This is a resource for Buddhism. Here you will find information regarding various terms used in all areas of Buddhism. Everything from the most basic to the more obscure should be found here.
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Bhikkhu-sangha: a sangha
made up solely of monks
Bhikkhuni-sanga: a sangha
made up solely of nuns
Bodhi: the tree under which the buddha
is said to have become enlightened
Bodhichitta: noble or awakened heart, present
in all beings; the aspiration to achieve enlightenment for the benefit
of all sentient beings (Sanskrit)
Bodhisattva: one committed to the path of
compassion (Sanskrit)
Buddha: the Awakened One; this is a term for
a state of being rather than strictly the name of a person
The Buddha: the Awakened One; usually refers
to Siddharta Gautama, a prince born around 563 BCE and who founded Buddhism
after reaching enlightenment
Buddhism: someone who practices the Dharma;
non-orthodox form of Vedic\Aryan teaching founded by the Buddha or enlightened
one
Chi: Energy; life-force, see
also Ki (China)
Chedi: is a domed edifice, often quite tall,
under which relics of the Buddha or revered religious teachers are buried.
See Stupa (Thai)
Circumambulating: walking clockwise around
a sacred site, thereby creating good karma or merit (English)
Citta: state of conciousness
Daimoku: literally "title,"
that is, the title of the Lotus Sutra, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
(Japan)
Dana: generosity or the act of giving (Sanskrit)
Devaputra Mara: The mara
of seeking pleasure
Dharma: cosmic law, secular law; the teaching
of the Buddha; the way, the general state of affairs.
A central concept in Buddhism
Dharma brat: a child raised by Buddhists
Dharma bum: A western follower of Buddhism
and the Bohemian lifestyle ; a phrase coined by Jack Kerouac from the book
of the same name
Dokusan: a private meeting between student
and Master in the seclusion of the Master's room; a key element in Rinzai
Zen
Dukkha: sorrow and suffering stemming from
the blindness to non-permanence and the lack of true understanding of its
reality.
The Eightfold Way: the means
of escaping samsara through Right Understanding, Right Purpose, Right Speech,
Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Endeavor, Right Mindfulness, and
Right Concentration
The Eightfold Path: See the Eightfold Way
Enlightenment: realization; an Awakening to
Truth; seeing into the true nature of things
Geshe: title generally conferred
in the Tibetan Geluk tradition on those who have successfully completed
many years of monastic education and have thus attained a high degree of
doctrinal learning; roughly the equivalant to the Western Doctor of Divinity
(Tibet)
Ghanta: a bell; symbolic for two distinct
principles - impermanence and wisdom
Gohonzon: the mandala that serves as the object
of devotion in Nichiren Buddhism and the embodiment of the law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
(Japan)
Gongyo: the daily practice of reciting portions
of the Lotus Sutra and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo before
the Gohonzon in Nichiren Buddhism (Japan)
Han: wooden board used in Zen
monastaries that is struck as a call to meditation (Japan)
Hara: belly or gut, which is a person's spiritual
center (Japan)
Hinayana: literally "Small Vehicle," the northern
Buddhist term for the Southern Buddhism of Southeast Asia, often emphasizing
individual liberation and the Buddha's rules for monks and nuns.
The preferred term for this school is "Theravada" (Sanskrit)
Inka: a seal of enlightenment; a Master's official confirmation that a student has completed training
Jew-Bu: a slang term for a Jew that practices Buddhism (USA)
Karma: the Buddhist universal
law of cause and effect
Keisaku: the "awakening stick" used in some
Zen schools as a means to relieve muscle tension and dispel sleepiness
(Japan)
Kensho: seeing into one's self nature (Japan)
Ki: energy; life-force. See also Chi
(Japan)
Klesha Mara: The mara of
using emotions for escape
Koan: a riddle used studied to snap the seeker
out of old ways of thinking and thus gain enlightenment
(Japan)
Kung-an: (Chinese) See Koan
Lamaism: a school of Buddhism
derived from Vajrayana Buddhism. It is essentially a monastic style
of Buddhism practised mainly in Nepal and Tibet
Linga: symbolic of the phallus, see also Vajra
Lotus Sutra: a teaching text of the buddha
Lung-gompa: Literally "breath/air-meditation,"
running monks of Tibet renowned for their ability to cover vast distances
at a very fast pace for several days and nights without stopping (Tibet)
Mahayana: "Great Vehicle,"
The Northern Buddhism of China, Korea and Japan (Sanskrit)
Maitri: loving kindness; unconditional friendliness
(Sanskrit)
Makyo: a mysterious apparition, particularly
a vision or dream arising out of meditation (Japan)
Mala: a string of beads, often 108 in number,
used to count the repititions of the recitation of mantras, certain chants,
and the name of Buddha (Sanskrit)
Mandala: magic circle; a geometric diagram
which represents the Buddhist cosmos in two or three dimensions that can
be used in meditation and visualization (Sanskrit)
Mantra: a sequence of mystic syllables, sometimes
a single syllable, which may or may not possess intelligible meaning; spiritual
or empowered speech. When written it may also be used as a charm
(Sanskrit)
Mara: sin; the opposite of Right Action
Meditation: A devotional exercise of
or leading to contemplation; a contemplative discourse on a religious or
philosophical subject
Metta: loving-kindness: the sincere wish for
being to be happy and safe (Pali)
The Middle Path: temperance; not following
either extreme but somewhere in between; the erasure of duality
Moksha: pursuit of liberation (Sanskrit)
Mondo: a dialogue about Buddhism
or an existential problem among Masters or between Master and student (Japan)
Monkey Mind: the constant background chatter-thoughts
of the undisciplined mind
Mu: nothing (Japan)
Mudra: symbolic hand gesture, usually used
in Buddhist art and meditation
Mushin: no-mind, or detatchment of mind; complete
freedom from dualistic thinking
Naga: a mystical serpent that according to
the holy scripts sheltered the Buddha while he was meditating.
