Alphabetical Link Index
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N
O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Abhidhamma Pali / Skt: abhidharma The third ‘basket’ of the Pali Canon; a systematic philosophical analysis of mind, mental factors, matter, and Nibbāna. Theravāda and Sarvāstivāda each preserve their own version. Read article →
Absorption, meditative See Jhāna.
Adhiṭṭhāna Pali Determination or resolve; the eighth of the ten pāramī. The quality of unwavering commitment to the path and to the welfare of beings. Read article →
Aging-and-death See Jarāmaraṇa.
Aggregates, Five See Khandha.
Ajahn Thai, from Pali: ācariya Teacher; a title used in Thai Forest Theravāda for senior monastics. Commonly used as a form of address for respected teachers such as Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Brahm. Read article →
Amitābha Skt / Jpn: Amida The ‘Infinite Light’ buddha; central figure of Pure Land Buddhism. Beings who recite his name with sincere faith are said to be reborn in his Pure Land, Sukhāvatī. Read article →
Anattā Pali / Skt: anātman Not-self. The teaching that no permanent, independent self exists in persons or phenomena. One of the three marks of existence; its direct insight severs identity-view (sakkāya-diṭṭhi). Read article →
Anāgāmī Pali Non-returner; the third stage of enlightenment. An anāgāmī has severed the five lower fetters and will not return to the sensory realm, attaining liberation in a higher sphere. Read article →
Anicca Pali / Skt: anitya Impermanence. All conditioned phenomena are in constant flux; nothing lasts. One of the three marks of existence and the first insight of vipassanā practice. Read article →
Arahant Pali / Skt: arhat A ‘worthy one’ who has fully uprooted all ten fetters and attained Nibbāna — the fourth and final stage of enlightenment in the Theravāda path. Read article →
Āsava Pali Cankers or taints; the four deep-seated defilements: sensuality, existence, views, and ignorance. Their complete eradication marks arahantship. Read article →
Avijjā Pali / Skt: avidyā Ignorance; the first link in dependent origination and the root of all defilements. Not mere lack of information but a fundamental misperception of the nature of self and reality. Read article →
Āyatana Pali Sense bases; the six internal (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind) and six external (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, mental objects) bases through which all experience arises. Read article →
Amida Buddha See Amitābha.
Anger See Dosa.
Aversion See Dosa.
Awakening factors, Seven See Bojjhaṅga.
Awakening mind See Bodhicitta.
B – Index
Bardo Tib: bar do Intermediate state; in Tibetan Buddhism, the transitional phases of consciousness between death and rebirth, described in the Bardo Thödol. Three bardos are identified: waking, dream, and dying. Read article →
Beginner’s Mind See Shoshin.
Being present See Sati.
Bhāvanā Pali Mental cultivation or development; the general Pali term for meditation. Divided into samatha (calm) and vipassanā (insight) bhāvanā. Read article →
Bodhicitta Skt The awakening mind; the aspiration to attain full Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. The motivating spirit of the Mahāyāna path; classified as aspirational and engaged bodhicitta. Read article →
Bodhisattva Skt / Pali: bodhisatta A being on the path to full Buddhahood who dedicates their awakening to the liberation of all beings. The Mahāyāna ideal; in Theravāda, the term refers specifically to the Buddha before his own awakening. Read article →
Bojjhaṅga Pali The seven factors of awakening: mindfulness, investigation, energy, rapture, tranquillity, concentration, and equanimity. Their cultivation leads to liberation. Read article →
Brahmaviharā Pali / Skt: brahmavihāra The four divine abodes or immeasurables: loving-kindness (mettā), compassion (karuṇā), sympathetic joy (muditā), and equanimity (upekkhā). Cultivated through specific meditation practices. Read article →
Buddha Pali/Skt An ‘Awakened One’. Historically, Siddhārtha Gautama, who attained full enlightenment and taught the Dharma in 5th–4th century BCE India. One of the Three Jewels (ti-ratana). Read article →
Buddha-nature See Tathāgatagarbha.
Buddhist ethics See Sīla.
C – Index
Calm abiding See Shamatha.
Caṅkama Pali Walking meditation as practised in Theravāda Buddhism — deliberate, mindful stepping with attention to bodily sensation and movement, often performed on a dedicated path. Read article →
Cankers See Āsava.
