Glossary of Selected Terms in Buddhism

aggregates (skandhas in Sanskrit; khandhas in Pali) the five components that the Buddha said constitute a human being: material form (body); feeling (the quality of pleasantness, unpleasantness, or neither pleasantness nor unpleasantness); perception; mental formations (thoughts, emotions, or mental qualities such as love, anger, and mindfulness ); and consciousness (which arises when contact is made with one of our sense doors so that there is visual, auditory, nasal, gustatory, tactile, or mind consciousness)

anatta. See nonself

bhikkhu (Pali) “monk”; originally the term for an ordained monk in the Buddha’s Sangha; in later discourses, the term used for all his disciples, male and female, ordained and lay

bodhi tree a species of fig tree under which the Buddha meditated as he sought enlightenment

bodhichitta (Sanskrit) “awakened mind”; the wish to achieve enlightenment not just for ourselves but for the benefit of all beings; especially used in Tibetan Buddhism

bodhisattva (Sanskrit) “awakened being”; a being who seeks enlightenment in order to end the suffering and bring about the enlightenment of all other beings

Body of Light visualization a Tibetan Buddhist meditation technique in which visualization of light is used

brahma-viharas. See divine abodes

Buddha (Pali and Sanskrit) “Awakened One”; the historical figure probably born during the sixth century B.C.E. (563–483 B.C.E.?) into the Shakya clan, in what is now Nepal, and given the name Siddhartha Gautama (Sanskrit; Siddhatta Gotama in Pali); also known as the Shakyamuni Buddha (“Buddha, sage of the Shakya clan”)

buddha (Pali and Sanskrit) “awakened one”; a fully enlightened being

buddha-nature, or buddha-mind the fundamental nature and potential of human beings to become enlightened

Ch’an the Chinese Buddhist sect believed founded in the sixth century, which became Zen Buddhism in Japan

compassion (karuna) one of the divine abodes; the “trembling of the heart” in response to pain and suffering

concentration (samatha Pali, shamatha in Sanskrit) single-pointed absorptive practices that bring stability of mind; the gathering and directing of the mind toward an object; one-pointedness of mind

dana (Pali and Sanskrit) “gift”; generosity; donations that may be given to a teacher or in support of the teachings

dependent origination the process by which dukkha arises and can be ended; the Buddha used twelve karmic links to describe it: ignorance, mental formations, consciousness, mentality-materiality, six sense bases, contact, feeling, craving, clinging, becoming, birth, dukkha

Dhammapada an early collection of the Buddha’s sayings in verse

Dharma (Sanskrit; Dhamma in Pali) the Buddha’s teachings; most often referred to by the Sanskrit term in the West

dharma (Sanskrit; dhamma in Pali) any manifestation of reality—any thing—any object of thought

Dharma talk a teacher’s discourse exploring various aspects of Buddhist teachings and practice

divine abodes (brahma-viharas in Pali and Sanskrit) absorptive meditation practice directed toward lovingkindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity

dukkha (Pali; duhkha in Sanskrit) “suffering”; the quality of underlying stress, dissatisfaction, discomfort, and impatience that is part of everyday life and that can cause suffering when there is no wisdom Eightfold Path the Fourth Noble Truth; the Buddha’s teachings on how to end dukkha (“suffering”) through right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration

elements earth, air, fire, and water; within Buddhist teachings they are experienced in the body as softness/pressure (earth), hot/cold (temperature), connectedness (water), and vibration (air)

emptiness. See nonself

enlightenment a state in which one sees into the true nature of reality, including our own; in which one is free of all greed, hatred, and delusion, including the sense of a separate self; nirvana

equanimity (upekkha in Pali; upeksha in Sanskrit) one of the divine abodes; accepting how things are without grasping or aversion

factors of enlightenment the seven factors of mind that strengthen and come into balance as a condition for enlightenment: mindfulness; the three arousing factors of energy or effort, investigation, and rapture; and the three stabilizing factors of concentration, tranquillity, and equanimity

feeling in the context of Buddhism, the affective component of whether a sensation is pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral

First Noble Truth dukkha (“suffering”) is the intrinsic nature of existence

five aggregates. See aggregates

five hindrances. See hindrances

Five Precepts. See precepts

foundations of mindfulness the Buddha’s teachings on mindfulness of body, feelings (sensations of pleasantness and unpleasantness), mind (emotions), and mind-objects (contents of thought; the core teachings of the Buddha), which lead to realizing nirvana

Four Noble Truths the heart of the Buddha’s teaching—that dukkha is part of our lives; that its cause is greed and desire; that it can be ended by letting go of greed and desire; that the method for ending dukkha is the Eightfold Path

