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Buddhist Terms and Glossary
How to use this “dictionary.”
This is a work in progress! First, there’s a lot of work to be done “under to hood,” so to speak. What you see below is something I threw together back in 2003, so it’s a static text-page. This means, it’s not searchable. But it also means that it probably needs a good editing as well as a hulluva lot of updating. But I’ll get to that in the weeks and months ahead.
To check the progress of this or any other aspect of the site, check out the version info page over in the blog.
I have avoided using too many diacritics. Despite the fact that I love diacritics, I know they can be off-putting to most people. Thus, for Sanskrit and Pali terms, I’ve opted for simplified transliteration. Words like sunyata and nibbana should have accents over letters, elongated vowels, and so; but I’ve left that out. For words that are particularly hard to pronounce or have not made their way into common usage, I’ve provided simple phonetic readings.
Most of my academic training lies in Japanese (and American) Buddhism. So I am not as familiar with classical Japanese or Chinese. I’ve included Japanese characters when I know them or when I think they’re relatively important. And in most cases, these are the Chinese as well. But, sadly, I don’t speak or read Chinese; so if you see an error, do let me know.
On that note, Chinese terms have been transliterated according to the Pinyin system.
This page was encoded in UTF-8. If you’re not able to see diacritics or special characters, you may need to change your browser’s default settings.
Just like I don’t read Chinese, I don’t know Tibetan, either. I have included several terms that important to Tibetan Buddhist studies, but if the pronunciation is wrong, or if there is a Tibetan term that isn’t on this list, or if there is a Tibetan term for something on this list that isn't currently here, do let me know.
Entries are listed with their Sanskrit (S) form first, followed by Pali (P), Chinese (C), Japanese (J), Tibetan (T). If a language isn’t relevant for a term (or if I’m just not aware of its variant), it’s been left out. There are entries for terms that have become very popular in English, such as Zen. But Zen will refer the reader back to Ch’an for a discussion of the category of schools or practices which fall under that umbrella term. But Ch’an also refers the reader back to dhyanna, the original Sanskrit work which Ch’an translates.
Lastly, if you’d like to add a word to this dictionary or have some corrective to an existing defintion, feel free to tell me.
Basic Buddhist Terminology
[a] [b] [c] [d] [e] [f] [g] [h] [i] [j] [k] [l] [m] [n] [o] [p] [q] [r] [s] [t] [u] [v] [w] [x] [y] [z]
[A]
Abhidharma (S); Abhidhamma (P): the third branch of the Buddhist cannon (Tripitika) along with the Vinaya and Sutras, it represents the earliest attempts at systematizing Buddhist philosophy and psychology through a detailed analysis of the psycho-phycical elements of all existent things. Usually in a set of seven books, it acts a “study guide” to Buddhist teachings.
abhisheka: lit. “anointing,” a ritual ceremony in Vajrayana and related trantra traditions wherein the master passes on to the disciple various esoteric and meditative practices.
acarya (ah-CHA-rah) (S); acariya (P): master or teacher, specifically a dharma master as opposed to one who teaches monastic precepts.
Ajatasatru (a-jah-ta-shat-ru): a king who supposedly ruled in the time of the Buddha, he killed his father to ascend the throne and later conspired with Devadatta against the Buddha. Eventually, the Buddha converted him, and this story has a special significance within Pure Land circles as evidence of the Buddha’s boundless compassion even toward one’s enemies.
alayavijnana: concept developed in the Yogacara school of Indian Buddhism, the “store-house consciousness” is the eighth or deepest level of consciousness which holds one’s “karmic seeds” for future rebirth.
Amitabha (S); Amida [阿弥陀仏] (J): The Buddha Amitabha, written about exclusively in the Three Pure Land Sutras, is said to have established a Pure Land in the West known as Sukhavati to which sentient beings can be reborn and practice the Buddha-dharma free of the distractions and suffering of this world. A symbol of boundless wisdom and compassion, his name literally means “Infinite Light” and his Pure Land is variously understood as a literal post-mortum destination and a metaphorical state of consciousness.
Amitayus (S): another name for Amitabha meaning “Infinite Life.”
Ananda: cousin and principle disciple of the Buddha, Ananda (lit. “Aboslute Joy”) was renowned for his remarkable memory and his exposition of the Buddha’s teachings became codified in the Sutras.
Anatman (S); anatta (P): see atman.
Arhat (S); Arahat (P); lohan (C); rakan (J): one who has attained the highest level of the “Hinayana” path; he will attain full awakening (nirvana) immediately upon his death.
arya-satya (S); ariya-satta (P): the Four Noble Truths as taught by the Buddha immediately after he attained awakening. They are the Truth that life is duhkha, the cause of duhkha (that is craving or desire), the solution to the problem (that is nirvana), and the path toward that goal.
Asanga: (4th century, c.e.) founder of the Yogacara school.
ashtangika-marga (S); atthangika-magga (P): the Eight-fold Path which leads to the cessation of suffering. According the Buddha’s first sermon after his enlightenment, he first set out the Four Noble truths, that life is duhkha, the cause of duhkha, the solution, and the path. Thus the Eight-fold Path is itself the Fourth Noble Truth. It is largely a moral and practical path which states that the way to nirvana is through right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.
atman: in pre-Buddhist Hindu thought, the real an immortal part of one’s being, similar to the Western “soul.” The Buddha denied its existence as something permanent, independent, and unchanging, anatman.
Avalokiteshvara (S); Kuan-yin (C); Kannon (J); Chenresi (T): one of the most important bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism, Avalokiteshvara is known as the Bodhisattva of Compassion or “He Who Hears the Cries of the World.” Iconographically male in South Asia, in East Asia she is represented in female form and is often time depicted with multiple arms and hands to grasp suffering beings and lead them to awakening. In Pure Land Buddhism, s/he is one of Amitabha’s Bodhisattva attendants in the Sukhavati. According to Tibetan tradition, the Dalai Lama is said to be an incarnation of Chenresi.
Avatamsaka Sutra (S): also the Buddhavatamsaka-sutra. An immense sutra of south or central Asian origin which, according to the Hua-yen School of China, was first conceived by the Buddha immediately upon his enlightenment but revealed gradually over the course of his ministry. This gradual unveiling is the result of an intricate, sublime, and transcendental teaching which is nearly impossible to state susinctly within this terminology page. Were I to attempt such foolish arrogance, I would say that this sutra (in no less than 1500 English pages) is a reminder of the ever-present reality of enlightenment which is interconnected to everything and everyone throughout time and space.
avidya (S); avijja (P); mayoi (J): ignorance. Avidya refers specifically to the ignorance of the teachings of the Buddha or the true nature of the self or reality. It is one of the “Three Poisons,” including ignorance, hatred, and greed. Of these, it is by far the most pervasive and lies at the root of most suffering for it is through our ignorance that we behave with disregard to other sentient beings.
Bamiyan: Holy Buddhist site in modern Afghanistan home to towering Buddha figures carved into the rock. These statues were all but destroyed in 2000 by the ruling Taliban regime.
Bhaishajya-guru-buddha (S); Yakushi Nyorai (J): literally, the “Medicine Buddha” know for his healing or perfecting powers. He resides in an eastern Pure Land and is often portrayed iconographically in a triad with Sakyamuni and Amitabha Buddha.
bhikshu (S); bhikku (P): a monk, literally a “homeleaver,” one who has left the home life and entered into a Buddhist order by taking a number of vows.
bhikshuni (S); bhikkuni (P): a nun, one who has renounced the homelife and entered into a Buddhist order by taking a number of vows.
bhumi (S): literally, “land,” though this term relates to the ten bodhisattva stages, that is the process of spritual development one goes through on the bodhisattva path.
Bimbisara (S): king of Magadha who was converted by Sakyamuni Buddha. He is featured in a number of sutras and is of particular importance to the Contemplation Sutra of the Pure Land schools. According to this sutra, he was imprisoned along with his wife, Vaidehi, by his son who was attempting to steal the throne. This sets the stage for the Buddha to deliver a sermon on visualizing Amitabha’s Pure Land and attaining release from the world of suffering.
