Buddhism

anatman

the principle that there is no eternal self

anitya

impermanence

arhant

a "worthy one" who has followed the Buddha's path to liberation

bkikshu

a monk or nun who renounces worldliness for the sake of following the path of liberation and whose simple physical needs are met by lay supporters

bodhisattva

a person who is dedicated to liberating others from suffering

deity yoga

Vajrayana meditation on a deity in order to develop his or her qualities

Dharma

the teachings and law for conduct given by the Buddha

dukkha

discomfort, suffering, frustration, disharmony

karma

actions; the law of cause and effect

kensho

a sudden experience of enlightened awareness

koan

a question used by Zen teachers to boggle the student's mind and thus liberate direct awareness

lama

a high vajrayana teacher

Mahayana

the "great vehicle", the branch of Buddhist schools that stress the altruistic wish to become perfectly awakened in order to free all living beings from suffering

nirvana

liberation from mental afflictions, suffering, and rebirth

Pali Canon

Ancient Buddhist scriptures written in Pali and considered authoritative

samsara

cyclic existence; the continual round of birth, death, and rebirth

sangha

the monastic community; more broadly, a dharma community

stupa

monument containing Buddhist relics or images

shunyata

the doctrine of voidness, emptiness

Theravada

the remaining of the early schools of Buddhism, which adheres to the earliest scriptures

Triple Gem

the buddha, the dharma, and the Sangha

Vajrayana

A branch of Buddhism practiced in the Tibetan diaspora that incorporates deity yoga, mantras, mudras (hand gestures), and mandalas to achieve awakening; sometimes included as a school of the Mahayana branch

vipassana

insight, a meditation technique for developing insight into dukka, anicca, and anatta

zazen

sitting meditation, in zen schools

zen

a chinese and japanese mahayana school emphasizing that all things have buddha-nature, which can only be grasped when one escapes from the intellectual mind.

Arahantship

the state of being an arahant- a person who has reached enlightenment while still alive; the ideal of the Theravada tradition

Bhikku

A buddhist monk

Bhikkuni

A fully ordained Buddhist nun

Buddha

"The Enlightened One"; the title adopted by Siddhartha Gautama; founder of Buddhism

Dakini

A female figure straddling the boundaries between woman (mostly young and seductive), sorceress, and fairy; important as the consort of the male practitioner in tantric tradition

Dasasila Mata

"mother of the ten precepts", name for a lay renunciant in Sri Lanka who has taken ten precepts but is not a fully ordained bhikshuni

Dharma (sanskrit), Dhamma (pali)

The teachings of the Buddha

Hinayana

"lower vehicle"; derogatory designation for those Buddhist schools that evolved prior to the Mahayana

"Protestant" Buddhism

The Buddhism promoted by reformers such as Anagarika Dharmapala in Sri Lanka in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: stripped of folk elements, rituals, and legends, and emphasizing ethics, reason, and humanism

Shingon

Japanese school of tantric Buddhism

Sukhatvi

Buddha Amitabha's pure land, where spiritually advanced followers enjoy his presence and teachings

Tantra

A class of Buddhist texts present as "Buddha word"; the Tantras form part of the Tibetan Buddhist canon and contain the teachings of Vajrayana

Therigatha

"The Songs of the Elder", a collection of poens attributed to early Buddhist nuns

Vinaya

The collection of Buddhist monastic rules and guidelines