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Dictionary of Key Spiritual Terms

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Wylie | Tibetan

1. shes pa/ 

   [hon. mkhyen/ ]

   Biblical: know, understand: 1) to be acquainted with someone (see also ngo shes/ ): khyed su yin ngas shes/  I know who you are (Mk. 1:24), khyed kyis nga shes na nga'i yab kyang shes/  if you knew me, you would know my Father as well (Jn. 14:7), skyes bu drang po dang dam pa yin par shes te/  knowing him to be a righteous and holy man (Mk. 6:20), dkon mchog la gces par 'dzin mkhan de/,,dkon mchog gis kho mkhyen no/  the man who loves God is known by God (1 Cor. 8:3); 2) to know facts: bka' de rnams khyod kyis shes so/  you know the commandments (Mk. 10:19), ngas mi shes mi go'o/  I don't know or understand (Mk. 14:68), ngas mi shes te/,,dkon mchog gis mkhyen no/  I don't know, God knows (2 Cor. 12:2), khong gis thams cad mkhyen no/  [God] knows everything (1 Jn. 3:20), ye shus de tsho'i bsam pa mkhyen/  Jesus knew their thoughts (Lk. 9:47), dkon mchog gis khyed kyi snying mkhyen pas/  God knows your hearts (Lk. 16:15); 3) to inform, let someone know: lag pa g.yas pas ci byed pa lag pa g.yon pa la'ang shes ma chug do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing (Mt. 6:3,4), /ye shus 'di sus kyang mi shes pa'i phyir nan gyis bskul/  he gave strict orders not to let anyone know (Mk. 5:43); 4) to have a skill or ability, to know a trade: song la shes pa bzhin srung zhig zhes bsgo bas/  go, make the tomb as secure as you know how (Mt. 27:65).

   Buddhist: The root meaning of shes pa/  is to know or understand 1) to know or be acquainted with a person: ha lam ngo mi shes mdog mdog byed/  to pretend to be almost unacquainted (TRC 167); 2) to know facts: dbyar gnas grol ba'i dus tshod mi shes na/  if one does not know the time of release from the summer retreat (TRC 50); 3) to recognize: sdug bsngal shes par bya/  recognize suffering (TRC 165), ma rig pa ni/,,las rgyu 'bras la sogs pa mi shes pa'i rmongs pa/  nescience is the ignorance that does not recognize the [truth of] karma (TRC 284); 4) to understand: bden pa bzhi'i gnas tshul shes pa'i sgo nas/  by means of understanding the realities of the Four Truths (TRC 165), dmangs gtso'i ngo bo gsal po shes/  one must clearly understand the essence of democracy (RRT 282-3 n. 24); 5) to know how to: ngo la 'khor ba'i sbrang ma dkrog mi shes/  they don't even know how to chase a fly from their face (KPU 31); 6) to be aware of; awareness, consciousness: shes pa'i mtshan nyid yod/  there is a definition of consciousness (TBT 498).

   Cognates: 1) ngo shes/  [hon. ngo mkhyen/ ] to recognize or be acquainted with someone or something: ji ltar yab kyis nga ngo mkhyen/,,/yab kyi zhal ngo ngas shes ltar/,,/nga yi yin pa ngas ngo shes/,,/de tshos nga la ngo shes pas/  I know my sheep and my sheep know me--just as the Father knows me and I know the Father (Jn. 10:14,15), nye gnas de bla chen gyi ngo shes yin/  that disciple was known to the high priest (Jn. 18:15); 2) shes bzhin/  introspection: shes bzhin gyis de shes par byas/  to recognize by introspective awareness (TRC 201); 3) nges shes/  confidence, certain knowledge: rig pa dwangs pas chos la nges shes skye/  as wisdom shines, our confidence in the dharma grows (GSL 6).

2. rtog

   p. brtags/  f. brtag imp. rtogs/ 

   Biblical: to know, understand: khong drang po lags par rtogs na/  if you know that he is righteous (1 Jn. 2:29), khong nyid dang gshin po las sku gson por bzhengs pa'i mthu nus rtogs pa/  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection (Phil. 3:10), gang gsungs pa'i don de rnams kyis ma rtogs so/  they did not understand the meaning of what was said (Lk. 18:34).

   Buddhist: to perceive: bdag med pa'i don mngon sum du rtogs pa'i lam gyi bden ba/  the truth of the path which directly perceives the absence of a self (TRC 96). see thought.

Related Terms: 1) go ba/  understand: rang gis zer ba'i gtam yang mi go,,/dngos po'i don yang mi go'o/  they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm (1 Tim. 1:7 SV); 2) ston/  p. bstan/  to show, make known: khyed kyis nga la gson lam ston par mdzad/  you have made known to me the paths of life (Acts 2:28); 3) 'chad/  p. bshad/  f. shod/  to explain, proclaim, or make known: khyed la 'chad par 'gyur ro/  the Spirit will make it known to you (Jn. 16:15), khyed la sdig sel gyi chos 'chad pa ma zad/  not only is forgiveness of sins proclaimed to you (Acts 13:38), ngas phrin bzang gi gsang ba spobs pas 'chad phyir/  that I may boldly proclaim the mystery of the gospel (Eph. 6:19); 4) mngon du byung /  apparent or made known: rjes la ci yin par 'gyur ba da rung mngon du ma byung /  what we will be has not yet been made known (1 Jn. 3:2 SV); 5) ngo 'phrod/  [lit. face + receive] to know a person: khyed kyis mngags pa'i ye shu ma shi ka ngo 'phrod pa ni/  to know Jesus Christ, whom you have sent (Jn. 17:3), khong gi bka' rgya srung ba 'ba' zhig gi sgo nas/,,nga tshos khong ngo 'phrod pa gsal lo/  we know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands (1 Jn. 2:3), khong ngo 'phrod zer/  the man who says, "I know him," (1 Jn. 2:4); 6) ngo sprod byed/  [lit. face + give] p. sprad/  to introduce, make known: sdig bshags gnang ba'i thar pa'i ngo sprod phyir/  to make known the salvation that forgives sins (Lk. 1:77), de tshor khyed kyi mtshan ngo sprad de/,,da dung 'ang ngo sprod par bya'o/  I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known (Jn. 17:26); 7) grags pa/  fame, reputation; i ta li par grags pa'i dmag tshogs/  known as the Italian Regiment (Acts 10:1), a kha ya ru grags pa/  became known in Achaia (1 Thes. 1:8); 8) snyan grags/  [hon.] fame, reputation: ye shu'i snyan grags rgyas pas/  Jesus' name had become well known (Mk. 6:14); 9) cha/  news, information: cha med par/  without news, not knowing what happened (Acts 5:7), khyed la cha yod/  you already know (1 Thes. 2:2); 10) zhes/  [hon. zhus/ ] known as: mthu chen po zhes bya ba de/  known as "the great power" (Acts 8:10), pe tro zhu ba'i shi mon/  Simon known as Peter (Acts 10:18); 11) zer/  to call, be known as: ya hu da skad du gab ba tha zer/  known in Aramaic as Gabbatha (Jn. 19:13); 12) rgyu med/  don't know: nga la rgyus med/  I don't know (Jn. 9:12), rgyus med pa'i dkon mchog an unknown god (Acts 17:23); 13) ngo rtogs/  to know certainly: khyed ni dkon mchog gi dam pa de yin par nga tshos dad cing ngo rtogs pa yin/  we believe and know that you are the Holy One of God (Jn. 6:69). see knowledge.