pdn’s buddhist glossary bodhisattva - prison...

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PDN’s BuddhistGlossary

AAbhidharma: (Sanskrit;Abhidhamma, Pali) Lit: higherteaching. Third division of theTheravadan scriptures, largely acommentary/analysis of theSermons.

Acharya (teacher). Meditationmaster.

Amitabha: Sanskrit; Amida(Japanese); one of the majorbuddhas of Mayahana; createdPure Land free from suffering inwhich one can attain rebirth bycalling out his name. A deity of thetantric pantheon. The Buddha ofInfinite Light, the perfected state ofour faculty of perception/discrimi-nation.

Anagarika: Lit: homeless one.Someone who has adopted ahomeless life without formallyordaining as a monk.

Anapana Sati: (Pali) Meditationon mindful breathing.

Arhat: Sanskrit; literally, “worthyone”; one who has attained thehighest level in the Theravadaschool; the fruition of arhatship isnirvana.

Ati: highest of the six tantricyanas of the vajrayana Nyingmaschool of Tibet (Old TranslationSchool). The six are kriya, upa(carya), yoga, mahayoga, anu andati.

Atisha: (982-1054) Indianscholar; in Tibet from 1038 till hisdeath. Reformed prevailingBuddhism. Founded the Kadampaschool of Tibetan Buddhism.

Avalokitesvara: Sanskrit;

Kannon (Japanese), Chen Resig(Tibetan), Kwan Um (Korean); thebodhisattva of compassion.

Ayatana: A category of theabhidhama, including the sixsense organs (eye, ear, etc.) andtheir objects.

BBardos: (Tibetan) The statebetween two other states of being,especially the intermediate statebetween one life and the next.

Bhavana: (Sanskrit, Pali) Self-development by any means,especially meditation, minddevelopment, and concentration;meditative practices.

Bhikshu: (Sanskrit, Bhikkhu,Pali) A monk who lives from almsor offerings given by laypersons.

Bhumi: usually refers to the tenstages on the path of abodhisattva.

Bodhicaryavatara: (Sanskrit) Atext of Shantideva (Indian seventh-century Bodhisattva).

Bodhichitta: (Sanskrit;Boddhicitta, Pali) Compassionatewish to gain Enlightenment for thebenefit of all sentient beings.

Bodhidharma: (ca. 470-543)Considered the first patriarch ofZen Buddhism; according tolegend, he was the “Barbarianfrom the West” who brought Zenfrom India to China.

Bodhisattva: Sanskrit; Bosatsu(Japanese), Bosal (Korean); onewho postpones his/her ownenlightenment in order to helpliberate other sentient beings fromcyclic existence; compassion, orkaruna, is the central characteristicof the bodhisattva.

Brahmaviharas: (Sanskrit, Pali)Four sublime states/virtues whichelevate—loving kindness, compas-sion, sympathetic joy, and equa-nimity.

Buddha: Sanskrit; literally,“awakened one”; a person whohas been released from the worldof cyclic existence (samsara) andattained liberation from desire,craving, and attachment.Shakyamuni, also known asSiddhartha Gautama, the historicalBuddha, is considered to be thefirst Buddha of this age who waspreceded by many others and willbe followed by Maitreya;Mahayanists believe that there arecountless Buddhas for every age.

Buddhadharma: (Pali) TheBuddha’s teachings.

Buddha Families: The mandalaof the five tatagatas or jinas(victorious ones). They embodythe five wisdoms, but in samsara,these energies arise as the fiveconfused emotions. Everything inthe world is said to possess apredominant characteristic of oneof these five. The five families,tathagatas, wisdoms, confusedemotions, directions, and colorsrespectively, are as follows: 1)Buddha, Vairocana, Dharmadhatuwisdom, ignorance, center, white;2) vajra, Aksobhya, mirror-likewisdom, aggression, east, blue; 3)ratna (jewel), Ratnasambhava,wisdom of equanimity, pride,south, yellow; 4) padma (lotus)Amitabha, discriminating aware-ness wisdom, passion, west, red;5) karma (action), Amoghasiddhi,wisdom that accomplishes allactions, envy, north, green. Someof these qualities vary in differenttantras, especially those of buddhaand vajra.


