The Tibetan word Sangyé (sangs rgyas) is the standard translation of the Sanskrit word Buddha, meaning “awakened one.”

Traditionally, it is understood as the union of two qualities: sang, the purification of confusion and obscurations, and gyé, the unfolding of wisdom, compassion, and awakened qualities. A Sangyé is one in whom these qualities have been fully realized for the benefit of all beings.

In Buddhism, karma refers to action and result—the ongoing relationship between what we do and what unfolds. Every action of body, speech, and mind leaves an imprint. These imprints are said to be carried within the ālaya-vijñāna, or storehouse consciousness, where they remain as potential until the appropriate conditions arise.

Compassion: the noble heart that feels the suffering of another being as if it were its own and wishes for all beings to be free of suffering and its causes.