Amrita

Amrita (Skt. amṛta; Tib. བདུད་རྩི་, dütsi, Wyl. bdud rtsi) — the Sanskrit word amrita means “deathless”; in Tibetan it is བདུད་རྩི་, dütsi, because, it is said, “it is the medicine that overcomes the fearful state of death.” The Tantra of the Secret Cycle elaborates:

To samsara which is like mara (བདུད་, dü)

When the elixir (རྩི་, tsi) of the truth of Dharma is applied,

It is called nectar (བདུད་རྩི་, dütsi).

The medicinal nectar of amrita effects healing and siddhis, or attainments, on every dimension. The Thirteenth Dalai Lama wrote: “All the siddhis, it is said, including the accomplishment of the vajra body of immortality, come as a result of the qualities of amrita.” The Eight Volumes on Nectar explain:

Curing the four hundred and twenty-four illnesses

And destroying the four maras,

It is the essence supreme, the king of medicines.

Alternative translations

• Nectar
• Ambrosia (84.000, James Gentry)