Glossary
to
The Voice of the Silence
D
See Dugpa. Cf. Schlagintweit, B.T., p. 47.
The act of giving or of sacrifice under all forms. The first of the perfections or of the transcendental virtues (Pāramitās) of the Bodhisattva. Together with goodness (Maitri) and compassion (Karunā) is Dāna an essential factor to bring enlightenment to the beings.
Vision, awareness, viewpoint, seeing of (the idol of) a deity, school: especially each of the six doctrinal schools of Hindu philosophy (Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika, Sāṁkhya, Yoga, Pūrva Mīmāṁsā and Uttara Mīmāṁsā or Vedānta).
Deva (Sk.) H., B. (I 25, III 12, Fragment 2]]
Radiant, heavenly, divine. As noun a deity, which applies to all the many gods and beings of the invisible worlds; their existence is limited to the duration of the universe (cf. Brahmā) – which renders them inferior to a perfect Buddha. They are opposed to the powers of the netherworld and of destruction (see also Asura). H.P.B. uses the word in the qualifying sense of “divine” (Sk.: Divya and Pāli: Dibba) e.g. “Deva-sight” (Sk.: Divya chakṣu).
Devachan [bDe-ba-chan] (Tib.) B.
From de: happiness, joy. A word being similar to the Sanskrit Sukhāvati (cf. T.G.) and which (exoterically) denominates the western paradise of the Buddha Amitābha. In Theosophy: the blissful sphere of the subjective experience after death where the Higher Ego assimilates the spiritual fruit of his last incarnation before a new terrestrial rebirth. (This Tibetan word has sometimes erroneously been connected with the Sanskrit term Deva)
Deva-Hearing – B. [Fragment 2]
Sk: Divyaśrotra. The power of clairaudience, the second Abhijñā. See: Siddhi.
Sk: Divyachakṣu. The faculty of clairvoyance, one of the six powers (abhijnā) which is attained through intensive application of Dhyāna. Through this power (the fourth of the list) it is (among other things) possible to see the destiny of beings in their karmic course. See: Siddhi.
Dhāraṇā (Sk.) H. (I 3, 36, 41]
The fixation of the mind on a chosen subject of meditation. Cf. the Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali where Dhāraṇā (the sixth degree of Yoga) leads, together with Dhyāna and Samādhi, to Saṁyama, the state of perfect meditation. In The Voice of the Silence, Dhāraṇā is equal to a complete abstraction of the influences of the senses and to the silenced play of the memory, which makes it thus possible to concentrate the perceptive powers of the consciousness upon one single spiritual object only.
Dharma (Sk.) H., B. [Fragment 2, III]
A word with many meanings, particularly in Buddhism. The root is Dhṛ, to sustain, to preserve, to maintain. It is the rule or the Law which sustains the universe. For man dharma means the universal basis of ethics and the discipline of conduct that he has to follow in order to ensure his divine destiny. In Hinduism and Theosophy the word is sometimes translated as “duty,” meaning the inner duty one has to fulfill in life according to one’s nature. For example it is said that the (natural) “dharma” of fire is to burn. In Buddhism dharma is the “Law” or the teachings of Buddha in the two forms, exoteric and esoteric.
Dharmakāya (Sk.) B. [II 38, III 20, 34]
The most exalted glorious body (Kāya), the vesture of the highest bliss “woven” by each Initiate during the progress which has led him to the end of the Fourth Path (that of the perfect Arhat) or (esoterically) to the passage of the Sixth Portal, prior to his entrance to the Seventh (T.G.). The level of consciousness reached touches the very threshold of Nirvāṇā.
