The front façade of Garu Nunnery (Garu Gönpa).
Garu Nunnery (Garu Gönpa), one of the oldest nunneries in the Lhasa area, is located northwest of Sera at the western end of the Nyangdren Valley. It takes about two hours to walk to Garu from Sera. The GaruGorge is relatively remote and quite beautiful. The area below the nunnery is pasture land, and is used by the nuns to graze their one hundred-plus head of yaks.2 These pastures gradually slope upward (north) to the hermitage (ritrö), which is located at the base of a very rocky portion of the northern mountains next to a stream. The nunnery faces south towards Lhasa, and it affords one of the most beautiful long-distance views of the city and of the Potala.
The word garu derives from gar, which means “dance.” The famed Indian master Pa Dampa Sanggyé (b. eleventh century) saw ḍākinīs dancing at the spot where the monastery now stands, and gave it this name.
As is the case with most religious institutions in the Lhasa Valley, the natural landscape surrounding the site is imbued with religious significance. The resident nuns associate several of the mountains near the nunnery with different deities:
- The peak northwest of the hermitage is called the Palace of Cakrasaṃvara (Demchokgi Podrang)
- Three rock outcroppings just north of the nunnery are called the Three Protectors (Riksum Gönpo)
- A flat cliff-face on a mountain northwest of the site is called the Mirror of Vajrabhairava (Jikjekyi Melong)
- Another peak northeast of the nunnery is identified as the Soul-Mountain of Mañjuśrī (Jampelyangkyi Lari)
A short history of the nunnery identifies the various sites around the nunnery more extensively (though somewhat differently) than the oral account:
The mountain in back [of the nunnery] is called “the Soul-Mountain of Tārā” (Taré Lari). Near that a [rock outcropping] that has the shape of a right-turning white conch shell is clearly visible. The western mountain is called “the Soul-Mountain of Mañjuśrī” (Jampelyangkyi Lari), and it has splendid pastures and rock-faces. At the foot of that mountain there is a “storehouse of sindhura”3 that emits sindhura on some holy days. On some occasions the sound made by a white conch4 can also be heard coming from the side of that mountain. To the right of that mountain is a rock-face that is considered to be a self-arisen image of Vajrabhairava because it resembles the body of the deity. To the left is an imposing mountain whose combination of meadows and rock-faces are considered to form a self-arisen image of Guhyasamāja. To the northeast is “the Soul-Mountain of the Arhats” (Neten Lari) that has amazingly designed rock formations. To the east is a mountain known either as “the Parasol” (Dukpé Lari) or as “Mañjuśrī Peak” (Jampel Lari).5
The entire area around the nunnery is said to be hospitable to a variety of wildlife. The various animals that live here, it is said, are unafraid of the human inhabitants of the site, occasionally even entering into the nuns’ rooms. The area is also filled with a variety of wild flowers and herbs. These are collected as the ingredients used in Tibetan medicine, and it is not uncommon for Lhasa physicians to bring their students to the area around Garu to teach them the art of identifying and collecting medicinal plants.
Garu Nunnery is one very large compound enclosed by a perimeter wall. This larger compound contains within it several sub-compounds or complexes of buildings. At the very center of the nunnery is the largest and most important complex that contains the main temple, the kitchen, and several small chapels – a Scripture Temple (Kangyur lhakhang), a butter-lamp offering house (chömé khang), and a building where the nuns take turns keeping watch at night. These various structures, together with two wings of nuns’ rooms, form the central courtyard of the hermitage. These buildings also appear to be the oldest in the hermitage, and the nuns themselves state that most of the additional wings of living quarters located at the four corners of the larger compound were added later as the nunnery grew.
The front of the main temple.
To the north of – that is, just behind – the main temple there is a very long wing of nuns’ rooms. There are also different complexes of nuns’ rooms built around central courtyards at the northeast, southeast, and southwest corners of the monastery. The buildings at the northwest corner of the monastery, the nuns say, were used for visiting dignitaries; some of these may have also served as residences of senior nuns.
There are other important sites and minor structures outside of the walls of the main compound:
- East. Along the eastern edge of the nunnery there is a small park that contains a public performance space. Lay people bring picnics and spend the day here when they come for worship (chönjel). On special occasions the raised concrete dais in the center of the park is used as a stage for folk opera or other performances. At the northern edge of that park are a stūpa and a guest house. In 2004, the latter had just recently been built.
