Glossary

In Vajrayana Buddhism, Jambhala is a wealth deity. Jambhala is sometimes equated with the Hindu god Kubera, likewise a god of wealth, and king of the yaksha demons.

Jasag Lamas were Buddhist administrative officials of the Qing dynasty appointed to oversee religious communities within monasteries all over the Qing Mongolian world, including places such as Mount Wutai. The first six Jasag Lamas on Mount Wutai were appointed by the Manchu emperors to administer all Tibetan Buddhist and Chinese Buddhist affairs on the mountain. Starting in the early eighteenth century, Jasag Lamas on Mount Wutai were appointed by the Dalai Lamas, acting as ambassadors for Tibetan Buddhist affairs in China. In at least one case, the ruler of Shireet Khuree monastery in southeastern Inner Mongolia, the Jasag Lama secondarily also became the ruler of a secular community.

Jatakas are a genre of Buddhist literature about the previous lives, or incarnations, of Buddha Shakyamuni, sometimes as an animal before he attained enlightenment. With lively stories that illustrate the importance of compassion and cultivating karmic merit, these stories are a favorite topic of Buddhist illustration.

In Nepal, a jatra is a festival procession, in which an image of a deity is carried through the streets on elaborate chariots, often accompanied by music, dance, and offering rituals. Important jatras include those for Indra, Kumari, and Bunga Dya.

The Jibzundambas (from the Tibetan Jetsun dampa “venerable/reverend noble one”) were the most important lineage of tulkus in Khalkha Mongolia from 1639 to 1924, considered below only the Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas in prestige within the Geluk tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. While the Jibzundamba lineage traces its previous incarnations back to the Tibetan polymath and traveler Taranatha (1575–1634), the first formally enthroned Jibzundampa was the Mongolian prince and artist Zanabazar (1635–1723). As the Jibzundampa’s authority grew, their mobile monastery, called “the great encampment” (Mgl: yekhe khüriye), would gradually settle and develop into Mongolia’s modern capital, Ulaanbaatar. The eighth Jibzundamba ruled as khan of Mongolia from 1911 to 1924.

The Jonang are a tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Founded by Dolpopa Sherab Gyeltsen (1292–1361), it is sometimes considered an offshoot of the Sakya tradition. Best known for the great scholar Taranatha (1575–1634), the Jonang emphasize the teachings of the Kalacakra Tantra, and are known for a unique interpretation of the doctrine of emptiness, which holds that all human concepts are empty of inherent nature, but the true substance of the universe is pure, radiant Buddhahood. The Jonang were suppressed by the Fifth Dalai Lama in the mid-seventeenth century in central Tibet, but the tradition survives in the Dzamtang region of Amdo, Eastern Tibet. A follower of the Jonang is called a Jonangpa.

Jowo is a Tibetan term of respect for a deity, most often referring to an image of the Buddha. The most famous is the Jowo Rinpoche, the main image of the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa. There are other sacred Jowo images, such as the Jowo at Erdeni juu Monastery in Mongolia.

Jyapus are the largest caste among the Newar people of the Kathmandu Valley, often thought to be among the oldest urban inhabitants of the region. Jyapus are primarily known as farmers, but they also engage in other trades.