs ldan | Dorjé Shukden | Buddha | |||
| rdo rje sems dpa’ | Dorjé Sempa | Vajrasattva | Buddha | ||
| rdo gter | Dodé | Place | |||
| rdo ring | Doring | Clan | |||
| sdig pa chen po | dikpa chenpo | great sin | Term | ||
| sde srid | desi | regent | Term | ||
| sde srid sangs rgyas rgya mtsho | Desi Sanggyé Gyatso | 1653-1705 | Person | ||
| Na | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| na chung rtse mo ri | Nachung Tsemo Ri | Place | |||
| na ro mkha’ spyod ma | Naro Kachöma | Buddha | |||
| na ro mkha’ spyod ma’i bdag ’jug | Naro Khachömé Danjuk | Self-initiation Ritual of Naro Khachöma | Ritual | ||
| nag chu | Nakchu | Place | |||
| nag chu zhabs brtan dgon pa | Nakchu Zhapten Gönpa | Monastery | |||
| nag ril chen po zhig | nakril chenpo zhik | a large dark shape | Term | ||
| nang rten gtso bo | nangten tsowo | main inner image(s) | Term | ||
| nam mkha’ rgyal mtshan | Namkha Gyeltsen | 1532-1592 | Person | ||
| nor bu gling kha | Norbu Lingkha | Place | |||
| gnas kyi bla ma | nekyi lama | head lama | Term | ||
| gnas sgo gdong | Negodong | Monastery | |||
| gnas sgo gdong ri khrod | Negodong Hermitage | Monastery | |||
| gnas bcu lha khang | Nechu Lhakhang | Temple of the Sixteen Arhats | Building | ||
| gnas chung | Nechung | Buddha | |||
| gnas brtan bcu drug | Neten Chudruk | Sixteen Arhats | Ritual | ||
| gnas brtan bcu drug | Neten Chudruk | Sixteen Arhats | Buddha | ||
| gnas brtan phyag mchod | Neten Chakchö | Offering of Homage to the (Sixteen) Arhats | Ritual | ||
| gnas brtan bla ri | Neten Lari | the Soul-Mountain of the Arhats | Place | ||
| gnas bdag | nedak | site deity | Term | ||
| gnas nang | Nenang | Monastery | |||
| gnas nang dgon pa | Nenang Gönpa | Nenang Nunnery | Monastery | ||
| gnas nang ri khrod | Nenang Ritrö | Nenang Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| gnas mo | Nemo | Place | |||
| gnas rtsa chen po | né tsa chenpo | a holy site | Term | ||
| gnas ri | neri | mountain-abode | Term | ||
| rnam grol lag bcangs | Namdröl Lakchang | Liberation in Our Hands | Tibetan text title | ||
| rnam rgyal | Namgyel | Monastery | |||
| rnam sras | Namsé | Vaiśravana | Buddha | ||
| rnam sras bang mdzod | Namsé Bangdzö | Treasure-House of Vaiśravaṇa | Room | ||
| rnal ’byor ma’i bdag ’jug | Neljormé Danjuk | Self-Initiation Ritual of Vajrayoginī | Ritual | ||
| Pa | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| padma ’byung gnas | Pema Jungné | Padmasambhava | 8th century | Person | |
| paṇ chen sku phreng gsum pa | Penchen Kutreng Sumpa | the Third Penchen Lama | Person | ||
| paṇ chen bde legs nyi ma | Penchen Delek Nyima | 16th century | Person | ||
| paṇ chen bla ma | Penchen Lama | Person | |||
| paṇ chen blo bzang ye shes | Penchen Lozang Yeshé | 1663-1737 | Person | ||
| po ta la | Potala | Building | |||
| po to ba rin chen gsal | Potowa Rinchen Sel | 1027/31-1105 | Person | ||
| dpa’ grong shag pa | Padrong Shakpa | Clan | |||
| dpal ldan lha mo | Pelden Lhamo | Buddha | |||
| dpal ’byor rab rgyas | Peljor Rapgyé | 1604-1669 | Person | ||
| dpal lha mo | Pel Lhamo | Buddha | |||
| dpe cha ba | pechawa | textualist | Term | ||
| dpe mtshams | petsam | textual retreat | Term | ||
| dpyid kyi rgyal mo’i klu dbyangs | Chikyi Gyelmo Luyang | The Nāga Song of the Queen of Springtime | Tibetan text title | ||
| spang lung | Panglung | Monastery | |||
| spang lung ri khrod | Panglung Ritrö | Panglung Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| spangs lung sku phreng dang po blo bzang thugs rje | Panglung Kutreng Dangpo Lozang Tukjé | the first Panglung incarnation Lozang Tukjé | 1770-ca. 1835 | Person | |