Bodh-gaya (S): the location where the Buddha attained awakening.
bodhi (S/P): awakened. As a Sanskrit/Pali prefix, it denotes the state of awakening or enlightenment as in “bodhisattva,” an enlightened being, or “Buddha,” the enlightened one.
bodhicitta (bo-di-chi-tha) (S): the mind of awakening, usually relates to the initial desire to attained awakening.
Bodhidharma (S); P’u-t’i-ta-mo (C); Bodaidaruma or Daruma (J): (470-543?) the First Patriarch of Chinese Ch’an Buddhism believed to have brought the teachings from India and is therefore considered the 28th Patriarch of Ch’an in India (though there is no historical evidence of Zen of Ch’an existing in India).
bodhisattva (bo-di-SAT-vah) (S); bosatsu (J): an “enlightenment being,” a bodhisattva is a highly developed being who forsakes final enlightenment in nirvana in order to remain in samsara to save other suffering beings. Both a path to enlightenment and a category of cosmic beings, bodhisattvas are regarded as spiritually powerful, imbued with wisdom and compassion. Many forms of East Asian Mahayana Buddhist schools take the bodhisattva as the ideal and, rather than adhering to the older monastic codes of conduct, follow the “bodhisattva vows” as outlined in the Brahma Net Sutra.
bodhi tree (ficus religiosa): the species of tree under which the Buddha sat when he attained awakening.
Bon (T): a general heading in Tibetan Buddhism for pre-Buddhist Tibetan religious practices that have, in the intervening centuries, become intertwined with Buddhist practices.
Borobudur: a site in Java home to an enormous stupa which may simultaneously be a three-dimensional mandala. The structure, built around the 9th century, is decorated with reliefs of various sutras and stories of the Buddha. Recent research suggests that Java was a major crossroads in the spread of Buddhism between India and East Asia, and this site betrays evidence of all strands of Buddhism from across Asia.
Brahmajala-sutra (S): The Brahma Net Sutra of Mahayana Buddhism important for two reasons: it contains the ten major and forty-eight minor bodhisattva precepts; it describes the Jeweled Net of Indra. Indra’s Net is said to be a beautiful net of singles jews suspended above Indra in the Brahma heaven. Each jewel reflects every other jewel, ad infinitum, and is said to be a description of the fundamental nature of reality.
Buddha (S/P): the awakened one, one who has attained enlightenment or nirvana. According to Buddhist doctrine, the ideal of Buddhahood is not limited to the historical founder of the tradition but a state of being open to anyone who follows the practices of the Buddha. According, the historical Buddha (Gautama Siddharta or Sakyamuni) was not the first Buddha and will not be the last. In addition to a number of “cosmic” Buddhas such as Amitabha or the Medicine Buddha, early texts account for six previous Buddhas of this world. Further, the next Buddha, Maitreya, is said to be residing in Tusita heaven, absorbed in meditation and perfecting practices. When all traces of the Buddha-dharma have faded from this world, he will be reborn and re-establish the teachings.
Buddha-dhrama (S); buppo or bukkyo (J): the teachings of the Buddha. see also dharma.
Buddha-nature: see buddhata.
Buddhata (S): the true, immutable, and eternal essence of all things because of which enlightenment is possible.
celestial kings: see devaraja.
caitya (S); cetiya (P) (chai-tya): the assembly hall of a Buddhist community. Often called the dojo in Japanese, or “way place.”
cakra (cha-kra) (S): literially, “circle” or “wheel,” term for the centers of subtle and refined energy residing in the human body beginning, at the base of the spine between the genitals and anus, with the muladhara-cakra through the sahasrara-cakra directly above the crown of the head. Cakra-theory is not native to Buddhism but has roots in ancient Indian philosophy. Through refining the energy in the cakras, spiritual progress is made and power refined.
cakravartin (cha-kra-var-tin) (S): “Wheel-turning-king.” A title given to a just and benevolent ruler in Indian thought. At his death, the Buddha asked to be buried as one would bury a cakravartin king and thus this term came to be known as an epithet for the Buddha, the wheel being the wheel of the dharma turned by the Buddha.
Ch’an (C); Zen (J): A school of Chinese and later Japanese school which derives its name from the transliteration of the Sanskrit term dhyana or meditative absorption. Appropriately, the school advocated sitting meditation as the most expedient means to attain awakening, though historically the tradition has relied on a variety of practices including walking mediation, the recitation of short matras, sutras, or vows, and most notably, koan.
Ch-eng-kuan (C): see Hua-yen.
Chenrezi (T): see Avalokitesvara.
cintamani (chint-A-man-i) (S): the wish-fulfilling jewel and a symbol for the perfected or enlightened mind.
Chod (T): A Tibetan tradition begun in the 10th century by Phadampa Sangye.
chorten (T): see stupa.
conventional truth: see samvriti-satya.
Daijo (J): see Mahayana.
dakini (S) (die-ki-NI); khadroma (T): a female demon or goddess common in Indian religion more generally. In Vajrayana (Tantric) Buddhism, daikini have the task of integrating powers one attains in visualizations and are said to move about in the highest level of reality.
Dalai Lama (Tibetan and Mongolian): an honorary title given to the thrid head of the Gelukpa school in 1578 by the Mongolian Prince, rulers of much of east and central Asia at the time. That the head of a Buddhist school was given a title (meaning “teacher whose wisdom is as great as the ocean”) belies the close politcal connection between Tibetan Buddhism and the Mongolian empire. Since this time, the Dalai Lama as been understood as a reincarnation or manifestation of Avalokitesvara and the reincarnation of the previous Dalai Lama. Fulfilling both a spiritual and political role, the role has been held by some of the great poets and scholars of the Buddhist tradition. The current Dalai Lama, His Holiness Tezin Gyatso (born 1935), has been living in exile since 1959 following the Chinese invasion of Tibet and subsequent genocide of the Tibetan peoples and culture.
dana (DAH-na) (S, P): literally, “gifts” or “donations,” the voluntary giving of material goods, wisdom, teachings, or spiritual energy which is regarded as one of the most important Buddhist virtues.
Daruma (J): see Bodhidharma.
dahabala (da-shya-ba-la) (S, P): the ten powers of the Buddha which include knowledge of (1) what is possible and impossible, (2) the ripening of deed, (3) the superior and inferior abilities of other beings, (4) of their tendencies, (5) of the various constituents of the world, (6) of paths leading to the various realms of rebirth, (7) of how to engender purity or impurity of being, (8) of the contemplations and meditative states, (9) of death and rebirth, and (10) the extinguishing of all defilements.
dasabhumika (dah-sha-BHUM-i-kha) (S): literally, “on the ten lands,” this refers to the ten stages of development along the path of the bodhisattva.
delusion: usually refers to “ignorance” (see avidya) which in the Buddhist context refers primarily to ignorance concerning the true nature of reality, Buddha nature, or the teachings of the Buddha.
deva (S, P): a god or other celestial being residing in one of he heavens. Though in the heavens one enjoys a life of luxury and ease, devas are in the end sentient beings subject to sickness, old age, and death.
Devadatta (S): cousin of the Buddha who was a renowned and respected member of the sangha who attempted to assassinate and replace the Buddha as the head of the order. He is referred to in several sources, usually as an example of the compassion of the Buddha who forgave him his transgressions and allowed him to leave the order. Nevertheless, because karma is unavoidable, it is believed that Devadatta is no doubt spending his time suffering in the deepest hells as I write this.
Dhammapada (P): see Khuddaka-nikaya.
dharani (S): very powerful short formulas which contain the essence of the teachings. Dharani are recited repeatedly as a way to convey the teachings of the Buddha and are said to be beyond ordinary meaning. The symbolic structure of them is often linguistically meaningless, though one can find bits and pieces of meaning buried within the phrases. Very important in Tantric Buddhism, dharani are nevertheless found in most forms of Mahayana Buddhism along with mantras.
dharma (S); dhamma (P); fa (C); ho or datsuma (J): dharma has two meanings in Buddhism. Originally, the term was used to describe the psycho-physical constituent elements of reality. That is, dharmas are what the world is composed of much like atoms of ancient Greece. There is a dharma for water which has the essence of “wetness,” for example. More than merely the physical elements, however, dharmas also refer to the mental attributes. There is a dharma for sorrow with an essence of “sadness.” And the interaction of these elements creates the whole of the phenomenal and mental world around us.
