Difference between revisions of "Glossary of Buddhist Term"
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| '''[[Bhagavat]];<br/>[[Bhagavan]]<br/> | | '''[[Bhagavat]];<br/>[[Bhagavan]]<br/> | ||
| [[World honored one]];<br/>[[Blessed One]];<br/>[[Lord]] | | [[World honored one]];<br/>[[Blessed One]];<br/>[[Lord]] | ||
− | | Translation of the {{Wiki|Sanskrit}} and {{Wiki|Pali}} "[[bhagavat]]" and the {{Wiki|Sanskrit}} "lokanatha", meaning "[[world-honored one]]." One of the ten epithets of [[Buddha]]. | + | | Translation of the {{Wiki|Sanskrit}} and {{Wiki|Pali}} "[[bhagavat]]" and the {{Wiki|Sanskrit}} "[[lokanatha]]", meaning "[[world-honored one]]." One of the ten epithets of [[Buddha]]. |
|- | |- | ||
| '''[[Bhiksu]];<br/>[[Bhikshu]] | | '''[[Bhiksu]];<br/>[[Bhikshu]] | ||
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(2) The [[wisdom]] of perceiving the reality-nature.<br/> | (2) The [[wisdom]] of perceiving the reality-nature.<br/> | ||
(3) {{Wiki|Sublime}} [[enlightenment]]. The expression of [[enlightened]] [[wisdom]].<br/> | (3) {{Wiki|Sublime}} [[enlightenment]]. The expression of [[enlightened]] [[wisdom]].<br/> | ||
− | (4) An abbreviation of "Bodhi-Way-Place"(bodhi-manda), The place where the [[Buddha]] attained his [[enlightenment]]. | + | (4) An abbreviation of "Bodhi-Way-Place"([[bodhi-manda]]), The place where the [[Buddha]] attained his [[enlightenment]]. |
|- | |- | ||
| '''Bodhi-Citta;<br/>Bodhi-Chitta; | | '''Bodhi-Citta;<br/>Bodhi-Chitta; | ||
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|"[[Heart]]" in [[Sutras]] means not only the [[heart]] {{Wiki|organ}} in everyone's [[body]], but also the [[nine consciousnesses]] that, as a whole, contains the whole {{Wiki|universe}}.<br/><br/> | |"[[Heart]]" in [[Sutras]] means not only the [[heart]] {{Wiki|organ}} in everyone's [[body]], but also the [[nine consciousnesses]] that, as a whole, contains the whole {{Wiki|universe}}.<br/><br/> | ||
"[[Heart]]" is like an eight-petaled [[lotus flower]], when it opens, one can [[experience]] the greatest [[joy]] (Dharma-Joy), brilliant [[light]], refreshing [[energy]], etc.<br/><br/> | "[[Heart]]" is like an eight-petaled [[lotus flower]], when it opens, one can [[experience]] the greatest [[joy]] (Dharma-Joy), brilliant [[light]], refreshing [[energy]], etc.<br/><br/> | ||
− | The way to open our hearts is to arouse Bodhi-Heart. | + | The way to open our hearts is to arouse [[Bodhi-Heart]]. |
|- | |- | ||
| '''[[Deva]] | | '''[[Deva]] | ||
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| '''[[Kasaya]];<br/>[[Kashaya]] | | '''[[Kasaya]];<br/>[[Kashaya]] | ||
| [[Kasaya]];<br/>[[Kashaya]] | | [[Kasaya]];<br/>[[Kashaya]] | ||
− | | The [[monk's]] | + | | The [[monk's robe]], or [[cassock]] |
|- | |- | ||
| '''[[Koti]] | | '''[[Koti]] | ||
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(2) [[Ear consciousness]];<br/> | (2) [[Ear consciousness]];<br/> | ||
(3) {{Wiki|Nose}} [[consciousness]];<br/> | (3) {{Wiki|Nose}} [[consciousness]];<br/> | ||
− | (4) Tongue/lingua/glossal [[consciousness]];<br/> | + | (4) {{Wiki|Tongue}}/lingua/glossal [[consciousness]];<br/> |
(5) [[Body]] [[consciousness]];<br/> | (5) [[Body]] [[consciousness]];<br/> | ||
(6) Mind/thought ([[mano]]) [[consciousness]];<br/> | (6) Mind/thought ([[mano]]) [[consciousness]];<br/> |
Revision as of 04:52, 4 October 2013
Sanskrit | Translated to | Explanation |
---|---|---|
Abhiseka | Summit-Infusion; Summit-Inpouring; Anointing; Empowerment; Initiation; |
Pouring holy energy into one's body through his head; Sprinkling water on one's head; Giving holy power to a person through his head; A ceremony in esoteric Buddhism for conferring the preceptsa certain mystic teaching, etc., on a person. |
Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi | Supreme Perfect Enlightenment; Supreme Correct Awakening |
Anuttara means "unsurpassed;" samyak means "correct," and sambodhi means "enlightenment/awakening" |
Arhat | worthy of offerings; deserves offerings |
One of the fruitions of the path of cultivation. Arhats have attained the cessation of involuntary physical birth and death. The word has three meanings: (1) worthy of offerings, One of the ten epithets of Buddha (2) killer of thieves--arhats have killed the thieves of afflictions and outflows (3) free of birth. |
