Sambosa - Buddhist Glossary

Amitabha: Sanskrit; Amita Bul (Korean); "Infite Light" Buddha which represents the three Buddhas (Vairocana,Rocana,Sakyamuni Buddha) in Mahayana collectively as Oneness. He is ruler of the western paradise (pure land), which is not a physical location but it is a state of consciousness.

Avalokitesvara: Sanskrit; Kwan Eum (Korean),Kannon (Japanese), Chen Resig (Tibetan); the bodhisattva of compassion.

Bodhisattva: Sanskrit; Bosal (Korean),Bosatsu (Japanese); one who postpones his or her own enlightenment in order to help liberate other sentient beings from cyclic existence; compassion, or karuna, is the central characteristic of the bodhisattva.

Buddha: Sanskrit; literally, "awakened one"; a person who has been released from the world of cyclic existence (samsara) and attained liberation from desire, craving, and attachment in nirvana; according to Theravadins, Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha, is considered to be the first Buddha of this age who was preceded by many others and will be followed by Maitreya; Mahayanists believe that there are countless Buddhas for every age.

Dharma: Sanskrit; dhamma (Pali); the central notion of Buddhism; it is the cosmic law underlying all existence and therefore the teaching of the Buddha; it is considered one of the three "jewels" of Buddhism; it is often used as a general term for Buddhism.

Four Noble Truths: A fundamental doctrine of Buddhism which clarifies the cause of suffering and the way to emancipation. The truth are that (1) all existence entails suffering; (2) suffering is caused by ignorance, which gives rise to desire and illusion; (3) there is an end to suffering, and this state of no suffering is so called Nirvana and (4) the way to end suffering is through the practice of the eightfold Noble Path

Karma: Sanskrit; literally, "action"; universal law of cause and effect which governs rebirth and the world of samsara.

Mahaprajnaparamita: Sanskrit; Maha (Great)/prajna (wisdom)/ paramita (That which has reached the other shore, the transcendental, the perfections, the virtues perfected by a bodhisattva).

Mahayana: Sanskrit; literally, "the Great Vehicle"; one of the three major schools of Buddhism which developed in India during the first century C.E.; it is called the "Great Vehicle" because of its all-inclusive approach to liberation as embodied in the bodhisattva ideal and the desire to liberate all beings.

Maitreya: the Buddha expected to come in the future as the fifth and last of the earthly Buddhas; he is believed to reside in the Tushita heaven until then (about 30,000 years from now).

Nirvana: Sanskrit; literally, "extinction, blowing out"; the goal of spiritual practice in Buddhism; liberation from the cycle of rebirth and suffering.

Mahaprajnaparamita: Sanskrit; Maha (Great)/prajna (wisdom)/ paramita (That which has reached the other shore, the transcendental, the perfections, the virtues perfected by a bodhisattva).

Pure Land: A realm free from suffering in which it is easier to attain nirvana; the most famous one, Sukhavati, is the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha and requires only calling out his name in order to be reborn in it; "Pure Land Buddhism" refers to this devotion directed towards Amitabha.

Rocana Buddha: Sanskrit; Nosana Bul (Korean), represents the perfect and infinite body, which is the pure ocean of essential Dharma nature.He represents limitless compassion, love, wisdom and capability.

Sakyamuni Buddha: Sanskrit; Sakyamuni Bul (Korean), represents not only the historial Buddha but also the the myriad incarnation bodies, who are to guide all beings to liberation (free mind).

Sangha: Sanskrit; a term for the Buddhist monastic community which has recently come to include the entire community of Buddhist practitioners; it is considered one of the three jewels of Buddhism (along with the Buddha and the Dharma

Samadhi: Sanskrit; A state of consciousness in which a mental ativity ceases. It is a non-dualistic state of consciousness in which consciousness of the experiencing "subject" becomes one with the experienced "object".

Samadhi, Ocean-seal: The samadhi the Buddha entered immediately following his enlightenment, during which he taught the Avatamsaka Sutra. Ocean-seal refers to suchness, which is like a calm ocean that reflects everything.

Shakyamuni: (ca. 563-422 BCE) The historical Buddha.

Sunyata: Sanskrit; sunnata (Pali); literally, "emptiness"; a central Buddhist idea which states that all phenomena are "empty," i.e. dependent and conditioned on other phenomena and therefore without essence; Theravadins applied this idea to the individual to assert the non-existence of a soul; Mahayanists later expanded on this idea and declared that all existence is empty; emptiness became the focus of the Madhyamika school of the Mahayana Buddhism; the notion of emptiness has often led to Buddhism being wrongfully confused with a nihilistic outlook.

Sutra: Sanskrit; a discourse attributed to the Buddha; sutras comprise the second part of the Buddhist canon, or Tripitaka; they traditionally begin with the phrase "Thus have I heard. . . " and are believed to have been written down by the Buddha's disciple Ananda one hundred years after his death.

Tripitaka: Sanskrit; literally, "the three baskets"; this term is commonly used for the Buddhist canon, which consists of three parts: the Vinaya, or monastic code; the Sutras; and the Abhidharma, or Buddhist philosophical treatises.

Suhn:> Korean; Zen (Japanese); Ch'an (Chinese); a school of Mahayana Buddhism which developed in China during the sixth and seventh centuries after Bodhidharma arrived. Suhn stresses the primary importance of the enlightenment experience through a meditative practice which seeks to free the mind of all thought and conceptualization in order to attain "the True Thusness which is the Buddha nature".

Vairocana Buddha: Sanskrit; Birojana Bul (Korean), The Dharmakaya Buddha is the Lord of the Flower Treasury World. He represents the pure Dharma body, which is the teachings of Buddha.