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Yidam

World Religion
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A personal meditation deity in Vajrayana Buddhism, embodying specific enlightened qualities to be realized by the practitioner.

Detailed Definition
Yidams are not external gods but manifestations of one’s own Buddha-nature. In poetry, they appear in vivid forms—peaceful or wrathful—dancing in mandalas of light. Poets describe yidam practice as a sacred dialogue, where devotion and visualization awaken innate wisdom and compassion.
Example
Example in poetry:
Tibetan Buddhist poetry invokes "my yidam Tara, the meditation deity who guards my practice"; A poet describes visualization as "summoning the yidam's form until the boundary blurs between us"; In tantric-inspired verse, "the yidam is not separate god but my own buddha nature reflected"; Contemporary Buddhist poetry uses "the yidam as inner teacher, fierce compassion in deity form"; A meditation poem explores "dissolving into the yidam at practice's end, form returning to emptiness"; Traditional vajrayana poetry depicts "the lama bestowed the yidam initiation, opening the door to secret practice"
Additional Notes
A Yidam (Sanskrit: Ishtadevata) is a key element in Vajrayana Buddhist practice. It is a meditation deity—such as Tara, Avalokiteshvara, or a fierce deity like Vajrakilaya—that embodies specific enlightened qualities (e.g., compassion, wisdom, power). The practitioner visualizes themselves as the Yidam through deity yoga, not to worship an external god but to realize their own inherent Buddha-nature. For poets, the Yidam is a profound symbol of the archetypal self, the use of imagination for spiritual transformation, and the concept that enlightenment is accessed through specific, personified qualities.
Also Known As
Ishta-devata Tutelary Deity
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