CChenrezig: (Tibetan) Tibetanequivalent of Avalokiteshvara,embodiment of compassion.Supreme protector and patrondeity of Tibet.

Chogyal: (Tibetan) Title. Lit:Dharma Raja or Religious King orProtector of the Buddhist Religion.

DDana: (Sanskrit, Pali) BasicBuddhist virtue, the opposite ofgreed and translates as “generos-ity” or “giving.”

Dathun: Month-long meditationretreat.

Dharma: Sanskrit; dhamma(Pali); truth or reality; the centralnotion of Buddhism; teachings ofthe Buddha; it is considered one ofthe three “jewels” of Buddhism;often used as a general term forBuddhism.

Dharmata: (Sanskrit) Ground forbeing, the essence of everything;unifying spiritual reality; theabsolute from which all proceeds.

Dogen: (1200-1253) Japanesefounder of Soto Zen; brought Sotoschool to Japan; he stressedshikan taza, or just sitting, as themeans to enlightenment.

Dojo: (Japanese) Zen traininghall.

Dokusan: (Japanese) In Zen, aquestion-and-answer session withthe Master or Roshi during whichprogress is tested.Dön: Malevolent spirit, usually ofthe preta realm, who tends tocause disease—physical orpsychological—due to a lack ofmindfulness on the part of thepractitioner.

Dzogchen: Tibetan; literally,“great perfection”; supremeteachings of the Nyingma schoolof Tibetan Buddhism; its adherentsbelieve these teachings are thehighest and that no other meansare necessary; also known as ati-yoga.

EEmpowerment: ritual performedby eminent Tibetan Lamas; anessential prerequisite for thepractice of tantra.

Enlightenment: The word usedto translate the Sanskrit termbodhi (“awakened”); generallyused by Mahayanists instead ofthe Theravada term nirvana;connotes awakening to the mind’strue nature. State of perfectwisdom and limitless compassion.Achievement of a Buddha.

GGampopa: (1079-1153) Tibetanscholar, disciple of Milarepa andMarpa, whom he succeeded; oneof the founders of the Kagyuschool of Tibetan Buddhism.

Garuda: Bird of Indian mythologysaid to hatch fully grown andhence symbolizes the awakenedstate of mind.

Gelugpa: One of the four majorschools of Tibetan Buddhism; HisHoliness the Fourteenth DalaiLama is the spiritual head of thisschool.

Geshe: (Tibetan) Gelugpa titleequivalent to Doctor of Divinity.

Gompa: (Tibetan) Teaching andpractice hall; isolated place ormonastic site.

Guru: (Sanskrit) Teacher, particu-larly a spiritual master.

HHannya Shingyo: (Japanese)Diamond Sutra. Main Buddhistsutra chanted by Zen practitioners.

Hatha Yoga: (Sanskrit) yoga ofphysical exercises/breath control.Hatto: (Japanese) Dharma hall.

Hevajra: (Sanskrit) One of theTantric texts of Tibetan Buddhism.

Hondo: (Japanese) Sanctuary.

IIkebana: (Japanese) Flower-arranging used as a meditativepractice in some Zen traditions.

JJodo-shin-shu: literally, “TrueSchool of the Pure Land”; schoolof Japanese Buddhism founded byShinran; no monastic aspect—purely a lay community; emphasison relying on the power of AmidaBuddha (Amitabha) for salvation ismore extreme than that of theJodo-shu school; most importantschool of Buddhism in Japantoday.

