English-Tibetan
Dictionary of Key Spiritual Terms

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Wylie | Tibetan

1. drang ba/ 

   Biblical: righteousness is conformity to the law of God: 1) as a human characteristic, justice and fairness in dealing with men: kho drang po dang nongs med pa zhig yod pa yin/  [Noah] was a righteous and blameless man (Gen. 6:9), skyes bu drang po dang dam pa/  a righteous and holy man (Mk. 6:20); 2) as a divine attribute, God's perfect righteousness and moral faultlessness, of which man falls short: drang po gcig kyang yod ma yin/  there is no one righteous, not even one (Rom. 3:10), kye yis ra el gyi dkon mchog ya ho wa/,,khyed thugs gzhi drang po lags/  O Lord, God of Israel, you are righteous (Ezra 9:15), skyes bu dam pa drang po la brgyab log byas/  disowned the Holy and Righteous One (Acts 3:14), ye shu ma shi ka thugs drang po lags pa/  Jesus Christ, the Righteous One (1 Jn. 2:1); 3) Christ's righteousness, imputed to men: drang po rnams gson por lang /  the resurrection of the righteous (Lk. 14:14), drang po dad pas 'tsho bar 'gyur/  the just (or righteous) will live by faith (Gal. 3:11), ma shi ka drang po des sdig can log pa rnams kyi don du/  the righteous for the unrighteous (1 Pet. 3:18); 4) righteousness as an abstraction: drang ba dang /,,chos sems dang /,,dad sems dang /,,byams sems dang /,,yid brtan dang /,,dul ba/  righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness (1 Tim. 6:11), drang por byams kyang ngan par sdang /  loved righteousness and hated wickedness (Heb. 1:9).

   Buddhist: see justice.

   Cognates: 1) drang ba nyid/  righteousness; especially as an abstract characteristic: drang ba nyid tshang ma sgrub pa/  to fulfill all righteousness (Mt. 3:15), drang ba nyid kyi phyir ltogs pa dang skom pa/  to hunger and thirst for righteousness (Mt. 5:6), drang po'i go khrab/  the breastplate of righteousness (Eph. 6:14); 2) zhal che drang po/  just or fair judgement: zhal che drang por gcod par/  judges justly (Acts 17:31).

2. rnam par dag pa/ 

   or rnam dag

   Biblical: very clean, thoroughly pure; righteous: rnam par dag pa'i g.yog por gyur/  become slaves of righteousness (Rom. 6:18), bka' khrims nas byung ba'i rnam dag righteousness that is by the law (Rom. 10:5), bka' khrims kyi rnam par dag pa/  legalistic righteousness (Phil. 3:6), nga tsho'i rnam par dag pa'i las la rag ma lus par/  not depending on righteous things we had done (Tit. 3:5).

   Buddhist: rnam dag [lit. very pure, thoroughly cleansed] implies purity to the point of perfection. Applied to enlightened beings, it implies complete truth, altruism, and purity (KTM). Otherwise implies a lack of faults: bstan bcos rnam dag gsum/  the three types of perfect commentary (CNG 20), skyabs 'gro rnam dag cig a pure taking of refuge (TRC 74), chos rnam dag byed pa/  pure religious practice (TRC 227).

   Cognates: yang dag pa/  [lit: completely pure] see perfect.

Related Terms: 1) bzang po/  righteous, good: yo seb bzang po yin pas/  because Joseph was a righteous man (Mt. 1:19), nga ni bzang po rnams 'bod du ma 'ongs/  I have not come to call the righteous (Lk. 5:32); 2) dge ba/  virtuous, righteous: dam pa rnams kyi dge ba'i mdzad pa/  righteous acts of the saints (Rev. 19:8), dge ba mi la ngom pa/  not to show off one's acts of righteousness (Mt. 6:1), bka' khrims la rag las pa'i dge rtsa nga la med/  not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law (Phil. 3:9); 3) thar pa/  salvation, liberation: de ni kho'i phyir thar ba'i rgyur brtsis so/  it was credited to him as righteousness (Rom. 4:3); 4) thugs rje'i zhal che/  [lit. merciful judgement] dkon mchog gi thugs rje'i zhal che/  a righteousness from God (Rom. 3:21), dad pa byed pa la thugs rje'i zhal che/  the righteousness that is by faith (Rom. 10:6), ma shi ka'i thugs rje'i zhal che/  Christ's righteousness (2 Pet. 1:1); 5) chos la dga' ba/  [lit. religion + like]: chos la dga' ba'i lod/  Lot, a righteous man (2 Pet. 2:7 SV); 6) khrims med pa/  lawless, unrighteous: ma shi ka yang sdig med lags te khrims med pa'i mi'i tshab tu lan gcig sdig pa'i phyir sdug bsngal myangs/  Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous (1 Pet. 3:18 SV); 7) khrims dang sbyar ba'i spyod lam/  lawful behavior: nged kyis khrims dang sbyar ba'i spyod lam byas pa'i phyir ma mdzad/  not because of righteous things we had done (Tit. 3:5 SV).