Buddhist Ethics - Introduction Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, texts, names, and concepts introduced in the reading on Buddhist ethics by Padmasiri De Silva.

Siddhartha

The personal name of the Buddha, who lived as a prince in the kingdom of the Sakyas in North India during the sixth century BCE.

Gotama

The family name of the Buddha.

Sakyas

The kingdom in North India ruled by Siddhartha's father.

jhānas

States of meditative absorption taught by meditation teachers during Siddhartha's time.

Three Realities of Insight

The core realities focused on during the development of insight meditation: impermanence, suffering, and egolessness.

Vinaya Piṭaka

The group of discourses dealing with the rules of discipline for Buddhist monks.

Sutta Piṭaka

The group of discourses containing the basic teachings of the Buddha.

Abhidhamma Piṭaka

A systematization of Buddhist doctrine compiled by later commentators.

Three Baskets

The collective term for the Vinaya Piṭaka, Sutta Piṭaka, and Abhidhamma Piṭaka, which serve as the primary sources for studying Buddhism and its practical codes of conduct.

Pali Text Society

The organization that edited and printed the discourses of the Buddha in recent times, after they were originally written on ola leaves in the first century BCE.

Theravāda Buddhism

The very early tradition of Buddhism that took root in South East Asia, specifically in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, and Cambodia.

Mahāyāna

A later tradition of Buddhism meaning 'the Greater Vehicle', which developed in Nepal, China, Korea, and Japan.

Tantrayāna

A tradition of Buddhism meaning 'the Esoteric Vehicle', which emerged in Tibet and Mongolia.

Hīnayāna

A term meaning 'the lesser vehicle', used by Mahāyānists to refer to the early Buddhist tradition.