| spo ’bo ra spyi khang | Bombora Chikhang | Building | |||
| spyi mi | chimi | representative | Term | ||
| sprul sku | trülku | incarnation | Term | ||
| Pha | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| pha dam pa | Pa Dampa | b. 11th century | Person | ||
| pha dam pa sangs rgyas | Pa Dampa Sanggyé | b. 11th century | Person | ||
| pha bong | Pabong | The Boulder | Building | ||
| pha bong kha | Pabongkha | Monastery | |||
| pha bong kha | Pabongkha | The Boulder House | Building | ||
| pha bong kha rgya mtsho mtha’ yas | Pabongkha Gyatso Tayé | b. 18th century | Person | ||
| pha bong kha bde chen snying po | Pabongkha Dechen Nyingpo | 1878-1941 | Person | ||
| pha bong kha pa | Pabongkhapa | 1878-1941 | Person | ||
| pha bong kha sprul sku | Pabongkha Trülku | Pabongkha incarnation | Person | ||
| pha bong kha bla brang | Pabongkha Labrang | Pabongkha Lama’s estate | Organization | ||
| pha bong kha ri khrod | Pabongkha Ritrö | Pabongkha Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| pha bong kha rin po che | Pabongkha Rinpoché | 1878-1941 | Person | ||
| pha bong kha’i dkar chag | Pabongkhé Karchak | A Catalogue of Pabongkha | Tibetan text title | ||
| phag mo gru pa | Pakmo Drupa | Organization | |||
| phun tshogs ’phrin las | Püntsok Trinlé | 20th century | Person | ||
| phun tshogs rab rgyas | Püntsok Rapgyé | 20th century | Person | ||
| phur lcog | Purchok | Monastery | |||
| phur lcog sku phreng gnyis pa blo bzang byams pa | Purchok Kutreng Nyipa Lozang Jampa | the second Purchok incarnation Lozang Jampa | 1763-1823 | Person | |
| phur lcog sku phreng dang po ngag dbang byams pa | Purchok Kutreng Dangpo Ngawang Jampa | the first Purchok incarnation Ngawang Jampa | 1682-1762 | Person | |
| phur lcog sku phreng gsum pa blo bzang tshul khrims byams pa rgya mtsho | Purchok Kutreng Sumpa Lozang Tsültrim Jampa Gyatso | the third Purchok incarnation Lozang Tsültrim Jampa Gyatso | 1825-1901 | Person | |
| phur lcog sku phreng gsum pa yongs ’dzin byams pa rgya mtsho | Purchok Kutreng Sumpa Yongdzin Jampa Gyatso | the third Purchok incarnation Yongdzin Jampa Gyatso | Person | ||
| phur lcog ngag dbang byams pa | Purchok Ngawang Jampa | 1682-1762 | Person | ||
| phur lcog bla brang | Purchok Labrang | Purchok Lama’s estate | Organization | ||
| phur lcog bla ma | Purchok lama | Person | |||
| phur lcog blo bzang tshul khrims byams pa rgya mtsho | Purchok Lozang Tsültrim Jampa Gyatso | 1825-1901 | Person | ||
| phur lcog ri | Purchok Ri | Purchok Mountain | Place | ||
| phur lcog ri khrod | Purchok Ritrö | Purchok Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| phur lcog rigs gsum byang chub gling gi byung ba mdo tsam brjod pa | Purchok Riksum Jangchup Linggi Jungwa Dotsam Jöpa | A Brief Explanation of the History of Purchok Riksum Jangchup Ling | Tibetan text title | ||
| phur lcog rigs gsum byang chub gling gi byung ba mdo tsam brjod pa dad gsum ’dren pa’i lcags kyu | Purchok Riksum Jangchup Linggi Jungwa Dotsam Jöpa Desum Drenpé Chakkyu | A Brief History of Purchok Riksum Jangchup Ling: A Hook to Draw in the Three Types of Faith | Tibetan text title | ||
| phur lcog rin po che | Purchok Rinpoché | Person | |||
| phur bu lcog | Purbuchok | Monastery | |||
| phur bu lcog ri khrod | PurbuchokRitrö | Monastery | |||
| phur byung | Purjung | A Brief History of Purchok | Tibetan text title | ||
| pho brang ngos | podrang ngö | the actual palace | Term | ||
| pho lha nas | Polhané | 1689-1747 | Person | ||
| phyag mdzod | chandzö | administrative head | Term | ||
| phyi dar | chidar | later propagation period | Term | ||
| phrin las rgya mtsho | Trinlé Gyatso | d. 1667 | Person | ||
| ’phags pa | Pakpa | 1235-1280 | Person | ||