Jodo-shu: literally, “School of thePure Land”; school of JapaneseBuddhism derived from the ideasof the Pure Land School of Chinawhich were brought to Japan in theninth century; officially founded byHonen in the twelfth century as ameans to open up an “easy path”to liberation by calling out thename of Amida Buddha(Amitabha); in contrast to theJodo-shin-shu school, its adher-ents enter the monastic life andunderstand calling out the name ofAmida as an act of gratitude ratherthan a means to strengthen trust inAmida.

Jukai: (Japanese) Precepts-taking ceremony.


K

Kagyu: One of the four majorschools of Tibetan Buddhism; theteaching was brought to Tibet inthe 11th century by Marpa; empha-sis on transmission of knowledgefrom master to student.

Kaisando: (Japanese) In Zen,founder’s hall and dokusan room.

Kanna-Zen: (Japanese) Form ofRinzai Zen founded in the twelfthcentury.

Karma: Sanskrit; literally, “action”;universal law of cause and effectwhich governs rebirth and theworld of samsara; our willedactions (including mental andvocal) will have consequences forus in the future.Kesa: (Japanese) Zen monkgarment.

Khenpo: (Tibetan) Title usually ofan Abbot; indicates high scholar-ship in Nyingma, Sakya, andKagyu schools.

Khyentse: (Tibetan) Lit: one inwhom wisdom and compassionare perfectly combined, name of anumber of exceptional Nyingmalamas during past two hundredyears.Kinhin: (Japanese) Formalmarching during periods of restfrom zazen to loosen stiff joints/exercise the body.

Klesha: see poison

Koan: Seemingly paradoxicalriddle or statement used as atraining device in Zen to force themind to abandon logic and dualis-tic thought.

Kusen: (Japanese) Oral teach-ings.

Kuti: Accommodation for indi-vidual meditation.

Kuan Yin: (Chinese; Japanese,Kannon; Tibetan, Avalokiteshvara)Bodhisattva of infinite compassionand mercy.

Kyudo: (Japanese) Art of archeryused as a meditation practice insome Zen traditions.

LLama: (Tibetan) Spiritual teacherwho may or may not be a celibatemonk venerated as an authenticembodiment of the Buddhistteachings. Conducts and teachesrituals. Today, often used as apolite form of address for anyTibetan monk regardless ofspiritual development.

Lamrim: (Tibetan) Lit: GraduatedPath. System of teaching foundedby Atisha (eleventh-century IndianMaster) in which all the stages ofthe path are laid out in a very clearand systematic manner. All fourmain schools of Tibetan Buddhismhave produced Lamrim texts.

Lojong: (Tibetan) Lit: mindtraining. Based on Lamrim teach-ings- explains how to train themind in daily life for the develop-ment of Bodhicitta.

Longchen: (1308-1363) Great-est scholar of the Nyingma tradi-tion of Tibetan Buddhism.

MMahamudra: (Sanskrit) As apractice it is popular in Kagyu andGelug schools of Tibetan Bud-dhism; as a path it is a sequenceof systematic advanced medita-tions on emptiness and pureappearance.

Mahathera: Title for Bhikku oftwenty years’ standing, usuallycalled Theras.

Mahayana: Sanskrit; literally, “theGreat Vehicle”; one of the threemajor schools of Buddhism whichdeveloped in India during the firstcentury; it is called the “GreatVehicle” because of its all-inclusiveapproach to liberation as embod-ied in the bodhisattva ideal and thedesire to liberate all beings; theMahayana school is also knownfor placing less emphasis onmonasticism than the Theravadaschool and for introducing thenotion of sunyata.

Maitreya: the Buddha expectedto come in the future as the fifthand last of the earthly Buddhas; heis believed to reside in the Tushitaheaven until then (about 30,000years from now); the cult ofMaitreya is widespread in TibetanBuddhism. Embodiment of loving-kindness of all the Buddhas;historical figure—Bodhisattvadisciple of Shakyamuni.

Mandala: (Sanskrit) In thecontext of tantra, a symmetricaldesign used as an object ofmeditation.

