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Dictionary of Key Spiritual Terms


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Wylie | Tibetan

perfect [perfection]

  1. phun sum tshogs pa/ 

    Biblical: 1) morally perfect, faultless: yab phun sum tshogs pa lags pa ltar/  as the Father is perfect (Mt. 5:48), bsnyen bkur byed pa de'i shes bzang phun sum tshogs pa byed mi thub/  unable to clear the conscience of the worshipper (Heb. 9:9); 2) whole, complete: phun sum tshogs par 'dod na/  if you want to be perfect (Mt. 19:21), khong gi phun sum tshogs pa las/  from [God's] fullness or completeness (Jn. 1:16), phun sum tshogs pa 'grub pa'i tshe/  when perfection comes (1 Cor. 13:10), sdug bsngal gyis phun sum tshogs par mdzad pa/  made perfect through suffering (Heb. 2:10).

    Buddhist: 1) absolute perfection, a characteristic of an enlightened being who has perfection in strength, wealth, knowledge, or other fields (KTM). Lists of perfections include the phun sum tshogs pa gsum/  the three perfect accomplishments (TRI 172) and the phun sum tshogs lnga/  the five perfections: the Buddha's perfect dharma, perfect time, perfect teaching, perfect location or dwelling, and perfect cycle of existence (KTM); 2) whole or complete: 'gro ba mi'i rigs la bde skyid phun sum tshogs pa zhig 'byung ba/  to achieve the goal of [complete] human happiness (DLP 6), khrims gzhung ldan na bde skyid phun sum tshogs/  if there is the rule of law, happiness is complete (KPU 10), yon tan phun sum tshogs/  a well-rounded education (KPU 28), gna' bo'i bzo skrun gyi nyams myong phun sum tshogs po/  rich experience in [studying] ancient structures (MHP 10); 3) noble or excellent: phun sum tshogs pa lnga/  the five excellences (CNG 63), rang gzhan gyi don phun sum tshogs pa/  the noble aims of oneself and others (TRC 74); 4) in colloquial usage, good or desirable: lha dang mi'i lus rten phun sum tshogs pa zhig the desirable body of a god or a man (TRC 165), lha dang mi'i bde skyid phun sum tshogs pa/  the desirable happiness of humans and gods (TRC 226).

  2. rdzogs pa/ 

    Biblical: finished, completed, or perfect: rtag tu rdzogs pa'i sras/  the Son, who has been made perfect forever (Heb. 7:28 SV), rdzogs par mdzad pa'i chos drang po rnams kyi sems nyid rnams/  the spirits of righteous men made perfect (Heb. 12:23 SV), byams pa rdzogs par gyur pas 'jigs pa phyi rol tu 'don no/  perfect love drives out fear (1 Jn. 4:18 SV).

    Buddhist: 1) perfection: rdzogs pa chen po/  great perfection (TRI 226), bskyed rim pa zer ba dang rdzogs rim pa zer ba khag gnyis yod pa red/  there are both developing stage practitioners and perfection stage practitioners [in the tantra college] (TRC 51), mkhyen brtse nus gsum la sogs pa'i yon tan yongs su rdzogs pa'i sgo nas/  by means of his own perfection of the qualities of wisdom, compassion, and power (TRC 73), dran pa dang /,,shes bzhin gyi stobs yongs rdzogs ldan yang /  even though one has perfected the powers of attentiveness and introspective awareness (TRC 201); 2) complete, whole, entire: rdul phran mtshon cha yongs su rdzogs pa rtsa med bzo rgyu'i las/  the work of completely destroying all nuclear weapons (DLP 7), 'gro ba mi'i khyim tshang yongs su rdzogs pa/  the whole family of man (DLP 12), rdzogs pa'i sangs rgyas/  complete Buddhahood (GSL 12); 3) fulfilled, accomplished: dngos gzhi yongs su rdzogs pa/  when the four are fulfilled (TRC 242), 'dod pa ma rdzogs par/  [his] desire not being fulfilled (TRC 260), dbang bzhi rdzogs/  the four empowerments are complete (HTE 184); 4) finished, run out, exhausted: las bzang po'i 'bras bu rdzogs/  the result of his former good karma was finished (TRC 260), dus tshod rdzogs pa yin/  time has run out (SGN 22), za ya tshang ma rdzogs nas/  when the food ran out (DPD).