| ’phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa brgyad stong pa’i mdo | Pakpa Sherapkyi Paröltu Chinpa Gyetongpé Do | Eight Thousand-Line Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra | Āryāṣṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra | Tibetan text title | |
| ’phan po | Penpo | Place | |||
| ’pho ba | powa | transition of consciousness | Term | ||
| Ba | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| bar skor | Barkor | Place | |||
| sangs rgyas | sanggyé | Buddha | Buddhist deity | ||
| bai ḍūrya ser po | Baidurya Serpo | Yellow Lapis | Tibetan text title | ||
| bod ljongs nang bstan | Böjong Nangten | Tibetan Buddhism | Tibetan journal title | ||
| bod ljongs mi dmangs dpe skrun khang | Böjong Mimang Petrünkhang | Publisher | |||
| byang | Jang | Northern Tibet | Place | ||
| byang chub chos ’phel | Jangchup Chöpel | 1756-1838 | Person | ||
| byang chos ’khor gling | Jang Chökhor Ling | Monastery | |||
| byams khang | Jamkhang | Maitreya Chapel | Room | ||
| byams chen chos rje | Jamchen Chöjé | 1354-1435 | Person | ||
| byams pa | Jampa | Maitreya | Buddha | ||
| byams pa gling | Jampa Ling | Monastery | |||
| byams pa bstan ’dzin ’phrin las rgya mtsho | Jampa Tendzin Trinlé Gyatso | 1878-1941 | Person | ||
| byams pa thub bstan rin po che | Jampa Tupten Rinpoché | 20th century | Person | ||
| byin can | jinchen | blessed | Term | ||
| byin rlabs | jinlap | blessing | Term | ||
| byes | Jé | Monastery | |||
| byes mkhan po rgyal mtshan don grub | Jé Khenpo Gyeltsen Döndrup | 17th century | Person | ||
| byes sgom sde khang tshan | Jé Gomdé Khangtsen | Jé Gomdé Regional House | Monastery subunit | ||
| byes ’du khang | Jé Dukhang | Jé College Assembly Hall | Building | ||
| byes har gdong khang tshan | Jé Hamdong Khangtsen | Hamdong Regional House of the Jé College | Monastery subunit | ||
| brag mchod sa | Drak Chösa | Offering Place Cave | Place | ||
| brag ri | Drakri | Monastery | |||
| brag ri | drakri | crag | Term | ||
| brag ri sku phreng gnyis pa rgya mtsho chos ’byor | Drakri Kutreng Nyipa Gyatso Chönjor | the second Drakri incarnation Gyatso Chönjor | b. 19th century | Person | |
| brag ri rgya mtsho mtha’ yas | Drakri Gyatso Tayé | Person | |||
| brag ri sprul sku | Drakri Trülku | Drakri incarnation | Person | ||
| brag ri sprul sku blo bzang theg mchog dbang po | Drakri Trülku Lozang Tekchok Wangpo | the Drakri incarnation Lozang Tekchok Wangpo | Person | ||
| brag ri bla brang | Drakri Labrang | Drakri Lama’s estate | Organization | ||
| brag ri bla ma | Drakri lama | Person | |||
| brag ri ri khrod | Drakri Ritrö | Drakri Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| brag ri rin po che | Drakri Rinpoché | Person | |||
| bla brang | labrang | lama’s estate | Term | ||
| bla ma | lama | Term | |||
| bla ma mchod pa tshog | Lama Chöpa Tsok | Offering-Ritual to the Lama | Ritual | ||
| bla ma zhang | Lama Zhang | 1123-1193 | Person | ||
| bla ri | lari | soul mountain | Term | ||
| blo bzang sgom chung | Lozang Gomchung | Lozang the Little Meditator | Person | ||
| blo bzang ye shes bstan ’dzin rgya mtsho | Lozang Yeshé Tendzin Gyatso | 1901-1981 | Person | ||
| dbang ’dus ’khor lo | Wangdü Khorlo | Cycle for Gathering Power | Tibetan text title | ||
| dbang phyug chen po | Wangchuk Chenpo | Maheśvara | Buddha | ||
| dbu gdugs ri | Udukri | Mount Parasol | Place | ||
| dbu mdzad | umdzé | chant leader | Term | ||
| dben gnas | ené | solitary site | Term | ||
| dben sa | ensa | solitary place | Term | ||
| dben sa pa | ensapa | recluse | Term | ||
| dben sa pa | Ensapa | Ensapa | 1504/5-1565/6 | Person | |