Mantra: (Sanskrit) String ofsound symbols recited to concen-trate and protect the mind.

Mara: (Sanskrit) Lit: death. Evilinfluences that impede one’sspiritual transformation. Personi-fied as a “tempter” whose baits arethe sensory pleasures. Moregenerally maras are difficulties thepractitioner may encounter, oftenclassified as : skandha-mara,misunderstanding the fiveskandhas as self; klesa mara,being overpowered by the klesas;mrtyu-mara, death, which inter-rupts one’s practice unless theyogin knows how to make it part ofthe path; and devaputtra-mara,seduction by the bliss of medita-tion—still dwelling in the godrealms of samsara.


Marpa: (1012-1097) Tibetanfounder of the Kagyu school ofTibetan Buddhism; most famouspupil was Milarepa.

Metta Bhavana: (Pali) Medita-tion on loving-kindness.

Milarepa: (1038-1122) Tibetanpoet-saint; a great figure in theKagyu school of Tibetan Bud-dhism.

Mudra: (Sanskrit) Lit: seal, sign.Bodily posture or symbolic gestureimbued with symbolic significancewhich may be used in ritual. Intantra, may refer to a femaleconsort.

NNaropa: (eleventh century) Indianmaster/accomplished scholar;teacher of Marpa and Milarepa;particularly famous for his SixYogas of Naropa.

Nembutsu: (Japanese) Recita-tion of The Name of AmidaBuddha, which in Japanese formthat most Shin Buddhists use isNamu Amida Butsu orNamuamidabu, which literallymeans “I take refuge in AmidaBuddha.” Principal practice of PureLand Buddhism.

Ngondro: (Tibetan) Preliminarypractices normally undertaken by ameditator prior to engaging intantric practice.

Nichiren: (1222-1282) Japanesemonk who believed in the supremeperfection of the Lotus Sutra; headvocated the devout recitation of“Namu myoho renge kyo,” the titleof the sutra, in order to attaininstantaneous enlightenment.

Nirvana: Sanskrit; literally,

“extinction, blowing out”; the goal ofspiritual practice in Buddhism;liberation from the cycle of rebirthand suffering.

Nyingma: One of the four majorschools of Tibetan Buddhism; theDzogchen teachings are thesupreme embodiment of thisschool.

Nyinthun: (Tibetan) Meditationpractice for a whole day.

Nyung-Neh: (Tibetan) Fastingritual normally led by a monk ornun.

OOryoki: (Japanese) Zen, formalmeal.

Osho: (Japanese) Zen priest.

PPadmasambhava: (eighthcentury) Indian Buddhist whovisited Tibet at the invitation of theking and taught various Buddhistprinciples; credited with foundingthe Nyingma school of TibetanBuddhism.

Panna: (Pali) Wisdom.

Paramitas: (Sanskrit) The TenPerfections cultivated by aBodhisattva. They are generosity,morality, renunciation, wisdom,energy, patience, truthfulness,determination, loving-kindness,and equanimity.

Phowa: (Tibetan) Ejection ofconciousness at the moment ofdeath. Transmission of conscious-ness.

Poisons, five, three: Synony-mous with Klesha. Three rootpoisons are passion, aggressionand ignorance. The five poisons

include the above plus arroganceand envy.

Prajna: Natural sharpness ofawareness that sees, discrimi-nates, and sees through concep-tual discrimination. “Lower prajna”includes any sort of worldlyknowledge (e.g. how to run abusiness, how to cook a meal).“Higher prajna” includes twostages: seeing phenomena asimpermanent, egoless and suffer-ing; and a higher prajna that seesshunyata—direct knowledge ofthings as they are.

Prajnaparamita: the sixthparamita. Prajna is considered theeye without which the other fivetranscendent actions would beblind. According to Gampopa,prajnaparamita is the awarenessthat reality is without origination orbasis. It sees through any solidexistence as well as through anynihilistic interpretation of reality.Even the duality between samsaraand nirvana is transcended.

