តថាគត មានន័យថា meaning "Thus Come One" or "Thus Gone One," the epithet the Buddha uses most often to refer to himself; occasionally it is used as a general designation for a person who has reached the highest attainment
The Four Sights — observations that affected Prince Siddhartha deeply and made him realize the sufferings of all beings, and compelled him to begin his spiritual journey
Well expounded by the Blessed One (svākkhāto bhagavatā dhammo • svākhyāta)
Directly visible (sandiṭṭhiko • sāṃdṛṣṭika)
Immediate (akāliko • akālika)
Inviting one to come and see (ehi-passiko • ehipaśyika)
Worthy of application (opanayiko • avapraṇayika)
To be personally experienced by the wise (paccattaṃ veditabbo viññūhi • pratyātmaṃ veditavyo vijñaiḥ)
Saṅgha (Saṃgha) — the spiritual community, which is twofold (1) the monastic Saṅgha, the order of monks and nuns; and (2) the noble Saṅgha, the spiritual community of noble disciples who have reached the stages of world-transcending realization
Practicing the good way (supaṭipanno bhagavato sāvaka-saṅgho)
Practicing the straight way (ujupaṭipanno bhagavato sāvaka-saṅgho)
Practicing the true way (ñāyapaṭipanno bhagavato sāvaka-saṅgho)
Practicing the proper way (sāmīcipaṭipanno bhagavato sāvaka-saṅgho)
Worthy of gifts (āhuṇeyyo)
Worthy of hospitality (pāhuṇeyyo)
Worthy of offerings (dakkhiṇeyyo)
Worthy of reverential salutation (añjalikaraṇīyo)
The unsurpassed field of merit for the world (anuttaraṃ puññākkhettaṃ lokassā)
Four Noble Truths (Cattāri ariyasaccāni • Catvāri āryasatyāni)
When this is, that is. From the arising of this comes the arising of that. When this isn't, that isn't. From the cessation of this comes the cessation of that.
Definition — volitional action, considered particularly as a moral force capable of producing, for the agent, results that correspond to the ethical quality of the action; thus good karma produces happiness, and bad karma produces suffering
Utu Niyama — Physical Inorganic Order (seasonal changes and climate), the natural law pertaining to physical objects and changes in the natural environment, such as the weather; the way flowers bloom in the day and fold up at night; the way soil, water and nutrients help a tree to grow; and the way things disintegrate and decompose. This perspective emphasizes the changes brought about by heat or temperature
Bīja Niyama — Physical Organic Order (laws of heredity), the natural law pertaining to heredity, which is best described in the adage, “as the seed, so the fruit”
Citta Niyama — Order of Mind and Psychic Law (will of mind), the natural law pertaining to the workings of the mind, the process of cognition of sense objects and the mental reactions to them
Kamma Niyama — Order of Acts and Results (consequences of one's actions), the natural law pertaining to human behavior, the process of the generation of action and its results. In essence, this is summarized in the words, “good deeds bring good results, bad deeds bring bad results”
Dhamma Niyama — Order of the Norm (nature's tendency to produce a perfect type), the natural law governing the relationship and interdependence of all things: the way all things arise, exist and then cease. All conditions are subject to change, are in a state of affliction and are not self: this is the Norm
Eye-consciousness — seeing apprehended by the visual sense organs
Ear-consciousness — hearing apprehended by the auditory sense organs
Nose-consciousness — smelling apprehended through the olfactory organs
Tongue-consciousness — tasting perceived through the gustatory organs
Ideation-consciousness — the aspect of mind known in Sanskrit as the "mind monkey"; the consciousness of ideation
Body-consciousness — tactile feeling apprehended through skin contact, touch
The manas consciousness — obscuration-consciousness — a consciousness which through apprehension, gathers the hindrances, the poisons, the karmic formations
Store-house consciousness (ālāyavijñāna) — the seed consciousness, the consciousness which is the basis of the other seven
Conceptual Proliferation (papañca • prapañca) — the deluded conceptualization of the world through the use of ever-expanding language and concepts
Identity view (sakkāyadiṭṭhi) — the view of a truly existent self either as identical with the five aggregates, or as existing in some relation to them
Eternity-belief (sassata-diṭṭhi)
Annihilation-belief (uccheda-diṭṭhi)
Doubt (vicikicchā) — doubt about the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Saṅgha, or the training
Wrong grasp of rules and observances (sīlabbata-parāmāsa) — the belief that mere external observances, particularly religious rituals and ascetic practices, can lead to liberation
Welfare and happiness directly visible in this present life, attained by fulfilling one's moral commitments and social responsibilities (diṭṭha-dhamma-hitasukha)
Welfare and happiness pertaining to the next life, attained by engaging in meritorious deeds (samparāyika-hitasukha)
The ultimate good or supreme goal, Nibbāna, final release from the cycle of rebirths, attained by developing the Noble Eightfold Path (paramattha)
Pātimokkha (Pratimoksha) — the code of monastic rules binding on members of the Buddhist monastic order
Parajika (defeats) — four rules entailing expulsion from the sangha for life
Sexual intercourse, that is, any voluntary sexual interaction between a bhikkhu and a living being, except for mouth-to-mouth intercourse which falls under the sanghadisesa
Stealing, that is, the robbery of anything worth more than 1/24 troy ounce of gold (as determined by local law.)
