Buddhist Terms Flashcards
Sources of knowledge / Epistemic Instruments
pramāṇa
Perception
pratyakṣa
Cognition
jñāna
Ineffeable
avyapadeśya
Convention
vyavahārakāla
intrinsic nature
svabhāva
intrinsic characteristics
svalakṣaṇa
Epistemic objects
prameya
Mundane convention
alokasaṃvṛti
Inference
anumāna
Dependent arising
pratītyasamutpāda
Unique particulars
svalakṣaṇas
Universals
sāmānyalakṣaṇa
Ultimately existent
paramārthasat
Selflessness
anātmavāda
Self-awareness
svasaṃvitti
Conventional truth
saṃvṛtisatya
Conventional
saṃvṛtisat
Causal efficacy
arthakriyāsāmarthyam
Disposition
vāsanā
Having content
viṣayābhāsatā
Result
pramāṇaphala
What is known
prameya
Verbal proliferation
prapañca
Appropriation
upādāna
Subject
grāhaka
Object
grāhya
Time
kāla
Space
deśa
Momentariness
kṣaṇikatva
Non-being or absence
abhāva
Reliable
avisaṃvādin
Acceptance
abhyupagama
Logical consequence
prasaṅga
Spiritual Path
pravṛttikāma
A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life
Bodhicaryāvatāra
Wisdom
prajñā
Moral discipline
śīla
Generosity
dāna
Patient Endurance
kṣānti
True nature of reality
dharmatā
Mind
Citta
Mind only
Cittamātra
Cyclic existence
Saṃsāra
Emptiness
Śūnyatā
Volition, intention, or directionality
Cetanā
Ignorance
Avidyā
Consciousness
Vijñāna
Defilements
kleśa
Reality or truth
Satay
Reality or truth
Satay
Reductio ad absurdum
Prasaṅga
Emptiness
Śūnyatā
A school of Mādhyamika that emphasizes reductio and pyrhonian skepticism
Prasaṅgika
A school of Madhyamika that offers independent arguments for their views
Svatantrika
Characteristic or quality
Lakṣaṇa
Inexpressible
anabhilāpya
Nonconceptual
Nirvikalpaka
Form or matter
Rūpa
Philosophical lineage or tradition
Paramparā
Multiplicity, complexity, or plurality
Anekatā
Action, performance, or undertaking
Kriyā
Purpose
Prayojana
Skillful means
Upāyakauśalya
Whole, or something that has portions
Avayavin
Ignorance or misconception
Avidyā
Atom or particle
Paramāṇus
Yogic perception
Yogipratyakṣa
Activity
Pravṛtti
Aim or goal
Artha
Telic function or causal efficacy
Arthakriyā
Substance
Dravya
Simplicity, singularity, or oneness
Ekatva
Random, causeless, or unexpected
Ākasmika
Similarity or resemblance
sādṛśya
Falsehood
Anṛta
Three nature
trisvabhavā
Ultimate truth
paramārtha-satya
Dependent
Paratantra
Perfected or absolute
parinispanna
Universally known or what the world acknowledges
lokaprasiddha
Nature
Prakṛti
Lone Buddha or silent Buddha
Pratyekabuddha
Causal condition
Hetupratyaya
Person
Pudgala
Meditative consciousness
Samādhi
Cause
Hetu
Conditions
pratyaya
Emptiness of persons
Pudgalanairātmya
Emptiness of all things or the selflessness of all things
Dharmanairātmya
Change or transformation
Vikāra
Mass
Ghana
Individual
Vyakti
Continuity or concomitance
Anvāya
One who has entered the stream
śrotāpanna
Meditative Consciousness or Stable Attention
Samādhi
Resting meditation
śamatha
Liberating
Nairyāṇika
Superimposition
Samārōpa
Judicious person
Prekṣāvat
The epistemological school
pramāṇavāda
Illusion or misapprehension
Viparyāsa
Radically inaccessible facts
Atyantaparokṣa
Confusion or delusion
Saṃmoha