| dben sa pa blo bzang don grub | Ensapa Lozang Döndrup | 1504/5-1565/6 | Person | ||
| dbyar gnas | yarné | rainy-season retreat | Term | ||
| ’bras spungs | Drepung | Monastery | |||
| ’brog pa | drokpa | nomad | Term | ||
| sba ri | Bari | ||||
| sba ri bla brang | Bari Labrang | Bari Lama’s estate | Organization | ||
| sba ri bla ma | Bari lama | Person | |||
| sba ri ri khrod | Bari Ritrö | Bari Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| sba ri rin po che | Bari Rinpoché | Person | |||
| sbyin bdag | jindak | patron | Term | ||
| Ma | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| ma cig lab sgron | Machik Lapdrön | 12th century | Person | ||
| ma ṇi bka’ ’bum | Mani Kabum | The Compendium on the Maṇi [Mantra] | Tibetan text title | ||
| ma ṇi ’khor lo | mani khorlo | mani wheel | Term | ||
| ma ṇi lha khang | mani lhakhang | mani [wheel] temple | Term | ||
| maṇḍala | mendel | maṇḍala | Term | ||
| mi chos gtsang ma bcu drug | michö tsangma chudruk | sixteen rules of purity for the populace | Term | ||
| mi dbang byams pa | Miwang Jampa | Maitreya as Lord of Men | Buddha | ||
| mi g.yo ba | Miyowa | Acala | Buddha | ||
| mi la’i brag | Milé Drak | Cave of Mila | Cave | ||
| mi ser | miser | serf | Term | ||
| me tog char babs | metog charbap | rained flowers | Term | ||
| me mo phag | memopak | female-fire-pig (year) | Date | ||
| mes dbon | Mewön | Person | |||
| mo barha nyag | Mo Barha Nyak | Place | |||
| dmar gdung | mardung | mummified corpse | Term | ||
| rmog tho ’go | Moktogo | Place | |||
| smad | Mé | Monastery | |||
| smad ’du khang | Mé Dukhang | Mé College Assembly Hall | Building | ||
| smad bla zur blo bzang don grub | Mé Lazur Lozang Döndrup | Person | |||
| sman bla | Menla | Medicine Buddha | Buddha | ||
| sman bla | Menla | Medicine Buddha | Ritual | ||
| sman bla bde gshegs brgyad | Menla Deshek Gyé | Ritual of the Eight Medicine Buddhas | Ritual | ||
| sman bla bde gshegs brgyad | Menla Deshek Gyé | Eight Medicine Buddhas | Buddha | ||
| sman bla yid bzhin dbang rgyal | Menla Yizhin Wanggyel | Medicine Buddha [Ritual]: Yizhin Wanggyel | Ritual | ||
| smyung gnas | nyungné | fasting ritual | Ritual | ||
| Tsa | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| tsa khang | tsakhang | clay tablet repository | Term | ||
| tsa tsa | tsatsa | pressed-clay tablets | Term | ||
| tsong kha brgyad bcu | Tsongkha Gyepchu | Eighty Deeds of Tsongkhapa | Series of paintings | ||
| tsong kha pa | Tsongkhapa | 1357-1419 | Person | ||
| gtsang | Tsang | Place | |||
| btsan khang | tsenkhang | tsen chapel | Term | ||
| rtsa shes ṭīk chen | Tsashé Tikchen | Great Commentary on the Prajñāmūla | Tibetan text title | ||
| rtsa gsum lha khang | Tsasum Lhakhang | “Three Roots” Chapel | Room | ||
| rtsam pa | tsampa | Term | |||
| Tsha | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| tsha khang tshan | Tsa Khangtsen | Tsa Regional House | Monastery subunit | ||
| tshal pa bka’ brgyud | Tselpa Kagyü | Organization | |||
| tshe mchog gling | Tsechokling | Monastery | |||
| tshe dpag med lha dgu | Tsepakmé Lhagu | Nine Deities [related to] Amitāyus | Buddha | ||
| tshes bcu phug | Tsechupuk | Cave of the Tenth Day | Room | ||
| tshes bcu lha khang | Tsechu Lhakhang | Temple of the Tenth Day | Room | ||
| tshogs chen | Tsokchen | Great Assembly Hall | Building | ||
| tshogs chen sprul sku | Tsokchen Trülku | incarnation of the Great Assembly Hall | Term | ||
| tshogs gtam | tsoktam | public admonition | Term | ||
| tshogs bdag lag na ’khor lo | Tsokdak Lakna Khorlo | Cycle on Gaṇeśa | Tibetan text title | ||
| tshong pa | tsongpa | merchant | Term | ||