    Cognates: yongs rdzogs/  [lit. all + whole] all, entire: de dag yongs rdzogs dgos pa yin/  the world needs them all (DLP 21), chos lugs yongs rdzogs/  all religions (DLP 21), gzugs po yongs rdzogs rma yis khyab pa'i mi/  a man whose whole body was covered with sores (SGN 6), rang gi sku lus yongs rdzogs keng rus lta bur gyur kyang /  though his whole body became like a skeleton (SGN 9).

  3. yang dag pa/ 

    Biblical: actual, real; perfect in the sense of fully realized: yang dag par mthun pa/  perfect unity (Col. 3:14), yang dag pa'i byams pas 'jigs pa phyir skrod/  perfect love drives out fear (1 Jn. 4:18).

    Buddhist: 1) [lit. completely pure] perfect as applied to religious persons and qualities; completely and totally perfect: ston pa yang dag pa/  the perfect teacher [i.e. the Buddha] (TRC 73), zla grogs yang dag pa/  the perfect religious companion (TRC 73), yang dag pa'i ye shes/  perfect wisdom (KBT 45), yang dag par spong ba/  four perfect abandonments (KBT 51), yang dag byang chub/  perfect enlightenment (KBT 58); 2) completely true, right or perfectly correct: yang dag pa'i lta ba/  right view, yang dag pa'i rtog pa/  right thought, yang dag pa'i ngag right speech (KBT 43), yang dag pa'i kun rdzob/  correct conventional truth (KBT 43); 3) pure: rgyu mtshan yang dag pa/  pure reasons (KTM), bsam tshul yang dag pa/  a way of thinking which is pure (KTM).

  4. mthar phyin/ 

    Biblical: thorough, complete, perfect: de ni thob zin pa dang nga mthar phyin pa'i don la ma yin/  not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect (Phil. 3:12), mthar phyin par mdzad pa'i drang po rnams kyi sems nyid/  the spirits of righteous men made perfect (Heb. 12:23).

    Buddhist: 1) perfection: mthar phyin pa'i lam/  the path of perfection (KBT 64), used especially of the perfection of the Buddhas and their perfect qualities: chos thams cad mngon sum du rtogs pa mthar phyin pa'i ye shes/  the perfect knowledge that directly perceives all objects (TRC 74), nus pa mthar phyin pa/  unlimited powers (TRC 318), rang gzhan gyi don gnyis mthar phyin pa'i sangs rgyas/  a Buddha who attains the goals of himself and others (TRC 318), sbyin pa mthar phyin pa'i don/  the meaning of the perfection of giving (TRC 346), tshul khrims mthar phyin/  the perfection of lawful conduct (TRC 347), mya ngan las 'das pa'i mthar phyin to/  they attain nirvana (HSU 168); 2) to graduate from school, complete one's education: slob grwa nas mthar phyin ba/  graduating from school (KTM), yon tan mthar phyin pa slob dgos/  one must study to be perfect in knowledge (KTM), khong tsho gsum gyis rgya gar la slob sbyong mthar phyin gnang /  those three completed their studies in India (TRC 116), lam sgom pa mthar phyin dgos/  one must complete meditation on the path (TRC 164); 3) to pass beyond, with strong implications of passing into perfection, attaining Buddhahood or nirvana: mi tshe mthar phyin pa/  passing beyond human life (KTM).

    Cognates: mthar phyin pa byed pa/  to perfect: chos kyi nyams len mthar phyin pa byed pa la/  in order to perfect one's practice of the doctrine (TRC 164).

  5. phul tu phyin pa/ 

    Biblical: to have achieved perfection, wholeness, or completion: dkon mchog la 'jigs shing dam pa phul du byung bar shog perfecting holiness out of reverence for God (2 Cor. 7:1), mi re re ma shi ka pa phul tu 'byung ba 'gyur ba'i phyir/  so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ (Col. 1:28), gur mchog che zhing phul du byung ba'i gur mchog the greater and more perfect tabernacle (Heb. 9:11), phul du phyin pa yin te/  [he] is a perfect man (Jas. 3:2).

    Buddhist: to achieve perfection in a given field or area, as opposed to phun sum tshog pa/  which is to achieve perfection in all areas of life (KTM). The Tibetan translation of Atisha's personal name is phul byung /  achieved excellence (KTM).