Dhyāna (Sk.) H., B. [I 41, III 4, 18, 23]
In the system of Patañjali, Dhyāna, the attentive concentration upon a chosen object of meditation, follows Dhāraṇā. In Buddhism, Dhyāna Pāramitā is the fifth of the perfections unfolded by the Bodhisattva aspirant; in The Voice of the Silence it is also the key to the Sixth Portal preceding the access to perfect wisdom. In this state of profound spiritual contemplation the aspirant still keeps a sense of individuality which he will no longer experience in the complete oneness of Samādhi. In more common use the word Dhyāna (Pāli: jhāna) refers to the exercise towards meditation consisting of four steps (see Four-fold Dhyāna), from the beginning of the preparation of concentration up to the states of abstraction of the higher consciousness. This long-lasting discipline is accompanied by the unfolding of various psychic and spiritual powers (Sk.: abhijñā), such as “deva-hearing” and “deva-sight.”
Dhyāni(n) (Sk.) Th. [Fragment 1, 3]
A “being of contemplation,” a word with many meanings, on the one hand referring to very lofty hierarchies (connected with the Logos) and on the other hand to hierarchies connected with cosmogony and the life of the world of forms, but always in a distinct relation with the seven principles of the microcosmic man; Especially The Secret Doctrine mentions the highest Dhyānis incarnated in the “chosen race” at the dawn of humankind and who together also formed the “breeding ground” of the future adepts. They represent the divine awakeners of humankind. See also: Planetary Spirits.
In exoteric Buddhism they are the five sons of the Dhyāni-Buddhas (cf. S.D. I, 109, 57, and II, 116). Esoterically they are the “spiritual reflections” or projections of the seven Dhyāni-Buddhas in the (mental) world of forms (Rūpa-Loka) (See also: Three Worlds).
Dhyāni-Buddha (Sk.) B. [III 19]
“Buddha of Contemplation.” Collectively the seven hierarchies of the Dhyāni-Buddha, manifest the divine light of Ādi-Buddha in its different aspects, forming the exalted essence of the human souls. Though being themselves parentless (Anupapādaka), they are the mystic fathers of the Dhyāni-Bodhisattvas. Cf. S.D. I, 571, with Avalokiteśvara as the synthesis of the seven.
Diamond Soul – Th. B. [II 4, III 19]
See Vajrasattva.
Dorje [rDo-rje] (Tib.) B. [III 12]
Skt.: Vajra. The Lord (rje) of the stones (do): the diamond.
Dragshed [Drag-gshed] (Tib.) B. [III 12]
A group of terrible and fearsome gods, supposed to protect the human beings against bad spirits.
Dugpa [hBrug-pa] (Tib.) B. [III 11, 12]
Several Tibetan words can (more or less) be pronounced as Dug-pa, with divergent meanings – hence the possible confusion – but none has the meaning of “red-cap.” 1) Words connected with hBrug, meaning thunder and winged dragon: a) the hBrugpa school connected with the monastery of hBrug which is said to have been founded by Lingrepa Padma Dorje in Bhutan in the 12th century on a stormy day; the Dugpa-School is a recognized department of the Karma-Kagyudpa; it was developed in Ladakh and in Bhutan, hence (b) the hBrugpas is the name given to the natives of Bhutan, “the land of thunder” or hBrug-yul. They are under influence of the Dugpa tradition which has three distinct subdivisions (higher, middle, and lower). Schlagintweit (B.T., p. 47) mentions it under the name of Dugpa or Dad-dugpa as a sect “for which the Dordje [Dorje] is a very important and powerful instrument.” 2) Different verbs and adjectives as sDugpa (pleasant), Drugpa (sixth), etc. Especially to be remembered: gDugpa: perverted, bad, vicious, harmful (from the word Dug, meaning poison). H.P.B. has indeed mentioned this meaning when speaking about the Dugpas as “mischief-makers”, evil sorcerers; see the article “Reincarnation in Tibet” (Theos., III, p. 146-8) where she relates them to the primitive sect of the Nyingmapa, distinct from the later Karma-Kagyudpa (who also wear red caps). The conclusion of this is that the word Dugpa, as used in the Voice, does not refer to the presently known Tantric Schools (still less to any of the non-reformed Schools), but to a rather secret marginal group which actively resisted the reformation of Tsong-Kha-Pa. Amongst them there were genuine sorcerers and black magicians possessing strong and malicious powers and who naturally linked very closely with the followers of the black Bon.
