Buddhist Terminology For Beliefs And Practices Flashcards
Ascetic
A person who gives up the pleasures of normal life.
Arhat
A person who has achieved enlightenment following the Buddha’s teaching.
Buddha
The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, after his enlightenment. It is a title which means the enlightened or awakened one.
Diety
Refers to one god or goddess. In Buddhism, a deity refers to an enlightened Buddha, bodhisattva or deva (divine being).
Dhamma (Dharma)
Dhamma is Buddhist doctrine about the nature of existence and includes the teachings of the Buddha.
Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
The Setting in Motion of the Wheel of the Dhamma (Dharma) Sutta. It is a Buddhist text that records the first teaching given by the Buddha after he attained enlightenment.
Doctrine
A set of beliefs or teachings held by a religion or within a particular subject.
Dukkha
Suffering; illness; dissatisfaction; imperfection. An unavoidable fact of existence according to the first Noble Truth.
Enlightenment
The realisation of the truth about life. In Buddhism it releases a person from the cycle of rebirth.
Five Khandas (or skandhas)
The five components or aggregates that make an individual self - body, perception, conception, volition, and consciousness.
Four Noble Truths
The truths discovered by the Buddha during his enlightenment.
Jataka Tales (Jataka stories)
A large collection of writings about the Buddha’s previous lives. It is part of the Pali Canon.
Intrinsic
A natural part which belongs within someone or something.
Karma (kamma)
Actions, and the consequences of actions. An important concept in Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism.
Mahayana sutras
Sacred Buddhist scriptures.
Meditation
Thinking quietly as a spiritual or religious exercise. Connection of the mind and soul with the Divine using breathing and other techniques. In Buddhism, using one of a set of techniques or exercises for calming the mind, developing positive emotions and understanding the way things are.
Metta
The Buddhist term for loving kindness. A pure love which is neither grasping nor possessive.
Middle Way
The Eightfold Path in Buddhism which represents the state between living a life of self-indulgence and one of denial. It is the ideal way to live.
Morality
Concerned with right and wrong.
Nibbana (also spelled nirvana)
The state when Buddhists have achieved understanding and have broken free from the cycle of samsara. Can be called Nirvana.
Nirodha
The Third Noble Truth: that there is a release from suffering (Nibbana or enlightenment).
Noble Eightfold Path (Magga - Fourth Noble Truth)
The teachings of the Buddha that can lead to the end of suffering: 1 - Right Views; 2 - Right Thinking; 3 - Right Speech; 4 - Right Action; 5 - Right Livelihood; 6 - Right Effort; 7 - Right Mindfulness; 8 - Right Meditation.
Pali canon
The collection of scriptures preserved in the Theravada Buddhist tradition.
Paticcasamupada (Pratityasamutpada)
The concept of dependent arising. The belief that everything in existence is because other things are. The idea that everything is interconnected and that everyone affects everyone else.
Principle of conditionality
All things are inter-related, nothing is independent. Also known as Paticcasamupada, dependent origination or dependent arising.
Samsara
In Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism, this is the cycle of life, death and rebirth.
Samudaya
The Second Noble Truth: that there are causes of suffering (Tanha or craving).
Sangha
The Buddhist community of practitioners, usually used to mean the community of monks.
Sentient
A term used to refer to creatures that are conscious and able to experience pleasure and pain.
Siddhartha Gautama
The Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.
Three Marks of Existence
In Buddhism these are impermanence (anicca), dissatisfaction or suffering (dukkha), and non-self (anatta). They are characteristics shared by all humans.
Three Poisons
The main causes of suffering: greed, hatred and ignorance.
Three Refuges or Jewels
The three most important features of the Buddhist life, recited as an expression of belief and commitment: I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Sangha, I take refuge in the dhamma (teaching).
