abhidharma: Sanskrit: the scholastic system derived from the discourses of the Buddha, which summarizes key points and classifies the teachings.

aggregates: See skandhas.

Amitabha: Sanskrit; Amida (Japanese); one of the major buddhas of Mayahana school; he created a Pure Land free from suffering in which one can attain rebirth by simply calling out his name.

Amida Buddhism: A devotional form of Buddhism venerating the mythic/cosmic Buddha Amida. Includes Jodo and Jodo Shin Buddhism.

ango: a 90- or 100- day intensive training period in a Zen monastery, at the end of which the head monk gives his first Dharma talk and participates in "dharma combat," a testing ceremony and rite of passage that initiates him as a senior monk.

arhat: Sanskrit; literally, "worthy one"; one who has attained the highest level in the Theravada school; the fruition of arhatship is nirvana.

atonement: Act of becoming on with; taking full responsibility.

Avalokitesvara: Sanskrit; Kannon (Japanese), Chen Resig (Tibetan), Kwan Um (Korean); literally, "Hearer of the cries of the world," The bodhisattva of compassion, often depicted in female form.

bardo: Tibetan; the intermediate state between death and rebirth.

Bodhidharma: (ca. 470-543) Considered the first patriarch of Zen Buddhism in China; according to legend, he was the "Barbarian from the West" who brought Zen from India to China; "Why did Bodhidharma come from the West?" is a famous koan in Zen Buddhism.

bodhicitta: Sanskrit; literally "mind of enlightenment," the altruistic intention to beocome enlightened in order to benefit others.

bodhisattva: Sanskrit; Bosatsu (Japanese), Bosal (Korean); 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; important bodhisattvas include Avalokitesvara, Manjusri, and Jizo.

brahman: Sanskrit; a member of the priestly caste of Hinduism.

Buddha: Sanskrit; name given to Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha, named Siddartha Gautama at birth. He is considered to be the first buddha of this age and is credited with establishing Buddhist doctrine.

buddha: Sanskrit; literally, "awakened one"; one who has perfected compassion and widom through following the bodhisattva path, who has become fully omniscient and has actualized the three bodies: complete enjoyment body, truth body, and emanation bodies.

Buddha Nature: The Way, primary principle, universal reality; the nameless and unnameable source of all things.

dana: Japanese; literally, "compassionate giving," Voluntary giving, considered in Buddhism as one of the most important virtues; one of the six paramitas, or perfections.

danka: Japanese; The community of lay members/supporters of a Zen temple.

dharani: Sanskrit; A brief chant consisting of fundamental sounds that carry no extrinsic meaning.

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.

dharma transmission: The authorization to teach passed from teacher to disciple.

Diamond Net of Indra: Metaphor for the interdependent nature of reality, conceived as a net of diamonds spread throughout all space and time, with each diamond reflecting all others simultaneously.

Dogen, Kigen: (1200-1253) (Eihei Dogen, Dogen Zenji) Credited with bringing the Soto school of Zen Buddhism to Japan; he stressed shikan-taza, or just sitting, as the means to enlightenment.

dokusan: Japanese; A formal private practice or dharma related interview with a teacher who has received dharma transmission.

dzogchen: Tibetan; literally, "great perfection"; the supreme teachings of the Nyingmapa school of Tibetan Buddhism; teachings of this school are based on the idea that all appearances are creations of the mind; its adherents believe these teachings are the highest and therefore that no other means are necessary for perfect enlightenment; also known as ati-yoga.

emptiness: See sunyata.

enlightenment: The word used to translate the Sanskrit term bodhi ("awakened"); generally used by Mahayanists instead of the Theravada term nirvana; it connotes an awakening to the true nature of reality rather than the extinguishing of desire implied by the term nirvana.

four-and-nine-days: Traditional days of relaxed schedule in Zen monasteries. The numbers 4 and 9 in Japanese culture are considered to be "unlucky."

Four Bodhisattva Vows: Vows taken by the bodhisattvas, expressing commitment to postpone their own enlightenment until all beings are liberated from delusion; they are chanted at the end of each day at Zen monasteries.

gassho: Japanese; Buddhist gesture or greeting with palms placed together.

gatha: Brief verse that presents the Dharma teachings in terse, pithy wording; frequently chanted.

Gelugpa: One of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism; His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama is considered the spiritual head of this school.

Hakuin: (1689-1769) (Hakuin Ekaku); One of the most important Zen masters in the Japanese Rinzai tradition. He systematized koan study and revitalized the practice of zazen.

han: Japanese; literally, "wood," a wooden plaque struck with a mallet, used to call monks to the zendo and for other ceremonial purposes.

