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House of birds: A historical ethnography of a Tibetan buddhist nunnery in Nepal van Ede, Y.M.

Publication date 1999

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Citation for published version (APA): van Ede, Y. M. (1999). House of birds: A historical ethnography of a Tibetan buddhist nunnery in Nepal.

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UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam (https://dare.uva.nl) Download date:26 Sep 2021 Glossary

N. = Nepali S. = Sanskrit P. = Pali T. = Tibetan New. = Newari Sh. = Sherpa

ahimsa (S.) non-violence, abstaining from killing ajyi (Sh.) elder brother's wife Ama Bamare (N.) "Blessing Mother", name of a mountain; also known as Gauri Parbati (5325 m) ani (T. a-ni) father's sister, nun arak (Sh.) liquor arak (Sh.) liquor aunu (N.) to come, to understand bahun (N.) (S. brahman) Hindu priest caste bardö (T. bar-do) intermediate state after death and before beyiil (T. sbas-yul) hidden valley bhiksuni (S.) (P. bhikkuni) nun bikasi (N.) developed Bimseng deity worshipped for his strength and courage bodhi (S.) the pursuit of Enlightenment (S.) Enlightened being bujhnu (N.) to understand Bulako Call for Losar Bum (S. Prajnaparamita Sutra) Book of 11.111 Prayers, Book of 100.000 Lines Bumi puja fertility rite led by a shaman cham (T. chain) mask dances chang (T. chang) beer chaunri cow-yak crossbreed chayik (T. chad-yig) founding charter chhuwa, chowa traditionale woman's dress chöben nun with priestly functions cholo (N.) full sleeve blouse, Nepalese sryle chörten (T. mchod rten; S. stupa) Buddhist monument often containing sacral relics chos-skad (T.) religious Tibetan language churpi (Sh.) hard cheese candy daanlh (N.) mountain peacock Dasain Hindu festival in honour of Durga at which thousands of animals are sacrificed demchang (Sh.) first marriage ceremony Deodunga (N.) "God's Rock", name of a mountain (4418 m) desh (N.) country, land devi (N.) goddess (S.) (P. dhamma; T. chos) religion, the Buddha's Words digpa (T. sdig-pa) sin, demerit doko (N.) basket

213 do mang (T. mdo-dmangs) one of the sutra texts used commonly in kurims (in Bigu in particular in relation to the home) dorje (T. rdo-rje; S. vajra) "thunderbolt" Dorje Sempa Vajrasattva (S.) Drugpa (Sh.) (T. 'brug-pa) man from Bhutan duang (Sh.) (T. sgrub-khang) temple hall duk (N.) jail dulwa (T. 'dul-ba) to tame, to cultivate, to subdue, to convert, to civilise; also the monastic dis­ ciplinary rules (S. Vinaya) Dumje (Sh.) Sherpa fertility festival in Solu Khumbu dzo (Sh.) cow-yak crossbreed dzomu (Sh.) female yak-cow crossbreed garuda the mythological bird-god Gauri Shankar name of a mountain (7146 m) geling oboe-like instrument Gelugpa (T. dge lugs pa) the most clericalized of the Tibetan buddhist traditions/orders, also known as the reformed sect, headed by the Dalai gelung (T. dge-slong) a fully ordained monk genchu (T. rgan-chos) older person dedicating their life to the Dharma outside of a monastic context geshé (T. dge bshes) a monk with advanced training, roughly equivalent to a Ph.D. ghanta bell gomba, gompa (T. dgon-pa) buddhist temple, monastery Gombo Dodin (Sh.) collecrivity of eight protective deities guru (S.) teacher, religious guide gurudhammas (P.) the eight additional rules which the Buddha is said to have created especially for nuns, which subordinate them to any monk guthi (N.) gomba loan system gyal (T. rgyal) king Gyalbashing (Sh.) (T. rgyal-po 'i-zhing) King's fields Gyalpo Losar (T. rgyal-po lo-sar) King's New Year gyewa (T. dge-ba) funeral, memorial rite, act of virtue hamba (Sh.) female spirit hangdzu (Sh.) traditional blouse inji (N.) "English", foreigner jagir (N.) land tax collecting system Jambhala (T. ser-po gtso rkyang) Buddhisr god of wealrh 'Jam-dpal-dbyangs (T.) (S. Manjushri) bodhisattva of wisdom janma (Sh.) kind of grass, fodder jat (N.) caste, ethnic group jatra (N.) market, festival jhankri (N.) shaman jindak (N.) sponsor of a ritual or religious festival Jogikuthi (N.) "temple of the yogi", place in the Bigu valley Kalachakra tantric initiation ritual Kambadzen (Sh.) name of a Sherpa clan Kami (N.) blacksmith (T. bka' 'gyur) buddhist canonical book

