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<phrase> "The eight classes". "sde brgyad"

I. In general, meaning "eight classes of" where the category is mentioned
beforehand.
II. Specifically, eight classes of non-human beings who can affect humans and
other sentient beings. There are a number of classifications of the eight classes but all of
them are summaries of the different types of non-human beings who can or do cause
various types of harm to humans and others. The gsar ma new translation system lists
only a general set of eight. However, the rnying ma old translation system lists six types
of the eight.
The eight classes is a listing of non-humans known to the Tibetans in particular
though it includes non-humans known through the Indian buddhist world. The various
non-humans are not an invention so the Tibetan list has much in common with what
Indians thought of as the various non-human beings interacting with their world. And in
fact, when these beings are explained by Tibetans, it seems clear that many of them
correspond to the various non-humans known in the European and other traditions too.
E.g., trolls and goblins seem to be the local European forms of what Indians called
"rakrhasa" and the Tibetans called srin po q.v.

A. In the new translation system, there are several different listings of the eight
classes.

The gshin rje gshed Yamantaka tantra gives this list:
1) gshin rje "yama"; 2) ma mo "mamo"; 3) srin po "rakrhasa"; 4) gnod sbyin
"yakrha"; 5) mi'am ci "kinnara"; 6) sa bdag "bhumipati"; 7) btsan "Tsan"; and 8)
bdud "mara".

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<noun> "gshin rje" "Lord of the Dead". Translation of the Sanskrit "yamah". Lit.
"lord of the dead" though usually translated as "Lord of Death". 1) There are many
synonyms for this name. E.g., chos kyi rgyal po, etc., see [TC]. 2) i) "Yamaraja" is
one of the phyogs skyong brgyad "Eight Guardians of the Directions" and 'jig rten
skyong ba bcu "Eight Guardians of the World". ii) A metaphoric name for the
direction "South". 3) Another name for the important star / constellation bra nye
q.v.

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<noun> "Mamo".
I. In general Tibetan usage the term means 1) "Grandmother" or 2) "ewe" (female
sheep).
II. In spiritual usage, the term is derived from the Indian tradition. Translation of
the Sanskrit "matari". 1) The name given to various kinds of female spirits in the
Indian tradition. These spirits are usually flesh-eating spirits that cause a lot of
harm unless pacified. They are freq. mentioned in the tantric liturgies where they
are appeased. 2) A general term for a woman who is seen as divine. E.g., certain
types of dakini are called mamo. E.g., ma mo'i ma "The lady of divine ladies"
which is an epithet of Shiva's wife, lha mo au ma the goddess Uma.

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<noun> "srin po" Translation of the Sanskrit "rakrhasa".
1) The name given in Indian culture to a whole class of ghost / spirits. This term
was used to refer to flesh-eating spirits. European cultures name a variety of spirits that
fall into this general category e.g., an ogre and in Scandinavian folk-lore, a troll. These
demons are particularly vicious and have the specific feature not just of harming but of
killing and consuming humans. For this reason the term has also been translated
"cannibal demon" (however, this could also mean that they cannibalize their own kind,
which is not the meaning intended, so is not a good translation). This is the general term
in Indian culture for any human flesh-eating type of spirit. Many such spirits were
recognized by the Buddha in his teaching.
Note that the term is used in a variety of ways. The initial sense is that of
beings who directly kill and eat humans for their flesh. However, there is also the sense
of beings who cause the death of humans just because they are wicked. There is also the
sense of beings who cause the death and consumption of humans in various ways, for
instance, all malignant and many fatal, infectious diseases in the Tibetan medical system
are blamed on khrag srin "blood rakrhasa" q.v. a particular type of small rakrhasa which
is said to enter the human blood and cause the consumption and death of the person for
its own vicious purposes.
2) [Mngon] "Rakrhasa". i) The name of one of the phyogs skyong bcu ten
protectors of the directions; the direction protector of the Southern direction. ii) Because
of that, a metaphoric name for the direction "South".
3) [Mngon] "Rakrhasa". An epithet of the 49th year in a rab byung 60 year cycle,
the shing mo yos lo "Female Wood Hare Year".

