absolute: the fundamental nature of reality; oneness, emptiness.
Avalokitesvara (Sanskrit): the Bodhisattva of Compassion, also known as Kuan Yin in Chinese, Kannon, or Kanzeon in Japanese.
Bodhidharma: founder of the Zen school of Buddhism in China; the first Chinese ancestor.
bodhisattva (Sanskrit): the ideal of compassionate practice in all forms of Mahayana Buddhism, including Zen. One who makes the commitment not to enter complete enlightenment until all beings have been liberated from delusion.
Buddha hall: literally, a hall of Buddhas, often used in Zen practice centers for services and devotional practices.
Buddha mind seal: recognition of the Buddha mind, a sanction of realization from teacher to student, entrusting the teachings to the next generation.
Buddha nature: one's true nature; the true mind of enlightenment.
Ch'an (Chinese): Chinese word for Zen, derived from Sanskrit Dhyana, meaning Samadhi, or complete meditative absorption.
daiosho (Japanese): great teacher.
dharani (Sanskrit): a brief sutra or scripture, generally consisting of monosyllabic sounds intended for chanting out loud.
dharma brother/sister, “nephew” or “grandson,” etc.: someone from the same lineage; two students having the same teacher would be dharma brothers or sisters, etc.
dharma combat: dialogue in which two or more Zen practitioners test and sharpen their understanding of the dharma.
dharma heir or dharma successor: a recipient of dharma transmission from a particular teacher, generally carrying sanction or authority to teach.
dharma transmission: the confirmation of a student's realization, signifying the unity of the student's mind with the teacher's (and therefore with the Buddha's); generally bestowed along with the authority to teach Zen.
dharma wheel: the turning of the dharma wheel is an expression signifying the teaching of the dharma by the Buddha or other esteemed teacher; in general, the spreading of the teachings of the dharma.
Dogen Zenji (Japanese 1200–1253): founder of the Japanese Soto Zen school, established Eiheiji Monastery and authored the Shobogenzo, a primary text of the Soto sect.
dokusan/daisan (Japanese): formal private meeting with a Zen teacher in which students present or clarify their insight into the dharma.
engaged Buddhism: current movement in Buddhism toward bringing practice into engagement with social, environmental, and political issues.
Four Great Bodhisattva Vows: also known as the Four Great Vows, or simply the Fours. Traditionally chanted at Zen monasteries, these express the commitment to postpone complete enlightenment until all beings have been liberated from delusion.
Four Noble Truths: the first public teaching of the Buddha, in which he described the condition of suffering, its cause, and the path out of suffering to liberation.
gassho (Japanese): a gesture of hands together, palm to palm, in prayer position, signifying gratitude or the bringing together of opposites.
gatha (Sanskrit): a brief scriptural verse, often intended for chanting.
Gautama: a family name of the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Shakyamuni.
Genjo koan (Japanese): title of the first and most widely known fascicle of Dogen Zenji's Shobogenzo; often translated as, and used to signify, the way of everyday life.
Haiku (Japanese): a classical seventeen-syllable poem form, traditionally embracing nature and the change of seasons, often associated with Zen practice.
Hakuin Ekaku Zenji (1685–1768): primary Japanese ancestor and revitalizer of Rinzai sect in Japan, through whom all current Japanese Rinzai lineages are traced; systematized koan study into its current form.
Heart Sutra: primary text of Mahayana Buddhism, chanted daily in Zen monasteries; contains the famous line “form is emptiness, emptiness is form.”
Indra's Net: an image from the Avatamsaka Sutra, envisioning the universe as a vast interlinked network of jewels, each one perfectly reflecting and containing all others.
inka (Japanese): authentication of a practitioner's awakening, bestowing full sanction as a Zen teacher.
jukai (Japanese): the taking of the Buddhist precepts; a public ceremony of commitment to practice the moral and ethical teachings of Buddhism.
kalpa (Japanese): an enormously long period of time; a full world cycle.
Kannon (Japanese): see Avalokitesvara.
Kanzeon (Japanese): see Avalokitesvara.
karma (Sanskrit): the law of causation; the inescapable fruit of action and intention.
kensho (Japanese): an experience, often the first experience, of seeing into one's true nature; enlightenment or realization.
koan (Japanese): apparently paradoxical question or statement, used as an object of meditation during zazen practice; at more advanced stages, a dialogue between practitioners, demonstrating one or more points of the dharma, used as a “case” to be examined deeply during the practice of zazen.
koi (Japanese): large ornamental carp, similar to goldfish, typical of Zen temple ponds.
kokushi (Japanese): title of national Zen teacher, generally bestowed by Emperor.
