Conqueror

Conqueror (rgyal ba)

• In Buddhist literature, this term is an epithet for buddha (Skt. jina), implying that a buddha is one who has conquered cyclic existence (saṃsāra). More generally, in its Tibetan form, this same epithet is frequently used as an honorific title before the names of highly venerated beings, e.g. Gyalwa Yeshi Norbu (for H.H.the Dalai Lama), or Gyalwa Karmapa, whereas within the Indian tradition as a whole, it is often noted that this term has an even greater currency in Jain texts, where it is equivalent to tīrthaṅkara. GD (from the Glossary to Tibetan Elemental Divination Paintings)