More commonly, however, Dharma refers to the Buddha Dharma, that is the teachings of the Buddha. In this sense, the Dharma is the whole of what the historical (or even cosmic) Buddha passed on to his disciples as well as what has been garnered through visualization practices. It is set apart from the basic rules or codes of conduct laid down for monks or lay Buddhist practicioners and refers to the higher truth revealed by the Buddha. In the west, it is most commonly translated as Law or Truth or Teaching. However, more recently scholars have left it untranslated finding these English words too constrictive.
dharma-cakra (S): the “wheel or dharma,” or the wheel of the teachings of the Buddha. The first sermon spoken by the Buddha is said to be the “turning of the wheel of the dharma.”
dharmadhatu (S): literally the “realm of the dharma,” understood in Therevada and Hinayana schools as the the nature of things, but in Mahayana schools, the term is closely related to a “Buddha realm” or land, the actual physical space in which a Buddha resides.
Dharmakaya (S): one of the three bodies of the Buddha. see trikaya.
dhyana (S); jhana (P); ch’an (C); zen (P): meditation or meditative absorption. In general, any state of mind or being brought about through the practice of mediation or concentration. More typically, sources speak of various specific samadhis. The practice of dhyana was said to be the most efficacious way to attain nirvana according to Bodhidharma and thus his school in China came to be know as Ch’an which when brought to Japan was called Zen.
Diamond Sutra (S: Vajrachchedika-prajnaparamita-sutra): literally, the Diamond-cutter of doubts and supreme wisdom sutra. One of many prajnaparamita sutras which gained significant importance in East Asia, particularly in Ch’an schools due to the tale of the Sixth Chinese Patriarch said to attain partial enlightenment by merely hearing this sutra.
Digha-nikaya (P): the first five nikayas of the Sutta-pitaka of the Pali cannon. It includes many of the most basic of the Buddha’s teachings, including the chain of conditioned co-arising as well as an account of the last weeks of the Buddha’s life and instructions to lay followers.
Dipamkara (S); Dipankara (P): the first of twenty-four Buddhas said to preceed the historical Buddha and before whom he vowed to attain awakening an endlessly long time ago.
Dogen (J): sometimes Dogen Zenji or Dogen Kigen. (1200-1253) Monk of 13th Century Japan who trained in the Tendai monastery before traveling to China and receiving the teachings of the Ts’ao-tung-tsung school of Ch’an. In 1227 he returned to Japan and founded the Soto-shu school of Zen emphasizing “just sitting” as a means to enlightenment. The San Francisco Zen Center and its affiliates in the United States are a direct transmission from Dogen.
dojo (J): literally “way place.” The dojo is the place where one practices the way be it Zen meditation or martial arts. In Jodo Shinshu, early communities held meetings in dojo as they were not allowed to hold meetings at officially sanctioned temples.
Dolma (T): see Tara.
dorje (T): in Tibetan Buddhism, the symbol of the clear, immutable essence of reality as it is. Originally derived from the thunderbolt (vajra) of the god Indra, it is understood as an indestructible diamond of true suchness and wisdom.
duhkha (S); dukkha (P): often translated as “suffering,” this is the first of the Four Noble Truths; the Buddha states that life is marked by duhkha. The term itself is etemylogically related to the sensation of a chariot wheel being out of alignment. That is, things are just off. They are not quite right, and according to Buddhist teaching, life is a series of unpleasant events caused by our grasping and clinging for things of permanence and meaning in world defined by its constant change.
dvatrimshadvara-lakshana (S): the thirty-two marks of perfection which define Buddhahood. They are two level feet; sign of a thousand-spoked wheel on the soles of the feet; slender fingers; broad heels; curved toes and fingers; soft, smooth hands and feet; arched feet; lower body like an antelope; arms reaching to the knee; virile member without narrowing in the foreskin; powerful body; hairy body; thick, curly blond hair; golden-hued body; a body which gives off rays of light ten feet in all directions; soft skin; rounded hands, shoulders, and head; well-formed shoulders; upper body of a lion; erect body; powerful shoulders; forty teeth; even teeth; white teeth; gums like a lion; saliva that improves the taste of food; broad tongue; voice like Brahma’s; clear blue eyes; eyelashes like a bull; a lock of hair between the brows; a cone-shaped elevation on the crown of the head. Many of these marks can be seen on statues and in artistic renditions of the Buddha.
Dzogchen (T): literally “great perfection,” the primary teaching of the Nyingmapa school of Tibetan Buddhism.
easy path: see Jodo Shu.
ego: the concept of ego is not specifically Buddhist in origin, but in modern (particularly western) discourses, the ego is often synonymous with the “self” or “soul” or atman. Needless to say, the goal of Buddhist practice is to see that any sense of permanent self is a delusion.
eight-fold path: see ashtangika-marga.
eko (J): merit transference. The process of transferring the benefit of one’s religious practice to other sentient beings. Indian thinker Vasubhandu saw this as the highest form of religious practice for only the bodhisattva, with the aim of enlightening all sentient beings, would carry out this work. The term is of particular importance in Pure Land schools as, according to some soteriologies, it is through eko that Amida Buddha is able to enlightening others.
enlightenment: see nirvana.
five hinderances: see nivarana.
Four Noble Truths: see arya-satya.
gaki (J): see preta.
ganda-vyuha (S): the cone-shaped elevation on the crown of the Buddha; one of the thirty-two marks of a Buddha. Also, as Gandavyuha-sutra, a text which can be read on its own or as part of the larger Flower Adornment Sutra. The Gandavyuha teaches the story of a young practicioner who seeks out a series of teachers who in turn tell him high and high truths until he encounters the highest truth of the Mahayana.
Gandhara: an area of ancient India which now southern Afghanistan and parts of northern Pakistan. This is an important area to the art historian for it is here that, in the 2nd century CE, the first images of the Buddha appeared. Prior to this time, Buddhist art was restricted to symbolic representations of the Buddha, such as the sole of his foot or the bodhi-tree. It is believed that the co-mingling of Helanistic art lead to the development of representational art.
gandharva (S): in Buddhism, gandharva are celestial beings often seen at banquets with higher gods or singing the praises of the dharma.
garuda (S): a mythical bird, half man, half bird, appearing often when the Buddha is preaching the dharma.
gassho (J): literally “palms of the hands placed together,” this term refers to the ancient East and South Asian custom of placing one’s hands together and bowing as a sign of reverence, gratitude or veneration. Symbolically it relates to the bringing together of two things to make one. As an underlying component of Japanese culture; meals usually begin and end with gassho (which often includes a short prayer or simply “Itadakimas!”). In the context of Jodo Shinshu, it has particular relevance as an expression of gratitude toward the Buddhas who make enlightenment possible.
gati (S); rokudo (J): in Buddhist cosmology, the various realms of rebirth into which one can be reincarnated. They include the hell realms, the realm of hungry ghosts, animals, humans, asuras (demigods), and the heavenly realms of the gods.
Gautama Siddharta: or Siddharta Gautama. Siddharta was born and raised in what is now Nepal some 2500 years ago. Destined for royalty, he left his home and family in order to seek answers to life’s fundamental existential questions. This quest led to his enlightenment, and he is often referred to as the Buddha Sakyamuni which derives from “the Buddha who is the sage of the Sakya clan.”
Great Vehicle: see Mahayana.
guru (S): teacher. This term has most meaning in Hindu traditions but is used in Buddhism, most often in Vajrayana or Tantric schools which place great emphasis on relying on one’s teacher to learn esoteric rituals not necessarily written in books.
haiku (J): a form of Japanese poetry following a strict, three-line, sixteen-syllable format. Though popularly understood in the West as a very “Zen” form of poetry, much haiku expresses a less secular understanding of Buddhism.
han (J): wooden board which is struck at dawn, dusk, and at bed in Japanese Zen monasteries.