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<noun> "gnod sbyin" Translation of the Sanskrit "yakrha" which literally means
"One who malevolently harms".
I. Generally speaking, yakrhas are a class of beings who assail and cause harm to
humans. Because they are troublesome, they are taken as a whole as one of the sde
brgyad eight classes of spirits. They are "officially" regarded as a class of lha gods living
in the lowest level of the desire realm; two of the rgyal chen rigs bzhi Four Great Kings
are yakrhas and there are many yakrhas in the retinues of the Four Great Kings. Besides
them in particular, there are many other types of non-human beings that can be harmful
and who are given this name. Especially, there are many kinds of powerful spirits from
the yi dvags preta realm who either can manifest in the human realm or live in close
connection with the human realm, who are intent on harming humans, and who are given
this name. For example, the all of the different malignant spirits mentioned in European
culturedemons, goblins, trolls, nasty ghosts, etceterawould be called yakrhas in the
Indian cultural context. Note that there are many non-harmful spirits of European culture
which would not be included in this grouping, e.g., many elves and good fairies. There
are many types of yakrha just as there are many types of harmful spirits in the European
tradition. A commonly mentioned sub-group of yakrhas in Indian culture are the flesh-
eating type who are called rakSha sa "rakrhasa".
II. 1) Sometimes used specifically in relation to the worldly nor lha wealth devas.
In this case, they are beings who belong to the desire realm gods of the rgyal chen
rigs bzhi Fourth Great Kings and are specifically connected with rnam thos sras
Vaishravana who is the Great King of the Northern direction. It is said that his
armies are all yakrhas but he and his retinue as a whole are connected with wealth
and are freq. supplicated as the means for obtaining wealth in the human realm. He
is also known as Kuvera when seen as a wealth deva. 2) i) "Rakrha" is used as a
name for Kuvera when speaking of the phyogs skyong bcu ten protectors of the
directions; the direction protector of the Northern direction. ii) A metaphoric name
for the direction "North".

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<noun> "mi'm ci" Lit. "man or what?". Translation of the Sanskrit "kinnara" or
"kimnara" meaning "Is it a man or what?". Often translated as "men yet not men".
The word is also spelled mi 'am ci q.v. with no difference in meaning. 1) These are
a class of beings included in the god realms. They are half-bird / half-human
appearing, hence their name. Many of them are musicians who manifest a human
body in the human realm in order to receive the Buddha's teachings. Because they
can also be troublesome, kinnaras as a whole are taken as one of the sde brgyad
eight classes of spirits. 2) "Kinnara". The name of dus 'khor las bshad pa'i khor
yug gi gling drug one of the six encircling continents explained in Kalachakra.

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<noun> "sa bdag" Abbrev. of sa yi bdag po. The term lit. means "ruler over a
certain place".
I. In [Modern] coll. "landlord".
II. In classical language. 1) An epithet used for those who rule whole countries,
regions, or even cosmic spheres. E.g., like in English, a king is also "Lord of the
Land" and "regional ruler" and "master of the domain", etc. This epithet is seen
regularly in buddhist literature where it applies to rulers of greater domains,
including whole cosmic spheres. 2) Where sa does not mean a whole yul "region"
or "sphere" but a sa zhing locale, a smaller domain, an area within a kingdom, or
country. E.g., it is used to indicate "local overlords"; "local chiefs", "local lords" or
"regional rulers". In feudal systems, it is used to refer to the owner / ruler of any
given fiefdom e.g., the equivalent of a "land baron" in the British feudal system. 3)
It is regularly seen in dharma texts in reference to non-human spirits who inhabit
and control a certain, local area. These spirits are usually either yi dvags pretas of
some kind or any of the various lha ma yin asuras. For example, there might be
nagas living at a stream who consider themselves the owners of the area. These
nagas would be the "local owners" or the "owners of the locale / locality". Such
non-humans are important because they have to be considered when humans do
anything connected with the land or area in question. The "local owners" are often
mentioned in Buddhist liturgies where there are sections for making offering to
them and appeasing them.