Arya | sage; Saint; noble |
One who is out of transmigration. |
asamkhya; asamkhyeya |
incalculable | A transliteration of the Sanskrit term, which means incalculable, a great number. |
Bhagavat; Bhagavan |
World honored one; Blessed One; Lord |
Translation of the Sanskrit and Pali "bhagavat" and the Sanskrit "lokanatha", meaning "world-honored one." One of the ten epithets of Buddha. |
Bhiksu; Bhikshu |
monk; Buddhist monk |
monk, male member of the Buddhist sangha, who has left home, been fully ordained, and depends on alms for a living. |
Bhiksuni; Bhikshuni |
nun; Buddhist nun |
fully ordained Buddhist nun, female member of the Buddhist sangha. |
Bhumi | stage | Stage of Bodhisattva practice. There are ten Bhumis: |
Bodhi | enlightenment; awakening |
(1) The wisdom of the true awakening of the Buddha. Enlightenment. The function of correct wisdom. The situation of the disappearance of ignorance due to the functioning of awakened wisdom. (2) The wisdom of perceiving the reality-nature. |
Bodhi-Citta; Bodhi-Chitta; |
Bodhi-Heart; Bodhi-Mind; Bodhi-Source; Resolve for Bodhi; Resolve for enlightenment; |
This is the doorstep of Mahayana, the key of becoming a Bodhisattva. It should never be forgotten in the entire process of Mahayana practices. The term "Bodhi-Heart" has three meanings: 1)The will to save and enlighten all living beings, inculding self; |
Bodhi-manda | Way-place; Tao-site; site of enlightenment |
(1) Literally, "site of enlightenment;" the place where enlightenment is achieved. This refers initially to the ground under the bodhi tree, where the Buddha was seated at the time of achieving his full enlightenment (bodhi-manda). (2) A place where religious practice is carried out, or where the Buddha is worshipped. A place where the precepts are given |
Bodhisattva | Bodhisattva | A Future Buddha who is a being destined to Buddhahood. "Bodhi" means Enlightenment and "Sattva" means Sentient and Conscious. Therefore Bodhisattva refers to the sentient being of or for the great wisdom and enlightenment. Bodhisattva's vow/aim is the pursuit of Buddhahood and the salvation of others and of all. He seeks enlightenment to enlighten others. He will sacrifice himself to save the others. He is devoid of egoism and devoted to help the others. The way and discipline of Bodhisattva is to benefit the self and the others, leading to Buddhahood. |
Brahma-carya | Brahma-lifestyle; Brahma-life; Brahma-practice; Pure practices; Brahma-behavior |
Pure practices; The practices that involve the cutting off of desire, especially sexual desire. People who keep a Brahma-lifestyle have no sexual behavior, just like the people in Brahma-Heaven. |
Brahma-loka | Brahma-Heaven; Brahman; Brahma God; |
(1)Brahma-Heaven: The heaven in the realm of form(material), which is above the heavens of desire realm. (2)Brahman: who lives in the Brahma-Heaven |
Buddha-karya | Buddha-work; Buddha-Works; Buddha-Activity |
(1) The work that a Buddha does. To deliver the Buddha's teachings. The activity of saving living beings. (2) Anything done after attaining enlightenment would be "Buddha-work." |
citta; chitta |
Heart;Mind | "Heart" in Sutras means not only the heart organ in everyone's body, but also the nine consciousnesses that, as a whole, contains the whole universe. "Heart" is like an eight-petaled lotus flower, when it opens, one can experience the greatest joy (Dharma-Joy), brilliant light, refreshing energy, etc. |
Deva | God; Lord; heavenly being; divinity |
Literally, "A shining one". An inhabitant of the heavenly realms, which is characterized by long life, joyous surroundings and blissful states of mind. However, these states are impermanent, not eternal. Devas are still unenlightened, bound to Samsara and subject to Birth and Death. Many such beings have already been converted to Buddhism and become its protectors. |
dharani | total retention | The mantra that completely retains the Buddhist teachings |
Dharma | Law | When spelled this way (capitalized), refers to the Teachings of the Buddha. The Second Refuge of the Triple-Gem/Three Treasures/Triple Jewel |