Heart Sutra: see Mahaprajnaparamita-hridaya-sutra.
Hinayana (S): a derogatory term used in Mahayana polemics for all non-Mahayana schools. Mahayana means “great vehicle,” and Hinayana means “lesser vehicle.” This polemic distinction arose in the early centuries of the common era when various strands of Buddhism co-existed within Indian and Central Asian monasteries. Of the dozens of Hinayana schools, the only one which retains any semblance to an ancient tradition is the Therevada school of southern India, Sri Lanka, and modern Thailand.
The primary distinction between these two strands of Buddhism is not so much a dogmatic one as a practical one. While the Mahayana professed to be following the path of the Bodhisattva, the so-called Hinayana schools were focused on the path of the arhat as a means to enlightenment.
One can still catch East Asian Mahayana teachers referring to their South Asian counterparts as following the Hinayana path. But it is important to note that there are no modern survivors of the Hinayana path, and contemporary Theravada monks are apt to take exception to being describe as followers of a “lesser” path.
homelessness: see pravrajya.
homon (J): literally, “dharma gate,” that is a teaching of Buddhism which leads to awakening.
Honen (1133-1212) (J): the founder of the Jodo Shu school of Pure Land Buddhism in Japan and teacher of Shinran Shonin. Honen entered the Tendai monastery of Mt. Hiei in the 12th Century and, disenchanted with the current state of Buddhism, left to find another path to awakening. Further troubled by concerns that the Dharma was fading from the world and that practice was nearly impossible (see mappo), he sought an “easy path” as described by Nagarjuna in ancient India. Thus he came to the Pure Land teachings as described in what he termed the “three Pure Land Sutras.” He was, of course, rejected by the establishment and exiled from the capital. Nevertheless, his teachings of single-minded reliance upon and repetition of the nembutsu have survived until today.
Honganji (J): the main temple of the Jodo Shinshu school of Buddhism in Japan, located at Shinran’s grave in Kyoto.
Hua-yen (C); Kegon (J): school of Chinese Buddhism exported to Japan which bases its teachings on the Avatamsaka Sutra. Though not exactly a prominent school in either China or Japan today, its teachings have, none the less, had a profound influence on East Asian Buddhism of all varieties.
Hui-neng (638-713) (C); E’no (J): the Sixth Patriarch of Ch’an (Zen) in China. An illiterate “barbarian” from southern China, legend tells us that Hui-neng had his first enlightenment experience while chopping wood and hearing the Diamond Sutra by a wandering monk. Leaving home, he traveled to Huang-mei and studied under the Fifth Patriarch, Hung-jen, who immediately recognized the superior ability of his new student. Challenged by rival monk Shen-hsiu, Hui-neng won the title of patriarch and dharma successor through an intellectual game of poetry writing on the monastery walls. The story and teachings of the Sixth Patriarch are recounted in his “sutra,” the Liu-tsu-ta-shih-fa-pao-t’an-ching, commonly called the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch.
hungry ghosts: see preta.
iccantika (ee-CHAN-tika) (S): one who is incapable of attaining Buddhahood by cutting off all roots of goodness. There is a long-standing debate among differing Buddhist schools as to whether or not the iccantika has Buddha-nature or whether or not one can be awakened by a Buddha or bodhisattva and even whether or not they exist.
ichinen [一念] (J): “once calling” or the doctrine of single-nembutsu. That is, the belief that one needs only recite the name of the Buddha once to assure one’s rebirth in the Pure Land.
ignorance: see avidya.
Indra (S): a god in the pre-Buddhist pantheon who plays a role in Buddhist cosmology, most noticeably in the Bhrama Net Stura.
Indra’s Net: a jeweled net which hangs in the air above the god Indra. In each cross-hair of the net rests a single jewel which reflects all the jewels in the net ad infinitum. This image is a symbolic reference to the interconnected nature of the universe. See also the Avatamsaka Sutra.
isshin [一心] (J): singleness of heart/mind. A Shinshu term deriving from the Smaller Sutra. Isshin works in conjunction with the compassion of the Buddha to attain rebirth in the Pure Land.
Jatakas (P): “birth stories,” that is stories about past incarnations of the historical Buddha which all, in some way, relate to the causes and conditions leading up to his final birth and eventual awakening.
jinen honi (J): Jinen means “naturalness,” and honi means “Dharma-nature.” According to Shinran, those who have been embraced by the compassionate wisdom of the Buddha’s are said to reside in this state of naturalness.
jiriki [自力] (J): “self-power,” as contrasted with “other power.” See also tariki.
Jodo Shinshu [浄土真宗] (J): The “True Pure Land way,” the Pure Land school of Japanese Buddhism established by Shinran in the 13th century. Based on his teachings, practitioners rely on the compassionate wisdom and power of the Buddha Amida to effect their awakening. Reciting the nembutsu is seen as an act of gratitude, not practice proper.
Jodo Shu [浄土宗] (J): the Pure Land school of Japanese Buddhism established by Honen. The primary difference between the Jodo Shinshu and the Jodo Shu is that that latter explicitly recites the nembutsu to attain birth in the pure land.
Kagyupa (T): one of the four principal schools of Tibetan teachings focusing on the “great seal” (see mahamudra) and the six dharmas of Naropa.
Kalacakra (S): literally, the “Wheel of Time,” the last and most complex of the traditional Buddhist trantric practices.
kalpa (S); kappa (P): a world cycle or world age. A short-hand in Buddhist literature for an endlessly long period of time. One kalpa is said to be roughly the time it takes for a solid piece of rock one cubic mile in size to be worn down if it is rubbed with a silk scarf once every hundred years.
kalyanamitra (S); kalyanamitta (P): “good/noble friend,” one who is extremely rich in experience and expertise in Buddhist doctrine and practice who assists one on their way to awakening.
kama (S, P): sensual desire or sexual pleasure.
Kamakura Period (1185-1333) (J): a period of medieval Japanese history which is know for political upheaval as well as the establishment of several new schools of Buddhism including Pure Land, Nichiren, and Soto Zen.
kami (J): spirit, sometimes god. In pre-Buddhist Japanese religion, Shinto, it was believed that the world was infused with spirits for good or ill.
Kannon (J): see Avalokitesvara.
Kanzeon (J): another name for Kannon. See Avalokitesvara.
Kapilavatsu (S); Kapilavatthu (P): home town of the historical Buddha where he spent his youth before leaving his palace in search of awakening.
karma (S); kamma (P): literally, “deed,” karma is the universal law of cause and effect. Every willed action, according to Buddhism, carried with it karmic consequences either positive, negative, or neutral. Karmic actions are traditionally divided into actions of body, speech, or mind, and also govern one’s future rebirths.
karuna (S, P): compassion, sympathy, or gentle affection. The primary quality of boddhisattvas who, out of compassion, remain in the world of samsara to effect others’ awakening.
Kegon-kyo (J): the Japanese title of the Avatamsaka Sutra.
kendo (J): literally, “the way of the sword,” a Japanese style of sword fighting popularized by medieval samurai warriors who were very often devoutly Buddhist.
Khuddaka-nikaya (P): part of the Pali Sutta-pitaka which is best known for containing the Dhammapada, a collection of 426 sayings of the historical Buddha.
klesa (clay-shya) (S); kilesa (P): trouble or defilement. It is said that the un-enlightened human condition is “marked” by klesa, that is by defilements that get in the way of one’s awakening. According to some practices, one must do away or overcome these defilements to progress along the path.
koan (J): paradoxical phrases or short stories pulled from Buddhist sutras or stories of earlier masters used in Zen practice to awaken the mind to its inherent Buddha-nature. The most famous example is the “one hand clapping” koan which illustrates their general flavor.
kotis (S): like kalpa, a kotis is an endlessly far distance used often in Buddhist literature.