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I. A basic intertsheg of the Tibetan language that has the connotations of "ruler",
"power and authority over others" or "force when someone in authority exercises their
power" to force those beneath them to do things. It is used alone or in combination with
other ming grammatical names or tshig phrad to give new words containing its meaning.
II. <noun>"btsan" "Tsan". The name of one of the many types of non-human
beings that interact with the human world and are recognized by Tibetan culture. They
are included in most listings of the sde brgyad eight classes of gods and spirits. The
name conveys the sense of "a non-human who has authority in this particular place"
though note there are many types of non-human that had greater or lesser amounts of
territory that they claimed as theirs. For example, the rgyal po Gyalpo non-humans are
regarded as more powerful and having a larger domain q.v.
Tsan are usually very nasty types who have been reborn as non-humans (they
could be powerful yi dvags pretas or lha ma yin asuras or even 'dod lha desire realm
suras) after dying with very strong pride. Tibetans consider that they were often
practitioners very proud of their accomplishment, even though they might not have much.
The worst Tsan are ones who have done deity practice as a human, especially of a
powerful deity, and died with a lot of pride. They are used as an example of what can
happen if you do deity practice without developing enough bodhicitta. They can be very,
very malicious and have the power of their mantra practice to back it up. The more
powerful ones have the means to appear in human form in the human world where they
often make significant trouble. They sometimes inhabit a certain place and act out their
pride in the form of local owners of the area.
II. "Ruler", "force", etc., in conjunction with other words. Note that the term is
used as a description of a king or authority in the sense that they are "rulers" but
does not mean "king", "minister", "magistrate", etc.

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<noun> "bdud" Translation of the Sanskrit "mara(s)". The term has the same
roots as the English "murder" and "mars" meaning "death".
The term is used to refer to negativity as a force. In ancient India this was usually
personified so that Mara was an entity, like the Christian idea of the "devil", a
personification of evil that always attempts to harm you and / or divert you from
good. Hence Mara refers to either "demons / devils" or "demonic forces", "evil"
and so on. Note though that mara, like the devil, will dress itself up in whatever
form is attractive in order to seduce someone away from good. Psychologically
speaking, mara refers to the negative aspects of mind that attempt to seduce
someone away from good and the personifications of that negativity, whatever form
they take. Hence Buddhism does not speak only of mara but of bdud bzhi the four
maras which cover all the possibilities of negativity q.v.

Then, following another listing, [DGT] gives:
1) gshin rje "yama"; 2) ma mo "mamo"; 3) bdud "mara"; 4) btsan "Tsan"; 5) rgyal
po "Gyalpo (non-humans)"; 6) klu "nagas"; 7) gnod sbyin "yakrha"; 8) gza' "rahu".

_
<noun> 1) "King", "emperor", "ruler". Translation of the Sanskrit "rajah".
Meaning the "king" of a kingdom or the "ruler" of a state. Hence also "emperor".
2) "Gyalpo", the name of a type of non-human included in some listings of the sde
brgyad eight classes of gods and spirits. Gyalpo are non-humans of very great power
who inhabit an area; they are the non-human "kings" of the place (hence their name).
They can be good or bad, depending on the individual. Historically, they were often
bound by great spiritual beings to work for the dharma. E.g., the protector Pehar who is
regarded as the ruler of all the Gyalpo was bound by Padmasambhava. Tibet had a lot of
these beings, e.g., Nyenchen Thanglha, the Gyalpo who "owned" the area around the tall
mountain in Tibetan called Nyenchen Thanglha. The Gyalpo non-humans are regarded
as more powerful than btsan Tsan non-humans q.v.
In Tibetan buddhist liturgies, the Gyalpo are ruled by Pehar, and are associated
with temples and religious places; they often manifest as a lama who then interacts with
humans. Their principal insignia is a wide brimmed felt hat. They are credited with often
being the cause of madness.
In a more general way, Gyalpo are also one of a group of three spirits that
correspond to the three root afflictions in Buddhism; see under Gongpo 'gong po for
listing.