Not to injure or compassion
ahiṃsā
Magic
Māyā
Enlightenment
bodhi
Sublime attitudes or the four central Buddhist virtues
brahmavihārās
The four immeasurables (central Buddhist virtues)
apramāṇa
Equanimity
upekṣā
Compassion
Karuṇā
Sympathetic joy
Muditā
Benevolence or loving kindness
maitrī
Well-being
Ariyasukha
Diligence, perseverance, courage, or energy
Vīrya
Skillful
kuśala
Sacred, meritorious, virtuous, morally good
Punya
Fiction
Kalpanā
Desire or craving
Tṛṣṇā
Conceptuality
Vikalpa
Buddhist monastic rules
Vinaya
Non-virtuous mental factors
Caitta
Annihilationism or nihilism
Ucchedavāda
Attachment, greed, or lust
rāga
Impermanent
Anitya
Feeling or sensation
Vedanā
Aggregate
Saṃcita
Fuel, attachment, grasping
Upādāna
On the basis of, making use of, depending on
Upādāya
Eternalism
sāśvata-dṛṣṭi
Inexplicable
avyaktavya
Psychophysical stream
Skandha-santāna
Being owned
Svatva
Release from the cycle of rebirth
mokṣa
Spirit self, or universal principle
puruṣa
To count, list, or reason
Samkhya
Discriminating intellect or discriminating mind
Buddhi
I-maker our sense of ego
Ahamkara
Darkness
tamas
Passion and activity
Rajas
Conceptual reality
prajnaptisat
Debate or controversy
Vāda
Wrangling, chattering
Jalpa
Belief in a permanent individual
Satkāyadṛṣṭi
Outside the range of the senses
Parokṣa
Entailment
Vyāpti
Linguistic convention
Saṃketa
Customary transactions
Vyavahāra
Thesis
Pakṣa
The path of seeing
darśana-mārga
Fine as it is unanalyzed
avicara-ramaniya
The exclusion of the other
anyāpoha
Imperceptible
Parokṣa
Tradition or scripture
Āgāma
Valid reason
saddhetu
Problem or puzzle
samasyā
Testimony or speech sound
Śabda
Super sensible
Atīndriya
Definitive meaning
Nītārtha
Meaning that requires textual interpretation
Neyārtha
Presumption or necessary conclusion
Arthāpatti
Meditation or contemplation
Dhyāna
Buddha-nature
tathāgatagarbha
Great element
Mahābhūta
Pride
Atimāna
Instant
Kṣaṇa
Consciousness
Caitanya
Knowledge
Vidya
Mental factors
Cetasika
Good, skillful, meritorious, wholesome
Kusala
Unwholesome consciousness
akusalacitta
Greed
Lobha
Hatred
Dosa
Mindfulness
Sati
Faith
Saddhā
Shame at doing evil
Hiri
Tranquility of consciousness
Cittapassaddhi
Right speech
Sammāvācā
Wrong view
Diṭṭhi
Restlessness
Uddhacca
Pleasant
sukhā
Perception or cognition
Saṃjñā
Foundational consciousness
Ālayavijñāna
Representational form
Ākāra
Reflexive awareness
Svasaṃvedana
Lightness
Lāghava
Desire (Nyaya school)
Icchā
Doer or agent
kartṛ
Comparison (epistemic instrument)
Upamāna
Property, virtue, merit, epistemically special property
Guṇa
Wealth
Artha
Critical inquiry
Anviksiki
Inference for oneself
Svarthanumana
Inference for another
Pararthanumana
The world
Jagat
Eternal
Śāśvata
Omniscient
sarvajnatva
Buddhist notion of mind
Manas
Sense contact
Sparśa
Attention
manasikāra
Afflictive mind
Klista-manas
Abhidharma school that affirms that all exist (eternalism) and accepted the causal criterion of existence
Sarvāstivāda
Early Abhidharma school that believed in the omniscience of the Buddha, presentism, foundational consciousness, consciousness is natural luminous, and emptiness of Dharmas