- West. A stream runs along the western edge of the nunnery. The sound of the rushing water is said to resemble the sound of the “Three-Oṁ Dhāraṇī of the Queen Dorjé Tsünmo.” Near the place along the stream where the nuns come to collect the water, one can clearly see a self-arisen image of the letter “ba” on the side of a boulder. This is the seed syllable of Dorjé Tsünmo.6 Two mani wheels (mani khorlo) have been built over the stream; they are made to turn by the power of the rushing water.
- South. Several small shrines are found just outside the southern perimeter wall of the nunnery. One of these, called the Damala Nyak, marks the spot where Pa Dampa Sanggyé heard the word “dama.” Another is said to mark the spot where he received an offering of milk from a magical white cow that was a Buddha-emanation, and near to this is the boulder with the self-arisen letters “a ma” into which the cow dissolved. (See below for more detailed accounts of the narratives related to these various sites.)
- North. At the northern edge of the nunnery there is relatively little – only one small shrine to a Tenma deity, and a few boulders with self-arisen images.
The park and performance area in the foreground, with the guest house and stūpa behind it.
About one kilometer south of the monastery, just off the main road, is a small shrine that contains a self-arisen image of one of the eyes of Cakrasaṃvara (Demchok).7
Almost all of the statuary and art inside the temple is new, but Garu is unusual insofar as we have some idea of the images that existed inside the main temple prior to 1959. That main temple was a “twelve pillar” temple,8 and the central image on its main altar was a Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara, one-story tall. To the left was a smaller Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara figure and to the right was a statue of Pa Dampa Sanggyé when he was an eight-year-old child.9 On his lap was kept a manuscript text of a prayer (about ten folios in length) said to have been written by Pa Dampa Sanggyé in his own hand.10 This statue and Pa Dampa’s own manuscript text were together considered the “main inner image(s)” (nangten tsowo) of the nunnery. On the interior walls of the temple there hung a series of fifteen extremely well-executed tangkas of the “Eighty Deeds of Tsongkhapa” (Tsongkha Gyepchu), donated to the monastery by “a Mongolian queen.”11 Apparently the Thirteenth Dalai Lama (Dalai Lama Kutreng Chuksumpa) asked for these to be brought to the Norbu Lingkha, the Dalai Lamas’ summer palace, and told the nuns to ask for anything they wanted in return. The elder nuns, however, declined, refusing to part with the tangkas, and so the paintings remained in the nunnery until 1959. Their whereabouts today are unknown.
In addition, the following statues were to be found in the temple:
- A life-size figure of Vajrayoginī (Dorjé Neljorma)
- A series of statues of the various incarnations of the Dalai Lamas12
- Four metal-alloy statues of the Drakri incarnations (Drakri Trülku)13 that were said to be simulacra (draku) – that is, actually resembling these various figures
- Two sets of statues of the Eight Medicine Buddhas (Menla Deshek Gyé), one made of clay (and life-size), another of metal (and smaller)
- A life-size statue of Pabongkha Rinpoché
In addition to these various statues, as representatives of the Buddha’s speech there were:
- A volume of the Eight Thousand Line Perfection of Wisdom Sūtra (Pakpa Sherapkyi Paröltu Chinpa Gyetongpé Do, Āryāṣṭasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra) written in gold
- A complete set of the Kangyur
- Complete sets of the short, middling, and extensive Perfection of Wisdom Sūtras (Sherapkyi Paröltu Chinpé Do, Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra).
As representations of the Buddha’s mind, there were replicas of the “eight shāli stūpas of India.”
In the altar of Drakri Rinpoché’s rooms, located on top of the main temple, there used to be very fine statues of the Sixteen Arhats (Neten Chudruk), the Hashang, and the four direction protectors.
In the protector deity chapel (gönkhang) there were statues of:
- Six-Armed Mahākāla (Gönpo Chakdruk)
- Hayagrīva in his “Secret Accomplishment” form (Tamdrin Sangdrup)14
- Dharmarāja (Damchen Chögyel)
- Penden Lhamo
- Vaiśravaṇa (Namsé)
- mgon po a gho[ra] . It appears that only the head of this deity survives. In 2004, the body of the image had yet to be created.
- Gyelchen Karma Trinlé
The head or face-mask of mgon po a gho[ra] in the protector deity chapel.
On the topmost floor there was a Tārā chapel (Drölma Lhakhang) with statues of the twenty-one Tārās. There was also a statue of Maitreya (Jampa) in this chapel.
In addition to these various images, there were also two self-arisen footprints (zhapjé) – one made by Pa Dampa Sanggyé, and the other by the horse of the second Drakri incarnation Gyatso Chönjor (Drakri Kutreng Nyipa Gyatso Chönjor).15 With one or two exceptions, none of the various images and religious artifacts mentioned above survived the Cultural Revolution, though many have been replaced by replicas.