Ksitigarbha (ki-shi-ti-gar-bah) (S); Ti-ts’ang (C); Jizo (J): literally the “womb of the earth,” this bodhisattva is revered particularly in East Asia as one who saves suffering beings from the torments of hell and often as the protector of travelers.
Kuan-yin (C): see Avalokitesvara.
Kukai (774-835) (J): also known as Kobo Daishi, this Japanese monk is credited with founding the Shingon school of esoteric Buddhism in Japan which was widely influential up until the Kamakura period. Kukai is also credited with helping to invent the native Japanese syllabary or kana.
Kumarajiva (344-413): a Buddhist monk Kucha (in central Asia) who journeyed to China in 401 and translated dozens of texts into Chinese including the Amitabha Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, the Vimalakirti Sutra, the Mahaprajnaparamitra Sutra, and several shastras by such notable Indian scholastics as Nargarjuna.
kyoge-betsuden (J): “a special tradition outside the teachings,” a phrase referring to the Zen tradition which is said to have been transmitted from “mind-to-mind,” from teacher to disciple, from the Buddha down to the present day.
lama (T): in Tibetan Buddhism, a teacher or guru to be honored and venerated by his students as a living embodiment of the Buddha’s teachings.
laughing Buddha: see Pu-tai.
Lin-chi-tsung (C); Rinzai (J): school of Ch’an (Zen) Buddhism begun in the 11th century by Chinese master Lin-chi I-hsuan. Brought to Japan in the 12th century by Eisai Zenji, the Rinzai School remains one of the primary schools of Zen in Japan to this day.
lohan (C): see arhat.
lokapala (S): “world-protectors,” the protectors the four cardinal directions often seen at the gates of a Buddhist temple.
Lokesvara (S): a Buddha in a previous age under whom the Amida studied prior to becoming a Buddha himself.
lotus: see padma.
Lotus Sutra: see Saddharmapundarika-sutra.
Lumbni (S): the grove in which the Buddha is said to have been born.
Madhyamika (S); San-lun (C); Sanron (J): school of Indian Buddhism founded by Nagarjuna which is of foundational importance in most varieties of East Asian Buddhism. One of the core doctrine of the school is the theory of emptiness or sunyata, wherein everything in the phenomenal world is seen as empty of inherent beingness. This realization rests in the realm of absolute truth as opposed to the realm of relative truth. This two-fold division of truth is another cornerstone of the tradition wherein it is believed that language itself rests in the realm of relative truth where one must make discriminations into order to communicate. But from the point of view of the enlightened, there are no distinctions, not even between nirvana and samsara.
Mahakasyapa (S); Mahakassapa (P): one of the principal disciples of the Buddha known for his superior ascetic and moral abilities. He is also regarded as the first patriarch of the Zen tradition in a folkloric story wherein, while giving a dharma-talk, the Buddha held out a single flower and said nothing. In response, Mahakasyapa smiled knowingly, and in this moment the ultimate truth of awakening was passed from master to disciple.
Maudgalyayana (S): one of the ten great disciples of the Buddha who converted with his friend Sariputra. The former was widely known for his supernatural abilities.
mahamudra (S): the great seal, one of the highest teachings of Vajrayana (or tantric) Buddhism wherein one comes to realize the truth of emptiness (sunyata) and freedom from samsara.
Mahaparinibban-sutta (P): a sutta of the Pali cannon that deals with the last years and death of the historical Buddha and what his immediate successors did with his remains and relics. Not to be confused with the Mahaprinirvana-sutra.
Mahaparinirvana-sutra (S): a Mahayana sutra that deals primarily with the teachings of buddha-nature, not to be confused with the Mahaparinibbana-sutta.
Mahaprajnaparamita-hridaya-sutra (S): the Heart Sutra. The most concise of all the mahaprajnaparamita sutras, the Heart Sutra is often recited in full by monks and nuns of most East Asian traditions for it clearly encapsulates the teaching of empitness.
Mahasthamaprapta (S): along with Avalokitesvara, one of the two bodhisattva attendants of Amida Buddha in his Pure Land.
Mahavairocana-sutra (S): Sutra of the Great Radiant One, one of the primary sutras of the trantic tradition in East Asia.
Mahayana (S): “great vehicle.” Mahayana Buddhism should not be seen as a distinct school of Buddhism as much as a general category of teachings and practices under which virtually all schools of East Asian Buddhism would fit. In traditional polemics, Mahayana is seen in dialogue with “Hinayana,” or the “lesser vehicle,” a derogatory term which is not synonymous with the Theravada school of South and South East Asia. Some of the main themes of the Mahayana include the veneration of the bodhisattva ideal or archetype, a focus on the doctrine of emptiness (sunyata) and/or the identity of samsara and nirvana, and the belief that awakening is attainable by all sentient beings not merely the elect few as was advocated by the ancient Hinayanists.
Mahayanashraddhotpada-shastra (S): “The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana.” While attributed to the Indian monk Ashvaghosha, this treatise is almost certainly of Chinese origin. A short work that lays out some of the basic tenets of Mahayana philosophy, this text has been used as a corner stone in the East Asian tradition most noticeably for its depiction of buddha-nature.
Maitreya (S); Mi-lo-fo (C); Miroku (J): the next Buddha to be born in this world system, Maitreya is said to currently reside in Tusita heaven and is expected to be reborn here in about thirty-thousand years. See also Mi-lo-fo.
maitri (S); metta (P): loving-kindness, a principle Buddhist virtue which is to be cultivated as part of one’s practice.
mala (S): literally, a “garland,” the mala is a string of beads used by Buddhists to recite mantras or the nembutsu. Traditional malas held 108 beads.
manas (S); mano (P): mind, consciousness, intelligence, or ego. In the Yogacara formulation of consciousness, the manas is said to be the seat of one’s delusional sense of self.
mandala (S): literally a circle, mandalas a pictorial representations of reality as it is. Used primarily in tantric Buddhism, the practitioner usually used them as a visualization guide.
Majushri (S); Wen-shu (C); Monju (J): an extremely important bodhisattva in East Asian Buddhism representing wisdom. In the Vajrayana tradition, he is believed to have given teachings to several important masters.
mantra (S): a string of very powerful syllables said to have manifest cosmic forces and often associated with protecting one’s body while practicing. See also dharani.
Mantrayana: a term for Vajrayana which has fallen out of favor.
mappo (J): the age of the degenerate dharma. during the Buddha’s teaching career, he is believed to have said that the Dharma would go through progressive ages of decline wherein the ability of humans to attain awakening would become increasingly difficult. Toward the end of the age of the Dharma, the only hope for sentient beings to attain nirvana was said to be “easy” practices. According to Chinese and Japanese Buddhist scholars, the age of mappo was believed to have come about around the eleventh to thirteenth century. Many schools were begun during this time based on the idea that enlightenment had become so difficult to attain that one should rely on a single, easy method such as reciting the name of the Buddha or a specific text such as the Lotus Sutra.
Mara (S, P): a personified symbol of death and the passions that overwhelm human beings on the path to awakening.
Medicine Buddha: see Bhaishajya-guru-buddha.
meditation: see dhyana.
Meru or Sumeru (S): the mythical “world mountain” said to exist at the center of this world system (or any world system) around which the various continents and their inhabitants dwell. In this world system, we are said to be living on a continent to the south of Meru called Jambudvipa. Various heavenly realms lie along the face of the mountain and into the space directly above.
metta (P): see maitri.
Middle Way: a term used for the teachings of the Buddha referring to his finding balance between indulging in extreme sensual luxury and extreme religious or ascetic practices.
mikkyo (J): “secret teachings,” the Japanese term for esoteric or tantric teachings.
