Buddhism

Question 1

anatman

Answer 1

(“No-soul”) The doctrine that
the human person is impermanent, a
changing combination of components

Question 2

Arhat

Answer 2

A worthy one or saint, someone
who has realized the ideal of spiritual
perfection

Question 3

bhikshu, bhikshuni

Answer 3

An ordained Buddhist monk and nun, respectively

Question 3

bodhisattva

Answer 3

In Theravada, a being
who is on the way to enlightenment or
buddhahood but has not yet achieved
it; in Mahayana, a celestial being who
forgoes nirvana in order to save others

Question 4

Chan/Zen

Answer 4

A tradition centered on the
practice of meditation and the teaching
that ultimate reality is not expressible
in words or logic but must be grasped
through direct intuition; see also koan
and zazen.

Question 5

dana

Answer 5

A “giving” ritual, in which Theravada families present gifts of food, at
their homes or a temple, to bhikshus
who conduct rituals including chanting and merit transfer

Question 6

dharma

Answer 6

In Buddhist usage, teaching or truth concerning the ultimate
nature of things.

Question 6

dukkha

Answer 6

The suffering, psychological
as well as physical, that characterizes
human life.

Question 6

Hinayana

Answer 6

(“Lesser Vehicle”) The pejorative name given by the Mahayana
(“Greater Vehicle”) school to earlier
Indian Buddhist sects, of which Theravada became the most important.

Question 7

karma

Answer 7

The energy of the individual’s
past thoughts and actions, good or
bad; karma determines rebirth within
the “wheel” of samsara, or cycle of
rebirth that ends only when parinirvana is achieved. Good karma is also
called “merit.”

Question 8

koan/gongan

Answer 8

A paradoxical thought
exercise used in the Chan–Zen tradition to provoke a breakthrough in understanding by forcing students past
the limitations of verbal formulations
and logic.

Question 9

lama

Answer 9

(“Wise teacher”) A title given to
advanced teachers as well as the heads
of various Tibetan ordination lineages.

Question 10

Mahayana

Answer 10

(“Greater Vehicle”) The
form of Buddhism that emerged
around the first century in India and
spread first to China and then to Korea
and Japan.

Question 11

mandala

Answer 11

A chart-like representation
of cosmic Buddha figures that often
serves as a focus of meditation and devotion in the Mahayana and Vajrayana
traditions.

Question 12

mudra

Answer 12

A pose or gesture in artistic
representations of Buddha figures; by
convention, each mudra has a specific
symbolic meaning.

Question 13

nirvana

Answer 13

The state of bliss associated
with final enlightenment; nirvana “with
remainder” is the highest level possible
in this life, and nirvana “without remainder” is the ultimate state.

Question 14

pagoda

Answer 14

A multi-story tower, characteristic of Southeast and East Asian
Buddhism, that developed out of the
South Asian mound or stupa.

Question 15

parinirvana

Answer 15

The ultimate perfection
of bliss, achievable only on departing
this life, as distinct from the nirvana
with the “remainder” achievable while
one is still in the present existence

Question 16

prajna

Answer 16

The spiritual wisdom or insight necessary for enlightenment

Question 17

Pure Land

Answer 17

The comfortable realm
in the western region of the heavens
reserved for those who trust in the
merit and grace of its lord, the celestial
buddha Amitabha (Amida).

Question 18

rinpoche

Answer 18

A title of respect for Tibetan
teachers or leading monks.

Question 19

samadhi

Answer 19

A higher state of consciousness, achieved through meditation

Question 20

sangha

Answer 20

The “congregation” or community of Buddhist monks and nuns. Some
forms of Buddhism also refer to the congregation of lay persons as a sangha.

Question 21

Shakyamuni

Answer 21

(“Sage of the Shakya
clan”) A title used to refer to the historical figure of Siddhartha Gautama, the
Buddha.

Question 22

shunyata

Answer 22

The emptiness that is held
to be ultimately characteristic of all
things, stressed especially by Madhyamaka doctrine

Question 23

stupa

Answer 23

Originally a hemispherical
mound built to contain cremation ashes
or a sacred relic; in East Asia the stupa
developed into the tower-like pagoda

Question 24

sutra

Answer 24

A discourse attributed either to
Shakyamuni himself or to an important disciple.

Question 25

Theravada

Answer 25

(“Teaching of the Elders”)
The dominant form of Buddhism in Sri
Lanka and Southeast Asia.

Question 26

Vaishakha

Answer 26

A Theravada festival held
at the full moon around early May,
marking Shakyamuni’s birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana.

Question 27

Tripitaka

Answer 27

(“Three baskets”) The collection of early sacred writings consisting of discourses attributed to the
Buddha, rules of monastic discipline,
and treatises on doctrine.

Question 28

Vajrayana

Answer 28

The tantric branch of
Buddhism that became established in
Tibet and the Himalayan region and
later spread to Mongolia and eventually back to India

Question 29

vinaya

Answer 29

The rules of practice and conduct for monks; a section of the Pali
canon.

Question 30

vipassana

Answer 30

(“Insight” or “mindfulness”) Meditation practiced by Theravada Buddhists

Question 31

zazen

Answer 31

Sitting meditation in the Chan–
Zen tradition