Cetanā Pali Intention or volition; the mental factor that, according to the Buddha, constitutes karma: ‘It is intention (cetanā), monks, that I call karma’ (AN 6.63). Read article →
Chanda Pali Wholesome aspiration or desire — specifically the desire for liberation and the welfare of beings. Distinguished from taṇhā (craving): chanda is directed toward what is beneficial and does not bind. Read article →
Citta Pali Mind or consciousness; the knowing quality of experience. In Buddhist psychology, citta is analysed into 89 or 121 types of wholesome, unwholesome, and neutral mental states. Read article →
Clinging See Upadāna.
Compassion See Karuṇā.
Concentration, meditative See Samādhi.
Conditioned existence See Saṃsāra.
Contact See Phassa.
Craving See Taṇhā.
D – Index
Dāna Pali Generosity; giving. The first of the ten perfections and a foundational virtue in all traditions. Dāna is the primary antidote to greed (lobha) and a support for virtue. Read article →
Delusion See Moha.
Dependent Origination Pali: paṭicca-samuppāda The twelve-linked chain describing how suffering arises through conditioned causality — from ignorance through to aging-and-death. Also demonstrates how liberation is possible by removing root conditions. Read article →
Desire, wholesome See Chanda.
Determination See Adhiṭṭhāna.
Dhamma Pali / Skt: dharma The teaching of the Buddha; the truth of the nature of reality; the path of practice. One of the Three Jewels. ‘Dharma’ is preferred in Mahāyāna contexts; ‘Dhamma’ in Pali and Theravāda. Read article →
Deva Pali A heavenly being; in Buddhist cosmology, devas inhabit celestial realms but remain subject to impermanence and rebirth. Not creators or objects of worship. Read article →
Dhammapada Pali A canonical collection of 423 verses attributed to the Buddha, organised into 26 chapters. One of the most widely read texts in Buddhism across all traditions. Read article →
Dhammavicaya Pali Investigation of phenomena; the second of the seven factors of awakening. The quality of penetrating inquiry that examines the nature of arising and passing phenomena. Read article →
Diamond Vehicle See Vajrayāna.
Diṭṭhi Pali / Skt: dṛṣṭi View; specifically wrong view (miccā-diṭṭhi) as a fetter and cause of suffering, and right view (sammā-diṭṭhi) as the foundation of the path. Read article →
Divine Abodes, Four See Brahmaviharā.
Dosa Pali Hatred, aversion, or ill will; one of the three poisons. Its antidote includes mettā meditation and the cultivation of patience (khanti). Read article →
Dukkha Pali / Skt: duḥkha Suffering, unsatisfactoriness, or the pervasive sense that conditioned experience cannot ultimately satisfy. The first of the three marks and the subject of the First Noble Truth. Read article →
Dzogchen Tib: rdzogs chen The Great Perfection; the highest teaching of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, pointing directly to the nature of mind as primordially pure awareness (rigpa). Read article →
E – Index
Eightfold Path Pali: aṭṭhaṅgika-magga The fourth Noble Truth; the Buddha’s prescription for the cessation of suffering. Eight factors in three trainings — wisdom (right view, right intention), ethics (right speech, right action, right livelihood), and meditation (right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration). Read article →
Eight Worldly Winds See Worldly Concerns, Eight.
Emptiness See Śūnyatā.
Engaged Buddhism A movement applying Buddhist ethical and contemplative principles to social, political, and environmental issues. Associated with Thich Nhat Hanh, Sulak Sivaraksa, and the concept of interbeing. Read article →
Energy, spiritual See Viriya.
Equanimity See Upekkhā.
Existential urgency See Saṃvega.
F – Index
Feeling-tone See Vedanā.
Fetters, Ten See Ten Fetters.
Five Aggregates Pali: pañca-khandha Form, feeling-tone, perception, mental formations, and consciousness — the five components analysed to demonstrate the absence of a permanent self. See also Khandha. Read article →
Five Hindrances Pali: pañca-nīvaraṇa Five mental obstacles obstructing meditation and clear perception: sensual desire, ill will, sloth-and-torpor, restlessness-and-worry, and doubt. Each has specific antidote practices. Read article →
Five Precepts Pali: pañca-sīla The foundational ethical guidelines for lay Buddhists: to refrain from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, and intoxicants. Read article →
Five Remembrances Pali: upajjhaṭṭhāna / AN 5.57 Five contemplations on aging, illness, death, separation from the beloved, and karma — practised to dissolve the three intoxications and cultivate existential urgency (saṃvega). Read article →
Five Strengths Pali: pañca-bala Five powers supporting the path: faith, effort, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom. The same five qualities as the spiritual faculties (indriya), seen as strengthened through sustained practice. Read article →
Forbearance See Khanti.