Heart Sutra: English translation of Mahaprajnaparamita Hridaya Sutra. Brief sutra distilling the essence of the vast Prajnaparamita teachings. One of the most important of all Mahayana sutras for its teaching on emptiness, it is chanted daily in Buddhist monasteries and centers around the world.

Jizo: Japanese; Kshitigarbha (Sanskrit); bodhisattva who protects children, travelers, and beings suffering in the hell realms.

Jodo-shin-shu: literally, "True School of the Pure Land"; a school of Japanese Buddhism founded by Shinran; it has no monastic aspect and is purely a lay community; its emphasizes relying on the power of Amida Buddha (Amitabha) for salvation and is more extreme than that of the Jodo-shu school; it is the largest school of Buddhism in Japan today. In the U.S. it is called the BCA, Buddhist Churches of America.

Jodo-shu: literally, "School of the Pure Land"; a school of Japanese Buddhism derived from the ideas of the Pure Land School of China which were brought to Japan in the ninth century; it was officially founded by Honen in the twelfth century as a means to open up an "easy path" to liberation by calling out the name of Amida Buddha (Amitabha); in contrast to the Jodo-shin-shu school, its adherents enter the monastic life and understand calling out the name of Amida as an act of gratitude rather than a means to strengthen trust in Amida.

Kagyupa: One of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism; the teaching was brought to Tibet in the 11th century by Karmarpa; the school places strong emphasis on the transmission of knowledge from master to student.

kanji: Japanese; Chinese characters (ideographs) used in Japanese writing.

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

kensho: Japanese; literally, "seeing the nature," a sometimes dramatic experience of insight.

kesa: Japanese; A monk's outer patchwork robe signifying ordination.

kinhin: Japanese; Walking zazen or meditation.

koan: A seemingly paradoxical riddle or statement that is used as a training device in Zen practice to force the mind to abandon logic and dualistic thought.

kyosaku: Japanese; The stick used to hit drowsy monks on the shoulders.

lama: Tibetan; a spiritual preceptor.

mahamudra: Sanskrit; literally "great seal," this is a meditative system closely associated with the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism that emphasizes direct realization of the luminous and empty nature of mind and phenomena.

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 such because of its all-inclusive approach to liberation as embodied in the bodhisattva ideal, and the desire to liberate all beings; the Mahayana school is also known for placing less emphasis on monasticism than the Theravada school, and for introducing the notion of sunyata.

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); the cult of Maitreya is widespread in Tibetan Buddhism.

mandala: Sanskrit; a diagram used in tantric meditation as an aid to visualization, which represents the residence and perfected attributes of a buddha.

Manjushri: Bodhisattva of Wisdom. Frequently depicted wielding the sword of prajna, which cuts through all delusion.

mantra: Sanskrit; a ritual formula used in tantric meditation.

mokugyo: Japanese; literally, "wooden fish," a hollow drum carved from a single piece of wood, stylized with carved fish or in the shape of a fish, and struck with a padded mallet. Used to keep time during chanting.

mudra: Sanskrit; A hand position or physical gesture or posture that embodies an aspect of Buddhist teaching.

nirvana: Sanskrit; literally, "extinction, blowing out"; the "goal" of spiritual practice in Buddhism; liberation from the cycle of rebirth and suffering. In Zen, nirvana is understood as ultimately not separate from everyday life and the worldly cycles of suffering.

Nichiren: (1222-1282) Japanese monk who believed in the supreme perfection of the Lotus Sutra; he advocated the devout recitation of "Namu myoho renge kyo," the title of the sutra, in order to attain instantaneous enlightenment.

Nyingmapa: One of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism; the dzogchen teachings are considered to be the supreme embodiment of this school.

Om: A mantra or "seed syllable" inherited by Buddhism from the Hindu tradition; it represents the totality of existence, the presence of the absolute within the relative world of phenomena.

oryoki: Japanese; A monk's stacked and cloth-wrapped eating bowls.

paramita: Sanskrit; literally "perfection," Virutes of attitude and behavior cultivated by bodhisattvas in the course of their development, necessary on the path of transcendence or realization; "reaching the outer shore." See also six perfections.

prajna: Sanskrit; literally "wisdom," Wisdom that is not possessed but that which is directly and thouroughly experienced. Intuitive insight that cannot be expressed in concepts or in intellectual terms; penetration of the true nature of reality: emptiness.

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.

rakusu: Japanese; Bib-like vestment received in monk or lay ordination.

Rinzai: Japanese; Lin-chi (Chinese); one of the two major schools of Zen Buddhism; it was founded by the Chinese master Lin-chi I-hsuan (Japanese; Rinzai Gigen) and brought to Japan by Eisai Zenji at the end of the twelfth century; it stresses koan Zen and a vigorous dynamic style as the means to attain enlightenment.

roshi: Japanese; "Venerable old teacher," resepectful title for priest, Zen master.

