Three gateways to liberation
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The three gateways to liberation (Tib. རྣམ་ཐར་སྒོ་གསུམ་, nam tar go sum; Wyl. rnam thar sgo gsum) are features of all phenomena which provide a means to realize their absolute nature. They are:
- emptiness (Skt. śūnyatā; Tib. སྟོང་པ་ཉིད་, tongpa nyi; Wyl. stong pa nyid)
- absence of characteristics or attributes (Skt. animitta; Tib. མཚན་ཉིད་མེད་པ་, tsen nyi mépa; Wyl. mtshan nyid med pa)
- wishlessness, absence of expectancy (Skt. apraṇihita; Tib. སྨོན་པ་མེད་པ་, mönpa mépa; Wyl. smon pa med pa)
Alternative Translations
- three gates of emancipation
- three doors of deliverance
- three approaches to liberation (Dorje & Kapstein)
- three avenues/ doorways to liberation
- three doors of perfect liberation (Padmakara in Treasury of Precious Qualities)
Further Reading
- Kangyur Rinpoche, Treasury of Precious Qualities (Boston: Shambhala, 2001), Appendix 10, pp. 347-8