Mi-lo-fo (C): another name for Maitreya, Mi-lo-fo- is often depicted as the “laughing Buddha” with a large belly and sometimes surrounded by children. This atypical Chinese icon has a rather complex history. There is evidence that he is based on an historical figure who was known in ancient China for his ability to predict the weather as well as widely considered to be an incarnation of the Buddha-to-be, Maitreya. In his current form, he is said to be something of a luck charm for wealth and a protector of children, something of unique importance to Chinese sensibilities. See also Pu-tai.
mindfulness: see smriti.
mudra (S): a posture (usually of the hands) that symbolizes a teaching of the Buddha. The most common is the dhyani mudra where in the left hand rests in the palm of the right with the thumbs touching very gently above forming a circle as practiced in the Zen tradition.
muni (S): a pious person or sage. As part of the title Sakyamuni, the terms means, “sage of the Sakya clan.”
Myoho-renge-kyo (J): the Japanese title of the Lotus Sutra. See Saddharmapundarika-sutra.
naga (S): a serpant or dragon. In Buddhist cosmology/mythology, nagas are semi-divine beings usually charged with protecting the dharma.
Nagarjuna (S): the most piviotal thinker/philosopher/scholasitc of anceient Indian Buddhism of the 2nd or 3rd century CE. Of his many accomplishments, Nagarjuna is best known for his writings on empitness (sunyata) which are encapsulated in the prajna-paramita sutras. His writings assisted in the development of the Mahayana, and several core beliefs within this tradition can easily be traced back to him such as the essential identity of samsara and nirvana.
namo (J): see nembutsu.
nembutsu (J): the recitation of the name of the Buddha, in Japan, usually the Buddha Amida. This can be seen as an act of reverence, gratitude, or meditative practice depending on the tradition.
nen [念] (J): to contemplate or hold in mind or recite the name of the Buddha.
Nichiren (1222-1282): the founder of the Nichren-shu school of Japanese Buddhism which holds that enlightenment can be had merely through recitation of the translated title of the Lotus Sutra in the form of namu-myoho-renge-kyo.
nikaya (S/P): literally the corpus or collection of teachings which refers to the collection of sutras in the Pali cannon.
nirodha (S): literally “dissolution,” this term refers to the destruction of the passions which are the root cause of duhkha.
nirvana (S); nibbana (P); nehan (J): the “goal” of all Buddhist practice, nirvana is seen as the elimination of all worldly passions or desires or attachments and thus a release from the phenomenal world. Loosely translated, the term refers to the moment a candle is “blown out,” and if one is lucky enough to find a definition of what nirvana is, it is usually a definition of what nirvana isn’t. While there are clearly several levels of enlightenment where one moves from the lower graders of the arhant up through the various bodhisattva stages until supreme enlightenment and Buddhahood, one thing is clear: attaining nirvana means release from the turbulent effects of karma and the suffering usually associated with rebirth in the various realms of samsara.
nivarana (S/P): the five obstructions or hinderances to enlightenment which are (1) desire, (2) ill will, (3) sloth, (4) restlessness, and (5) doubt.
nyorai (J): see tathagata.
Obaku (J): with the better known Rinzai and Soto schools, one of the three traditional schools Zen which rose in Japan in the mid-seventeenth century.
Ojoyoshu (J): a tenth century text composed by the Tendai monk and Shinshu master Genshi which graphically outlines the various realms of rebirth in order to demonstrate the superiority of the Pure Land path. This text has been one of the primary ways in which the Japanese have visualized the after-life.
Om (S): a Sankrit term found widely in both Hinduism and Buddhism as a comprehensive syllable encompassing all things. Merely chanting the character (which is, technically, three syllables) encapsulates the creative energy of the whole cosmos. As part of the larger mantra “om mani padme hum,” it is considered to be the mantra of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and, as such, has important connections to compassion and universal awakening.
padma (S): a lotus flower which in Buddhism is a symbol of the true nature of sentient beings; that is, out of the grime and muck of a swamp grows a pure and undefiled thing of beauty.
pagoda (J): a multistoried, four or eight sided structure similar in form to a south Asian stupa found in China, Korea, and Japan. Both stupas and pagodas are primarily reliquaries holding the remains of the Buddha, buddhist holy figures, or great teachers. See stupa.
Pali (P): an Indian dialect whose origins are continually debated. While some believe this was the dialect of Sanskrit most closely related to that which the historical Buddha is likely to have spoken, there is considerable archeological evidence to the contrary. Pali is likely one of several Prakrit languages and is the script in which the Theravada cannon is written.
paramartha-satya (S): the ultimate truth, as opposed to conventional truth. In Mahayana epistemology, ultimate truth is said to be that of the Buddha, the awakened knowledge of reality as it is.
paramita (S): commonly translated as “perfections,” the paramitas are the virtues practiced and perfected by bodhisattvas. In a list of either six or ten, the paramitas are (1) generosity, (2) discipline, (3) patience, (4) energy, (5) meditation, (6) wisdom, (7) upaya, or skillful means, (8) vows, (9) supernatural power, (10) knowledge of the true Dharma.
parinirvana (S); parinibbana (P): nirvana entered when a Buddha passes away at death.
prajña (S); pañña (P): wisdom, in Mahayana, the intuitively grasped knowledge of reality as it is which cannot be put into words but is at the heart of the enlightenment experience.
prapanca (S): meaningful words and labels which we give to things in the phenomenal world. That is, from the enlightened point of view, the world is seen in its suchness, just as it is. Unenlightened minds give meaning to the world by dividing it up and discriminating between things and events and ideas. These labels have no basis in reality but are merely convenient labels with no other purpose than for communication.
Pratimoksa (S); Pratimokkha (P): the section of the monastic Vinaya containing the rules and code of conduct for monks and nuns which is received twice monthly. During this ceremony, any violations of these rules is expected to be confessed to the community.
pratitya-samutpada (S); patichchasamuppada (P): the twelve-fold chain of conditioned co-arising which in very early and basic Buddhist philosophy accounts for how the world as we knows it comes into being, rises, decays, and comes into being again while being simultaneously an interconnected whole. A basic understanding of pratitya-samutpada along with the five skhandas and the doctrine of anatman provide the basis of the Buddhist claim that there is no permanent, independent self to which we can cling.
pratyeka-buddha (S): a term for a person who is able to attain awakening on his or her own without learning the Buddha Dharma.
preta (S): a hungry ghost. One of the six realms of rebirth, a rebirth as a preta is usually the result of greed, envy and jealousy. In pictorial representations, pretas are shown with very tiny mouths, long thin throats, and huge empty bellies. Whatever food they manage to come by usually turns to dust or fire as soon at it touches their lips.
Pure Land: see Jodo. A Pure or Buddha Land, generally speaking, is land in which a Buddha resides. We are currently living in the Buddha Land of Sakyamuni Buddha.
Pu-tai (C): Chinese monk believed to have lived in the 10th century who was thought to be an incarnation of the Buddha-to-be Maitreya. Pu-tai was widely known in his time for being able to predict the weather. Over time, he has come to be known as the “Laughing Buddha,” usually shown as a very jovial character with a large, full belly and a hempen sack. His statues, which line the shelves of stores throughout China town, are said to be good luck charms, and his symbolism speaks directly to Chinese sensibilities with a concern for success in business as well as family life.
Rahula (S): the historical Buddha’s son, born shortly before he renounced the householder’s life to begin his quest for awakening. He was later ordained by the Buddha’s disciple Sariputra.
rakan (J): see arhat.
Rennyo (1415-1499): the “second founder” of the Honganji branch of Jodo Shinshu in Japan whose missionary activities led to the rapid expansion and development of Shinshu. Rennyo’s interpretation of (the historical founder of Shinshu) Shinran’s teachings are taken as authoritative to this day.
rinpoche (T): Tibetan term for lama. See lama.
Rinzai-shu (J): see Lin-chi-tsung.
rokudo [六道] (J): the six realms of rebirth. See gati.