| tshoms chen shar | Tsomchen Shar | Eastern Assembly Hall | Building | ||
| mtshan zhabs | tsenzhap | assistant tutor | Term | ||
| mtshams pa | tsampa | retreatant | Term | ||
| mtsho | tso | lake | Term | ||
| mtsho sngon po | Tso Ngönpo | Kokonor | Place | ||
| mtshon cha’i ’khor lo | tsönché khorlo | wheel of weapons | Term | ||
| Dza | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| mdzo | dzo | Term | |||
| ’dzam gling rgyas bshad | Dzamling Gyeshé | Extensive Explanation of the World | Tibetan text title | ||
| Wa | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| wāginḍamatibhadrapaṭu bandashāsadharasagara | Vagindamatibhadrapatu Bandashasadharasagara | Person | |||
| Zha | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| zhang ’gro ba’i mgon po g.yu brag pa | Zhang Drowé Gönpo Yudrakpa | 1123-1193 | Person | ||
| zhabs rjes | zhapjé | footprint | Term | ||
| zhabs brtan | zhapten | ritual | Term | ||
| zhi byed | Zhijé | Pacification | Organization | ||
| zhing pa | zhingpa | farmer | Term | ||
| gzhi bdag | zhidak | site-spirit | Term | ||
| gzhung dgon | zhunggön | state monastery | Term | ||
| gzhung sgo | zhunggo | main door | Term | ||
| gzhung pa khang tshan | Zhungpa Khangtsen | Zhungpa Regional House | Monastery subunit | ||
| Za | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| zangs dkar | Zangkar | Zangskar | Place | ||
| zangs mdog dpal ri | Zangdok Pelri | Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain | Place | ||
| zangs ri | Zangri | Place | |||
| zangs ri mkhar dmar | Zangri Karmar | Monastery | |||
| gzim khang | zimkhang | residence | Term | ||
| gzims khang gong ma | Zimkhang Gongma | Upper Residence | Building | ||
| gzungs ’bul | zungbül | to offer zung [inside of statues] | Term | ||
| bzod pa rgya mtsho | Zöpa Gyatso | 1672-1749 | Person | ||
| ’A | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| ’od zer phung po che | Özer Pungpoché | Great Heap of Light | Place | ||
| ’ol khar | Ölkhar | Ölkhar | Place | ||
| Ya | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| yang gam | yanggam | wealth-box | Term | ||
| yi dam | yidam | tutelary deities | Term | ||
| yig cha | yikcha | (a monastery’s) ritual texts | Term | ||
| yul nyer bzhi’i ya rgyal/ de bi ko ṭi dang ming gzhan pha bong kha byang chub shing gi nags khrod du bkod pa’i dkar chag dad ldan padmo rgyas byed gzi sbyin ’od stong ’bar ba’i nor bu | Yül Nyerzhi Yagyel/ Debi Koti dang Mingzhen Pabongkha Jangchup Shinggi Naktrödu Kopé Karchak Deden Pemo Gyejé Zijin Ötong Barwé Norbu | An Inventory of [the Institution that,] from among the Four Sites, is Debikoṭi, a.k.a. Pabongkha, Forest of Bodhi Trees: A Jewel Radiating a Thousand Rays, the Resplendent Ripener of the Lotus of the Faithful | Tibetan text title | ||
| ye shes rgyal mtshan | Yeshé Gyeltsen | 1713-1793 | Person | ||
| yongs ’dzin ye shes rgyal mtshan | Yongdzin Yeshé Gyeltsen | 1713-1793 | Person | ||
| Ra | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| ra kha brag | Rakhadrak | Monastery | |||
| ra kha brag ri khrod | Rakhadrak Ritrö | Rakhadrak Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| ra kha brag a zhu bsod nams | Rakhadrak Azhu Sönam | b. 17th century | Person | ||
| ra mo che | Ramoché | Great Female Goat [Temple] | Building | ||
| ra sa | Rasa | Place | |||
| rang byon | rangjön | self-arisen image | Term | ||
| rab byung | rapjung | calendrical cycle | Term | ||
| rab gsal | rapsel | sun room | Term | ||
| ri | ri | the mountain | Term | ||
| ri khrod | ritrö | hermitage | Term | ||
| ri khrod pa | ritröpa | hermit | Term | ||
| ri ’khor | rikhor | mountain circumambulation | |||
| ri ’go sgo ma | Rigo Goma | Place | |||
