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| ANATTA | Voidness of self-nature, no-'I'. One of the three Signs of Being. |
| ANICCA | Impermanence. One of the three Signs of Being. |
| ARAHAT | An individual who has eliminated the 'fetters' by working through the Eightfold Path and who has realised Nirvana (Pali Nibbana). The Theravada ideal. Some translate the word into English as 'saint' but there is no absolutely accurate translation. |
| BHIKKU | One who devotes his entire time to the Dharma and therefore has no time to support himself. He is supported by the community and in many countries carries out work of a socially useful kind, such as teaching. The word is often translated into Christian terms, such as Priest, Monk, etc. A Bhikku does not act as an intermediary between man and God, as in Buddhism there is no God concept. |
| BODHISATTVA | One whose being is Supreme Insight. Clearly seeing his relationship with the rest of the Universe, he is motivated by great compassion for all beings, and has the wisdom to act accordingly. In the Mahayana tradition he may be a person who has renounced Nirvana for himself so that he can help others. He may also be an aspect of a Buddha acting to help Man. |
| BUDDHA | An Awakened or Enlightened one. One who knows, in the sense of having become One with all things. There have been Buddhas in the past and there will be others in the future. |
| CITTA | Heart/Mind - the heart as seat of thought or
intelligence, often translated as 'Mind'. (also 'hsin' in Chinese or 'shin' in Japanese.) |
| DEVA | God - but in the Hindu or Greek sense, rather than the Judaic sense. Sometimes translated as Spirit or Angel. Devas, like man, are subject to birth and death. |
| DHARMA | (Pali DHAMMA). From the Sanskrit root 'Dhar' meaning to uphold. The basic meaning can be traced to the English 'form' - that which supports - that which gives state or condition to the orderly arrangement of parts which make a thing what it is. Variously translated according to context by such as: system, doctrine, religion, duty, law, lore, standard, norm, ideal, truth, moral quality, condition, cause, thing.. |
| DUKKHA | Usually translated as suffering but has a much wider sense than this. Dukkha can mean anything from acute agony or grief to a vague sense of dissatisfaction. Examples of Dukkha given by the Buddha include - being with someone you do not like and not being with someone you do like. There is even the concept of Sukkha-Dukkha (Sukkha is the opposite of Dukkha); even when you are in a thoroughly agreeable situation, this is also Dukkha, because it is impermanent. Dukkha is largely the effect of Anicca and Anatta. It is one of the three Signs of Being and its elimination is the primary aim of Buddhism. Translations include: Dis-ease, discomfort, frustration, pain, sorrow, misery, imperfection, impermanence, emptiness, insubstantiality, and more.. |
| KARMA | Volitional action. The theory of Karma is dependent entirely on the Buddhist teachings on the nature of the self, and on the meaning of re-birth. |
| KARUNA | Usually translated as compassion. Has been described as the 'love of all beings as a mother loves her only child'. A state which is inseperable from Prajna and Bodhisattvahood. Loving others as oneself. See also Metta. |
| KUSALA | Skilful or wholesome. Any act or thought can be regarded as Kusala, or its opposite, Akusala. It is Kusala if it helps towards Awakening or produces helpful results. |
| METTA | Love, friendship, active goodwill for others. See also Karuna |
| MUDITA | Sympathetic joy for the success of others |
| NIRVANA | (Pali NIBBANA). This is the goal of Buddhist endeavour. It is a state which is attainable in this life. Although described by the Buddha as 'unborn, unoriginated, uncreated, unformed', it should not be confused with the annihilation of the individual. The Buddha is also recorded as saying that 'To say that an Arahat exists after death would not fit the case, and to say that an Arahat exists after death would not fit the case'. The real teaching of Nirvana cannot be communicated and must be experienced by the individual. |
| PRAJNA | (Pali PANNA) Wisdom - meaning the direct awareness of things as they are. In Buddhism it is the aim of the individual to develop it as part of his training. |
| SAMATHA | (Pali SAMADHI) Tranquility, concentration, one-pointedness of mind. The aim of some meditation practices |
| SAMSARA | The world of flux and change in which we live. The cycle of coming to be and ceasing to be. |
| SILA | Moral discipline, restraint. Means of self-training. |
| SRADDHA | Faith, in the sense of confidence in life. Faith to keep going on when you cannot understand or have lost courage. The idea of believing something only because it is stated to be true by some trustworthy source is not encouraged in Buddhism. |
| SUNYATA | Void. The 'Emptiness' of Mahayana philosophy, which contains all things. Empty even of the concept of Emptiness. |
| UPEKKHA | Equanimity or serenity. An ability to face difficulties in life without being upset or disturbed by them. |
| VIPASSANA | Insight or intuitive wisdom, or analytical insight. The aim of some meditation practices. |