[lit. religion]
1) Buddhism in general; believed to have begun in the 6th centuryBC. By 100 AD it separated into the so-called Hinayana (theg dman/ ) and Mahayana (theg chen/ ) schools, the latter marked by belief in Buddhist saints called boddhisattvas (byang chub sems dpa'/ ), a dual standard of truth (bden pa gnyis/ ), and multiple Buddhas. The seventh century saw developments in tantra (rgyud/ ), yoga (rnal 'byor/ ), as well as interaction with the native Tibetan religion (bon/ ), produce a uniquely Tibetan Buddhism (bod brgyud sangs rgyas chos lugs/ (MHP 7). nang pa'i chos/ [lit. inside + person + religion] or nang pa'i chos lugs/ Buddhism (DLP 19), nang pa'i chos lugs su 'jig rten bkod pa po med pa/ in Buddhism there is no Creator (DLP 20); 2) used in a more general sense to mean religion: ye shu'i chos/ or ye shu'i chos lugs/ Christianity, ya hu da pa'i chos/ Judaism.
Buddhism nang bstan mthun tshogs/ Tibetan Buddhist Association (SLR 16).