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| Nadi | (Tib. tsa) Psychic channels through which the psychic energy flows. |
| Nirmanakaya | 'Emanation Body' the third of the three kayas. The aspect of enlightenment that tames and can be perceived by ordinary beings. |
| Nirvana | The lesser nirvana refers to the liberation from cyclic existence attained by a hinayana practitioner. When referring to a buddha, nirvana is the great nondwelling state of enlightenment, which falls neither into the extreme of samsaric existence nor into the passive state of cessation attained by an arhant. |
| Nyingma | The teachings brought to Tibet and translated chiefly during the reign of Kind Trisong Detsen and in the following period up to Rinchen Sangpo. |
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| Obscurations | The veils that over one's direct perception of the nature of mind. In the general Buddhist teachings several types are mentioned; the obscuration of karma preventing one from entering the path of enlightenment, the obscuration of disturbing emotions preventing progress along the path, the obscuration of habitual tendencies preventing the vanishing of confusion , and the final obscuration of dualistic knowledge preventing the full attainment of buddhahood. |
| Omniscience | Same as complete enlightenment or buddhahood. |
| One Pointedness | The first stage in the practice of mahamudra. |
| One Taste | The third stage in the practice of mahamudra. |
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| Postmeditation | Generally the period of involvement in sense perception and activities. Specifically, the time when distracted from the natural state of mind. |
| Pratyekabuddha | 'Soliatary Enlightend One' one who has reached perfection in the second hinayana vehicle, chiefly through contemplation on the twelve links of independent origination. |
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| Rainbow Body | At the time of death of a practitioner who has reached the exhaustion of all grasping and fixation, the five gross elements that form the physical body dissolve back into their essences, five coloured light. Sometimes the hair and the nails alone are left behind. |
| Rupakaya | 'Form body' a collective term for both sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya. |
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| Samadhi | Adhering to continuity or eveness. |
| Samaya | The sacred pledge, precepts, or commitment of vajrayana practice. Many details exists, but the samaya essentially consist of; outwardly, maintaining harmonious relationship with the vajra master and one's dharma friends and inwardly, not straying from the continuity of practice. |
| Sambhogakaya | The 'body of perfect enjoyment' Of the five kayas of fruition, this is the semimanifest form of the buddhas endowed with the five perfections of perfect teacher, retinue, place, teaching, and timE, which is perceptible only to bodhisattvas on the ten bhumis. |
| Samsara | 'Cyclic existence', 'vicious circle' or 'round' of births and deaths. The state of ordinary sentient beings fettered by ignorance and dualistic perception, karma, and disturbing emotions. |
| Shamatha | 'Calm abiding' or 'remaining in quiescence' after the subsiding of thought activity or the meditative practice of calming the mind in order to rest free from the disturbance of thought. |
| Shravaka | 'Hearer' or 'listener' the practitioners of the first turning of the wheel of the dharma on the four noble truths. |
| Siddha | 'Accomplished One' someone who has attained siddhi; an accomplished master. |
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