GLOSSARY

Throughout the text the terminology used is Sanskrit (Sk), unless indicated as Pali (P) (used for the Pali canon or texts of the Theravada). Other terms appear in Japanese (J) or Tibetan (T).

ANATTA (P) Not-I. One of the three signs of being as defined by the Buddha, along with anicca (P, impermanence) and dukkha (P, suffering).

ANICCA (P) Impermanence. The reality that everything is in a continuous state of flux and change. Along with anatta (P) and dukkha (P) this is one of the three signs of being.

AVIDYA Ignorance of the true nature of reality, which can be realized by transforming desire and anger and by letting go of self and selfishness. One of the Three Fires, it cannot be relinquished by an act of will, only through practice.

BHIKKHU A Buddhist monk who has received higher ordination and is subject to the full discipline defined in the Vinaya Pitaka (the text which lays out the rules and framework of monastic life).

BHIKSHUNI Buddhist nun.

BODHI Enlightenment, from the Sanskrit verb budh, to awaken.

BODHICITTA Spirit of Awakening or Enlightenment Thought. Attainment of bodhicitta marks the shift in focus from self-concern to concern for the suffering for others manifesting itself as compassion (karuna) and a commitment to pursue the bodhisattva path.

BODHISATTVA Enlightenment being. In the Theravada this term refers to a single being striving to realize nirvana and become the next Buddha. In the Mahayana it defines the central ideal for all sentient beings, characterized by boundless compassion and a commitment to help all other beings realize Buddhahood.

BON Ancient Tibetan religion which preceded Buddhism in Tibet, where it is still followed today.

BRAHMA VIHARAS Literally, “the abodes of God”, a sequence of four meditations recommended in the Brahmavihara Sutra: metta (loving kindness), karuna (compassion), mudita (altruistic joy) and upeksha (equanimity).

BRAHMIN Historically, those born into the brahmin caste in India were held to be worthy of higher respect than other human beings. Buddhism used the term brahmin for everyone who attained enlightenment, to show that respect is earned not by birth, race or caste, but by spiritual effort.

BUDDHA An “awakened one”, who is fully enlightened. One who attains nirvana without the benefit of another Buddha’s teaching in his final lifetime.

BUDDHA, THE Siddhartha Gautama (Gotama, P), the historical founder of Buddhism. The Buddha was born in present-day Nepal in the 5th century BCE. He lived and taught mostly in Northern India. His teachings, the Dharma, form the core of Buddhism.

BUDDHA-DHARMA The religion of Buddhism.

DANA Selfless giving in all actions. Commonly directed toward the Sangha, which brings merit, this is a central ideal of lay Buddhists.

DHARMA (P, Dhamma) Buddhist teachings. This is a central Buddhist concept that includes the eternal truth that the Buddha realized, his verbal expression of that truth, and the phenomena or elements that comprise reality. Dharma is also defined in the Brahmanic/Hindu tradition as “duty”, the moral order defining one’s religious obligations in accordance with one’s hereditary social status.

DHAYANA (P, jhana) Meditation, a set of ascending levels of meditative absorption, numbering four or eight.

DUKKHA (P, dukkha) Suffering. The First Noble Truth states that all conditioned existence is characterized by suffering or unsatisfactoriness. With anatta and anicca, dukkha is one of the three signs of being.

GURU A spiritual teacher who monitors a disciple’s development and leads him or her toward final release from samsara. Translated as lama in Tibetan Buddhism.

JAKATAS Teaching stories which each focus on one of the Buddha’s previous lives. These texts are often quoted when monks instruct the laity. Birth stories.

KALPA Hindu and Buddhist eon, defined as approximately 4.32 billion years.

KARMA (P, kamma) An intentional action that has future consequences, including future rebirths. The consequences of past deeds largely determine one’s general life situation.

KARUNA Compassion, an ideal associated with the Buddhas, central to the Mahayana bodhisattva path.

KOAN (J) Accounts of deeds or utterances of Zen masters, sometimes surprising in form and content. Used to further a student’s enlightenment; central to Rinzai Zen practice.