Pratyekabuddha: One whoattains liberation from samsarawithout the benefit of a teacherand does not teach others. In theTibetan tradition, thepratyekabuddha became a symbolof a stage of enlightenment.Concentrates on individual libera-tion through examining the twelve-fold chain of dependant co-origination, pratityasamutpada.Also the name of the second of thenine yanas.Regarded positively he is worthy ofveneration as among the awak-ened ones. Regarded negatively,his spiritual arrogance/fear ofsamsara prevent him from com-pletely developing skillful means/compassion. Hence his enlighten-ment is only partial.

Precepts: 5, 8, 10, or 16 guidesto behavior.


Preta: Pretas inhabit one of thethree lower realms of samsara.They suffer the obsession ofhunger and craving. It is said thateven if they came upon a lake ofpure fresh water, due to theirheavy karmic obscurations, theywould experience it as an undrink-able pool of pus. Pretas aredepicted with very large bellies andvery thin necks.

Puja: (Sanskrit) Sacrementaloffering which may be associatedwith body, speech, and mind.

Pure Land: Realm free fromsuffering in which it is easier toattain nirvana; the most famousone, Sukhavati, is the Pure Landof Amitabha Buddha and requiresonly calling out his name in orderto be reborn in it; “Pure LandBuddhism” refers to this devotiondirected towards Amitabha.

RRakusu: (Japanese) Zen monkgarment.

Realms, Lower or Higher: Allbeings of samsara belong to oneof the six gates or realms. Thehigher realms include: deva (god),asura( jealous god), and nara(human). The lower realmsinclude: tiryak (animal), preta(hungry ghost), and naraka (hell).In each realm, there is a typicalpsychophysical pattern of recreat-ing your experience, based on apredominant klesha: pride (god),paranoia or jealousy (asura),passion or dissatifaction (human),ignorance (animal), craving(preta), and aggression (hell). Thekarmic momentum in most of therealms is so intense and overlap-ping that exiting from the realmsonly comes about when a being’skarma in that realm happens towear thin. Our human realm isconsidered very fortunate becausethe maintenance of ego is some-

what haphazard. Therefore there isthe possibility of altering oursituation by cutting the cycle ofsamsara.

Refuge: Generally, in thebuddhadharma the practitionertakes the refuge vow, he commitshimself to the Buddha as anexample, the dharma as teaching,and the sangha as fellow practitio-ners on the path. The refuge vowmarks the practitioners formalentry on the path. In the vajrayana,the refuge is fourfold, includingroot guru, or sixfold, including thethree roots and the three jewels.

Renunciation: arises frominsight into the hopelessness/poison of samsara. Often said inthe nontheistic tradition thatrenunciation is not something youdo; rather, out of your experience,renunciation comes to you.

Retreat: Intensive periods ofmeditation which may be long- orshort-term.

Revulsion: strong sense ofdisgust for samsara. Nauseacombined with clear seeing, ratherthan aggressive disgust. Revulsionleads to renunciation.

Right Livelihood: Fifth stage ofthe Noble Eightfold Path. Earninga living in accordance with Bud-dhist ethics.

Rinpoche: (Tibetan) Lit: preciousone. Honorific of a high lama,denotes reincarnation of a realizedmaster.

Rinzai: Japanese; Lin-chi (Chi-nese); one of the two majorschools of Zen Buddhism; it wasfounded by the Chinese masterLin-chi I-hsuan (Japanese; RinzaiGigen) and brought to Japan byEisai Zenji at the end of the 12thcentury; it stresses koan Zen asthe means to attain enlightenment.

Roots, Three: guru, yidam anddharmapala. These three areobjects of refuge in the vajrayanain addition to the three jewels.Lineage gurus are the source ofblessings. Yidams are the root ofattainment (siddhi). Dharmapalasare the root of enlightened action(the four karmas: pacifying,enriching, magnetizing, destroy-ing). Root guru embodies all.