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<noun> "klu", "Naga". Translation of the Sanskrit "naga".
I. Nagas are a particular type of animal who live in the human realm but are
usually not visible to humans. They live in close association with bodies of water such as
streams, lakes, and oceans; living in, around, and under the water. They look like snakes,
usually with a large hood and are fond of wealth / jewels which they hoard if they can.
Generally they are not harmful to humans, however if their habitat is disturbed
they can cause harm. The harm usually comes in the form of groups of large, blistery
sores or rashes on the body that cannot be cured by conventional medicine; the cure
usually can only be effected by petitioning the offended nagas with liturgies of which
there are many in the Buddhist system. In Tibetan, this kind of attack is called klus so
rgyab pa "being bitten by a naga". Because they can be troublesome to humans, nagas as
a whole are taken as one of the sde brgyad eight classes.
Many nagas are mentioned by name in the Buddha's teachings and several had
dialogues with the Buddha which were recorded as sutras.
There are rulers amongst the nagas, like there are rulers amongst humans. They
are called nagaraja in Sanskrit and this is translated into Tibetan with klu rgyal, meaning
naga king. However, the original term raja in Sanskrit has more the meaning of a local
ruler and lesser king and the term nagaraja and its translation klu rgyal should be
understood in the same way.
Among the various naga kings of the Buddha's time, there were eight particularly
great ones who were called klu chen great nagas or klu rgyal chen great naga kings. They
and their naga servants were / are generally protectors of the Buddha's teaching. For
example, one naga king protected the Buddha during the mara attacks prior to his final
attainment of buddhahood. Also, the naga kings took the Prajaparamita sutras of the
Buddha's time and hid them under the ocean for safety. It was not until later, when klu
sgrub Nagarjuna went there and removed them, that they were brought back to the human
realm.
II. 1) "Naga". One of byed pa bcu gcig eleven calculators of astrology. 2)
[Mngon] "Eight-fold". Because there are eight great nagas, the term indicates the
count of eight.

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<noun> "gza'" Translation of the Sanskrit "rahu". 1) Heavenly bodies, i.e.,
planets (and their moons). The Tibetan understanding of this word and the derived
gza' sgra gcan q.v. can be very complex. The heavenly bodies were personified as
real forces that affected life. For example, some listings of the sde brgyad eight
classes of gods and spirits includes heavenly bodies as a god/spirit because of this
personification. 2) Meaning "day of the week", e.g., gza' zla ba is "Monday".


Then, following another listing, [TC] gives:
1) lha "gods"; 2) klu "nagas"; 3) gnod sbyin "yakrha"; 4) dri za "gandharva"; 5) lha
ma yin "asura"; 6) nam mkha' lding "sky-soarer"; 7) mi'am ci "kinnara"; 8) lto 'phye
chen po "mahoraga".

_
"lha" "God", "deity", "deva", "devi", "dev". Translation of the Sanskrit "devah"
(male). The female form "devih" is rendered into Tibetan with lha mo. The term was
used for a variety of purposes in Indian and, following it, Tibetan cultures. In general it
was use either to refer to someone much higher than oneself. This could be a being in a
higher realm or could be someone of much greater power or position than oneself.
I. <noun> A. "God". Translation of the Sanskrit [NDS] "devah". The beings in
cyclic existence who live in realms higher than humans; one of the 'gro ba rigs drug six
classes of migrators. These gods live in the levels at the peak of the Desire realm and
above that in the Form and Formless realms. Sometimes referred to as "celestial beings"
but the original Sanskrit means "those whose situation is very easy and enjoyable".
There are many types of gods, not all of them are friendly; because they can also be
troublesome, gods are taken as one of the sde brgyad eight classes of spirits.
B. In the sense of "deity". 1) Used to refer to the various deities of the
buddhist secret mantra system, including the yi dam personal deity of a Buddhist
practitioner. E.g., yi dam gyi lha "personal deity"; dkyil 'khor lha tshogs "the assembly of
deities of (any given) mandala. 2) "Deity", "divinity", "divine principle". Any kind of
sacred principle that someone puts their trust in.
C. As an epithet for beings in the human world who are seen as higher
than oneself. A human in a very high position such as a king, or with great power over
others, would be given any one of several epithets containing the word lha by Indians and
Tibetans. E.g., kings were accorded godly status in India and Tibet. The arya saogha of
the buddhist world are also referred to as gods. E.g., lha rjes su dran pa refers to
recollection of both the gods of the desire realm and to the arya saogha who are of very
high position compared to ordinary humans.
II. <adj> "Divine", something which is godly in quality, e.g., the lha chos dge ba
bcu "the ten divine virtues".

