Glossary (All Terms) Flashcards
What does Amitabha Buddha mean?
The Buddha worshipped by Pure Land Buddhists
What does Anatta mean?
The idea that people do not have a permanent, fixed self or soul.
What does Anicca mean?
Impermanence; the idea that everything changes.
What does Arhat mean?
For Theravada Buddhists, someone who has become enlightened.
What does Ascetic mean?
Living a simple and strict lifestyle with few pleasures or possessions; follows ascetic practices.
What does Bodhisattva mean?
For Mahayana Buddhists, someone who has become enlightened but chooses to remain in the cycle samsara to help others achieve enlightenment as well.
What does Buddha mean?
A title given to someone who has achieved enlightenment; usually used to refer to Siddhartha Gautama.
What is Buddha Rupa?
A statue of the Buddha, often sitting cross-legged in a meditation pose.
What is Buddhahood?
When someone achieves enlightenment and becomes a Buddha.
What is Buddha-nature?
The idea that everyone has the essence of a Buddha inside of them.
What is Chanting?
In Buddhism, reciting from the Buddhist scriptures.
What does Dependent Arising mean?
The idea that all things arise in dependence upon conditions.
What is Dhamma/Dharma?
The Buddha’s teachings. 
What is Dukkha?
The first noble truth: there is suffering.
What is engaged Buddhism?
A movement in Buddhism that is particularly concerned with applying the Buddha’s teachings to matters of social and environmental injustice.
What is enlightenment?
The gaining of true knowledge about God, self or nature of reality, usually through meditation and self discipline in Buddhist/Hindu and Sikh traditions, gaining freedom from the cycle of rebirth.
What is ethics (sila)?
A section of the threefold way that emphasises the importance of skilful action as the basis for spiritual progress.
What is a festival?
A day or period of celebration for religious reasons.
What is Gompa?
A hall or building where Tibetan Buddhists meditate.
What is greed?
Selfish desire for something.
What is Jataka?
The Jataka tales are popular stories about the lives of the Buddha.
What is Kamma/karma?
A persons actions; the idea that skilful actions result in happiness and unskilful ones in suffering.
What is Karuna?
Compassion: feeling concerned for the suffering of other people and wanting to relieve their suffering.
What is Magga?
The fourth noble truth: the way to stop suffering; the Eightfold Path.
What is Mahayana Buddhism?
An umbrella term to describe some later Buddhist traditions, including Pure Land Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism and Zen Buddhism.
What is Mala?
Prayer beads that are used to count number of recitations in a mantra.
What is a Mandala?
An intricate, circle shaped pattern that is used for meditation.
What is a Mantra?
A short sequence of sacred syllables.