Glossary

In Tibetan Buddhism, a labrang is the personal estate of a high lama, or tulku, including wealth, property, retainers, and serfs. Labrang is also the name of a famous Geluk monastery in Amdo.

Lacquer is a technique for coating wood with a hard, smooth, shiny finish usually made from resin of particular tree species, or from the secretions of the lac insect. The English word “lacquer” comes from the Sanskrit “laksha,” meaning “one hundred thousand,” referring to the great numbers of secretion-producing insects that infect certain trees. In Himalayan art, lacquer was a Chinese luxury media (along with porcelain, silk, etc.) used to create Tibetan Buddhist images and ritual objects beginning in the thirteenth century under Mongol Yuan patronage, and followed by later courts.

In Hinduism, Lakshmi is an important goddess, one of a trinity of goddesses with Parvati and Sarasvati. Lakshmi is considered the consort and divine energy (shakti) of Vishnu. Lakshmi is generally depicted as a peaceful and beautiful woman with four arms. In Nepal, she is considered the goddess of prosperity and wealth and is also known as Shri. Lakshmi appears as a minor goddess in some Buddhist traditions; one of her forms in Tibetan Buddhism is the wrathful protector Palden Lhamo.

In the Tibetan Buddhist and Bon traditions, “lama” is a term of respect for a high monk or religious teacher, often a monastery abbot or a tulku. The Sanskrit equivalent is “guru,” meaning “venerable one” or “teacher.” In some traditions, like the Kagyu, lama is also a person who has completed a three-year retreat practice.

Lamdre is a set of teachings and practices foundational to the Sakya tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, which outlines the paths and results of studying philosophical teachings and actualizing Buddhist practices. Although largely focused on Hevajra Tantra, the Lamdre teachings begin with the Mahayana path and Madhyamaka philosophy, which holds that samsara and nirvana are aspects of the same reality. More advanced Lamdre teachings involve the initiations and deity yoga of the Hevajra Tantra. The depiction of Lamdre lineage masters, teachings, and initiations passed unbroken from teacher to disciple are important aspect of Sakya religious art.

The “early diffusion” refers to the first period in which Buddhism entered Tibet, roughly from the seventh to the ninth centuries CE. This period roughly corresponds to the age of the Tibetan Empire, and came to an end with the chaos and destruction of the empire’s fall. The Nyingma or “ancient” tradition of Tibetan Buddhism traces its teachings and doctrines to this early diffusion. The “later diffusion” refers to a second period, roughly from the late tenth to the fourteenth centuries CE, when Buddhism re-entered Tibet, the Mahayana and Vajrayana canon was fully translated into Tibetan, and monasteries grew to cover the land. The Kagyu, Sakya, Jonang, and Geluk traditions of Tibetan Buddhism all trace their origins to this period.

In Tibetan, a lhakhang is any building (khang) that houses the image of a deity (lha). The word is roughly equivalent to English “temple” or “shrine.”

Licchavi is a name for an ancient Indic people. In the time of the Buddha Shakyamuni (sixth-fifth century BCE), the Licchavis inhabited the northern bank of the Ganges river in the area around the city of Vaishali, their capital. In the mid-fifth century CE, a branch of the Licchavis formed a dynasty in the Kathmandu Valley, and ruled there until the mid-ninth century, retaining close ties with Indian kingdoms and establishing close cultural, trade, and diplomatic relationships with both Tibet and China. The Licchavi period is known as the earliest great age of Nepalese art, with many Buddhist and Hindu bronzes and stone sculptures surviving today.

In Buddhism, the lokapalas are four heavenly kings who protect the four cardinal directions. The four guardian kings are:

• Vaishravana (north)
• Virudhaka (south)
• Dhirtarashtra (east)
• Virupaksha (west)

The lost-wax technique is a metal casting method used in many Asian cultures. First, the sculptor shapes an image out of beeswax. Then layers of clay are applied to the wax model, from fine to coarse, creating a mold, usually in several parts. When the clay mold is heated, the clay hardens and the wax is drained out. The metalworker then pours molten metal into the empty space of the mold through the same channels the wax was poured out. When the metal has cooled and hardened, the clay mold is broken off, revealing the rough metal statue inside. This statue is often then polished, chiseled, combined with parts that were cast separately, gilded, inlaid with precious substances, and painted.

Lu is an ancient class of Tibetan exorcistic rituals in which one object is substituted for another. Often, negative forces affecting a person are enticed to enter an effigy (torma), which is then burned or discarded.