Roshi: (Japanese) Lit: oldvenerable master. Title of a Zenmaster who can be either monk orlay, man or woman.

SSadhana: (Sanskrit) In Tantra, atype of text and the meditationpractices presented in it whichrelate to deities to be experiencedas spiritual realities.Sakya: One of the four majorschools of Tibetan Buddhism; it isnamed after the Sakya Monasteryin southern Tibet and had greatpolitical influence in Tibet duringthe 13th-14th centuries .

Sakyamuni: Sage of the Sakyas.Title applied to the Buddha.

Samadhi: (Sanskrit) Lit: union.Profound meditative state; focuson a single object through calmingof mental activity; one-pointednessof mind.Samadhi refers to theprinciple of absorption in medita-tion, but does not specify thedegree of insight (vipasyana,prajna) that is present. Thus, itcould refer to a conditioned stateof concentration in the six realmsin which the sense faculties arehalted, or to an unconditioned,flowing, and unobstructed experi-ence.

Samsara: (Sanskrit, Pali) Worldof rebirth and death; the succes-sion of rebirths until liberation isattained; cyclic existence.

Samu: (Japanese) Manual work


used as part of meditative practicein Zen schools.

Sangha: Sanskrit; The Buddhistcommunity as a whole, sometimesreferring to the community ofBuddhist monks, nuns, andnovices; it is considered one of thethree jewels of Buddhism (alongwith the Buddha and the Dharma).

Sangye Menla: (Tibetan) Prayerritual for sick people.

Satipatthana: (Pali) System ofmind development by the analysisof consciousness.

Sayadaw: (Myanmar) Equivalentof Mahathera/Bhikku of 20 years’standing; title given to respectedBhikkus.

Sensei: (Japanese) Teacher.

Sesshin: (Japanese) Lit: tosearch the heart. Intensive Zenretreat.

Shakyamuni: (ca. 563-422BCE) The historical Buddha;Theravadins believe that he wasthe first to attain enlightenment inthis age.

Shamatha: (Sanskrit; Samatha,Pali) Basic meditation practicecommon to most schools ofBuddhism, aim is to tame/sharpenthe mind as a springboard forinsight (Vipashyana; Vipassana).

Shantideva: (7th century) Indiancompiler and writer of importantBuddhist works.

Shikantaza: (Japanese) A formof zazen consisting of just sittingwith no supportive techniquessuch as counting the breath.

Shine: Meditation for developingcalmness.

Shinran: (1173-1262) Founder ofthe Jodo-shin-shu school of

Japanese Buddhism; taught thatattempting to attain enlightenmentthrough effort is futile; insteadliberation can be attained exclu-sively through the help and graceof the Buddha Amida (Amitabha);he advocated calling out the nameof Amida as the only practicenecessary in order to be reborn inhis Pure Land.

Shuryo: (Japanese) Study hall.

Siddha: Enlightened master inthe tantric tradition.

Silas: (Pali) Lit: obligations,precepts. Morality or virtue.

Six Yogas of Naropa: Systemof advanced tantric meditationoriginating from Naropa. Used bythe Kagyu and Gelug schools ofTibetan Buddhism.

Skandha: aggregates of thedhama which make up the indi-vidual and his experience—form,feeling, perception, formation, andconsciousness. In the confusedstate, we cling to one or anotheraspect of these five as a concreteself. When the skandhas areactually seen, no self is found inthem, singly or taken together.Moreover, one does not find anindividual apart from them. Invajrayana correlated to the fivebuddhas of the mandala.

Soji: (Japanese) Temple-cleaningafter a practice session.

Soto: Japanese; Ts’ao-tung(Chinese); one of the two majorschools of Zen Buddhism; it wasbrought to Japan by Dogen in the13th century; emphasizes zazen,or sitting meditation, as the centralpractice in order to attain enlight-enment.