| ri chen gsum | Richen Sum | Three Great Mountains | Place | ||
| rigs pa’i rgya mstho | Rikpé Gyatso | Ocean of Reasoning | Tibetan text title | ||
| rigs ’dzin chos kyi rdo rje | Rikdzin Chökyi Dorjé | b. 1790? | Person | ||
| rigs gsum mgon po | Riksum Gönpo | Three Protectors | Buddha | ||
| rigs gsum mgon po lha khang | Riksum Gönpo Lhakhang | Temple of the Three Protectors | Building | ||
| rin po che | rinpoché | Term | |||
| rus sbal pho | rübelpo | male turtle | Place | ||
| rus sbal mo | rübelmo | female turtle | Place | ||
| rwa sgreng | Radreng | d. 1947 | Person | ||
| rwa sgreng sku sgreng lnga pa | Radreng Kutreng Ngapa | the fifth Radreng incarnation | d. 1947 | Person | |
| rwa sgreng rin po che | Radreng Rinpoché | d. 1947 | Person | ||
| La | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| lam rim | lamrim | graded stages of the path | Term | ||
| lam rim ’jam dpal zhal lung | Lamrim Jampel Zhellung | The Revelations of Mañjuśrī: A Lamrim | Tibetan text title | ||
| lam rim bde lam | Lamrim Delam | The Easy Path: A Lamrim | Tibetan text title | ||
| las rung | lerung | enabling retreat | Term | ||
| li thang | Litang | Place | |||
| lo gsar | Losar | New Year | Festival | ||
| Sha | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| shug pa’i nags bla ri | Shukpé Nak Lari | The Soul-Mountain of Juniper Forests | Place | ||
| shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa’i mdo | Sherapkyi Paröltu Chinpé Do | Perfection of Wisdom Sūtras | Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra | Tibetan text title | |
| gshin rje’i rang thag | Shinjé Rangtak | the Mill of the Shinjé | Term | ||
| bshes gnyen tshul khrims | Shenyen Tsültrim | 20th century | Person | ||
| Sa | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| sa skya | Sakya | Organization | |||
| sa skya pa | Sakyapa | Organization | |||
| sa skya pa bsod nams rgyal mtshan | Sakyapa Sönam Gyeltsen | Person | |||
| sa brtag | satak | site investigation | Term | ||
| sa bdag | sadak | geo-spirits | Term | ||
| sa dpyad | saché | site investigations | Term | ||
| sa pho bya | sapoja | male-earth-bird (year) | Date | ||
| sa sbyang | sajang | purity of the site | Term | ||
| sangs rgyas rgya mtsho | Sanggyé Gyatso | 1653-1705 | Person | ||
| sad mi mi bdun | semi midün | the first seven Tibetan monks | Term | ||
| sin dhu ra | sindura | sindhura | Term | ||
| se ra | Sera | Monastery | |||
| se ra byes grwa tshang | Sera Dratsang Jé | Sera Jé College | Monastery | ||
| se ra sngags pa grwa tshang | Sera Ngakpa Dratsang | Sera Tantric College | Monastery | ||
| se ra chos sdings | Sera Chöding | Monastery | |||
| se ra chos sdings ri khrod | Sera Chöding Ritrö | Sera Chöding Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| se ra theg chen khang gsar | Sera Tekchen Khangsar | Building | |||
| se ra theg chen gling | Sera Tekchen Ling | Sera Mahāýāna Monastery | Monastery | ||
| se ra pa ’jam dbyangs grags pa | Serapa Jamyang Drakpa | b. 17th century | Person | ||
| se ra spyi so | Sera chiso | Sera as a whole | Monastery | ||
| se ra phur pa | Sera purpa | Sera dagger | Term | ||
| se ra byes | Sera Jé | Sera Jé (College) | Monastery | ||
| se ra dbu rtse | Sera Utsé | Monastery | |||
| se ra dbu rtse | Sera utsé | Sera peak | Term | ||
| se ra dbu rtse ri khrod | Sera Utsé Ritrö | Sera Utsé Hermitage | Monastery | ||
| se ra smad | Sera Mé | Sera Mé (College) | Monastery | ||
| se ra rtse | Sera tsé | Sera peak | Term | ||
| se ra tshogs chen | Sera Tsokchen | Sera Great Assembly Hall | Building | ||
| se ra’i ri khrod | Seré ritrö | hermitage of Sera | Term | ||