Sakyapa: One of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism; it is named after the Sakya Monastery in southern Tibet and had great political influence in Tibet during the 13th and 14th centuries.

samadhi: Sanskrit; A deep meditative state.

samsara: Sanskrit; the cyclic existence of birth, death and rebirth from which nirvana provides liberation; conditioned by the three attitudes of greed, anger, and ignorance; marked by continuous rebirths.

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.

satori: Japanese; A sudden flash of deep insight into the nature of reality.

sesshin: Japanese; literally, "collecting the mind," A concentrated zazen retreat of one or more days, usually five or seven.

Shakyamuni: (ca. 563-480 BCE) The historical Buddha; Theravadins believe that he was the first to attain enlightenment in this age.

Shinran: (1173-1262) Founder of the Jodo-shin-shu school of Japanese Buddhism; he taught that attempting to attain enlightenment through one's own effort is futile; instead liberation can be attained exclusively through the help and grace of the Buddha Amida (Amitabha); he advocated calling out the name of Amida as the only practice necessary in order to be reborn in his Pure Land.

Shinto: Japan's indigenous spiritual tradition, involving veneration of nature spirits.

six perfections: the six qualities in which bodhisattvas train, which becomes the matrix of the enlightened personality of a buddha: generosity, ethics, patience, effort, concentration, and wisdom. See also, paramita.

Six Worlds: Buddhist shorthand for the various modes of existence that make up samsara, or the phenomenal world: the realms of gods, humans, wrathful titans, animals, hungry ghosts, and hell. Also known as the Six Realms.

skandhas: Sanskrit; the five human aggregates or conditions which cause craving and attachment: form, feeling, perception, impulse, and consciousness.

Soto: Japanese; Ts'ao-tung (Chinese); one of the two major schools of Zen Buddhism; it was brought to Japan by Dogen in the thirteenth century; it emphasizes zazen, or sitting meditation, as the central practice in order to attain enlightenment.

stupa: Tibetan; a precisely described structure symbolizing Buddhist motifs that is used to store sacred objects such as texts, images, and relics of deceased lamas.

suchness: see sunyata.

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; 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 Buddha's death.

takuhatsu: Japanese; literally,"To entrust the bowl," a monk's formal begging rounds.

tathagata: Sanskrit; literally "Thus gone one," an epithet of buddhas.

The Ten Directions: Buddhist shorthand for everywhere: north, south, east, west, their midpoints, the zenith, and nadir.

The Three Times: Buddhist shorthand for past, present, and future.

Theravada: Sanskrit; literally, "the School of the Elders"; one of the three major schools of Buddhism which is widely practiced in the countries of Southeast Asia; its teachings focus on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path; also pejoratively referred to as the Hinayana, or "Lesser Vehicle," school due to its emphasis on personal rather than collective liberation.

Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha; Also known as the Three Refuges or the Three Treasures.

Three Pillars of Practice: The essential components of the Zen path of realization- great doubt, great faith, and great perseverance.

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.

unsui: Japanese; literally, "cloud and water," formal title given to a novice monk after acceptance into a Zen monastery.

upaya: Sanskrit: literally "skillful means," the Mahayana practice of adapting the teachings to better reach one's audience.

vajra: Sanskrit; a tantric symbol that represents the indestructible union of method (upaya) and wisdom (prajna) that is the goal of the tantric path.

Vajrayana: Sanskrit; literally, "the Diamond Vehicle"; one of the three major schools of Buddhism; this form of Buddhism developed out of the Mahayana teachings in northwest India around 500 CE and spread to Tibet, China and Japan; it involves esoteric visualizations, rituals, and mantras which can only be learned by study with a master; also known as Tantric Buddhism due to the use of tantras, or sacred texts.

zafu: Zazen cushion, usually black and round.

zazen: Japanese; sitting meditation.

zazenkai: Japanese; a regular lay zazen group, usually meeting weekly or monthly.

Zen: Japanese; Ch'an (Chinese); a branch of Mahayana Buddhism which developed in China during the sixth and seventh centuries after Bodhidharma arrived; it later divided into the Soto and Rinzai schools; Zen stresses the importance of the enlightenment experience and the futility of rational thought, intellectual study or religious ritual in attaining this; a central element of Zen is zazen, a meditative practice which seeks to free the mind of all thought and conceptualization.

zendo: Japanese; A Zen meditation hall, zazen hall. In some situations, zendo is substituted for the word sodo, which in Japanese training monasteries is also a place used for sleeping and eating.

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