Four Foundations of Mindfulness Pali: cattāro satipaṭṭhānā Sustained observation of body, feeling-tones, mind-states, and mental objects — the classical framework for meditative attention; source of the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (MN 10). Read article →
Four Great Bodhisattva Vows Skt: catvāri praṇidhānāni The four Mahāyāna vows: to save all beings, to end all defilements, to master all teachings, and to attain perfect Buddhahood. Read article →
Four Noble Truths Pali: cattāri ariyasaccāni The Buddha’s foundational teaching: the truth of suffering (dukkha), its origin in craving (taṇhā), its cessation (nirodha), and the Eightfold Path leading to cessation. Read article →
Four Seals Skt: chatush-mudra Four doctrinal positions common to all Buddhist schools: all conditioned phenomena are impermanent; all conditioned phenomena are unsatisfactory; all phenomena are without self; Nirvāṇa is peace. Read article →
Four Stages of Enlightenment Pali: sotāpatti, sakadāgāmī, anāgāmī, arahant The Theravāda map of progressive liberation — from stream-entry (first three fetters severed) through once-returning and non-returning to full arahantship (all ten fetters gone). Read article →
G – Index
Generosity See Dāna.
Gotama Pali / Skt: gautama The clan name of the historical Buddha. ‘Gotama’ is the Pali form used in the suttas when others address the Buddha directly. Read article →
Gradual Path Pali: anupubbikathā The step-by-step teaching sequence — generosity, virtue, heaven, the danger of sensual pleasure, renunciation — offered to gradually prepare listeners to receive the Four Noble Truths. Read article →
Grasping See Upadāna.
Greed See Lobha.
Great Perfection See Dzogchen.
Great Seal See Mahāmudrā.
Great Vehicle See Mahāyāna.
H – Index
Happiness, meditative See Sukha.
Hatred See Dosa.
Heavenly beings See Deva.
Hīnayāna Skt ‘Lesser Vehicle’; a polemical Mahāyāna designation for pre-Mahāyāna schools. Scholars and practitioners today prefer Śrāvakayāna or ‘Theravāda’ for the surviving school of that lineage. Read article →
Hindrances, Five See Five Hindrances.
I – Index
Idappaccayatā Pali Specific conditionality; the principle that ‘this arises because that is’ — the foundational logic of dependent origination, without positing a first cause or creator. Read article →
Identity view See Sakkāya-diṭṭhi.
Indriya Pali Spiritual faculties; the five controlling powers — faith, effort, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom — whose balanced development is central to the path. Read article →
Ignorance See Avijjā.
Ill will See Dosa.
Immeasurables, Four See Brahmaviharā.
Impermanence See Anicca.
Insight meditation See Vipassanā.
Intention, karmic See Cetanā.
Interbeing coined by Thich Nhat Hanh A term expressing the Mahāyāna understanding of dependent origination — that nothing exists in isolation but only in relationship to everything else. Foundational to Engaged Buddhism. Read article →
Intermediate state See Bardo.
Investigation of phenomena See Dhammavicaya.
J – Index
Jarāmaraṇa Pali Aging-and-death; the twelfth and final link in the chain of dependent origination. Its cessation — through the cessation of ignorance — is the goal of the path. Read article →
Jhāna Pali / Skt: dhyāna Meditative absorption; states of deeply unified attention characterised by progressive stillness. Four form jhānas and four formless attainments are described in the Pali Canon. The basis of right concentration. Read article →
Joy, empathetic See Muditā.
Joy, meditative See Pīti.
K – Index
Kalyāṇa-mitta Pali Spiritual friendship; a noble or virtuous friend. The Buddha called spiritual friendship ‘the whole of the holy life’ (SN 45.2). Applied to teachers, sangha members, and trusted mentors. Read article →
Kamma Pali / Skt: karma Intentional action of body, speech, or mind; the causal process by which intentions shape future experience. Not fatalism — kamma includes the present moment’s potential for change. Read article →
Karma See Kamma.