| se ra’i ri ’khor | Seré Rikhor | Sera Mountain Circumambulation Circuit | Pilgrimage cycle | ||
| seng gdong ma | Sengdongma | Lion-Headed Ḍākinī | Buddha | ||
| ser smad thos bsam nor gling grwa tshang gi chos ’byung lo rgyus nor bu’i phreng ba | Sermé Tösam Norling Dratsanggi Chöjung Logyü Norbü Trengwa | A History of the Sermé Tösam Norling College: A Garland of Jewels | Tibetan text title | ||
| ser smad lo rgyus | Sermé Logyü | A History of Sermé | Tibetan text title | ||
| srung ma | sungma | protector deity | Term | ||
| srog snying | soknying | life-essence | Term | ||
| srong btsan sgam po | Songtsen Gampo | 604-650 | Person | ||
| slob dpon | loppön | senior teacher | Term | ||
| gsag sbyang | sakjang | accumulation and purification | Term | ||
| gsang ba ’dus pa | Sangwa Düpa | Guhyasamāja | Buddha | ||
| gsar | sar | new | Term | ||
| gsung byon ma | sungjönma | speaking-statue | Term | ||
| gser ma hā | Ser Maha | Buddha | |||
| gser yig pa | seryikpa | bearer of the golden letter | Term | ||
| gso sbyong | Sojong | monastic confession ritual | Ritual | ||
| bsangs gsol dar ’dzugs | sangsöl dardzuk | (to) make burnt juniper offerings and raise flags | Term | ||
| Ha | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| ha ha rgod pa’i dur khrod | Haha Göpé Durtrö | Place | |||
| har gdong khang tshan | Hamdong Khangtsen | Hamdong Regional House | Monastery subunit | ||
| hwa shang | Hashang | Person | |||
| lha mo | Lhamo | Buddha | |||
| lha mo khar | Lhamokhar | Place | |||
| lha mo nyi ma gzhon nu | Lhamo Nyima Zhönnu | Buddha | |||
| lha mo nyi gzhon | Lhamo Nyizhön | Buddha | |||
| lha btsun rin po che | Lhaptsün Rinpoché | Person | |||
| lha btsun rin po che’i bla brang | Lhaptsün Rinpoché Labrang | Lhaptsün Rinpoché’s estate | Organization | ||
| lha btsun rin po che’i bla brang | Lhaptsün Rinpoché Labrang | estate of Lhaptsün Rinpoché | Organization | ||
| lha bzang | Lhazang | d. 1717 | Person | ||
| lha bzang khāng | Lhazang Khang | Lhazang Khan | d. 1717 | Person | |
| lha lung dpal gyi rdo rje | Lhalung Pelgyi Dorjé | 9th century | Person | ||
| lha sa | Lhasa | Place | |||
| lha sa’i dgon tho | Lhasé Gönto | A Catalogue of the Monasteries of Lhasa | Tibetan text title | ||
| lha sa’i dgon tho rin chen spungs rgyan | Lhasé Gönto Rinchen Punggyen | A Catalogue of the Monasteries of Lhasa: A Heap of Jewels | Tibetan text title | ||
| lho pa khang tshan | Lhopa Khangtsen | Lhopa Regional House | Monastery subunit | ||
| a kha bsod nams bzang po | Akha Sönam Zangpo | b. 17th century | Person | ||
| A | |||||
| Extended Wylie | Phonetics | English | Sanskrit | Date | Type |
| a khu rin po che | Akhu Rinpoché | 1803-1875 | Person | ||
| a mdo rdo rje sku ’bum | Amdo Dorjé Kumbum | Place | |||
| a ma | ama | mother | Term | ||
| oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ | om mani peme hum | oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ | Mantra | ||
Notes
The title of the Karchak reads Yul nyer bzhi’i ya rgyal/ de bi ko ṭi dang ming gzhan pha bong kha byang chub shing gi nags khrod du bkod pa’i dkar chag dad ldan padmo rgyas byed gzi sbyin ’od stong ’bar ba’i nor bu (hereafter Pha bong kha’i dkar chag). It appears to be an edited version of a text bearing the same name published in Three Khrid on the Nā ro mkha’ spyod Practice (Delhi: Ngawang Sopa, 1976), 454-532. (I have Gene Smith to thank for making a copy of this latter edition available to me.) References to the Dkar chag in this work are to the edition published in Tibet. The publication of the Tibetan edition of the Dkar chag was sponsored by a contemporary abbot (or perhaps now former abbot) of Pabongkha, Jampa Tupten Rinpoché.
