Buddhist Psychology Vocab

Afflictive Factors
Mental states that lead to suffering and unwholesome actions in Buddhist psychology.

Altruistic Love
Selfless love and concern for the well-being of others.

Altruism
Acting for the benefit of others without personal gain.

Anatman (Anatta)
The Buddhist doctrine of "no-self," rejecting a permanent, unchanging soul.

Atman
The concept of a permanent self or soul in Hindu philosophy, which Buddhism rejects.

Avalokiteshvara
The bodhisattva of compassion, often depicted with multiple arms to help all beings.

Avidya (Avijja)
Ignorance or misunderstanding, a key cause of suffering in Buddhism.

Brahma Vihara
The four sublime states: loving-kindness (metta), compassion (karuna), sympathetic joy (mudita), and equanimity (upekkha).

Bodhi
Awakening or enlightenment in Buddhism.

Bodhicitta
The compassionate aspiration to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.

Bodhisattva
An enlightened being who remains in the cycle of samsara to help others attain enlightenment.

Buddha
"The Awakened One," referring to Siddhartha Gautama and other enlightened beings.

CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
A therapeutic approach that helps individuals change negative thought patterns.

Citta
Mind or consciousness in Buddhist psychology.

Close Counterfactual
A thought about how a past event could have happened differently with small changes.

Dependent Origination
The Buddhist principle that all things arise due to conditions and causes.

Dharma (Dhamma)
The teachings of the Buddha and the truth of reality.

Dharmas
Basic elements of reality in Buddhist philosophy.

Duhkha (Dukkha)
Suffering, dissatisfaction, or unsatisfactoriness in life.

Empathy Fatigue
Emotional exhaustion from excessive empathy and concern for others' suffering.

Engaged Buddhism
Applying Buddhist teachings to social, political, and environmental activism.

Heuristics
Mental shortcuts or rules of thumb used for decision-making.

Impermanence
The Buddhist teaching that all things are in a constant state of change.

Implicit Bias
Unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that affect understanding and decisions.

Interdependence
The concept that all things and beings are interconnected and influence each other.

Karma (Kamma)
The law of cause and effect; actions shape future experiences.

Karuna
Compassion, the wish to alleviate suffering.

Kindness Curriculum
A program that teaches mindfulness and compassion to children.

Lay Precepts
Moral guidelines followed by lay Buddhists, such as refraining from harm and dishonesty.

Maitri
Loving-kindness, an attitude of goodwill toward all beings.

Manas
The mind as a source of perception and cognition.

Marga
The path to liberation in Buddhism, particularly the Eightfold Path.

MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction)
A program using mindfulness to reduce stress and improve well-being.

MBCT (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy)
A therapy combining mindfulness and cognitive techniques to prevent relapse in depression.

Metta
Loving-kindness meditation to cultivate compassion.

Mind Wandering
When thoughts drift away from the present moment.

Nirodha
The cessation of suffering, one of the Four Noble Truths.

Nirvana
The ultimate goal in Buddhism: liberation from suffering and rebirth.

Paramitas
The six or ten perfections that bodhisattvas cultivate, such as generosity and wisdom.

Reality Checking
A practice used in lucid dreaming to determine if one is dreaming.

Right View/Understanding
Seeing reality as it is, free from delusion.

Right Thought
Thinking with intention, free from ill will and harmful desires.

Right Speech
Speaking truthfully and kindly.

Right Action
Acting ethically and without harm.

Right Livelihood
Earning a living in a way that does not harm others.

Right Effort
Diligence in cultivating positive mental states.

Right Mindfulness
Awareness of body, feelings, and thoughts in the present moment.

Right Concentration
Focused meditation leading to deeper states of awareness.

Rupa
Physical form or matter in Buddhist philosophy.

Samjña
Perception or recognition in Buddhist psychology.

Samsara
The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

Samskara
Mental formations, including habits and conditioning.

Samudaya
The origin of suffering, one of the Four Noble Truths.

Sangha
The Buddhist community of monks, nuns, and lay followers.

SEE Learning
A program integrating social, emotional, and ethical learning.

Shamatha (Samatha)
Calm-abiding meditation to develop mental tranquility.

Shila (Sila)
Ethical discipline in Buddhism.

Shunyata
Emptiness, the teaching that things lack intrinsic existence.

Six Realms
The different states of existence in Buddhist cosmology.

Skandhas
The five aggregates that make up a person: form, sensation, perception, mental formations, and consciousness.

Smrti (Sati)
Mindfulness or awareness.

Sutra (Sutta) Pitaka
A collection of Buddhist scriptures containing the Buddha’s discourses.

System 1
Fast, intuitive, and automatic thinking.

System 2
Slow, deliberate, and analytical thinking.

The Four Noble Truths
The foundation of Buddhist teachings: suffering exists, suffering has a cause, suffering can end, and there is a path to its cessation.

Three Poisons or Root Afflictions
Greed, hatred, and ignorance—the causes of suffering.

The Two Truths
The Buddhist doctrine that reality consists of conventional truth and ultimate truth.

Tripitaka
The "Three Baskets," the Buddhist scriptures containing teachings, monastic rules, and philosophy.

Vedana
Feelings or sensations in Buddhist psychology.

Vijñana
Consciousness or awareness.

Vinaya
The monastic code of discipline in Buddhism.

Upward Counterfactual
Thinking about how past events could have been better.

Virtuous Factors
Positive mental states leading to well-being and ethical behavior.