Intentionally bringing about the death of a human being, even if it is still an embryo — whether by killing the person, arranging for an assassin to kill the person, inciting the person to die, or describing the advantages of death
Deliberately lying to another person that one has attained a superior human state, such as claiming to be an arahant when one knows one is not, or claiming to have attained one of the jhanas when one knows one hasn't
Sanghadisesa — thirteen rules requiring an initial and subsequent meeting of the sangha (communal meetings)
Aniyata — two indefinite rules where a monk is accused of having committed an offence with a woman in a screened (enclosed) or private place by a lay person
Nissaggiya pacittiya — thirty rules entailing "confession with forfeiture"
Pacittiya — ninety-two rules entailing confession
Patidesaniya — four violations which must be verbally acknowledged
Sekhiyavatta — seventy-five rules of training, which are mainly about the deportment of a monk
Sāruppa — proper behavior
Bhojanapatisamyutta — food
Dhammadesanāpatisamyutta — teaching dhamma
Pakinnaka — miscellaneous
Adhikarana-samatha — seven rules for settlement of legal processes that concern monks only
Samaya — a set of vows or precepts given to initiates of an esoteric Vajrayana Buddhist order
Ascetic practices (dhutanga) — a group of thirteen austerities, or ascetic practices, most commonly observed by Forest Monastics of the Theravada Tradition of Buddhism
There will be change and separation from all that I hold dear and near to me
I am the owner of my actions, heir to my actions, I am born of my actions, I am related to my actions and I have my actions as refuge; whatever I do, good or evil, of that I will be the heir
Buddhānussati (Buddhanusmrti) — Recollection of the Buddha — fixing the mind with attentiveness and reflecting repeatedly on the glorious virtues and attributes of Buddha
Dhammānussati (Dharmanusmrti) — Recollection of the Dhamma — reflecting with serious attentiveness repeatedly on the virtues and qualities of Buddha's teachings and his doctrine
Saṅghānussati (Sanghanusmrti) — Recollection of the Saṅgha — fixing the mind strongly and repeatedly upon the rare attributes and sanctity of the Sangha
Sīlānussati — Recollection of virtue — reflecting seriously and repeatedly on the purification of one's own morality or sīla
Cāgānussati — Recollection of generosity — reflecting repeatedly on the mind's purity in the noble act of one's own dāna, charitableness and liberality
Devatānussati — Recollection of deities — reflecting with serious and repeated attention on one's own complete possession of the qualities of absolute faith (saddhā), morality (sīla), learning (suta), liberality (cāga) and wisdom (paññā) just as the devas have, to enable one to be reborn in the world of devas
Maraṇānussati — Mindfulness of death — reflecting repeatedly on the inevitability of death
Kāyagatāsati — Mindfulness of the body — reflecting earnestly and repeatedly on the impurity of the body which is composed of the detestable 32 constituents such as hair, body hair, nails, teeth, skin, etc.
Ānāpānasati — Mindfulness of breathing — repeated reflection on the inhaled and exhaled breath
Upasamānussati — Recollection of peace — reflecting repeatedly with serious attentiveness on the supreme spiritual blissful state of Nirvana
Kōan — a story, dialogue, question, or statement in Zen, containing aspects that are inaccessible to rational understanding, yet may be accessible to intuition
Chöd — advanced spiritual practice and discipline arising from confluences of Bonpo, Mahasidda, Nyingmapa traditions and now practiced throughout the schools of Tibetan Buddhism
Nirvana (Nibbāna • Nirvāṇa) — the final goal of the Buddha's teaching; the unconditioned state beyond the round of rebirths, to be attained by the destruction of the defilements; Full Enlightenment or Awakening, the complete cessation of suffering
Parinirvana (Parinibbāna • Parinirvāṇa) — final passing away of an enlightened person
Bodhi — the awakening experience attained by the Buddha and his accomplished disciples referring to the unique consciousness of a fully liberated yogi
Sammāsambuddha (Samyak-saṃbuddha) — one who, by his own efforts, attains Nirvana, having rediscovered the Noble Eightfold Path after it has been lost to humanity, and makes this Path known to others
Paccekabuddha (Pratyekabuddha) — "a lone Buddha", a self-awakened Buddha, but one who lacks the ability to spread the Dhamma to others
Sāvakabuddha (Śrāvakabuddha) — enlightened 'disciple of a Buddha'
Sotāpanna — Stream-enterer (first stage of enlightenment) — one who has "opened the eye of the Dhamma", and is guaranteed enlightenment after no more than seven successive rebirths, having eradicated the first three fetters
The four factors leading to stream-entry
Association with superior persons
Hearing the true Dhamma
Careful attention
Practice in accordance with the Dhamma
The four factors of a stream-enterer
Possessing confirmed confidence in the Buddha
Possessing confirmed confidence in the Dhamma
Possessing confirmed confidence in the Sangha
Possessing moral virtues dear to the noble ones
