Term
| aggregates (skandha/khandas) |
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Definition
the components of the psychophysical personality, on which beings commonly impute the false notion of self. There are five aggregates, each based on the previous one:
1. Form (rūpa)– material phenomenon.
2. Feelings – (vedanā) sensation of things. There are three types:
1. Pleasant
2. Unpleasant
3. Neutral
3. Discriminations (Skt. samjñā, Pāli saññā) – between objects of the six senses (5 + mental images), based on feelings.
4. Consciousness (Skt. vijñāna, Pāli viññāṇa) – of the six senses
5. Compositional Factors (Skt. samskāra, Pāli saṅkhāra)– volitional activities (karma), both good and bad that influence future mental states |
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Term
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Definition
| the doctrine of “No-Self” or “No-Soul”. One of the three marks of existence, along with dukkha ‘suffering’ and anitya/anicca ‘impermanence’ |
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Term
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Definition
| a person who has destroyed the mental defilements (the three poisons) through the teaching of a Buddha and becomes liberated from samsara |
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Term
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Definition
| Literally “Entering the Path of Enlightenment,” sometimes called “A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life.” Written by Shantideva (Śantideva) during the 8th century CE. |
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Term
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Definition
| literally ‘the mind of Awakening,’ the altruistic intention to achieve awakening in order to benefit all other beings |
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Term
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Definition
| literally ‘awakening being,’ one who has generated bodhicitta and seeks awakening for the benefits of others. The Bodhisattva or Bodhisatta refers to the Buddha before his Awakening. |
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Term
| bodies of the Buddha--Reality Body |
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Definition
| arises from the accumulation of Wisdom (last of the Six Perfections) – this is the mind of a living Buddha and his relics and his teachings in the form of texts after he has died |
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Term
| bodies of the Buddah--Form Body |
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Definition
arises from the accumulation of Merit (the first Five Perfections)
a. Enjoyment Body (Sambhogakāya) – the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara
b. Emanation Body (Nirmāṇakāya) – various forms or avatars like the Dalai Lama. See also tulku. |
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Term
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Definition
| the historical Buddha (c. 480 – c. 400 BCE), Siddhārtha Gautama at birth, who is credited with establishing the Buddhist doctrine (Dharma) in the present era |
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Term
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Definition
| (sometimes called interdependent origination) – The process of causation, in which all phenomena are created, sustained, and pass in dependence on causes and conditions. It is composed of the 12 links (nidānas). See the handout for The Wheel of Life: Central Doctrines of Tibetan Buddhism |
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Term
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Definition
| the teaching and practice of Buddhism. Compare with dharma in Hinduism. |
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Term
| Dimensions of Human Beings-Body |
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Definition
| Self-enclosed, distinct, clearly separated from others, capable of maintaining its integrity only by preserving its separateness, seat of senses. Source of individualist “illusion” |
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Term
| Dimensions of Human Beings-Manas |
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Definition
Chetana (stream of consciousness) which began at birth, ended at death
Buddhi – intelligence (discernment, analytical reason, insight, intuition)
Seat of passions, thoughts, memories, moods |
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Term
| Dimensions of human beings-atman |
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Definition
• All living beings
• More like energy than a substance or entity
• Moksha is recognizing its identity with and merging into the cosmic spirit; liberation from the illusion of particularity
• Source of spiritual force or energy |
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Term
| Dimensions of human beings-swabhava |
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Definition
• Distinct psychological and moral constitution
• Made up of various tendencies and dispositions; path to moksha different for each person
• Product of a previous life
• Non-material personality |
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Term
| Eightfold Path, the – The Four Noble Truth, it is composed of: |
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Definition
Wisdom (Skt: prajñā, Pāli: paññā)
1. Right view
2. Right intention
Ethical Conduct (Skt: śīla, Pāli: sīla)
3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right livelihood
Mental Discipline or Concentration (Skt. and Pāli: samādhi)
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right concentration |
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Term
| four major pilgrimage sites of Buddhism |
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Definition
Lumbini (birthplace of the Buddha),
Bodhgaya (the place where the Buddha became Awakened),
Sarnath (the place where the Buddha first taught), Kushnigar (the place where the Buddha died) |
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Term
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Definition
Four Noble Truths
1. The nature of suffering (Dukkha)
2. Suffering's origin (Samudaya)
3. Suffering's cessation (Nirodha)
4. The Way, the Eightfold Path, leading to the cessation of suffering |