Karma, fruit of See Vipāka.
Karuṇā Pali/Skt Compassion; the wish that all beings be free from suffering. The second of the four brahmavihārās. In Mahāyāna, paired with wisdom (prajñā) as the two wings of awakening. Read article →
Kataññutā Pali Gratitude; recognition of benefits received. Praised in the Pali Canon as the quality of noble persons and a basis for spiritual friendship. Read article →
Kenshō Jpn In Zen, a direct glimpse of one’s true nature — an initial breakthrough insight into emptiness and the nature of mind, to be deepened through continued practice. Read article →
Khanti Pali / Skt: kṣānti Patience, forbearance, or tolerance; one of the ten pāramī. The Buddha called patience the highest austerity: khanti paramaṃ tapo titikkhā. Read article →
Khandha Pali / Skt: skandha Aggregate; one of the five constituents of a person — form, feeling-tone, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. Analysis of the khandhas demonstrates the absence of a permanent self. Read article →
Kindness, loving See Mettā.
Kinhin Jpn Walking meditation in Zen Buddhism; slow, rhythmic movement practised between periods of seated zazen, with breath coordinated to each step. Read article →
Knowledge, true See Vijjā.
Kōan Jpn / Chin: gōng’àn A paradoxical question or story used in Zen training to exhaust conceptual thinking and provoke direct insight. Famous examples: ‘What is the sound of one hand?’ and ‘What was your face before your parents were born?’ Read article →
L – Index
Lama Tib: bla ma A Tibetan Buddhist teacher; a translation of the Sanskrit ‘guru’. A lama may be a reincarnated teacher (tulku) or a highly trained practitioner authorised to transmit teachings. Read article →
Lesser Vehicle See Hīnayāna.
Liberation See Nibbāna.
Links, twelve causal See Nidāna.
Lobha Pali Greed, attachment, or craving; one of the three poisons. Its antidote is dāna (generosity) and the cultivation of non-attachment. Read article →
Loving-kindness See Mettā.
M – Index
Madhyamaka Skt The ‘Middle Way’ philosophical school founded by Nāgārjuna (c. 2nd century CE), establishing the doctrine of śūnyatā (emptiness) through logical analysis of dependent origination. Read article →
Mahāmudrā Skt The Great Seal; the highest teaching of the Kagyu and Gelug schools of Tibetan Buddhism, pointing to the naked awareness of the nature of mind. Read article →
Mahāyāna Skt The Great Vehicle; the broad Buddhist tradition encompassing Zen, Pure Land, Tibetan Buddhism, and East Asian schools. Defined by the bodhisattva ideal, bodhicitta, and the six perfections. Read article →
Maṇḍala Skt A ritual diagram representing the cosmos or the pure realm of a buddha; in Tibetan practice used in visualisation, offering, and the sand mandala ceremony as an enacted teaching on impermanence. Read article →
Mantra Skt A sacred syllable, word, or phrase recited in meditation and ritual. In Vajrayāna, mantras are considered the speech aspect of a buddha and are used to invoke and identify with awakened qualities. Read article →
Māra Pali/Skt The personification of death, desire, and delusion in Buddhist cosmology and narrative. Māra attempted to prevent the Buddha’s awakening. Used symbolically for the forces that obstruct liberation. Read article →
Merit See Puñña.
Mettā Pali / Skt: maitrī Loving-kindness; the wish that all beings be happy and well. The first of the four brahmavihārās. Cultivated through mettā-bhāvanā meditation directed through expanding circles of beings. Read article →
Micchā-diṭṭhi Pali Wrong view; the first of the ten courses of unwholesome action. Includes denial of karma, rebirth, moral causality, and the possibility of liberation. Its antidote is sammā-diṭṭhi. Read article →
Middle Way Pali: majjhimā paṭipadā The path between extreme asceticism and sensual indulgence, discovered by the Buddha before his awakening. Applied broadly to balance between being present and structured practice. Read article →
Mind See Citta.