Mahāsāṃghika
Abhidharma school that accepted the reality of persons
Pudgalavāda
Abhidharma school defended by Vasubandhu that accepted doctrine of extreme momentariness, maybe causal criterion of existence, and denied existence of nirvana
Sautrāntika
Abhidharma school that rejected personalism & eternalism, thought that nirvana exists and is unconditioned, and accepted sudden enlightenment
Vibhajyavāda
Discernment
Saṃjñā
Great compassion
Mahākaruṇā
Memory or remembrance
Smṛti
स्मृति
Clear comprehension or clear knowing
संप्रजन्य
saṃprajanya
The desire to attain enlightenment for the sake of all suffering beings
Bodhicitta
बोधिचित्त
Conventional knowledge
Saṃvṛtijñāna (संवृतिज्ञान)
A four cornered system of argumentation that involves examine four possibilities. Also tetralemma
Catuṣkoṭi चतुष्कोटि,
Implicational negation
Paryudāsa
Non implicational negation
Prasajyapratiṣēdha
Domain of reality
Dharmadhātu
Mental phenomenon, the whole of sentience
Nāma
Cessation of suffering
Nirodha (निरोध)
Transformation or change
Pariṇāma (परिणाम)
Object domain
Viṣaya (विषय)
Sense faculty
Indriya (इन्द्रिय)
Point of reference
Ālambana (आलम्बन)
Approximation or conscious superimposition
Upacāra (उपचार)
Completely imagined
Parikalpita (परिकल्पित)
Philosophy or vision of truth
Darśana (दर्शन)
External object
Bāhyārtha (बाह्यार्थ)
माध्यमक
Madhyamaka
माध्यमक
Mindfulness of breathing
Ānāpānasmṛti (आनापानस्मृति)
Substratum or bade
Āśraya
Upādāna
Craving or attachment
Highest yoga tantra
Anuttarayoga Tantra (Sanskrit, Tibetan: bla na med pa’i rgyud)
An influential Buddhist school of the Small Vehicle (Hīnayāna), closely related to the Sarvāstivāda. Their name derives from a great treatise known as the Mahāvibhāṣā (Great Book of Alternatives) which summarizes their views.
Vaibhāṣika
Insight
Vipassanā (Pāli) or vipaśyanā (Sanskrit)
“hearer” or, more generally, “disciple”.
Śrāvaka (Sanskrit) or Sāvaka (Pali) means “hearer” or, more generally, “disciple”. Also a teacher of great wisdom such as Buddha
Transformation
Pariṇāma
Two truths doctrine
satyadvaya
Ultimate
Paramārtha
Witness consciousness
Sākṣī or Shakshi(Sanskrit: साक्षी or शाक्षी)
Logic or method
Nyaya (न्याय)
Cognition (Abhidharma category)
Saññā
Complexes or formations
Saṅkhāra
Perfection, noble character qualities generally associated with enlightened beings
Pāramitā
Patience, forbearance, or forgiveness.
Kshanti (Sanskrit kṣānti)
Buddhist vow
Praṇidhāna (प्रणिधान)
Strength
Bala
Bondage
bandhana
The doctrine of radical impermanence
ksanabhanga
Contact or conjunction
Saṃyoga (संयोग, “contact”).
Concomitance
Anvaya
Perfection of wisdom
Prajñāpāramitā
Nontransgression
Avītikkama
Restraint
Saṃvara
Words of the Buddha
Buddhavacana
Worldly
laukika लौकिक
Average or vulgar man
Pṛthagjana (पृथग्जन)
Noble
ārya
The truths of the noble ones or four noble truths
catvāri āryasatyāni
Eightfold noble path
āryāṣṭāṅgamārga
Supramundane knowledge
lokottarajnana
The next or future world
Paraloka (परलोक)
Hypostatized
Samāropita (समारोपित)
Established conclusion
Siddhānta
‘thatness’, ‘principle’, ‘reality’ or ‘truth’. An element or aspect of reality.
