GLOSSARY
Ahimsa: “Harmlessness”; the ethic adopted by many of the ascetics of North India to counter the aggression of the new states.
Akusala: “Unskillful” or “unhelpful” states, which will impede the quest for Enlightenment.
Anatta: “No-Soul”; the doctrine that denies the existence of a constant, stable and discrete personality.
Arahant: An ‘Accomplished One,’ who has attained Nibbana.
Arama: Pleasure-park donated to the Buddhist Order for a settlement.
Asana: The correct position for yogic meditation, with straight back and crossed legs.
Avasa: Rural settlements, often built from scratch each year by the Buddhist monks, for the monsoon retreats.
Atman: The eternal, unchangeable Self sought by the yogins, ascetics and followers of the Samkhya philosophy. It was believed in the Upanisads to be identical with brahman.
Ayatana: Meditative planes achieved by a very advanced yogin.
Bhikkhu: An “almsman,” a mendicant monk who begs for his daily food; the feminine form is bhikkhuni: nun.
Bodhisatta: A man or woman who is destined to achieve enlightenment. Sanskrit: boddhisatva.
Brahman: The fundamental, supreme and absolute principle of the cosmos in Vedic and Upanisadic religion.
Brahmin: A member of the priestly caste in Aryan society, responsible for sacrifice and the transmission of the Vedas.
Brahmacariya: The holy life of chastity, the quest for enlightenment and liberation from pain.
Buddha: An Enlightened or Awakened person.
Cakkavatti: The World Ruler or Universal King of Indian folklore, who would govern the whole world and impose justice and righteousness by force.
Ceto-vimutti: The “release of the mind”; a synonym for enlightenment and the achievement of Nibbana.
Dhamma: Originally, the natural condition of things, their essence, the fundamental law of their existence; then: religious truth, the doctrines and practices that make up a particular religious system. Sanskrit: dharma.
Dharana: A yogic term: “concentration.” A process of internal visualization, during which the yogin becomes conscious of his own consciousness.
Dukkha: ‘Awry, flawed, unsatisfactory”; often simply translated as “suffering.”
Ekagrata: In yoga, the concentration of the mind “on a single point.”
Gotami: The name of any woman belonging to the Gotama tribe.
Iddhi: The dominion of spirit over matter; the “miraculous” powers thought to come with proficiency in yoga, e.g., levitation or the ability to change shape at will.
Jhana: A yogic trance; a current of unified thought that deepens in four distinct stages. Sanskrit: dhyana.
Jina: A conqueror, an honorary title of Buddha, used by Jains.
Kamma: Actions; deeds. Sanskrit: Karman.
Khandha: “Heaps, bundles, lumps”; the constituents of the human personality in the Buddha’s theory of anatta. The five “heaps” are body, feelings, perception, volition and consciousness.
Ksatriya: The caste of warriors, noblemen and aristocrats responsible in Aryan society for government and defense.
Kusala: The “skillful” or “helpful” states of mind and heart that Buddhists should cultivate in order to achieve enlightenment.
Nibbana: “Extinction; blowing out”: the extinction of self which brings enlightenment and liberation from pain (dukkha). Sanskrit: Nirvana.
Nikaya: “Collections” of discourses in the Pali Canon.
Niyamas: The bodily and psychological disciplines which are a prerequisite for yogic meditation.
Pabbajja: “Going Forth”; the act of renouncing the world in order to live the holy life of a monk. Later, the first step in Buddhist ordination.
Pali: The North Indian dialect used in the most important collection of Buddhist scriptures.
Parinibbana: The “Final Nibbana”; the final rest of an enlightened person achieved at death, since he or she will not be reborn into another existence.
Patimokkha: “Bond”; a ceremony whereby the early monks came together every six years to recite the Buddhist Dhamma; later, after the Buddha’s death, this became a recitation of the monastic rule of the Order and a confession of transgressions, which was held once a fortnight.
Praktri: Nature; the natural world in the philosophy of Samkhya.
Pranayama: The breathing exercises of yoga, which induce a state of trance and well-being.
Pratyahara: In yoga, a “withdrawal of the senses,” the ability to contemplate an object with the intellect alone.
Purusa: The Absolute Spirit that pervades all beings in the philosophy of Samkhya.
Sakyamuni: “The Sage of the Republic of Sakka,” a title given to the Buddha.
Samadhi: Yogic concentration; meditation; one of the components of the Eightfold Path to enlightenment.
Samkhya: “Discrimination”: a philosophy, akin to yoga, which was first preached by the sage Kapila in the second century b.c.e.
Samma SamBuddha: A Teacher of Enlightenment, one of whom comes to humanity every 32,000 years; Siddhatta Gotama is the Samma SamBuddha of our own age.
Samsara: “Keeping going”; the cycle of death and rebirth, which propels people from one life to the next; the transience and restlessness of mundane existence.
Sangha: Originally a tribal assembly, an ancient governing body in the old republics of North India; later a sect professing the dhamma of a particular teacher; finally, the Buddhist Order of Bhikkhus.