Mindfulness Pali: sati / Skt: smṛti Clear, present-moment, non-reactive awareness. One of the seven factors of awakening and the seventh factor of the Eightfold Path. Read article →
Moha Pali Delusion or ignorance; the third of the three poisons. The root misperception of self, permanence, and inherent existence that underlies all other defilements. Read article →
Monastic code See Vinaya.
Muditā Pali Sympathetic joy; the capacity to take joy in others’ happiness without jealousy. The third of the four brahmavihārās. Read article →
N – Index
Nāgārjuna Skt 2nd-century CE Indian philosopher and founder of the Madhyamaka school. His Mūlamadhyamakākārikā demonstrated śūnyatā through reductio ad absurdum argumentation. Read article →
Nāmarūpa Pali Name-and-form; the fourth link in dependent origination — the psychophysical complex that constitutes a sentient being. Read article →
Name-and-form See Nāmarūpa.
Nekkhamma Pali Renunciation; the third of the ten pāramī. The Buddha’s own renunciation of palace life is its exemplary expression. The antithesis of sensual craving (kāmacchanda). Read article →
Nembutsu Jpn / Chin: niànfó Recitation of Amitābha’s name (‘Namu Amida Butsu’) in Pure Land practice — the primary means of establishing a connection with Amitābha and facilitating rebirth in the Pure Land. Read article →
Nibbāna Pali / Skt: nirvāṇa The ‘unbinding’ of greed, hatred, and delusion. The ultimate goal of Buddhist practice: freedom from conditioned suffering. Not a place but a quality of liberation — the unconditioned. Read article →
Nidāna Pali Link or cause; the twelve nidānas are the twelve links of dependent origination, from ignorance (avijjā) through to aging-and-death (jarāmaraṇa). Read article →
Nirvāṇa See Nibbāna.
Non-attachment See Nekkhamma.
Non-returner See Anāgāmī.
Non-self See Anattā.
Not-self See Anattā.
O – Index
Ogha Pali Floods; the four floods of sensuality, existence, views, and ignorance that sweep beings through the cycle of rebirth. Corresponds closely to the āsavas. Read article →
Once-returner See Sakadāgāmī.
P – Index
Padhāniyaṅga Sutta AN 5.53 A discourse from the Aṅguttara Nikāya listing five factors of striving: faith, good health, honesty, energy, and wisdom. Read article →
Paññā Pali / Skt: prajñā Wisdom; the direct, experiential insight into the three marks of existence. Distinguished from intellectual knowledge — paññā transforms rather than merely informs. Read article →
Pāramī Pali / Skt: pāramitā Perfections; virtues cultivated over many lifetimes. Theravāda lists ten (dāna, sīla, nekkhamma, paññā, viriya, khanti, sacca, adhiṭṭhāna, mettā, upekkā); Mahāyāna lists six. Read article →
Passaddhi Pali Tranquillity; the fifth factor of awakening. Mental and physical stillness that arises naturally as concentration deepens and rapture (pīti) subsides. Read article →
Paṭicca-samuppāda Pali Dependent origination; see Dependent Origination. Read article →
Patience See Khanti.
Perfection of Wisdom sutras See Prajñāpāramitā.
Perfections (Mahāyāna) See Six Perfections.
Perfections (Theravāda) See Ten Perfections.
Phassa Pali / Skt: sparśa Contact; the sixth link in dependent origination — the meeting of sense organ, object, and consciousness from which feeling-tone (vedanā) arises. Read article →
Pīti Pali Rapture or meditative joy; one of the jhāna factors and the fifth factor of awakening. Distinct from sukha (happiness) — pīti is energetic and thrilling, sukha more settled. Read article →
Prajñāpāramitā Skt Perfection of wisdom; a genre of Mahāyāna sūtras — including the Heart Sūtra and Diamond Sūtra — centred on śūnyatā. Also the wisdom that directly perceives emptiness. Read article →
Pure Land Buddhism Jpn: jōdo / Skt: sukhāvatī A major Mahāyāna tradition centred on devotion to Amitābha Buddha and aspiration for rebirth in his Pure Land — a realm conducive to awakening. Practice centres on nembutsu recitation. Read article →
Poisons, Three See Three Poisons.
Puñña Pali Merit; the positive force generated by ethical action, generosity, and meditation. Not a permanent quantity but a condition for favourable future experience. Read article →
Pure awareness See Rigpa.