Sakadagami — Once-returner (second stage of enlightenment) — will be reborn into the human world once more, before attaining enlightenment, having eradicated the first three fetters and attenuated greed, hatred, and delusion
Anāgāmi — Non-returner (third stage of enlightenment) — does not come back into human existence, or any lower world, after death, but is reborn in the "Pure Abodes", where he will attain Nirvāṇa, having eradicated the first five fetters
Arahant — "Worthy One", (see also: Arhat), a fully enlightened human being who has abandoned all ten fetters, and who upon decease (Parinibbāna) will not be reborn in any world, having wholly abandoned saṃsāra
Ajari — a Japanese term that is used in various schools of Buddhism in Japan, specifically Tendai and Shingon, in reference to a "senior monk who teaches students
Oshō — high-ranking or highly virtuous Buddhist monk; respectful designation for Buddhist monks in general
Kaisan — founder of a school of Buddhism or the founding abbot of a Zen monastery
Roshi — a Japanese honorific title used in Zen Buddhism that literally means "old teacher" or "elder master" and usually denotes the person who gives spiritual guidance to a Zen sangha
Rinpoche — an honorific which literally means "precious one"
Tulku — an enlightened Tibetan Buddhist lama who has, through phowa and siddhi, consciously determined to take birth, often many times, in order to continue his or her Bodhisattva vow
Gautama Buddha — The Buddha, Siddhattha Gotama (Pali), Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit), Śākyamuni (Sage of the Sakya clan), The Awakened One, The Enlightened One, The Blessed One, Tathāgata (Thus Come One, Thus Gone One)
Percentage of formal/practicing Buddhists by the numbers of registered adherents (according to the least estimates). Percentage of cultural/nominal adherents of combined Buddhism with its related religions (according to the highest estimates).
Uposatha — the Buddhist observance days, falling on the days of the full moon and new moon, when the monks gather to recite the Pātimokkha and lay people often visit monasteries and temples to undertake the eight precepts
Kathina — festival which comes at the end of Vassa
We do not believe that this world is created and ruled by a God.
We consider that the purpose of life is to develop compassion for all living beings without discrimination and to work for their good, happiness, and peace; and to develop wisdom (prajñā) leading to the realization of Ultimate Truth
We accept the Four Noble Truths, namely duḥkha, the arising of duḥkha, the cessation of duḥkha, and the path leading to the cessation of duḥkha; and the law of cause and effect (pratītyasamutpāda)
All conditioned things (saṃskāra) are impermanent (anitya) and duḥkha, and that all conditioned and unconditioned things (dharma) are without self (anātma) (seetrilaksana).
We accept the thirty-seven qualities conducive to enlightenment (bodhipakṣadharma) as different aspects of the Path taught by the Buddha leading to Enlightenment.
There are three ways of attaining bodhi or Enlightenment: namely as a disciple (śrāvaka), as a pratyekabuddha and as a samyaksambuddha (perfectly and fully enlightened Buddha). We accept it as the highest, noblest, and most heroic to follow the career of a Bodhisattva and to become a samyaksambuddha in order to save others.
We admit that in different countries there are differences regarding Buddhist beliefs and practices. These external forms and expressions should not be confused with the essential teachings of the Buddha.
Bodhisatta — a future Buddha, one destined to attain unsurpassed perfect enlightenment; specifically, it is the term the Buddha uses to refer to himself in the period prior to his enlightenment, both in past lives and in his last life before he attained enlightenment
Borobudur — ninth-century Mahayana Buddhist Monument in Magelang, Indonesia
Brahmā — according to the brahmins, the supreme personal deity, but in the Buddha's teaching, a powerful deity who rules over a high divine state of existence called the brahma world; more generally, the word denotes the class of superior devas inhabiting the form realm
Buddhist Initiation Ritual — a public ordination ceremony wherein a lay student of Zen Buddhism receives certain Buddhist precepts, "a rite in which they publicly avow allegiance to 'The Three Refuges' of Buddhist practice: The Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha
Kalpa (aeon) — an aeon or cosmic cycle, the period of time it takes for a world system to arise, evolve, dissolve, and persist in a state of disintegration before a new cycle begins
Kanthaka — Prince Siddhartha's favourite white horse
Māra — "The Evil One" or "Tempter"; a malevolent deity who tries to prevent people from practicing the Dhamma and thereby escaping the round of rebirths
Klesa-māra, or Māra as the embodiment of all unskillful emotions
Mrtyu-māra, or Māra as death, in the sense of the ceaseless round of birth and death
Skandha-māra, or Māra as metaphor for the entirety of conditioned existence
Devaputra-māra, or Māra the son of a deva (god), that is, Māra as an objectively existent being rather than as a metaphor