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<noun> "dri za" "Gandharva". Translation of the Sanskrit "gandharva".
The name of a kind of yi dvags preta. These spirits are said to live in the sky in
marvelous palaces and live on odours, hence their name "smell-eater". (Because of
their translucent quality in general, they have been equated with what European
tradition calls "fairy" by some translators. It is likely that they would classify as
one type of "fairy" but this requires research).[later] Because they can also be
troublesome ot humans, gandharvas as a whole are taken as one of the sde brgyad
eight classes of spirits.

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<noun> "lha ma yin" "Demi-god(s)". Translation of the Sanskrit [NDS] "asurah".
1) One of the 'gro ba rigs drug six classes of migrators. They are a class of beings
in cyclic existence who live in a realm higher than humans but who did not quite make it
to the great happiness of "gods" or "devas"; hence their name which means "almost
gods", "didn't quite make it gods", "not having the happiness of the gods". These not-
quite gods can see the gods of the desire realms whose realm borders on theirs and are
consumed by jealousy for the circumstances of the gods. They engage in constant
warfare with the devas of the desire realm. They are also said to make trouble for
humans, too. Because they can also be troublesome, they are taken as a whole as one of
the sde brgyad eight classes of spirits. Because they are lower than the other gods, they
are given the epithet lha dman pa "lesser gods" and bcud mi ldan "no substance"
(meaning they do not have what the higher gods have). The chief of the Asuras is thags
bzang ris Vemacitri q.v.
2) The name of one of the 'jig rten skyong ba bcu bzhi "fourteen guardians of the
world" q.v.

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<noun> "nam mkha' liding" "Sky-soarers". 1) General name for the animal
"birds" given that they fly through the nam mkha' sky, lding ba gliding on their
bellies. Cf. with nya lding "fish". 2) Full form of mkha' lding "Garuda bird" q.v.

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<noun> "lto 'phye chen po" "Great Hanging Belly" or "Huge Pot Belly".
Translation of the Sanskrit [MVP] "mahoraga". The name of a particularly
powerful yi dvags preta who is a powerful and malign sa bdag local spirit. Because
he is troublesome, he is taken as one of the sde brgyad eight classes of spirits.

There are other similar listings, too.


B. The old translation system lists six groupings of the eight classes. These groupings
were originally given by gnubs sangs rgyas ye shes Nub Sangyay yeshe in his text called
sde brgyad gser skyems Golden Drink for the Eight Classes and these have been used
ever since in rnying ma pa Nyingmapa ritual texts, especially those making the golden
drink offering. The six groupings are: 1) phyi yi sde brgyad outer; 2) nang gi sde brgyad
inner; 3) gsang ba'i sde brgyad secret; 4) mchog gi sde brgyad supreme, 5) sprul pa'i sde
brgyad manifestation; and 6) snang srid kyi sde brgyad apparent existence groupings of
the eight classes. Note that the outer eight classes of the Nyingma system are similar to
those of the general eight classes of the new translation system though the new translation
system only mentions the classes themselves whereas the Nyingmapa system mentions
the lead god or harmful being of each class and then mentions that they have a band of
followers.

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<phrase> "phyi yi sde brgyad" "The outer eight classes". A sub-division of sde
brgyad the eight classes of gods and harmful beings made in the rnying ma Nyingma
system only. They are eight groups of beings led by particular individuals: 1) lha'i dbang
po brgya byin "The leader of the Gods, Indra"; 2) lha min dbang po thags bzang ris "The
leader of the Asuras, Vemacitri"; 3) mi 'am ci ljon rta mgo can "Kinnara's Tree With
Horse's Head; 4) gnod sbyin gang ba bzang po "Yakrha's Full Goodness"; 5) mkha' lding
gser mig 'khyil ba "Garuda Sweeping Golden Eyes"; 6) chos skyong ma h'a k'a la
"Dharma Protector Mahakala"; 7) srin po lang ka mgrin bcu; "Rakrhasa's (king) Ten-
necked Lanka"; 8) dri za zur phud lnga pa "Gandharva's (king) Zurphud Ngapa". Some
texts add or replace one of the above with klu yi dbang po dga' bo "Leader of the Nagas,
Nanda".