R – Index
Raft Metaphor Pali: kullūpama / MN 22 The Buddha’s simile comparing the Dharma to a raft — useful for crossing the river of suffering but not to be carried on one’s head once the far shore is reached. A caution against clinging to teachings. Read article →
Rapture, meditative See Pīti.
Reincarnate teacher See Tulku.
Renunciation See Nekkhamma.
Resolve See Adhiṭṭhāna.
Right Action Pali: sammā-kammanta The fourth factor of the Eightfold Path: refraining from killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct — the bodily dimension of the ethical training (sīla). Read article →
Right Concentration Pali: sammā-samādhi The eighth factor of the Eightfold Path: the cultivation of unified attention, classically developed through the four jhānas. Read article →
Right Effort Pali: sammā-vāyāma The sixth factor of the Eightfold Path: the fourfold effort to prevent unwholesome states from arising, abandon those already arisen, cultivate wholesome states, and maintain them. Read article →
Right Intention Pali: sammā-saṅkappa The second factor of the Eightfold Path: intentions of renunciation, non-ill-will, and non-cruelty — the motivational counterpart to right view in the wisdom training. Read article →
Right Livelihood Pali: sammā-ājīva The fifth factor of the Eightfold Path: earning a living in ways that do not cause harm — avoiding trades in weapons, living beings, meat, intoxicants, and poisons. Read article →
Right Mindfulness Pali: sammā-sati The seventh factor of the Eightfold Path: sustained, clear attention to the four foundations — body, feelings, mind-states, and mental objects (dhammas). Read article →
Right Speech Pali: sammā-vācā The third factor of the Eightfold Path: refraining from false speech, divisive speech, harsh speech, and idle chatter; speaking what is true, timely, gentle, and beneficial. Read article →
Right View Pali: sammā-diṭṭhi The first factor of the Eightfold Path: understanding the Four Noble Truths, karma, and the nature of reality. The foundation of wisdom (paññā) that guides the entire path. Read article →
Rigpa Tib Pure awareness; the primordial knowing quality of mind that is the central recognition in Dzogchen and Mahāmudrā practice. Not a product of meditation but its rediscovery. Read article →
S – Index
Sacca Pali Truthfulness; the seventh of the ten pāramī. Commitment to truth in speech and conduct as a basis for trust and the realisation of the Four Noble Truths. Read article →
Sādhana Skt A structured Vajrayāna practice incorporating deity visualisation, mantra recitation, and ritual gesture (mudrā), aimed at transforming experience into the buddha’s enlightened qualities. Read article →
Sakadāgāmī Pali Once-returner; the second stage of enlightenment. Has weakened — but not yet severed — sensual desire and ill will, and will return to the sensory realm at most once more. Read article →
Sakkāya-diṭṭhi Pali Identity view; the first and most fundamental of the ten fetters — the belief in a fixed, permanent self. Severed permanently at stream-entry (sotāpatti). Read article →
Samādhi Pali Meditative concentration; the unified, collected quality of mind arising through sustained attention. One of the three trainings (sīla, samādhi, paññā). Read article →
Saṃsāra Pali/Skt The cycle of conditioned existence — birth, aging, death, and rebirth driven by craving and ignorance. Liberation from saṃsāra, not a better rebirth within it, is the aim of practice. Read article →
Saṃvega Pali Spiritual urgency; the sense of existential alarm that motivates practice, arising from clear contemplation of impermanence, suffering, and death. Read article →
Saṃyojana Pali Fetter; one of the ten mental chains binding beings to conditioned existence. See Ten Fetters. Read article →
Sand Mandala Tib: dültsön kyilkhor A Tibetan Buddhist ritual in which monks construct an elaborate geometric mandala from coloured sand over several days, then ritually destroy it — an enacted teaching on impermanence. Read article →
Sangha Pali/Skt: saṅgha Community. Narrowly, the community of monastics; broadly, all practitioners of the path. One of the Three Jewels. Read article →
Sati Pali / Skt: smṛti Mindfulness; see Mindfulness. Read article →
Satipaṭṭhāna Pali The four foundations of mindfulness — body, feelings, mind-states, and dhammas — as set out in MN 10. The basis of vipassanā practice across Theravāda and contemporary mindfulness traditions. Read article →
Secular Buddhism A contemporary approach centred on empirically verifiable, this-life-focused teachings — mindfulness, impermanence, the Noble Truths — without metaphysical commitments to rebirth or cosmology. Read article →
Sense bases See Āyatana.