Saddharmapundarika-sutra (S): the Lotus Sutra. One of the most important sutras of the Mahayana, the Lotus Sutra contains such pivotal teachings as the transcendental nature of the Buddha, upali (or skillful means), and it’s own self-professed superiority to the Hinayana schools. The Lotus Sutra, while important in nearly all schools of Buddhism, became the foundational text for the Nichiren school whose followers believe that merely reciting the transliterated titled of the sutra — na-myoho-renge-kyo — will result in the adherent’s awakening.
samadhi (S); sanmai or zanmai (J): a meditative state. Samadhi is non-dualistic mental state where the mind is collected around a single object attained through a series of calming mental activities.
samsara (S): the round of rebirth. The various realms of existence wherein we live as delusional, unenlightened sentient beings. Often opposed to nirvana, this dualism is deceptive for several reasons. Nirvana, technically, is not a realm in the same way that samsara is. Further, nirvana is defined as a state of consciousness which sees reality as it is. Thus, we experience nirvana right here in samsara.
samvriti-satya (S): the convention truth we experience on a daily basis. It is the truth of discriminative thinking, our tendency to label and understand the world around us. It is contrasted with the ultimate truth. See paramartha-satya.
samyojana (S/P): in Hinayana teachings, the fetters that one must overcome to attain awakening. They are, (1) belief in individuality, (2) skepticism, (3) clinging to rites and rules, (4) craving or desire, (5) hatred, (6) craving for refined corporeality, (7) craving for incorporeality, (8) conceit, (9) excitability, and (10) ignorance.
sangha (S): originally, the community of monks and nuns in Buddhist tradition, the term sangha usually refers to the larger community of lay-persons as well as ordained monastics.
Sarnath (S): city near Benares in India where the Buddha is said to have delivered his first sermon, thus setting the wheel of dharma in motion.
satori (J): Japanese Zen term for the experience of enlightenment.
sesshin (J): a period of intense meditative practice within Zen communities.
Sakyamuni (shi-yaka-moo-ni) (S): literally, the “sage of the Sakya clan,” it is one of the names of the historical Buddha used most widely in Mahayana and East Asian Buddhism when referring to the Buddha.
Santideva (shan-ti-de-va) (S): a Madhyamika School proponent who outlined a serious of practices for the bodhisattva path in his work The Bodhicaryavatara.
Sariputra (S); Sariputta (P): a primary disciple of the Buddha who figured predominately in many of the teachings, particularly the Heart Sutra.
shin [心] (J): a general term, from the Chinese hsin, for heart, mind, consciousness, and so on.
Shin Buddhism: see Jodo Shinshu.
shinjin [信心] (J): the moment of enlightenment awakened within sentient beings through the infinite compassion of the Buddha Amida.
Shinran (1173-1262): the historical founder of the Jodo Shinshu school, Gotoku Shinran Shonin never saw his own teachings as anything more than the teachings of his master Honen. Nevertheless, in part due to their exile to different parts of Japan, Shinran’s teachings did develop in a slightly different way from his predecessor. Shinran taught it is tariki, or “other power,” of the the Buddha which is the cause of enlightenment. It is the Buddha Amida who, through his boundless light and compassion, awakens shinshin in the hearts and minds of sentient beings. As a result of this moment of naturalness and calming of the mind, one spontaneously utters the nembutsu not as practice as such but as an act of gratitude toward the Buddha.
shravaka (S): originally, a term used in reference to one of the followers of the Buddha. In later times, it came to be used by the Mahayana as term to describe one who is seeking enlightenment for himself along a Hinayana path.
Siddhartha Gautama: the given name of the man who would become the Buddha. The exact dates of his life are the subject of some debate, but he was no doubt born around 550 B.C.E. and passed away some eighty years later. Born in Lumbini (modern day Nepal), he lived a sheltered life by his father Suddhana who wanted him to become a great king. Eventually, when he learned of the harsh realities of birth, sickness, old age, and death, he renounced the household life and went on a search for answers to his existential questions. After a period of asceticism in which he learned little more than what the meditative and yogic practices of the time could teach, he left his fellow ascetics and sat beneath a bo-tree determined to attain the essential truths of existence. At the age of thirty-five, he had his great awakening moment, became the Buddha, and went on to spend the remainder of his days teaching the Dharma for the sake of all sentient beings.
sila (S/P): the term used for moral behavior of monks; also one of the bodhisattva perfections.
skandha (S); khanda (P): the five aggregates which constitute a sentient being, they include (1) form, (2) feeling or sensation, (3) perception, (4) mental formations, and (5) consciousness. As a teaching tool, the Buddha uses the five skandhas as a way to remind us that no matter where we look, our existence is not dependent upon any one of these things. We are not merely our bodies (form), nor are we our minds (consciousness) or our views and ideas about the world (mental formations). Take away any one of these are we cease to be. They are mutually dependent and impermanent. Thus, says the Buddha, any attempt to create a sense of self, ego, soul, or I is fruitless.
smriti (S); sati (P): mindfulness. Mindfulness, as a practice, is an attempt to be fully and completely mindful of one’s body or mental functions. For example, in zazen practice one is mindful of the breath as it enters and exits the body. Mindfulness is also one of the steps in the eightfold path.
Soto Shu (J): see Ts’ao-tung-tsung.
storehouse consciousness: see alaya-vijñana.
stupa (S); thupa (P); choten (T): a reliquary where, originally, remains of the Buddhas or other Buddhist saints and patriarchs would have been housed. Over time, stupas very often had no actual remains in them but became purely symbolic. The architecture of a stupa is, of course, highly symbolic with various parts representing the five elements of air, water, fire, earth, and empty space. Flags and umbrellas often adorn them, and usually they are situated within a compound with gates opening to the four cardinal directions. Stupas can found throughout South and South East Asia as well as Tibet. In East Asia, the stupas are referred to pagodas, a type of structure with native roots and Buddhist overtones which serves essentially the same function.
Sukhavati (su-KAH-va-ti) (S): literally, the “land of bliss,” this is the name of the Pure Land in which Amitabha Buddha resides.
Sukhavati-vyuha-sutra (S): the sutra of the Pure Land, Sukhavati-vyuha usually refers either the Larger of the Smaller Pure Land sutra which both outline the foundation of and practice which results in birth in the Pure Land.
Sumeru (S): see Mt. Meru.
sunyata (shoon-yah-TAH) (S); sunnata (P): often translated as “emptiness,” sunyata is a central notion of Mahayana Buddhism which deals with the fundamental nature of the universe. Broadly stated, sunyata tells us that all phenomenal existence, all the “things” and events which we experience, are empty of any inherent, independent existence. This does not mean that the world in which we live does not exist. On the contrary, it simply exists in a radically different way than we normally experience it. While we experience individual and seemingly separate events and ideas and persons and things, sunyata points to the essential interdependence of all these things. What you are experiencing right now, reading this web-page, is intricately connected to me, the person writing it even if we are separated by days or months or years in time and thousands of miles in space. Part of who I am, at a fundamental level, is not a part of you, the reader. This is the heart of the prajna-paramita teachings. This is sunyata.
sutra (S); sutta (P): literally a “thread,” a sutra is a book or collections of teachings of the historical Buddha. Each sutra, which is said to have been memorized and recited at the First Buddhist Council by Ananda, begins with Ananda declaring, “Thus have I heard.” This is followed by the time and location of the sermon about to be delivered as well as a list of those in attendance. Then the Buddha begins to teach in either dialogue form, questions and answers, sermons, parables, or some combination thereof. Sutras as a whole represent on of the “three baskets” of teachings in the tripitika.
Suzuki, D.T. (Daistsu Teitaro) (1870-1966): Japanese Rinzai Zen scholar credited with helping bring Buddhism to West following the World Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893.
Suzuki, Shunryu (1905-1971): Japanese Soto Zen teacher who came to the United States in 1958 and founded a number of Zen centers including the San Francisco Zen Center, Zen Mountain Center in Tassajara, California, and Green Gulch Farm in Marin County.
Taisho issaikyo (J): a modern edition of the Chinese Tripitika drafted between 1924 and 1934, the Taisho cannon is widely taken to be authoritative in several schools and lineages in East Asian Buddhism.
tantra (S): a term often synonymous for Vajrayana Buddhism. Tantra, broadly defined, is a set of practices designed to wake up the disciple through complex and elaborate rituals. See Vajrayana.