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<noun>phrase> "nang gi sde brgyad" "The eight inner classes". A sub-
classification of sde brgyad the eight classes, made in the rnying ma Nyingma system
only, of gods and harmful beings . They are eight groups of beings led by: 1) yab gcig
bdud rje nag po; 2) btsan rgyal yam shud dmar po; 3) yul lha phyva sangs klu sras; 4)
srog bdag rgyal po snying 'byin; 5) chos skyong gnod sbyin dmar po; 6) lha mo 'jigs pa'i
glog 'byin; 7) dge bsnyen rdo rje legs pa; and 8) dkar mo nyi zla'i thod 'phreng.

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<noun>phrase> "gsang ba'i sde brgyad" "The secret eight classes". A sub-
classification of sde brgyad the eight classes of gods and harmful beings made in the
rnying ma Nyingma system only. They are eight groups of beings led by: 1) bdud po kha
thun rakSha; 2) gshin rje gshed po dmar nag; 3) klu bdud n'a ga r'a dza; 4) gnod sbyin
bshan pa gri thogs; 5) ma mo srid pa khrom 'debs; 6) btsan po yam shud srod len; 7) bdud
po re te 'go yag; 8) srog bdag dung gi thor tshugs can.

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<noun>phrase> "mchog gi sde brgyad" "The eight supreme classes". A sub-
classification of sde brgyad the eight classes of gods and harmful beings made in the
rnying ma Nyingma system only. They are eight groups of beings led by: 1) gza' mchog
rgyal po r'a hu la "Supreme planet, King Rahula"; 2) skar mchog khram shing kha 'thor
"Supreme star, Tramshing Khathor"; 3) bdud mchog ma nu rakSha "Supreme mara,
Manuraksha"; 4) btsan mchog grib btsan mthu bo "Supreme Tsan, Dribtsan Thuwo"; 5)
ma mchog lce spyang mdung 'dzin "Supreme mamo, Chechang Dungdzin"; 6) klu mchog
klu rgyal dung skyong "Supreme naga, Naga King Saokhapala"; 7) mgon mchog nag po
lte dkar "Supreme guardian, Nagpo Tekar"; 8) rgyal mchog li byin ha ra "Supreme king,
Livyinhara".

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<noun>phrase> "sprul pa'i sde brgyad" "The manifestation eight classes". A sub-
classification of sde brgyad the eight classes of gods and harmful beings made in the
rnying ma Nyingma system only. They are eight groups of beings named after their
leaders: 1) dpung g-yas dgra lhar sprul pa; 2) dpung g-yon ma mor sprul pa; 3) mchu so
bdud du sprul pa; 4) mgo bo srin por sprul pa; 5) mjug ma dmu ru sprul pa; 6) lag g-yas
gshin rjer sprul pa; 7) lag g-yon klu btsan sprul pa; 8) mig dang snying dang mtshan ma
gsum gza' bdud nyid du sprul pa.

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Abbrev. of snang srid kyi sde brgyad q.v.<phrase> "The apparent manifestation
eight classes". A sub-classification of sde brgyad the eight classes of gods and harmful
beings made in the rnying ma Nyingma system only. They are eight groups of beings
(sometimes given by the groupleader's name): 1) sa bdag hal khyi nag po; 2) klu bdud
gdol ba nag po; 3) sa yi lha mo brtan ma; 4) phyogs skyong rgyal chen sde bzhi; 5) mgon
po bdun cu rtsa lnga; 6) yul 'di'i gzhi bdag thams cad; 7) pho lha dgra lha srog lha; 8) mo
lha mo sman.