Stupa: (Sanskrit) Originally astructure built to commemorate a

Buddha or other highly developedperson, often containing relics;became a symbol for the mind of aBuddha.

Sugata: an epithet for a buddha.

Sunyata: Sanskrit; sunnata(Pali); literally, “emptiness”; acentral Buddhist idea which statesthat all phenomena are “empty,”i.e. dependent and conditioned onother phenomena and thereforewithout essence; Theravadinsapplied this idea to the individual toassert the non-existence of a soul;Mahayanists later expanded onthis idea and declared that allexistence is empty; emptinessbecame the focus of theMadhyamika school of theMahayana Buddhism; the notion ofemptiness has often led to Bud-dhism being wrongfully confusedwith a nihilistic outlook.

Sutra: Sanskrit; a discourseattributed to the Buddha; sutrascomprise the second part of theBuddhist canon, or they tradition-ally begin with the phrase “Thushave I heard. . . “ and are believedto have been written down by theBuddha’s disciple Ananda onehundred years after his death.

TTantra: uses yogic practices ofvisualization, mantra, mudra, andmandalas, as well as symbolicritual and meditations which workwith subtle psychophysical ener-gies; the texts or teachings inwhich these are described. Tantrarefers to the root texts of thevajrayana. Tantra means continu-ity, and refers to continuitythroughout the ground, path andfruition of the journey. Continuity ofground means that the basicnature, whether it is calledsuchness, ground mahamudra ortathagatagarba, remains like thesky, encompassing everythingfrom sentient beings to buddhas—


luminous and untainted by habitualpatterns. For the practitioner, itmeans that the body, speech andmind, in all their confused andwakeful manifestations are in-cluded in the path. Path tantrameans applying profound tech-niques to overcome basic ego.Fruition tantra means finallyrealiziing who and what you are.You realize your being as one withthe body, speech and mind of thetatagatas. That is you realize theground that was there continuouslyfrom the beginning.

Tara: (Sanskrit) An emanationfrom the BodhisattvaAvolokiteshvara. The feminineaspect of compassion, seen inboth peaceful and wrathful depic-tions and in various colors, theGreen Tara and the White Tarabeing the forms most frequentlyseen.

Tatagata: epithet for a buddha.

Teisho: (Japanese) Presentationby Zen Master addressing stu-dents directly in the moment.

Thangka: (Tibetan) Tibetanreligious painting.

Three Jewels: The Buddha, theDharma, and the Sangha.

Theravada: Sanskrit; “the Schoolof the Elders”; one of the threemajor schools of Buddhism widelypracticed in Southeast Asia; itsteachings focus on the Four NobleTruths and the Eightfold Path; alsoreferred to as the Hinayana, or“Lesser Vehicle,” school due to itsemphasis on personal rather thancollective liberation.

Transmission: Passing on oforal teachings and scriptures withrelated commentary in an uninter-rupted lineage or succession fromperson to person from ancienttimes.Tripitaka: Sanskrit; literally, “the

three baskets”; this term is com-monly used for the Buddhistcanon, which consists of threeparts: the Vinaya, or monasticcode; the Sutras; and theAbhidharma, or Buddhist philo-sophical treatises.

Trikaya: Dharmakaya (enlighten-ment, wisdom beyond referencepoint, primordial mind),Sambhogakaya (environment ofcompassion and communication),and Nirmanakaya (Buddha whotakes form as a human).

Tsok: (Tibetan) Feast offerings.

Tsongkhapa: (1355-1417)Tibetan reformer of Buddhism.Founded Ganden Monastery andfounded the Gelug school ofTibetan Buddhism.

Tulku: (Tibetan) Voluntaryreincarnation of a religious figureof some distinction.

UUpasaka: (Sanskrit, Pali) Bud-dhist lay member who takesrefuge in the Buddha, the Dharma,and the Sangha and who vows toobserve the five precepts.