214 Kargyudpa (T.bka'krgyud pa, dkar brgyud pa) one of rheTiberan buddhisr rraditions/or- ders karma (S.) the law of cause and effecr kempu (T. mkhan-po) abbot kenam (N.) petticoar-like skirr kha kad nangba (T.) those who share the same speech Kharka high-caste Hindu family khata (T. bka gtags) ceremonial scarve khepa, khapa painrer kipat (N.) land rax collecting system -ko (N.) suffix of location, "from" Kon-Chug-Sum (T. Konch'og Sum) rhe Three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma, Sangha konier careraker of a gomba korchang (Sh.) commemorarion rirual for the dead kor (N.) the fixed share of rhe owner who 1er out his land kura (N.) thing, word kurim (T. sku-rims) a curing or excorcism ritual kurca (N.) Indian dress and rrouser kurhi (N.) temple kurum disciplinarian lakh (N.) 100.000 rupees lama (T. bla-ma) religious specialist; the term is applicable to both married village "priests" and heads of celibate monastic communities larra rongup (Sh.) final marriage rirual lingam (S.) phallus symbol, symbol of Shiva loben religious teacher losar (T. lo-sar) New Year lü (S.naga) local spirirs lukuni (Sh.) blanker Magar (N.) a Hindu-orienred ethnic group Mahadev Shiva Mahakala protective, ferocious deiry manche (N.) man mangse aronement ritual mani (T. ma-ni) as a shorr-cur of the well-known "Om Mani Pad Me Hum" to be translated as prayer, like in mani walls, mani wheels, ere. manrra (S.) spell, prayer marga (New.) parh ro salvarion mati (N.) up rhere marwali (nep.) liquor drinker même (Sh.) grandfather mendap (Sh.) genealogy mir (N.) ceremonial friend (male) mirini (N.) ceremonial friend (female) mizar (N.) rax collector mola (N.) turnips monlam (T.) Grear Wish ritual nama (Sh.) bride

215 napi (N.) land surveyor Narak (Sb..) Buddhist contra-Dasain festival in Bigu narka (N.) (Sh. njewa) hel niermu kitchen nun nierpa treasurer Nyingmapa (T. rnying ma pa) one of the Tibetan buddhist traditions/orders, also known as the old or unreformed sect Nyungne purification ritual ongchermu (Sh.) (T. dbang chen-po) powerful in the sense of domineering panchayat (N.) village council pani nachalne (N.) water unacceptables pap (N.) sin pari (N.) the other side of the river, the other side of the valley parna time (N.) extracting help, mutual aid (Sh. tsenga tsali) path of sutra (S.) mode of spiritual development with an emphasis on scholarship path of tantra (S.) mode of spiritual development with an emphasis on meditation paune (N.) student pecha shortcut for a text containing words of the Dharma (T. dpe-cha chos ma-red) pembu (T. dpon po) headman, head of the clan phal-skad (T) colloquial Tibetan language phun-sum tshogs-pa (T.)perfect phurtsa coffin Phyag-na-rdo-rje (T) (S.Vajrapani) ferocious protector of the Dharma pitha (S.) shrine, "power-place" pradhan panchayat (N.) head of the village council puja (N.) ritual, sermon punya (S.) religious merit rabzhung (T rab-byung) ordination, formal acceptance as a novice raikar (N.) land tax collecting system raj (N.) king raksi (N.) liquor ramne (T rab gnas) consecration ritual rimpoche (T rin-po-che) "precious", term of both address and reference for a reincarnate lama sadhu (N.) Hindu holy man sallang initiation ritual samsara (S.) the cycle of rebirth sangdung alphorn-like instrument sange (Sh.) (T. sangs rgyas) heaven sangha (S.) Buddhist community, one of the Three Jewels sano (N.) small, short sems (T) "soul" Shambhala hidden paradisaical land shrindi (Sh.) ghost shukbar (N.) local administrator simsum the Rimpoches living quarters sinmo (T srin mo) wild mountain-demoness sirdar (N.) trekking leader

216 smrti (S.) mindfulness, memory sodane (Sh.) second marital "asking" ceremony sodé (Sh.) luck sonam (T. bsod-nams; S. punya) religious merit srung ma protective deity Sur (Sh.) ritual against wandering ghosts surba "lay sister" (T. bstan 'gyur) buddhist canonical commentary tenma (Sh.) see guthi Thami (N.) a Nepali ethnic group with religious practices based on ancestor worship thanka (T. thang-ka) religious painting thawa (T. grwa-pa) monk thiba fully-fletched nun thödam (Sh.) retreat assistant thola (N.) 11 grams of pure gold Thoongchö (Sh.) Ritual of 1000 offerings thulo (N.) big, tall Thupten Rig 'dzin (Sh.) (T. rigs-gsum-mgon-po) Three Protectors of Tibet: Pawa Chenrezig (S.Avalokiteshvara), 'Jam-dpal-dbyangs (S. Manjushri), Phyag-na-rdo-rje (S.Vajrapani). tilbu nun ringing the bell torma (T gtor-ma) dough effigy, offering cake Tormathoong (Sh.) ritual against wandering ghosts torsil (T gtor-sil) small torma balls trisul (N.) trident tsam (T mtshams) meditation retreat tsam (T. mtshams) retreat, meditation tsam khang (T. mrshams-khang) retreathouse tsampa (T. rtsam-pa) mixed-grain flower tsapani (Sh.) torn cap tsawé lama (T rtsa-ba-'i bla-ma) "root lama", personal religious teacher tshogs (T.) communion ritual (T sprul sku) reincarnate lama umse headnun, chanting leader videshi (N.) foreigner wari (N.) this side of the river, this side of the valley wong (T. dbang) sermon yidam (T yi-dam; S. ishthadevata) yogi (S.) male meditation specialist yogini (S.) female meditation specialist Zambala (unknown; see Shambhala or Jambhala)

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