dharma | thing; phenomenon |
When spelled this way (not capitalized), means roughly "phenomenon." |
Dharma-cakra | Dharma wheel; Wheel of Law; wheel of Dharma |
The teachings of Buddhas. The term translated as "wheel"--cakra, was a kind of weapon in ancient India. Therefore, the Dharma-cakra is a weapon that overcomes the mistaken belief of non-Buddhists |
Dharma-dhatu | Dharma-Realm; Reality-Realm; object-realm; realm of thought; universe; cosmos |
(1) The origin of all things. The whole universe -- all phenomena are the manifestation of True-Thusness. This reality-realm, being true existence as-it-is, is equated to the reality-body (Dharma-Body) of the Buddha |
Dharma-paryaya; Dharma-mukha |
Dharma-gate; Dharma-door |
The Buddha's teaching. The gate of truth. The gate that enters into the truth. The gate to the enlightened state |
durgati | evil path; evil rebirth; evil destiny; |
The existence a living being experiences as a result of evil activity in the present lifetime, which is characterized by delusion and suffering. Refers to the three evil destinies of hell-being, hungry ghost, and animal. |
Ganga-nad-valuka | Ganges river sands | as numerous as the sands of the Ganges; Numberless, uncountable |
Jambudvipa | Southern continent; the human world; the earth; this planet |
The human world. The world in which we are living. Jambudvipa is a small part of the Saha World, the Buddha-Realm of Sakyamuni Buddha |
kalpa | eon/aeon | An inconceivably long period of time. A Great Kalpa (maha-kalpa) is divided into four parts: |
karma | action; cause and effect |
Deeds, activity. Karma does not mean fate. It means the deeds which we create ourselves and the retributions which those deeds bring upon us. Action leading to future retribution or reward or future lifetimes. |
Kasaya; Kashaya |
Kasaya; Kashaya |
The monk's robe, or cassock |
Koti | ten million; ten billion; |
This word's pronunciation is Kaw-Tzee |
ksana kshana |
moment instant split second |
a measure of time. Equal to one seventy-fifth of a second. The shortest measure of time; sixty ksana equal one finger-snap, ninety a thought, 4,500 a minute. |
Maha | great; big |
great, mighty, strong, abundant |
Mahayana | Great Vehicle; Supreme Vehicle Bodhisattva Vehicle |
One of the two main traditions of Buddhism, the other being Theravada (Tantric Buddhism or Vajrayana is a branch of Mahayana). Mahayana expounds Bodhisattva practice as the means towards enlightenment of both oneself and others. |
Mahasattva | great Bodhisattva; great being |
great Bodhisattva, who attain higher stages of fruition and enlightenment. |
Mahesvara; Maheshvara |
The great unhindered God |
The God who dwells in the highest heaven of Material / Form Realm, and is the ruler of the Triple-Realms. The heavens of Material Realm, from low to high, are:
Brahma God is the ruler of our world, and Mahesvara is the ruler of the whole triple-realms. Their lifetimes are unimaginable long, thus many living beings believe that they are the creator, dominator, and terminator of the universe, and exist forever. |
Mantra | incantation | Esoteric incantation; It is a treatise with mystical meaning, and is regarded as every word and deed of a Bodhisattva. |
mara | demon devil |
Literally: "murder, destruction", the Devil of the Sixth Heaven. Although the embodiment of death, Mara symbolizes in Buddhism the passions that overwhelm human beings as well as everything that hinders the development of wholesome roots and progress on the path of enlightenment." Literally: "death. The tempter". The personification of evil in Buddhist mythology." |
nayuta | billion trillion incalculable |
A measurement that means a vast number |
nirvana | perfect stillness; extinction; |
Nirvana is a Sanskrit word which is originally translated as "perfect stillness". It has many other meanings, such as liberation, eternal bliss, tranquil extinction, extinction of individual existence, unconditioned, no rebirth, calm joy, etc. It is usually described as transmigration to "extinction", but the meaning given to "extinction" varies. There are four kinds of Nirvana: |