Tara (T): said to have arisen from the tears of Avalokitesvara to help aid the bodhisattva in his work, Tara is a the feminine embodiment of compassion. Tara in her various forms, colors, and symbolism, has a rich following in Tibetan Buddhism.
tariki [他力] (J): literally, “other-power.” According to Shinran it is through the other power of the Buddha Amida that enlightenment is awakened within sentient beings. It is contrasted with “self-power” (jiriki), which Shinran believed was ineffective due to the inherent dichotomy which it creates.
Tathagata (S/P): either the “thus-gone” or the “thus-come/perfected” one, an epitaph for a Buddha.
tathagata-garbha (S): the “womb of the Buddha,” it refers to the innate quality of enlightenment which resides in all sentient beings as explained in early Mahayana sutras. According to some scholars, it is this term which became conflated with “the Dao” in China and led to the development of the idea of Buddha nature in East Asia. See buddhata.
tathata (S): suchness, the world as it is.
ten epithets of a Buddha: the ten names given to an enlightened one which are (1) tathagata, (2) arhat, (3) samyaksambuddha, (4) gifted in knowledge and conduct, (5) well-gone one, (6) knower of the worlds, (7) unsurpassable teacher, (8) teacher of gods and men, (9) awakened one/Buddha, (10) sublime one.
ten powers: see dasabala.
Theravada (P): literally, the “teachings of the elders,” this is the sole surviving non-Mahayana school in the modern world. While the school itself believes its teachings to harken back to the historical Buddha, it’s own history is of course slightly more complex. It does, nevertheless, base its teachings on those of several Hinayana schools which developed at the same time as the major Mahayana schools. Theravada today is the major school in south India and Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Laos, and Kampuchea.
thirty-two marks of perfection of the Buddha: see dvatrimshadvara-lakshana.
three jewels: see triatna.
trikaya (S): literally “the three bodies” of the Buddha. The three bodies of the Buddha are the dharmakaya (which represents the transcendental reality of the universe as suchness), the sambhogakaya (a representation of the truth which a Buddha embodies), and the nirmanakaya (which is the physical body of a Buddha).
tripitaka (S/P): literally the “three baskets” of the Buddhas teachings traditionally divided into the Vinaya (the monastic rules), the Sutras (the teachings of the Buddha), and the Abhidharma (a philosophical synthesis of the teachings).
triratna (S); tiratna (P): the three jewels or precious ones of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. All Buddhists take refuge in the three jewels as a sign of adherence to the Buddhist teachings and traditions. In fact, it might be the only reliable way to define who is a Buddhist and who is not.
trishna (S); tanha (P): thirst of craving. Craving and desire is one of, if not the, root cause of our suffering.
Ts’ao-tung-tsung (C); Sotoshu (J): Chinese school of Ch’an founded by Tung-shan Liang-cheh and brought to Japan by Zen Master Dogen in the early 13th century. Today, Soto Zen is one of the primary schools of Zen in Japan and enjoys a wide following in the United States as well.
tso-ch’an (C); zazen (J): the basic teaching of Soto Zen revolving around being acutely mindful of oneself. In this state of mindfulness, one is experiencing the world as suchness and thus enlightenment itself.
tulku (T): the term for someone who, after a series of tests, is recognized as the reincarnation of a deceased teacher.
Tun-huang (dune-wong) (C): an oasis town on the Silk Road where, in 1907, an extensive complex of caves were discovered. It is here that Buddhism was introduced to China nearly two thousand years ago. As an archeological site, it is extraordinary. Cave temples, paintings, and statuary underscore the enormous Buddhist library uncovered. The modern understanding of how Buddhism developed in East Asia has been largely informed by this discovery.
Tusita (two-SHI-tah) (S): the heaven in which the next Buddha perfects his practices before being reborn as a human being in his final incarnation. Currently, the Bodhisattva Maitreya resides here awaiting his next rebirth.
ullambana (S): the festival of hungry ghosts celebrated in East Asia on the fifteenth day of the seventh month.
upadna (P): attachments which lead to further rebirths.
Upadhyaya (S): the monk within a community who is responsible for reciting the monastic rules in a community.
Upali (S): disciple of the Buddha who was charged with reciting the monastic rules as the First Buddhist Council.
upasaka (m), upasika (f) (S/P): a lay disciple of the Buddha.
upaya (S); hoben (J): literally, “skillful means,” upaya is the ability of a bodhisattva to discern exactly what he or she needs to do to awaken sentient beings. The paradigmatic example, from the Lotus Sutra, is the parable of the burning house. A wealthy man and devoted father discovers his house is on fire. His children, so engaged in play, do not realize the danger they are in. In order to get his children to safety, he promises them individual deer carts if they leave the house. Upon escaping the burning house, they discover that there is but on deer cart even more beautifully adorned that the ones they had expected. They are joyful because the truth is better than what they were led to believe and because they realize they are out of the burning house. The Buddha uses this as a parable for how the bodhisattva teaches.
Vairochana (S): one of the five transcendent buddhas, a symbol of supreme wisdom, and a central object of devotion within Vajrayana practices wherein the practicioner identifies with the Buddha.
vajra (S); dorje (T): diamond or adamantine or lightening bolt. This Buddhist symbol is not a weapon, as in Hinduism, but represents the indestructible quality of the Buddha’s wisdom and teachings.
Vajrayana (S): the Vajra School of Buddhism, often associated with tantra. Philosophically, Vajrayana is most closely related to the Mahayana schools. In practice, however, it developed its own set of rituals, rites, and practices based on the esoteric teachings of tantra. These can be divided into three groups focusing on awakening sentient beings through the body, speech, and mind. Bodily practices revolve around mudras and yogic postures. Aural practices revolve around the recitation of sutras and the chanting of dharani and mantras. And the mental practices revolve around complex visualizations and meditative rituals often employing mandalas. Vajrayana Buddhism is most commonly found in Tibet but tantric elements can be found littered throughout East Asian Buddhism.
vijñana (S): consciousness. See alaya-vijñana.
Vimalakirtinirdesha-sutra (S): the Vimalatirti Sutra is a widely popular Mahayana Sutra which tells the story of the wealthy lay-man Vimalakirti said to be a great bodhisattva despite the fact that he has not renounced the householder’s life. It is easy to see how such a story of a non-monastic being a great enlightened master could be so popular in China, a culture which values the family unit and was skeptical of this foreign religion which advocated that its followers leave their homes for a celibate life apart from society.
vinaya-pitaka (S/P): the vinaya, as one of the three baskets, is the set of monastic rules for monks and nuns. While several texts simple outline the two to three hundred rules, many of the text tell the particular circumstances in which the rules were created during the life and teaching career of the historical Buddha.
vipasyana (S); vipassana (P): insight meditation practiced primarily in Hinayana schools which seeks to look deeply into the egoless nature of consciousness. Vipassana practice has become widely popular in modern South Asia and the West quite apart from its original Buddhist teachings with Vipassana Centers being set up around the world.
waka (J): traditional form of Japanese poetry similar to haiku but with the syllable pattern 5-7-5-7-7.
wasan (J): literally a “song of praise,” wasan are Buddhists songs in honor of a particular Buddha, bodhisattva, or event.
Yama (S): in Buddhist cosmology, a ruler of hell realms.
Yashodhara (S): Siddhartha Gautama’s wife with whom she bore a son, Rahula. Years after her husband left her Yashodhara, too, became a disciple of the Buddha.
Yogacara (yo-gha-chara) (S): school of Mahayana Buddhism popularly known as the “consciousness only” school founded on the prajna-paramita and sunyata teachings central to early Mahayana. The school also detailed the functions of the unenlightened mind wherein all of one’s sense perceptions are filtered through the manas, a false sense of self, which in turn leads one to act and generate more karma. See alaya-vijñana.
yojana (S): a unit of measure commonly referred to in Buddhist texts. It is approximately fifteen to twenty kilometers.
zafu (J): a round cushion used in Zen meditation.
zazen (J): see tso-ch’an.
Zen (J): see Ch’an, dhyana.
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