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Dictionary of Key Spiritual Terms


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Wylie | Tibetan

seed

  1. sa bon/ 

    [var. son/ ]

    Biblical: 1) the seed of plants: sa bon 'debs/  to sow or scatter seed (Mt. 13:4), sa bon rdol zhing cher skye'o/  the seed sprouts and grows (Mk. 4:27); 2) seed in various figurative senses: sa bon ni dkon mchog gi bka' yin/  the seed is the word of God (Lk. 8:11), thugs nyid kyi sa bon/  spiritual seed (1 Cor. 9:11), rtag pa'i sa bon/  imperishable seed (1 Pet. 1:22,23), lam khar son btab pa ni de yin/  the one who received the seed sown along the path (Mt. 13:19).

    Buddhist: 1) figurative seed: sa bon/  the first of the eight links of external dependent-arising (KBT 35); 2) literal seed: sa bon myu gu dang /,myu gu 'bras bur 'gyur ba sogs/  from the seed comes the sprout, and from the sprout the grain, etc. (NPP).

  2. 'bru/ 

    Biblical: seed, grain: 1) seed: yungs 'bru/  mustard seed (Mt. 13:31), gro'i 'bru rdog a kernel or grain of wheat (Jn. 12:24), 2) grain generally: 'bru ma chags so/  they did not bear grain (Mk. 4:7), 'bru chags/  produced grain (Mk. 4:8).

    Buddhist: nyin rer 'bru rdog re dang /,,chu thig pa re bzhes/  [the Buddha] took only one grain of corn and one drop of water each day (SGN 9).

    Cognates: yig 'bru/  a point of discussion: yig 'bru gcig kyang ma gsungs/  did not make even one point (DCC).