Seven Factors of Awakening Pali: satta bojjhaṅga Seven qualities that reinforce each other in the awakened mind: mindfulness, investigation (dhammavicaya), energy, rapture, tranquillity, concentration, and equanimity. Read article →
Shamatha Skt: śamatha / Pali: samatha Calm-abiding meditation; the cultivation of tranquillity, stability, and concentration. One of the two wings of Buddhist meditation, paired with vipassanā. Read article →
Shoshin Jpn Beginner’s Mind; a Zen ideal of approaching each moment with openness and lack of preconception, free from fixed views. Associated with Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. Read article →
Sīla Pali / Skt: śīla Virtue or ethical conduct; the first of the three trainings. Sīla is the indispensable foundation without which concentration (samādhi) and wisdom (paññā) cannot arise. Read article →
Sitting meditation See Zazen.
Six Perfections Skt: ṣaḍ-pāramitā The six virtues cultivated by a bodhisattva: generosity (dāna), ethics (śīla), patience (kṣānti), energy (vīrya), meditation (dhyāna), and wisdom (prajñā). Read article →
Sotāpatti Pali Stream-entry; the first stage of enlightenment. Permanently severs the first three fetters — identity view, doubt, and clinging to rules-and-rituals — ensuring liberation within seven lives. Read article →
Spiritual community See Sangha.
Spiritual faculties See Indriya.
Spiritual friendship See Kalyāṇa-mitta.
Stream-entry See Sotāpatti.
Suffering See Dukkha.
Sukha Pali Happiness, ease, or pleasant feeling-tone; one of the jhāna factors. Distinguished from pīti (rapture) by its settled, contented quality. Read article →
Śūnyatā Skt / Pali: suññatā Emptiness; the Mahāyāna teaching that all phenomena are empty of inherent, independent existence. Related to dependent origination and not-self but extending the analysis. Read article →
Sympathetic joy See Muditā.
T – Index
Taṇhā Pali / Skt: tṛṣṇā Craving or thirst; the Second Noble Truth identifies taṇhā — craving for sensual pleasure, for existence, and for non-existence — as the origin of suffering. Read article →
Tantra See Vajrayāna.
Tathāgata Pali/Skt ‘Thus-gone’ or ‘thus-come’; the Buddha’s preferred self-designation in the suttas. Deliberately ambiguous — pointing beyond the conventional categories of existence and non-existence. Read article →
Tathāgatagarbha Skt Buddha-nature or buddha-womb; the Mahāyāna teaching that all sentient beings possess the seed of full Buddhahood. Developed in the Tathāgatagarbha Sūtra and Ratnagotravibhāga. Read article →
Teaching of the Elders See Theravāda.
Ten Fetters Pali: dasa-saṃyojana Ten mental chains binding beings to conditioned existence, progressively abandoned across the four stages of enlightenment. Read article →
Ten Good Deeds Pali: dasa-puñña-kiriya-vatthū Ten bases of meritorious action: giving, morality, meditation, reverence, service, transference of merit, rejoicing in others’ merit, hearing the Dharma, teaching the Dharma, and straightening one’s views. Read article →
Ten Perfections Pali: dasa-pāramī The ten virtues cultivated by a Theravāda bodhisatta: generosity, ethics, renunciation, wisdom, energy, patience, truthfulness, resolve, loving-kindness, and equanimity. Read article →
Theravāda Pali The ‘Teaching of the Elders’; the oldest surviving Buddhist school, dominant in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. Based on the Pali Canon; emphasises monastic life, the arhat ideal, and vipassanā. Read article →
Three Jewels Pali: ti-ratana / Skt: tri-ratna The Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Taking refuge in the Three Jewels is the foundational commitment of a Buddhist of any tradition. Read article →
Three Marks of Existence Pali: tilakkhaṇa The three characteristics of all conditioned phenomena: impermanence (anicca), unsatisfactoriness (dukkha), and not-self (anattā). Understanding any one leads into the others. Read article →
Three Poisons Pali: tīṇi akusalamūlāni The three root defilements: greed (lobha), hatred (dosa), and delusion (moha). All unwholesome mental states are rooted in one or more of these three. Read article →
Three Trainings Pali: sikkhā-ttaya The integrated threefold path: ethics (sīla), concentration (samādhi), and wisdom (paññā). Each training supports and depends on the others. Read article →
Tibetan Buddhism Tib: bod nang chos The Vajrayāna tradition of Tibet, comprising four schools — Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug — integrating Mahāyāna philosophy, tantric practice, and the institution of reincarnated lamas. Read article →
Tibetan Book of the Dead See Bardo.
