Glossary of Buddhist Term
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 precepts, a 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 |