Fourth Noble Truth the method for ending dukkha is the Eightfold Path

gassho (Japanese) a small bow with the hands placed together

hara (Japanese) primarily in Zen Buddhism, the part of the abdomen believed to be the spiritual center of human beings

Hinayana (Sanskrit) “Lesser Vehicle”; derogatory term applied to Theravada Buddhism by early Mahayana Buddhists

hindrances five qualities that challenge mindfulness and meditation and obscure our freedom: desire (clinging), ill will (aversion), sloth and torpor (drowsiness), restlessness (mental or physical), and doubt

impermanence (anicca in Pali; anitya in Sanskrit) the fact that all things pass away, the root cause of all dukkha

insight the ability to see clearly things as they really are Insight Meditation the name used in the West for Theravada Buddhism practice; also called Vipassana; the Buddha’s practical teachings for awakening, which allows us to live without suffering

jhanas (Pali; dhyanas in Sanskrit) levels of intense meditative absorption achieved through concentration

kalyanamitra (Sanskrit; kalyana-mitta in Pali) “spiritual friend”; a teacher

karma (Sanskrit; kamma in Pali) “action” or “deed”; conscious intentions, thoughts, words, and actions that affect results in both the present and the future

koan (Japanese) a paradoxical phrase or story that transcends logic, most frequently used by teachers in the Rinzai Zen Buddhism tradition

kinhin (Japanese) Zen walking meditation

links of dependent origination. See dependent origination

lovingkindness. See metta

Mahayana “Great Vehicle”; the Buddhist tradition that includes both Zen and Tibetan Buddhism and stresses seeking enlightenment for all beings

mala (Sanskrit) a string of beads used, like a rosary, for counting mantras

mantra (Sanskrit) a powerful sequence of words or syllables repeated during meditation

Mara the embodiment of ignorance and its seductiveness; the personification of the hindrances, based on an ancient Indian deity meditation cultivation of skillful qualities of mind, particularly mindfulness

mental discipline teachings the Eightfold Path steps of right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration

metta (Pali; maitri in Sanskrit) “lovingkindness” “friendliness,” “benevolence”; one of the divine abodes; often used as the object of a meditation practice

Middle Way balanced practice of mind and body advocated by the Buddha; the path that avoids excessive sensual indulgence and excessive asceticism

mindfulness presence of mind or attentiveness to the present without “wobbling” or drifting away from experience; see also foundations of mindfulness

monk. See bhikkhu

monkey mind the tendency of the mind to jump from one thought to another and another

morality teachings the Eightfold Path steps of right speech, right action, and right livelihood

mudra (Sanskrit) a symbolic gesture with hands or body posture

nibbana. See nirvana

nirvana (Sanskrit; nibbana in Pali) literally, “blown out,” “extinguished”; liberation through enlightenment from the grasping or clinging that is the source of all suffering and from the rooting out of greed, hatred, and delusion

nonself (anatta in Pali; anatman in Sanskrit) the absence of or emptiness of a separate, autonomous, unchanging self; the heart of the teachings on the twelve links of dependent origination and thus right understanding; emptiness (shunyata in Sanskrit; sunnata in Pali) is the central teaching of Mahayana Buddhism

noting saying very softly in the mind words descriptive of what is arising to support awareness during meditation

Om mani padme hum (Sanskrit) “Behold the jewel in the lotus”; a mantra commonly used by Tibetan Buddhists

Pali an ancient language predating and similar to Sanskrit; the language in which the Buddha’s teachings were first recorded

Pali canon the body of teachings of the Buddha affirmed immediately after his death, transmitted orally for several hundred years, then recorded in Pali; the central documents in Theravada (“Teaching of the Elders”) Buddhism

perfections (paramitas in Sanskrit) ten accumulated forces of purity within the mind: generosity, morality, renunciation, wisdom, energy, patience, truthfulness, resolution, lovingkindness, and equanimity. Siddhartha Gautama spent thousands of years, lifetime after lifetime, perfecting these qualities until he came to buddhahood.

precepts Buddhist guidelines for living a life of nonharming. For laypeople, the Five Precepts of Theravada Buddhism are: to refrain from killing or harming living beings, from taking what is not given freely, from sexual misconduct, from harmful speech, and from misusing intoxicants that dull mindfulness. The Ten Precepts of Zen for laypeople add five more: to refrain from talking about others’ errors and faults, from elevating oneself and blaming others, from being stingy, from being angry, and from speaking ill of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.