Tattva
Meditation, cultivation, or development
Bhāvanā
Logician or follower of the nyaya school
Naiyāyika
Hermeneuticians or those who say only the Vedas are valid
Mīmāṃsaka
Analysis of the dharmas
Dharmapravicaya
Extrinsic nature
Parābhava
Conceptual construction
Prajñapti-sat
Three marks of existence
trilakṣaṇa
Inpermanent
anitya
Extrinsic nature
Parabhāva
The theory that the effect already exists in the cause
Satkāryavāda
The theory that holds that the effect does not exist in the cause and is instead a new existent
Asatkāryavāda
Rules governing Buddhist monastics-literally “toward liberation”
prātimokṣa
Five aggregates
pañca skandha
A factor associated with the concentrative absorption. This a joyful samskara (formation) associated with no object so the practitioner is not attaining it by desire. It is often translated with the English word “rapture”
Prīti
Breaking the barriers, a stage in loving-kindness meditation where extend love to more and more beings
sīmasambheda
Violence, Cruelty
Vihiṃsā (विहिंसा)
Decision or intensified interest, a mental factor that is common to consciousness
Adhimokṣa
Non-attachment
Alobha
sacred work or scripture
āgama (आगम)
Pali word for volume. It is often used like the Sanskrit word āgama to mean “collection”, “assemblage”, “class” or “group”
Nikāya
the learning of the theory of dharma as contained within the suttas of the Pali canon
pariyatti
Contradiction
Virodha (विरोध)
Certainty
Niścāya
esteem; regard; affection; admiration
ādara
Ethics of the vow
Saṃvaraśīla
Insane, crazy
Unmattaka (उन्मत्तक)
Conceptual proliferation or hypostatisation
Prapañca
science of dialectics, logic and reasoning, and art of debate
Tarka Sastra
a tradition in dharma discourse that involves building a deep familiarity with the opponent’s point of view before criticizing it.
Purva paksha, पूर्व पक्ष
Hypothetical reasoning
Tarka (तर्क)
established and accepted view of any particular school within Indian philosophy; literally “settled opinion or doctrine”
Siddhānta
Beginningless
Anādi (अनादि).
mental impressions, recollections, or psychological imprints
saṃskāra (संस्कार)
Absence; non-concomitance
Vyatireka (व्यतिरेक)
Darkness, visual distortion, blindness from affection of the optic nerve.
timira (तिमिर).
Theory of moments or momentariness
Kṣaṇavāda
the ultimate constituents of a whole such as the 4 physical elements
Dhātu
Primal sentient consciousness, a passive form of nasal awareness. A state in which the mind is said to rest when no active consciousness process is occurring
Bhavaṅga citta
Luminous mind; used to describe equanimity reached through meditation, which is said to be “pure, bright, soft, workable, and luminous”
prabhāsvara-citta
Mental states that cloud the mind and manifest in unwholesome actions
क्लेश
Hungary ghosts
Preta (Sanskrit: प्रेत)
Annihilationism
uccheda-drsti
Fruition of karma
karmavipāka
Having no beginning, eternal, existing from eternity
Anādi (अनादि)
One of the six schools of Indian philosophy (Vedic systems) from ancient India. Over time, it became similar to the Nyāya school of Hinduism.
Vaiśeṣika वैशेषिक
Five hindrances
pañca nivāraṇa पञ्च निवरण
Ill-will or malice
vyāpāda
“excitement”, “restlessness”, etc. In the Theravada tradition, defined as a mental factor that is characterized by disquietude, like water whipped by the wind.
auddhatya
“jealousy” or “envy”. It is defined as a state of mind in which one is highly agitated to obtain wealth and honor for oneself, but unable to bear the excellence of others
Īrṣyā
Right view
samyak-dṛuṣṭi
“doubt” or “indecision”. It is defined as being of two minds about the meaning of the four noble truths;
विचिकित्सा (vicikitsā)
putting together, uniting, fixing the mind in abstract contemplation on the true nature of the soul, contemplate oneness, concentrated or formless meditation, commitment, intentness, steadiness,
samādhānam समाधानम्
a class of basic visual objects of meditation used in Theravada Buddhism, such as earth, fire, and colors
कृत्स्न kṛtsna