Upaya: Skillful means. Conveysthe sense that enlightened beingsteach the dharma skillfully, takinginto consideration the variousneeds, abilities and shortcomingsof their students. Upaya is anexpression of compassion. In thebodhsattva’s discipline, it corre-sponds to the first five paramitasand to relative bodhichitta. Byprajna alone, without upaya, oneremains bound to samsara.Therefore the practitioner mustunify them.

VVajrasattava: (Sanskrit) One ofthe meditational deities of TantricBuddhism.

Vajrayana: Sanskrit; literally, “theDiamond Vehicle”; one of the threemajor schools of Buddhism;developed out of the Mahayanateachings in northwest Indiaaround 500 C. and spread to Tibet,China and Japan; it involvesvisualizations, rituals, and mantraswhich can only be learned by studywith a master; also known asTantric Buddhism due to the use oftantras, or sacred texts. Character-ized by a psychological methodbased on highly developed ritualpractices.

Vajrayogini: (Sanskrit) One ofthe female meditational deities ofTantric Buddhism.

Vihara: Buddhist temple ormonastery.

Vinaya: (Sanskrit, Pali) Lit:discipline. Third part of theTripitaka containing the rules andregulations for running and living ina monastery or nunnery, especiallythe ethical codes involved.

Vipassana: Pali (Vipashyana:(Sanskrit); insight, clear seeing;intuitive cognition of the threemarks of existence (trilakshana),namely, the impermanence(anitya), suffering (duhkha), andno-self (anatman) of all physicaland mental phenomena. InMahayana Buddhism, vipassana isseen as analytical examination ofthe nature of things that leads toinsight into the true nature of theworld—emptiness (shunyata).Such insight prevents the arisingof new passions. Vipassana is oneof the two factors essential for theattainment of enlightenment(bodhi); the other is shamatha(calming the mind).


YYana: (Sanskrit, Pali) Vehicle ormeans of progress to salvationfrom the wheel of Samsara as inMahayana. The vehicle thatcarries the practitioner along thepath to liberation.In the vajrayana teachings thereare three yanas—hinayana,mahayana, and vajrayana. Theycan be practiced simultaneously.According to the Rime (ecumeni-cal) and the Nyingma traditions,there are a total of nine yanas:sravakayana andpratyekabuddhayana (togethercomprising hinayana), mahayana,and six tantric yanas—kriya, upa,yoga, mahayoga, anuyoga, andatiyoga.

Yidam: (Tibetan) In Tantra, apersonal meditational deity em-bodying an aspect of Enlighten-ment whose nature corresponds tothe psychological make up of thepractitioner.

Yoga: Lit: union. A method ofmeditation or physical exercisedesigned to bring about spiritualdevelopment.

ZZabuton: (Japanese) Thickrectangular mat used under thezafu in Zen meditation.

Zafu: (Japanese) Round cushionused in Zen schools.

Zagu: (Japanese) Zen monk’sgarment.

Zazen: (Japanese) Sitting medita-tion used in Zen schools.

Zazenkai: (Zen-soto) All-daysitting retreat.

Zen: Japanese; Ch’an (Chinese);a branch of Mahayana Buddhismwhich developed in China during

the sixth and seventh centuriesafter Bodhidharma arrived; it laterdivided into the Soto and Rinzaischools; Zen stresses the impor-tance of the enlightenment experi-ence and the futility of rationalthought, intellectual study andreligious ritual in attaining this; acentral element of Zen is zazen, ameditative practice which seeks tofree the mind of all thought andconceptualization.

Zendo: (Japanese) Zen traininghall.

This glossary was compiled withpermissions from the followingsources:The Tricycle magazine website(www.tricycle.com) “Buddhism101”; excerpts used by permissionof the Nalanda Translation Com-mittee from The Rain of Wisdom(Boulder & London: ShambhalaPublications, 1980). Copyright1980 by Chogyam Trungpa.

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