things ~ metaxu buddhism

ambag book breath butter cham chörten chuba dagoba dhama dokpa dresil dri drogpa dzomo ger goeku gompa gönkhang gorshe guthuk hair images Jowo kata khabse lophud lotus mala mani stones mendong monastery padmapitha padmasana pagoda pustaka rugyen sengtri stupa suna thanka thugchen torma tsampa vina

ambag	Tib.		Breast pocket of chuba, formed by the fold of the front of the chuba over the belt.
book			Tib. Buddhism: Traditional book is a pile of palm leaves tied in a bundle. (Similar books in India are called pustaka.) Now printed on slabs of orange paper. Text of Buddha's teachings are wrapped in orange cloth; the commentaries are in yellow cloth. Buddha wrote his teachings in a book. It contains the Prajnaparamita. which he gave to the king of the Nagas. Long afterwards the sage Nagarjuna got it from the Nagas. He based his teachings on it, which created the Mahayana school of Buddhism. [ref] Manjushiri and Sarasvati also have books.
breath			prana. Also see atman.
butter			A staple food of Tibet. Used to make ceremonial tormas.
cham	Tib.		A sacred Tibetan Buddhist sacred dances. Peformed by monks, very ritualized, can be wearing masks. [ ref ]
chang	Tib.	"beer"	Barley beer of Tibet.
chemar	Tib.		A mixture of tsampa and butter placed in a container as offerings to deities during festive occasions, especially at Losar celebrations. [ ref ]
chörten	Tib.	"offering holder"	stupa.
chuba	Tib.		Robe/dress traditionally worn by Tibetan people.
dagoba	Skt.	originally dhatugarbha, "womb of objects"	"A repository of relics of the Buddha, around which a stupa, andf later a temple was built, and around which a vihara arose. Also dagarba. Dagoba later became pagoda." [ref]
dhama	Tib.		Drum of Ladakh.
dokpa	Tib.	"nomad"
dresil	Tib.		Sweetened rice.
dri	Tib.		Female yak
drogpa	Tib.		A Tibetan highlander, an alpine herdsman. Nomad (also drokpa). [ref]
dzomo	Tib.		The offspring of a cow and a yak.
ger	Mong.	"home"	The traditional dwelling of all Mongolian peoples, as well as other Central Asian and Siberian peoples. The most commonly known kind is the nomads' ger, which is used by almost all Central Asian nomads, including Mongols. [ ref ] This is a transportable home, made of a wooden framework covered by large pieces of felt, with a central smoke hole. Known in English as a yurt, from the Russion 'yurta'.
goeku	Tib.	"banner"	A Tibetan banner.
gompa	Tib.	"monastery"	Monastery. Also, gonpa. More than two hundred monasteries have been established [in India ?] since the Chinese invasion in 1959. [ ref ] More than six thousand were destroyed in Tibet since that time by the same invasion.
gönkhang	Tib.	"House of the Protective Divinities"	A special temple reserved for certain rites
gorshe	Tib.		A Tibetan dance, similar to a quadrille.
guthuk	Tib.		A thick soup into which small objects are dropped as good omens. Also, guthuu.
hair			The hair of monks and nuns is cut off to symbolize a cutting away from the material, and entering the spiritual, life. [ref]
images			"The Buddha himself was not in favor of images of gods, because it would distract the worshippers from the real goal of Buddhism. The Theravada branch of Buddhism has adhered to this principle, so they never show the Buddha in their art. The Mahayana place no such restriction on depicting the Buddha." Images are intended as aids to meditation, as points of mental concentration, not to be worshipped. [ref]
Jowo	Tib.		"The most sacred and revered statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha in Tibet." [ ref ]
kata	Tib.		White silk scarf used as an offering by Tibetans, instead of flowers. Also, khata.
lophud	Tib.		Losar (Tibetan New Year) offerings of seedlings.
khabse	Tib.		Losar (New Year) biscuits.
lotus			A flower which grows in Asia. It grows in ponds and lakes, with its roots in the mud, and its leaves and flower lifted above the water, so a symbol of purity. padme.
mala	Skt., Tib.		Meditation beads. When carried by Brahma, it represents time, i.e., continuous Creation without which the earth would perish. Buddha and the Bodhisattvas also hold malas symbolizing the chain of samsara. [ref] Also, "akshamala".
mani stones	Tib.		"Engraved stones; the name refers to the syllbles of the mantra Om mani padme hum, which is often inscribed on the stones. Mani stones may be coloured, and vary in size — some are as big as rocks. Small mani stones are piled up to form walls called Mendong. Mani stones are found in every kind of sacred place, especially near monasteries and villages. [ ref ]
mendong	Tib.		Walls of mani stones.
monastery			gompa.
padmapitha	Skt.	"lotus throne"	Having a lotus as a throne or pdestal.
padmasana	Skt.	"lotus position"	The seated position for meditation, with legs crossed and feet resting soles-upwards on thighs. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are often represented seated in the lotus position on their lotus thrones.
pagoda			A Buddhist temple, from dagoba.
pustaka	Skt.	"book"	Books in ancient India, all the way into the British period, were written on palm leaves. They were cut into long strips along the line of the fibres and fastened together along the long side The line of writing followed the long side.
rugyen	Tib.		Bone ornaments worn by Tantrists during ceremonies, such as at Losar.
sengtri	Tib.	"lion throne"	The throne on which all tulkus are tradionally enthroned. [ref]
stupa			A repository for relics. In the shape of a pyramid or inverted bell, originally erected in earth, later in sculpted stone. In Nepal, stupas are where Vairocana resides.
suna	tib.		A type of flute.
thanka	Tib.		Relgious painting, on cloth; or sometimes embroidered. "A Tibetan painted icon on silk or fabric, which can be rolled. It is based on the Indian religious art of the Pala dynasty. Deeply interested in Indian religious teachings, Tibetans scrupulously followed the teachings of Indian, and later Nepalese, artists. Thanka painting was developed in Tibet, in the seventh century, during the reign of Songtsen Gampo." [ ref ] Also, tanka, thangka.
thugchen	Tib.		Long horns, blown by monks
torma	Tib.		Made of tsampa, either round and white, or triangular and red. Used in rituals. [ ref ]
tsampa	Tib.		Barley flour, a staple food in Tibet. Also used ceremonially, tossing in the air, and combined with butter in chemar.
vina	Skt.		An Indian stringed instrument, carried by Saraswati.