Tipiṭaka Pali The ‘Three Baskets’; the Pali Canon of Theravāda Buddhism, comprising the Vinaya (monastic rules), Sutta (discourses), and Abhidhamma (philosophical analysis). Read article →
Tolerance See Khanti.
Tranquillity See Passaddhi.
Triple Gem See Three Jewels.
Truthfulness See Sacca.
Tulku Tib: sprul sku Reincarnate lama; a recognised reincarnation of a previous teacher in Tibetan Buddhism. The institution of tulkus is central to the transmission of Vajrayāna lineages. Read article →
U – Index
Unbinding See Nibbāna.
Unwholesome roots See Three Poisons.
Upadāna Pali Clinging or grasping; the ninth link in dependent origination, arising from craving (taṇhā). Four types: clinging to sensuality, views, rules-and-rituals, and a doctrine of self. Read article →
Upajjhaṭṭhāna Sutta AN 5.57 The ‘Subjects for Contemplation’ discourse; source of the Five Remembrances — five daily contemplations on aging, illness, death, separation, and karma. Read article →
Upekkhā Pali / Skt: upekṣā Equanimity; the fourth brahmavihārā and seventh factor of awakening. Not indifference but stable, open balance that neither clings nor rejects. Read article →
V – Index
Vajrayāna Skt The Diamond Vehicle; the tantric dimension of Mahāyāna Buddhism, especially prominent in Tibet, Nepal, and Mongolia. Uses visualisation, mantra, and ritual to accelerate the awakening process. Read article →
Vedanā Pali Feeling-tone; the second aggregate and seventh link in dependent origination. Every moment of experience carries a hedonic quality — pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral — which conditions craving. Read article →
Vijjā Pali / Skt: vidyā True knowledge or clear seeing; the opposite of avijjā (ignorance). Its arising breaks the chain of dependent origination: ‘with the cessation of ignorance comes the cessation of formations.’ Read article →
Vinaya Pali/Skt The monastic code; the first basket of the Pali Canon, containing the rules (pātimokkha) and their origin stories governing the conduct of monks and nuns. Read article →
Vipāka Pali The fruit or result of karma; the experienced consequence of past intentional actions. Not punishment but the natural unfolding of kamma’s causal force. Read article →
Vipassanā Pali / Skt: vipaśyanā Insight meditation; the direct investigation of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and not-self in present-moment experience. One of the two wings of Buddhist meditation, paired with shamatha. Read article →
Viriya Pali / Skt: vīrya Energy or effort; one of the five faculties, five strengths, seven factors of awakening, and ten pāramī. Right effort (sammā-vāyāma) is viriya applied to the path. Read article →
Virtue See Sīla.
Volition See Cetanā.
W – Index
Walking meditation (Theravāda) See Caṅkama.
Walking meditation (Zen) See Kinhin.
Wisdom See Paññā.
Worldly Concerns, Eight Pali: aṭṭha-loka-dhamma Eight pairs of conditions ordinary people cling to and resist: gain/loss, praise/blame, fame/disrepute, pleasure/pain. The path is learning neither to grasp nor recoil from them. Read article →
Wrong view See Micchā-diṭṭhi.
Y – Index
Yidam Tib: yi dam A personal meditation deity in Vajrayāna practice; a buddha or bodhisattva visualised as an expression of one’s own awakened nature and used as the focus of tantric sādhana. Read article →
Z – Index
Zazen Jpn The seated meditation practice central to Zen Buddhism — ‘just sitting’ without agenda or goal. Understood as the expression of the awakened state, not merely a means toward it. Read article →
Zen Buddhism Jpn: zen / Chin: chán A Mahāyāna school emphasising direct transmission of insight beyond words, zazen, and the use of paradoxical kōans. Brought to China by Bodhidharma; transmitted to Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Read article →