LAMA (T) Translation of guru (Sk). A master of meditation and ritual practice, who can teach and show others the way to enlightenment.

MAHASIDDHA “Great adept”, a spiritually advanced figure associated with innovation in Tantric Buddhism.

MAHAYANA The Northern tradition of Buddhism, so called because it spread north from its original location in Northern India.

MANDALA Cosmic symmetrical diagram, sometimes used in meditation to visualize spiritual realms and their inhabitants. Psycho-cosmogram.

MANTRA Powerful words or sounds used in meditation, particularly in Tantric Buddhism.

MUDRAS Symbolic hand gestures often used as aids to meditation.

NIRVANA (P, nibbana) The state of perfect enlightenment realized by Buddhas. Those who have gained this realization no longer accumulate karmic consequences and will no longer be reborn into samsara when they die. Extinction of Desire.

PARAMITAS The “perfections”. Bodhisattvas are directed to cultivate a list of virtues or perfections. In the Theravada these are: generosity, morality, renunciation, wisdom, energy, patience, truthfulness, resolution, loving kindness, equanimity. The Mahayana tradition has six main paramitas, including meditation.

PRAJNA (P, panna) Wisdom or insight, defined as the active capacity for spiritual discernment, “seeing into” the true nature of reality. This faculty is necessary for enlightenment and is central to all Buddhist schools.

SAMADHI Meditative practice leading to “one-pointed concentration” and bliss. To be 'at one with' the object of attention in awareness.

SAMSARA The cycle of constant rebirth in which all beings are trapped as a result of their intentional deeds (karma). The cycle ranges from hell states to sublime, formless realms.

SAMYAKSAMBODHI The “utterly complete” or “perfect” enlightenment realized by Buddhas.

SANGHA The spiritual community of Buddhism.

SATORI (J) The experience of sudden awakening or enlightenment in Zen Buddhism.

SIDDHA Accomplished spiritual adept with magical powers in Tantric Buddhism, often translated as “saint”.

SILA Moral practice (right speech, right action, right livelihood), the starting point of the Buddhist path.

SKANDHAS The five components or aggregates that comprise a human being according to Buddhist analysis, including: physical body (rupa), feelings (vendana), perceptions (samjna), habitual mental dispositions (samskaras) and consciousness (vijnana).

STUPA Buddhist holy building, a relic monument and a focus for devotion and merit-making.

SUNYATA EMPTINESS. Buddhist doctrine, found in nascent form in early Buddhism but central to Mahayana Buddhism, that asserts that even the dharmas, the conditioned elements of reality defined in the Abhidharma (higher doctrine), are devoid or empty of their own independent nature. Thus, seen from the perspective of absolute truth, the conventional distinction between nirvana and samsara is likewise void or empty. Also known as non-duality.

SUTRA (P, sutta) Discourse attributed to the Buddha and his early followers.

THERAVADA The Southern tradition of Buddhism.

THREE FIRES, THE Desire, anger and delusion, negative energetic forces that can be transformed into positive attributes through Buddhist practice

TRIPITAKA (P, Tipitaka) The “three baskets” of the Buddha’s authoritative teaching, including the monastic discipline (vinaya), discourses (sutras), and higher doctrine (Abhidarma). Also known as the Pali canon.

TRIRATNA The “three jewels” central to Buddhism: belief in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.

TRISHNA (P, tanha) “Thirst” or “craving”. The Second Noble Truth states that suffering (dukkha) arises because of craving or an attachment to sensual pleasures, to continued birth, and to non-existence.

VAJRAYANA The Tibetan tradition of Buddhism.

VIHARA Monastic residence.

VIPASHYANA (P, vipassana) “Insight meditation”, aims to discipline the mind while fostering a profound clarity about the nature of reality.

YOGA Eastern spiritual discipline. One form of yoga aims at realizing the unity of the individual’s soul and cosmic reality.

YOGI Spiritual yogic master.

ZAZEN (J) Seated Zen meditation.