Roaring Silence - 13 Glossary

Roaring Silence — Chapter 13: Glossary

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The book’s closing reference section. 40 short entries alphabetized by headword in the most commonly used spelling, with the less common Wylie transliteration supplied in parentheses. The headnote states the transliteration policy: “This glossary shows two different transliteration systems for Tibetan words. The most commonly used spelling comes first, with the less common spelling in parentheses. In addition, unless noted otherwise, all non-English words are in Tibetan.”

The glossary’s structural function is to hand the practitioner the terminology-index needed to read the book’s main body and Appendix 1 with precision — Wylie transliterations, lineage-sanctioned short definitions, Sanskrit cross-references for terms that have Sanskrit forms.

What the Glossary Adds

The glossary does not introduce new doctrine. Its contributions to the wiki:

1. Canonical Wylie transliterations. Most terms the body uses in Tibetan (shi-nè, lha-tong, nyi’mèd, lhun-drüp, gYo-wa, nè-pa, nalma, namthog, mi-thogpa, rigpa, sem, sem-nyid, ngakpa, ngakma, ngöndro, naljor, tsam, jé-thob, Dzogchen, Sem-dé, Long-dé, Nyingma, Vajrayana, Sutra, Tantra, vajra, ro-chig) get their authoritative Wylie spelling pinned. This finalizes the wiki’s transliteration policy against an explicit source.

2. Lineage-sanctioned short definitions. Each entry’s gloss carries the Aro gTér short-form definition. Where the main body developed each term with context, the glossary compresses each back to a one-line canonical definition. These are useful as thesis-test anchors for the wiki’s corresponding concept pages.

3. Terms the main body did not expand. A small number of entries name technical terms the main body uses only in passing:

   • Aro gTér (a ro gTer) — the visionary treasures of Aro, revealed through Kyungchen Aro Lingma
   • Aro Lingma (a ro gLing ma), 1886–1923 — the female Nyingma gTértön who received the Aro gTér in vision directly from Yeshé Tsogyel
   • Aro Naljor-zhi (a ro rNal ‘byor bZhi) — “The Four Naljors of the Aro gTér,” the Sem-dé ngöndro. The Aro-specific name for the Four Naljors as a set.
   • Me-ngag-dé (man ngag sDe) — “The Series of Implicit Instruction, one of the three series of Dzogchen.” The third series, peer to Sem-dé and Long-dé, named here for the first time in the book.
   • Ngak’phang (sNgags ‘phang) — literally “mantra-wielding.” The formal name for the non-monastic, non-celibate tradition of ordained yogis and yoginis who integrate practice with everyday life. Also called gö-kar chang-lo’i dé (gos dKar lCang lo’i sDe), “white skirt, long (or braided) hair series.”
   • Marpa (mar pa), 1012–1097 — Marpa Lotsawa (the translator), the Lama of Milarépa. Named only here.
   • Milarépa (mi la ras pa), 1052–1135 — the great yogi famous for his songs of realization and for his accomplishment of tu-mo (psychic heat yoga). Named only here.
   • Padmasambhava (Skt.; Tib. pad ma ‘byung gNas) — the male Tantric Buddha, spiritual consort of Yeshé Tsogyel, introducer of Buddhist teachings to Tibet in the 8th c.
   • Yeshé Tsogyel (ye shes mTsho rGyal) — the female Tantric Buddha, spiritual consort of Padmasambhava, and (per the Introduction) the origin of the Aro gTér.
   • yogi/yogini (Skt.; Tib. rNal ‘byor pa / rNal ‘byor ma) — the Sanskrit parallels to naljorpa / naljorma.

Notable Definitional Compressions

Several glossary entries are worth transcribing because their compression is useful as a canonical thesis-anchor:

• Dzogchen (rDzogs chen) — “The innermost of the three inner Tantras, based on the principle of self-liberation. Literally, ‘Great Completion.’ This indicates that the enlightened state does not have to be added to in any way — it is complete in itself from beginninglessness.” (The “innermost of the three inner Tantras” placement is significant: it locates Dzogchen inside the nine-yana schema explicitly.)
• bodhicitta — “Literally, ‘buddha mind.’ Active compassion.” (The ultra-compact Sutra-reading gloss. “Active compassion” is the two-word summary of the Sutra-cultivation dimension of changchub-sem.)
• Tantra — “Literally, ‘continuity’ or ‘thread.’ The teachings of Buddhism which have as their basis the principle of transformation.” (Paired with Sutra’s “renunciation” and Dzogchen’s “self-liberation” — the three-principle framing of the three vehicles.)
• Sutra — “Discourses and teachings by Shakyamuni Buddha having their basis in the principle of renunciation.”
• Vajrayana — “The Indestructible Vehicle, the Diamond Vehicle. The Buddhist practices of the inner Tantras.”
• sem-nyid — “The nature of Mind, the empty quality of Mind, the space in which sem arises and enters into either compassionate communication or dualistic contrivances.” (Adds the dynamic reading: sem-nyid is the space in which sem arises and enters into compassionate or dualistic functioning. Not static ground — generative space.)
• nè-pa — “Absence with presence. The state in which there is absence of thought but presence of awareness.” (The bipolar definition makes explicit what the Ch.9 treatment glossed as “abiding”: nè-pa is absence-of-thought + presence-of-awareness as a single condition.)
• namthog — “That which arises in Mind. A namthog could be anything, not simply thoughts but patterns, colours, textures, and feelings.” (Confirms the Ch.8 perceptual-quality expansion. The namthog is not reducible to the discursive-thought reading.)
• rigpa — “Instant presence, nondual awareness, presence of awareness, nondual presence.” (Four synonyms in a row — a definitional cluster rather than a single definition. This itself is instructive: rigpa cannot be reduced to any one English gloss.)
• ngak’phang — “Literally, ‘mantra-wielding.’ A nonmonastic, noncelibate tradition of ordained yogis and yoginis who integrate practice with everyday life.” (The structural definition the wiki’s ngak’phang ecology page inherits.)
• naljor — “Remaining in the natural state.” (Terse confirmation of the Ch.10 etymology.)
• nalma — “Exhaustion, in the sense of exhaustion of neurotic involvement with thought as a definition of being; relaxation into the natural state.” (Confirms the Ch.8 usage: nalma is exhaustion-of-neurosis, not mere physical exhaustion.)
• ngöndro — “Literally, ‘before going.’ Preliminary practices.”

