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Glossary |
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The following words are mostly in Pali, the language of the Theravada
Buddhist scriptures and chants, except where noted. They are brief
translations for quick reference: these are not exhaustive or refined
definitions. Not all the foreign words found in the talks are listed
below, as many are defined at the point of use.
Note: most Pali diacritics have been omitted here and within the book,
as few people are familiar with the specialised pronunciation
conventions.
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ajahn |
(Thai) ‘teacher’; often used as the title for senior monks and
nuns. |
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anagarika |
'homeless one'. A man living in a monastery and keeping the
eight precepts. Often the first stage of training before 'acceptance'
into the bhikkhu-sangha. |
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anapanasati |
meditation practice of mindfulness of breathing. |
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anatta |
impersonal, 'not-self', without individual essence; one of the
three characteristics of all conditioned existence. |
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anicca |
impermanent, transient, having the nature to arise and pass away;
one of the three characteristics of all conditioned existence. |
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arahant |
an enlightened being, free from all delusion. |
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ariya sacca |
Noble Truths. Usually referring to the Four Noble Truths
that form the foundation of all Buddhist teachings. |
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bhikkhu |
male alms mendicant; the term for a Buddhist monk. |
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bhikkhuni |
female alms mendicant; the term for a Buddhist nun. |
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Bodhisatta |
(Sanskrit: Bodhisattva) a being striving for enlightenment. A
term referring to the Buddha before his awakening. |
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bojjhangas |
seven factors of enlightenment: sati (mindfulness),
dhammavicaya (investigation of Dhamma), viriya (energy, persistence),
piti (delight, rapture), passadhi (calm, serenity), samadhi
(collectedness, concentration) and upekkha (equanimity) |
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brahmavihara |
divine abidings: loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic
joy and equanimity. |
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Buddha |
‘One who knows’; one who is awakened, who represents the state of
enlightenment or awakening; the historical Buddha, Siddhatta Gotama. |
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citta |
heart or mind |
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Dhamma |
(Sanskrit: Dharma) Truth, Reality, Nature, or the laws of nature
considered as a whole. The term is often used to refer to the Buddha's
teachings as well as the truth to which they point. |
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dhamma |
phenomenon, physical or mental. |
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Dhammapada the most widely known and popular collection of teachings
from the Pali Canon, containing verses attributed to the Buddha. |
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Dhamma-Vinaya |
the teachings and discipline taught by the Buddha as
recorded in the Pali Canon. |
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dhutanga |
(Thai: tudong) ascetic practices; the Buddha allowed thirteen
specific duthanga practices for his monastic disciples, for instance:
wearing rag-robes, possessing no more than a set of three robes, eating
only alms food collected on the day, eating only from the alms bowl,
sleeping in the open, and not lying down to sleep. |
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dukkha |
imperfect, unsatisfying, 'hard to bear', dis-ease; one of the
three characteristics of all conditioned existence. |
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jhana |
(Sanskrit: dhyana) deep state of meditative absorption |
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kamma |
(Sanskrit: karma) intentional action or cause leading to an
effect. |
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karuna |
compassion |
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kalyanamitta |
wholesome companion, spiritual friend. |
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Koan |
(Chin: Kung-an) ‘Case study’. A paradoxical question, statement or
short dialogue concerning the Dhamma. In the Rinzai school of Zen
Buddhism koans are systematically used as meditation themes designed to
push the mind beyond conceptual thinking. |
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kuti |
(Thai) dwelling of a samana |
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Luang Por |
(Thai) Venerable Father, respectful way of addressing or
referring to a senior teacher |
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magga |
path, way. |
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Mahasatipatthana Sutta |
the Buddha’s principle discourse on mindfulness. |
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Mara |
evil and temptation personified; a powerful, malevolent deity
ruling over the highest heaven of the sensual sphere; personification of
the defilements, the totality of worldly existence and death.
metta loving kindness. |
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mudita |
empathetic joy. Happiness at witnessing another's good fortune. |
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nekkhamma |
renunciation |
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Nibbana |
(Skt. Nirvana) freedom from attachments. Enlightenment. |
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Pali Canon |
Theravada Buddhist scriptures. |
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Patimokkha |
the bhikkhu’s code of discipline, core of the vinaya. |
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pañña |
discriminative wisdom. |
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parami |
(Sanskrit: paramita) the ten spiritual perfections: generosity,
moral restraint, renunciation, wisdom, effort, patience, truthfulness,
determination, kindness and equanimity. Virtues accumulated over
lifetimes manifesting as wholesome dispositions. |
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pindapata |
(Thai: pindapaht) almsround |
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puja |
devotional meeting to make offerings at a shrine. In Buddhist
monasteries the gathering of the community to pay respects and make
symbolic offerings to the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha, usually consisting
of the lighting of candles and incense, as well as the offering of
flowers and devotional chanting. |
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puñña |
merit. |
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samadhi |
concentration or one-pointedness of mind. |
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samana |
one who has entered the renunciate life. |
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samanera |
a novice Buddhist monk. |
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samsara |
the unenlightened, unsatisfactory experience of life. |
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Sangha |
the community of those who practise the Buddha's way. |
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sati |
mindfulness. |
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sila moral virtue. |
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sukha |
pleasure, happiness (opposite of dukkha) |
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sutta |
a Buddhist scripture or discourse. |
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siladhara |
a ten-precept Buddhist nun. |
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tamat |
(Thai) dhamma-seat, elevated seat from which traditionally Dhamma
talks are given |
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Theravada |
the southern school of Buddhism. |
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upasaka/upasika |
male and female lay Buddhist practitioners. |
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upasampada |
ceremony of acceptance into the bhikkhu-sangha. |
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uppekkha |
equanimity. |
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vassa |
traditional annual rains retreat of the monastic community |
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vinaya |
the Buddhist monastic discipline, or the scriptural collection of
its rules and commentaries. |
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vipassana |
the penetrative insight of meditation, as distinguished from
samatha (tranquillity) which refers to the calming effect that
meditation has on the mind and body. |
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wat |
(Thai) Buddhist monastery. |
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yoniso manasikara |
wise reflection |
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Zen |
(Chinese: Ch’an) A Japanese transliteration of the Pali word jhana
(see above). A tradition of Buddhist practice and teaching started in
China by the Indian sage Bodhidharma (c.520CE). Zen Buddhism emphasises
the necessity of going beyond a purely conceptual understanding of the
Buddha’s teaching and having direct, personal insight into the truths
which the teachings point to. |
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© 2005 Aruna Publications |