Refuges. See Three Refuges

retreat a temporary community where practice is supported by structured conditions such as silence; a retreat may last for a day or many months

right action the third step of the Eightfold Path: refraining from taking life, from taking what is not given, from sexual misconduct; living according to the precepts

right concentration the eighth step of the Eightfold Path; developing one-pointedness and skillful absorption for insight and enlightenment; meditation

right effort the sixth step of the Eightfold Path; rousing will, making effort, exerting the mind, and striving, first, to prevent the arising and maintenance of unskillful states and, second, to awaken, enhance, and maintain skillful states “to the full perfection of development”; continually striving for mindfulness, especially in meditation

right livelihood the fifth step of the Eightfold Path; supporting ourselves through work that is legal and peaceful and that entails no harm to others—specifically, not to trade in arms or lethal weapons, intoxicants, or poisons or to kill animals

right mindfulness the seventh step of the Eightfold Path; cultivating awareness of body, feelings, mental qualities, and mind-objects

right speech the third step of the Eightfold Path; abstaining from false, malicious, and harsh speech, and idle chatter; determining whether the time for speech is appropriate and whether it is both useful and truthful; speaking in a way that causes no harm

right thought, or right intention, resolve, aspiration, or motive; the second step of the Eightfold Path; renouncing ill will and cultivating skillful intentions; becoming aware of our thinking process; renouncing negative patterns of thought; and cultivating goodwill

right understanding, or right view; the first step of the Eightfold Path; a thorough understanding of the Four Noble Truths, impermanence, karma, and nonself

sadhu (Sanskrit) a wandering ascetic on a spiritual path

samatha. See concentration

samsara (Sanskrit) “journeying”; day-to-day life in the cycle of ignorance and suffering until we achieve nirvana

Sangha (Sanskrit) the Buddha’s original community of disciples

sangha (Sanskrit) a spiritual community; originally a particular group of monks and nuns living under quite specific guidelines, but now expanded to include novitiates, lay practitioners, and sometimes all who follow a Buddhist spiritual path

Second Noble Truth the cause of dukkha (“suffering”) is grasping, greed, and the desire for things to be different from what they are

sense bases or sense doors in Buddhism, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin, and mind

seven factors of enlightenment. See factors of enlightenment

Shakyamuni “sage of the Shakya clan”; the historical Buddha

shikantaza (Japanese) “nothing but precise sitting”; the purest form of Zen meditation, in which there is “just sitting”

shunyata. See nonself

Siddhartha Gautama (Sanskrit; Siddhatta Gotama in Pali) the given name of the historical Buddha

skandhas. See aggregates

skillful means actions that lead to happiness, freedom, and awakening and that do not cause harm

sutra (Sanskrit; sutta in Pali) literally “thread”; a Buddhist discourse; in Theravada Buddhism, one of the Buddha ’s teachings collected in the Pali canon

sutta. See sutra

sympathetic joy (mudita in Pali and Sanskrit) one of the divine abodes; taking delight in our own and others’ successes

ten perfections. See perfections

Theravada Buddhism “Teaching of the Elders”; the oldest Buddhist tradition, which exists in the West primarily as Insight Meditation or Vipassana; considered by some to be the most traditional stream of Buddhist teachings

Third Noble Truth dukkha can be ended by letting go of the craving that causes it; the possibility of enlightenment

Three Jewels. See Three Refuges

Three Refuges Taking refuge in the Buddha (our potential to awaken), taking refuge in the Dharma (the path that awakens), and taking refuge in the Sangha (the community that practices this path); originally used as an expression of commitment to becoming a disciple of the Buddha; usually called Three Jewels or Three Treasures in Mahayana Buddhism

Three Treasures. See Three Refuges

twelve links of dependent origination. See dependent origination

unskillful means actions that cause harm and lead to suffering

Vajrayana (Sanskrit) “Diamond Vehicle”; a school of northern Indian Buddhism today found primarily in Tibet

Vinaya the third section of the Pali canon, consisting of guidelines compiled for monks and nuns

Vipassana. See Insight Meditation

vipassana (Pali; vipashyana in Sanskrit) “clear seeing”; insight; meditation in which the nature of reality becomes clear

wisdom the ability to see what is skillful, appropriate, and timely

wisdom teachings the Eightfold Path steps of right understanding (or right view) and right thought (or right intention)

zazen (Japanese) literally, “seated mind”; Zen Buddhist meditation

Zen (from the Sanskrit dhyana, “absorptive concentration,” which was transliterated into Ch’an in Chinese then into zenno or Zen in Japanese) a major tradition within Mahayana Buddhism

zendo a Zen meditation hall