The Three Series of Dzogchen — Now Complete in the Wiki

The glossary names all three Dzogchen series:

Series	Wylie	Glossary definition
Sem-dé	sems sDe	”The Series of the nature of Mind”
Long-dé	kLong sDe	”The Series of Space”
Me-ngag-dé	man ngag sDe	”The Series of Implicit Instruction”

The third series — Me-ngag-dé — is named here for the first time in the book. The main body had left it unmentioned (the Sem-dé page noted it as “Men-ngak-dé — Secret-instruction series (upadeśa)” as a known Dzogchen structure); the glossary names it with Implicit Instruction rather than Secret Instruction. This is the Aro gTér translation choice.

What the Glossary Does Not Do

The glossary does not:

• Supply practice instructions. All definitions are terminological, not operational.
• Resolve doctrinal disputes. Where the main body treated one reading vs. another (e.g. the dual reading of changchub-sem as Sutra-cultivation or Dzogchen-recognition), the glossary gives the compressed reading without opening the doctrinal question.
• Reference the appendix or teaching events. The glossary is a flat alphabetical reference; it does not cross-link to chapters.

Editorial Notes

• Transliteration policy. The glossary confirms the book’s two-layered transliteration practice: the most commonly used spelling (phonetic, with diacritics like è and ü for vowels) appears first, and the Wylie transliteration (capitalized consonants denoting root letters, with prefixes and suffixes explicit) appears in parentheses. The wiki uses the phonetic form as page-title and includes the Wylie in the page body.
• Aro-specific naming conventions. The Aro Naljor-zhi entry names the Aro gTér’s specific name for the Four Naljors. This is the cycle’s internal terminology; the Four Naljors are a Dzogchen Sem-dé structure more broadly, but the Aro Naljor-zhi phrasing locates them as this particular lineage’s presentation.
• Supporting figures named only here. Marpa, Milarépa, Padmasambhava, and Yeshé Tsogyel get glossary entries. The main body references these figures in passing but does not develop them. The glossary treats them as expected reference figures in the Tibetan Buddhist ecology a practitioner is presumed to know.
• Sanskrit parallels. Sanskrit forms are given for bodhicitta, Padmasambhava, rigpa’s unmarked Sanskrit status (not supplied — vidyā would be the parallel but the glossary does not give it), Sutra, Tantra, vajra, Vajrayana, Yeshé Tsogyel, yogi/yogini. The practice of giving Sanskrit-alongside-Tibetan treats the Tibetan terms as the operative terms and the Sanskrit as cross-reference.
• The Long-dé and Me-ngag-dé entries compared. Long-dé gets one sentence (“Series of Space”); Me-ngag-dé gets one sentence (“Series of Implicit Instruction”). Neither is elaborated. The glossary signals their existence without opening their content.

Cross-Wiki Material

New Pages from Ch.13 Glossary

• Me-ngag-dé — the third Dzogchen series; Series of Implicit Instruction. Newly named in this chapter.
• Ngak’phang — the non-monastic, non-celibate ordained sangha of yogis and yoginis. Promoted from paragraph-reference to own page.
• Aro Lingma — Kyungchen Aro Lingma (1886–1923), the female Nyingma gTértön through whom the Aro gTér cycle was revealed. Promoted from cross-reference to own page.

Existing Pages Touched by Ch.13

• Four Naljors — glossary adds the formal name Aro Naljor-zhi for the set; wiki confirms this.
• Aro gTér — glossary cross-links to Aro Lingma as the lineage-specific revealer.
• Sem-dé — cross-linked to the new Me-ngag-dé page to complete the three-series triad.
• Long-dé — cross-linked to the new Me-ngag-dé page.
• Ngakma, Ngakpa Chögyam — cross-linked to the new Ngak’phang page.
• Mind and mind — sem-nyid gloss receives the “space in which sem arises and enters into either compassionate communication or dualistic contrivances” addition.
• Nè-pa — canonical “absence with presence” bipolar definition added.
• Changchub-sem — glossary’s two-word Sutra-reading “active compassion” noted.

Related

• Roaring Silence — the parent book, whose processing is wrapped with this chapter
• Roaring Silence - 11 Appendix 1 Questions and Answers — the preceding chapter (last developed content)
• Me-ngag-dé, Ngak’phang, Aro Lingma — the three new pages seeded from this chapter
• Four Naljors — the Aro Naljor-zhi naming source
• Sem-dé, Long-dé — the two previously-named Dzogchen series now joined by Me-ngag-dé