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| Tantra | The vajrayana teachings given by the Buddha in his sambhogakaya form. Literally 'continuity' tantra means the buddha nature, the tantra of the expressed meaning. Generally, the extraordinary tantric scriptures, which are exalted above the sutras, the tantra of the expressing words. Can also refer to all the resultant teachings that take the result as path. |
| Tathagata | 'Thus gone', a fully enlightened buddha. The buddhas who have gone (gata) to the state of dharmata or suchness (tatha). Synonym for sugata and jina. |
| Tathagatagarba | (Tib. deshin shekpai nying po) Thathagatagarba, also called buddha nature, is the seed or essence of enlightenment which all persons possess and which allows them to have the potential to attain Buddhahood. |
| Ten Bhumis | The ten bodhisattva levels or stages: the joyous, the stainless, the radiant, the brilliant, the hard to conquer, the realised, the reaching far, the unshakable, the good intelligence, and the cloud of dharma. These ten stages are included in the last three of the five paths. |
| Three Jewels | The precious buddha, the precious dharma, and the precious sangha. |
| Three Realms | The samsaric realms of desire, form, and formlessness. |
| Three Roots | Guru,yidam and dakini. The guru is the root of blessings, the yidam is the root of accomplishment, and the dakini is the root of activity. |
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| Udumbara Flower | Literally "especially eminent" or "supremely exalted", said to appear and bloom only accompanying the appearance of a fully enlightened buddha. |
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| Vajradhara | 'Vajra holder' the dharmakaya buddha of the New Schools. Can also refer to ones's personal teacher of Vajrayana. |
| Vajrasana | The 'diamond set' under the bodhi tree in Bodhgaya where Buddha Shakyamiuni attained enlightenment. |
| Vajrayana | The 'vajra vehicle'. The practices of taking the result as the path. |
| Vidyadhara | One who holds or upholds the wisdom of knowledge. An accomplished master of vajrayana. |
| Vipashyana meditation | Sanskrit for "insight meditation" (Tib. lha tong) This meditation develops insight into the nature of mind. The other main meditation is shamatha meditation. |
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| Wisdom | The ability to understand correctly, usually with the particular sense of understanding emptimess. |
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