Nembutsu: recitation of the Buddha's name,
especially by reciting "Namu Amida Butsu" ("homage to Buddha Amitabha"
for rebirth in his Pure Land (Japan)
Nirvana: the goal of Buddhism;
freedom from Karma; extinction of all craving; the realizatoin
of the true nature of the mind
Padma: a lotus; sybolic for
the family of buddhas and divine birth, also symbolizes th female principle
or the female genitals. Buddhists regard the lotus as a flower of
divine origin since it reproduces from its own 'womb' rather than in the
soil, and the padma symbol is sen as a pledge of salvation.
Papa-desana: part of the Sevenfold
Puja; confession of sins; coming to terms with one's own shortcomings
Paramita: transcendant actions; Six guidelines
for peace. They are: generosity, discipline, patience, exertion,
meditation, and prajna
Parinamana: part of the Sevenfold
Puja; transfer of merit; the merit earned in punyanumodana may be given
over to help ease the sufferings and misfortunes of others who are less
fortunate
Prajna: intuitive wisdom, insight into emptiness
or the true nature of reality
Pranayama: yogic excercises that control and
regulate the breathing (Sanskrit)
Puja: worship; Buddhist ritual; devotional
practice (Sanskrit)
Punyanumodana: part of the Sevenfold
Puja; rejoicing in merit; taking delight in good deeds, whether those
of oneself or others
Rinzai: a school of Zen
where a koan is examined while sitting in order to deepen
insight and enlightenment
Root Guru: one's primary teacher in the Tibetan
tradition
Roshi: a venerable Zen teacher, wheter a monk
or a layperson, woman or man (Japan)
Rupa: an image of the buddha
Sadhana: invocation of the
dieties, part of Lamaist Buddhism
Samadhi: collected concentration in which
subject is no different from object; absorption, bliss
Sangha: community of disciples within a monastic
order (Sanskrit)
Satori: Zen term for enlightenment,
sometimes synonymous with kensho (Japan)
Sem: discursive thoughts, "Monkey
Mind"; a stream of chatter that is always reinforcing an image of ourselves
(Tibet)
The Sevenfold Puja: seven devotional aspirations
consisting of (1)puja (2) vandana, (3)sarana-gamana,
(4) papa-desana, (5) punyanumodana, (6)
parinamana,
and (7) atmabhavadi-parityagah
Shikantaza: precisely sitting or meditating,
with no supporting techniques such as counting breaths
Shunyata: emptyness or void, without essence;
basic openness; a key notion of Buddhism
Skandha Mara: The mara of
clinging to self during chaos
Soto: a school of Zen that
prefers zazen as awakening itself to the already realized
koan
Sunyata: see Shunyata
Samsara: the cycle of rebirth that can be
escaped by practicing the Eightfold Path
Sarana-gamana: part of the Sevenfold Puja;
seeking refuge
Stupa: Monastic complex or monument.
The design of the stupa is said to follow that suggested by the buddha
when he folded his robe and laid it on the ground to represent the base,
placed his begging bowl upside down on th robe to emulate the central chamber
of the reliquary, and stood his umbrella on top to depict the spire
Sutra: "thread," short, tightly worded sentence;
religious text (Sanskrit)
Tantra: "stream" or "strand,"
medieval yogic and ritualistic Indian texts; refers to the ultimate wisdom
said to embrace all human experience through the practice of perfection.
(Sanskrit)
Tao: the Way; the source of reality; the truth;
the ultimate principle
Tara: a female Buddha and
meditational deity; she is considered to be the goddess of universal compassion
who represents virtuous and enlightened activity
Teisho: a formal dharma talk by a Zen master
(Japan)
Tonglen: The practice of sending and receiving;
breathing in pain and sending out pleasure (Tibet)
Triratna: the three aspects of Buddhism;
buddha,
dharma
and sangha
Ubhatosangha: "Twin community,"
a sangha made up of both monks and nuns
UU-Bu: a slang term for a Unitarian Universalist
that practices Buddhism (USA)
Vajra: club-like implrement
made by Tvastar, the divine builder; a significant symbol in Buddhism
associated with lightning. Also linked with Shiva
Vandana: part of the Sevenfold
Puja; obeisance
Wat: Thai Buddhist temple or monastery. In most cases it is not just one building, but a collection of buildings, shrines, and monuments within a courtyard that is enclosed by a wall (Thai)
Yab-yum: "mother-father," a
mudra
depicting the balance of male and female
Yama Mara: The mara of the
fear of death
Ye tang che: the experience of losing/giving
up all hope (Tibet)
Zafu: traditional, round, kapok-stuffed
cushion to sit on during meditation
Zazen: sitting meditation (Japan)
Zendo: a meditation hall (Japan)