In the colophon the author of the Karchak identifies himself as the reincarnation of a Lama of Kongpojo Dzong, the reincarnation of the Lama of Chökhang Tsewa Monastery (Chökhang Tsewa Gönpa); he also identifies himself as belonging to the Mé College (Dratsang Mé) of Sera, but gives his name only in Sanskrit as Wāginḍamatibhadrapaṭu bandashāsadharasagara (sic).
The introductory verse of the Delhi edition bears identifying marks (dots) under certain syllables. (These are missing in the Tibetan edition.) Those marks spell out “Ngawang Lozang Tupten Gyatso Jikdrel Wangchuk Choklé Nampar Gyelwa.” This resembles the name of the eighth Demo incarnation Ngawang Lozang Tupten Jikmé Gyatso (Demo Kutreng Gyépa Ngawang Lozang Tupten Jikmé Gyatso, 1778-1819), tutor of the Ninth Dalai Lama (Dalai Lama Kutreng Gupa, 1806-1815).
The colophon tells us that the work was written between the female-fire-pig (Memopak) and male-earth-bird (Sapoja) years. In the fourteenth calendrical cycle or Rapjung, this corresponds to 1827-1828. The author of the Dkar chag further states that he based his work on a verse text compiled by Khardowa (mkhan thog brgyad pa kha rdo sku thog bzod pa rgya mtsho’am/ blo bzang sgom chung pas bsgrigs pa tshig bcad ma), as well as on the constitution (Chayik) of the monastery written by Tatsak Yeshé Tenpé Gönpo (1760-1810). On Khardo Zöpa Gyatso (1672-1749) see the Introduction to the Hermitages. On Tatsak Yeshé Tenpé Gönpo, see TBRC P302.
Still unavailable, to my knowledge, are: (1) the Karchak of Pabongkha in six folios written by Khardo Zöpa Gyatso, and (2) another Karchak by Khöntön Peljor Lhündrup (1561-1637). The latter is mentioned in Akhu Rinpoché’s (1803-1875) list of rare texts; see Lokesh Chandra, Materials for a History of Tibetan Literature (Kyoto: Rinsen Book Co., 1981, repr. of the 1963 ed.), no. 11012. Bshes gnyen tshul khrims, Lhasé Gönto Rinchen Punggyen [A Catalogue of the Monasteries of Lhasa: A Heap of Jewels; hereafter Lha sa’i dgon tho] (Bod ljongs mi dmangs dpe skrun khang, 2001), 15, quotes Khöntön’s Karchak, implying, perhaps, that he had the text at his disposal; he gives the date of composition of the work as 1619.
Sde srid sangs rgyas rgya mtsho’s account of Pabongkha in the Baidurya Serpo, 144, is fascinating because it links the flourishing of Tibet to the flourishing of Pabongkha; and vice versa, it links political problems in Tibet with the decline of Pabongkha. Mention of Pabongkha is also found in Turrell Wylie, The Geography of Tibet According to the ’Dzam-gling-rgyas-bshad (Rome: IsMEO, 1962), 83 and 159 n. 400; and Alfonsa Ferrari, Luciano Petech and Hugh Richardson, Mk’yen brtse’s Guide to the Holy Places of Central Tibet (Rome: IsMEO, 1958), 42, 101-102 n. 86, and plates 6 and 7.