Kuan Yin (Chinese): see Avalokitesvara.
Mahakashyapa (Sanskrit): the Buddha's first dharma heir.
Mahayana (Sanskrit): the Northern School of Indian Buddhism, which traveled to Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan, in which the bodhisattva path is held forth as the ideal of practice.
mandala: esoteric symbol used in Tantric Buddhism. A symbol of wholeness and integration, often used as an object of meditation.
Manjushri (Sanskrit): the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, a common Zen altar figure, often depicted as holding the sword that cuts through delusion.
mindfulness: traditional Buddhist awareness practice, the application of close moment-to-moment attention to one's activity in the present.
monastic: non-gender-based term for a monk or nun.
nirvana (Sanskrit): union with the absolute basis of reality.
patriarch: early ancestor of Buddhism in China; Bodhidharma was the First Patriarch of Zen in China.
precepts: the ethical and moral teachings of Buddhism; generally taken on as part of the Jukai ceremony of formally joining the Buddhist order.
Pure Land: in Mahayana Buddhist mythology, a heavenly realm into which some believe it is possible to be reborn through the performance of good works, or through faith in Amitabha Buddha.
realization: awakening; seeing into one's true nature. The experience of enlightenment.
Rinzai (Japanese): one of the two primary schools of Zen (the other being Soto), generally known for its emphasis on koan study and direct experience of realization.
Rohatsu sesshin (Japanese): particularly intensive Zen training retreat, generally held in December, the anniversary of the Buddha's enlightenment.
roshi (Japanese): honorific title used for a Zen teacher. In the west this tends to refer to a particularly venerated or accomplished master.
samadhi (Sanskrit): a state of deep, concentrated absorption, experienced through the practice of zazen.
samsara (Sanskrit): the condition of suffering experienced in worldly existence prior to the experience of realization.
sangha (Sanskrit): the community of practitioners. In the broadest sense, the community of all beings.
sanzen (Japanese, Rinzai sect): private meeting with a Zen teacher in which students present or clarify their understanding of a koan.
satori (Japanese): the experience of enlightenment. Awakening to one's true nature; experiencing deep realization.
sensei (Japanese): a Zen teacher; in Japan, may refer to an esteemed teacher.
sentient beings: literally, a “knowing” or conscious being; any living being.
sesshin (Japanese): literally, “to unify the mind.” An intensive Zen training retreat.
shakuhachi (Japanese): traditional wooden flute of Japan, closely associated with Zen practice.
shakyamuni (Sanskrit): literally, “sage of the Shakya clan.” One of the names of the historical Buddha.
shikantaza (Japanese): “Just sitting”: a form of zazen practice in which no particular object is used as a point of focus; the practice of pure awareness.
shosan (Japanese): public formal question-and-answer session with a Zen teacher.
shunyata (Sanskrit): Emptiness; the fundamental nature of reality.
Siddhartha: the birth name of the historical Buddha.
Soto (Japanese): one of the two primary schools of Zen (the other being Rinzai), characterized by emphasis on shikantaza practice.
suchness: the absolute state of phenomena, beyond all conceptual distinctions.
sutra (Sanskrit): Buddhist scripture
tan (Japanese): woven mat of rice stalks, often used for a surface for sitting.
Tathagatha (Sanskrit): one of the traditional names of the Buddha, signifying the state of perfect enlightenment.
teisho (Japanese): formal talk on some aspect of the dharma; non-intellectual and sometimes even paradoxical in nature, such a talk is intended to be a direct demonstration of the teacher's understanding, rather than a discussion of philosophy or doctrine.
transmission: see dharma transmission.
true dharma eye: the eye of realization, of awakening, which sees the absolute nature of reality.
zabuton (Japanese): flat cushion used to support a zafu, against which one's knees rest when seated in zazen position.
zafu (Japanese): the round cushion on which a practitioner sits during the practice of zazen.
zazen (Japanese): Zen meditation, leading to unity of mind, body, and breath; the Zen practice of realization.
zendo (Japanese): hall where zazen is practiced.