A statue of Pa Dampa Sanggyé at Garu Nunnery.
Tradition has it that the famous Indian master and founder of the “Pacification” (Zhijé) school, Pa Dampa Sanggyé, came upon the site at one point in his peregrinations throughout Tibet.17 Stopping to rest on a boulder, he was approached by a white cow who offered him her milk. After drinking, Pa Dampa Sanggyé continued on his way, but the cow would not stop following him, so he turned to her and said, “Mother (ama), please stay here!” No sooner had he said these words than the cow dissolved into a nearby boulder, and at that moment the letters a ma emerged as self-arisen letters on the boulder’s surface. This boulder with the self-arisen letters – called the “ama boulder” – can be seen at Garu to this day. Pa Dampa Sanggyé then realized that this was a sign that a monastic institution should be founded at this site. There only remained the question of whether he should found a nunnery or a monastery for male monks there. As he was contemplating this, he heard the enchanted sound of goddesses from atop a nearby pass called Tama Donyak.18 Looking up, he saw goddesses dancing there. Because he had seen female deities, he took this as a sign of the fact that he was to found a nunnery at the site, and he gave it the name “Dance Gompa: Place of Meditative Equipoise” (Gargön Samten Ling). Before 1959, there was a square stone throne that was reputed to be the place where Pa Dampa sat as he performed the so-called “site investigations” (saché) to determine the exact place on which to build the nunnery, but this throne apparently has been destroyed.
The first nuns who lived at Garu were of course followers of Pa Dampa Sanggyé, and therefore practiced the various meditational techniques of the Pacification school. Over the period of several centuries, however, the oral tradition of the Pacification system “deteriorated,” and the one contemporary written account of the nunnery available to us states that the nuns, of their own volition, approached the great eighteenth-century Gelukpa master (and abbot of Pabongkha Hermitage [Pabongkha Ritrö]), Drakri Gyatso Tayé.19 They asked him to become their lama, and to take responsibility for the nunnery.20 He agreed, and for the past two centuries the nunnery has been under the aegis of the Drakri lamas, who have acted as both patrons and as the spiritual leaders to the institution. It was a tradition for the Drakri lama to come to the nunnery in the latter half of the fifth Tibetan month every year to conduct memorization exams, and this tradition was maintained up to 1959. Since the re-founding of the nunnery in the mid 1980s, the former administrative head (chandzö) of the Drakri Lama’s estate (Drakri Labrang) has substituted for Drakri Rinpoché, who today lives in exile in India. He comes to the nunnery at least once a year to administer these exams.
Two nuns take a break from kitchen duties to pose for a picture.
Before 1959, the nunnery was responsible for doing rituals for the Tibetan government – for example, accumulating repetitions of the “Prayer to the Twenty-One Tārās” at certain specific times throughout the year.21 These ritual commissions on behalf of the Tibetan government were transacted through the intermediary of the Drakri Lama’s estate. It was probably also because of its formal relationship to this lama’s estate (labrang) that the nunnery was considered a “state monastery” (zhunggön). Such a status brought with it not only economic but also social privilege; for example, the nuns were entitled to have an audience with the Dalai Lama every year in the Norbu Lingkha, the Dalai Lama’s summer palace, during the eighth Tibetan month.
Before 1959, it was the elder nuns who were responsible for the day-to-day administration of the nunnery. Nuns occupied the position of:
- “senior teacher” (loppön): responsible for overseeing all internal work and external relations, and therefore the functional equivalent of an abbot
- chant leader (umdzé): responsible for making preparations for (as well as for leading) ritual events, and
- two “representatives” (chimi): responsible for the financial affairs of the nunnery, for external relations (e.g., to patrons), and for fundraising; they were also the main conduits to the Drakri Lama’s estate.
Nuns also occupied minor posts like temple attendant (gonyer). Even today the nuns divide the administrative work of the nunnery among themselves according to seniority, holding each of the various offices for fixed terms.
Having been deprived of all sources of income after 1959, in order to survive, the nuns turned to growing and selling bamboo for a period of time. The Cultural Revolution, however, brought an end to this. The nunnery was forcibly depopulated and much of it was destroyed. Fundraising for reconstruction began in 1980. A group of fourteen former nuns asked for permission to rebuild, and were able to gather 390,000 ¥ from the Tibetan laity, and 20,000¥ from the local government authorities. The work of rebuilding the nunnery began in 1985, and was completed in a short time.
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 |