paramita | perfection | literally, means crossing over to the other shore, but is also translated into English as "perfection". It means to cross over from this shore of births and deaths to the other shore which is the liberation. |
Parinirvana | Perfect Nirvana; Perfect Awakening |
The Great Perfect Nirvana which surpasses all other Nirvanas. |
prajna | great wisdom; | True or transcendental wisdom. Last of the paramitas. One of the highest attainments of Buddhist practice. There are three kinds of Prajna: |
pratyeka-buddha | Conditional Awakener; Solitary Realizer; One Enlightened to Conditions |
One who is awakened by contemplating the twelve interconnected causes. |
Saha; Sabha; Saha-loka-dhatu |
The saha world; World of Endurance |
The secular world; this world that we live. The corrupt world. The world in which Sakyamuni Buddha teaches. The Sanskrit word "Saha" means endurance. NOTE: |
samadhi | concentration | A state in which the mind, free from distraction, is absorbed in intense, "purposeless" concentrationy entering a state of inner serenity. With the mind thus completely absorbed in itself, the essential nature of Self can be experienced directly. Meditative absorption. Usually denotes the particular final stage of pure concentration. There are many levels and types of samadhi |
samsara | transmigration; reincarnation; cycle existence; metempsychosis |
The original meaning of samsara is "flow together." This is the expression of the ancient Indian idea that all living things repeatedly pass through life and death. Like a continually spinning wheel, sentient beings are reincarnated and die without end. In Buddhism, one is said to transmigrate through the triple realm (desire, form and formless realms) and the six destinies (god, demigod, human, animal, hungry ghost, hell-being). |
Sangha Samgha |
monk; supereme assembly; monk community |
A word with several associations: 1) refers specifically to the Arya-sangha (Pali Ariya-sangha -- those who have attained to the supramundane Path). |
skandha | aggregate; accumulation; gathering; cluster |
Something accumulated; or, something differentiated. The constitutional element (aggregates) of all existence. There are five skandhas: |
Sravaka; Shravaka; |
hearer; voice-hearer; sound-hearer; disciple |
Literally: 'voice-hearer'; A disciple of the Buddha (who heard his voice); A follower of Hinayana/Theravada(the Small/Lesser Vehicle). |
sutra | scripture; holy text |
scripture/holy-text/law-books of Buddhism |
Tathagata | Thus Come One | This is one of the ten epithets of Buddha, with the implication that the Buddha's achievement of enlightenment has come through a path of practice that other sentient beings can follow. |
tri-ratna; ratna-traya |
Triple-Gem; Three Treasures; Triple Jewel; Three jewels of refuge |
the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha |
tridhatu | three realms; triple-realms |
The three realms of samsara: (1) The desire realm, where one is preoccupied by desires for physical gratification. |
tripitaka | Three Store; Three Baskets |
The earliest Buddhist canonical text consisting of three sections: 1.Buddha's discourses (sutras), |
upasaka | layman | Buddhist lay disciple, who formally received some or all of the five precepts. |
upasika | laywoman | female lay disciple, who puts her faith in the Three Treasures, and observes some or all of the five precepts. |
vaipulya; vipula |
corrective and extensive; Broadening |
Literally, "vaipulya" means "corrective and extensive", one of the twelve traditional genre divisions of the Buddhist canon |
vijnana | consciousness | Conscious mental function Sentient beings possess eight/nine distinct layers of consciousness, which are: |
vajra | diamond adamantine |
(1) An extremely hard material, which is identified with the diamond or the essential substance of gold; often used as an trope for something hard and indestructible. 'Adamantine.' (2) The vajra, or thunderbolt; it is generally shaped as such, but has other forms. Also, any one of the beings represented with the vajra is called a vajra. |
yojana | A unit of measurement in ancient India, equal to the distance which the royal army would march in a day. Approximations vary as widely as 9.6, 18 and 24 kilometers. |