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Term
| Four Sights, the – the four events that caused the Buddha to give up his life royal ease to seek Awakening |
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Definition
| 1. a sick person 2. an old person 3. a corpse 4. a world-renouncing ascetic |
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Term
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Definition
| one of the four orders of Tibetan Buddhism, sometimes called the ‘Yellow Hat’ school. It was founded by Tsong Khapa. The Dalai Lama is the head of this order. |
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Term
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Definition
| literally the “Lesser Vehicle,” a pejorative term used by those that practice the Mahāyāna for Mainstream Buddhism |
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Term
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Definition
| a genre of Buddhist texts in which previous lives of the Buddha are told to illustrate the practice of Buddhist virtues (pāramitās). See Sumedha. |
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Term
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Definition
| literally “Great Vehicle,” this is the form of Buddhism that began to develop around the beginning of the Common Era with the ideal of the bodhisattva |
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Term
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Definition
Sometimes called Early Conservative Buddhism. The dominant form of
Buddhism for the first 500 years after Buddha (approx. 500 BCE – 0 CE). The ideal is the arhat. |
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Term
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Definition
1. All originating things are impermanent. (anitya, anicca)
2. All defiled things are linked to suffering. (duḥkha, dukkha)
3. All things (esp. the Self or Soul) are empty. (anātman, anattā) |
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Term
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Definition
| the Buddha’s teaching which is a rejection of both worldly sensual pleasures and painful self-mortification |
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Term
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Definition
| the 12 links of dependent origination: ignorance, karma, consciousness, name and form, six senses or sources, contact, feeling, or grasping, attachment, existence, birth, aging and death |
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Term
| Perfections, six (pāramitā) |
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Definition
the six qualities in which bodhisattvas train to achieve Awakening. They are:
1) Generosity (dāna) – giving of one’s possessions and one’s self or body
2) Ethics (śīla) – virtue, morality, discipline, proper conduct
3) Patience (kṣānti) – tolerance, forbearance, acceptance, endurance
4) Endeavor (vīrya) – energy, diligence, vigor
5) Meditative Concentration (dhyāna) – one-pointed concentration, contemplation
6) Wisdom (prajñā) – insight |
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Term
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Definition
1. greed
2. hatred
3. delusion |
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Term
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Definition
The six different types of rebirth possible according to Buddhism. They are:
1) Humans - Most Fortunate Position b/c Awakening is possible
2) Animals
3) Hell Dwellers or Beings
4) Pretas (Avaricious Spirits or Hungry Ghosts)
5) Asuras (Lesser Gods or Demigods)
6) Gods |
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Term
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Definition
| the community of Buddhist monks, nuns, and laymen and laywomen. |
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Term
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Definition
| –(lit. “seizing the truth” or “the struggle for truth”) Truth-force. The term used by Gandhi to describe his method of nonviolent opposition to social and political injustices. |
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Term
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Definition
| one who is adept in the methods and philosophy of satyagraha |
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Term
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Definition
| The lifetime in which the Buddha becomes a bodhisattva by taking a vow to achieve Enlightenment in the presence of a previous Buddha, Dipamkara. |
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Term
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Definition
| teaching attributed to the historical Buddha |
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Term
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Definition
| goods made in one’s own country; indigenous products or ideas |
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Term
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Definition
| ‘self-rule’ or freedom in the political sense; for Gandhi it also meant having control over oneself |
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Term
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Definition
| The Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha |
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Term
| Tsong Khapa (1357-1419 CE) |
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Definition
| the founder of the Gelukpa Order in Tibetan Buddhism |
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Term
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Definition
| a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner, usually a high lama such as the Dalai Lama or the Panchen Lama, who is acknowledged to have the ability to control rebirth. |
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Term
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Definition
| the monastic code in Buddhism |
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Term
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Definition
| Originally term for Vedic sacrifice. In Classical Hinduism it means any activity undertaken in the spirit of sacrifice to any deity. For Gandhi, it is human interdependence and mutual service. |
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