Essential Buddhism Key Words

• Anicca


  Impermanence. Belief that nothing is permanent; one of the Three Marks of Existence
• Buddhahood


  Reaching enlightenment
• Ascetic


  A life free from worldly pleasures, and involves giving up of material possessions. An ascetic life often has the aim of pursuing religious and spiritual goals
• Anatta


  Belief that there is no fixed self/no soul; one of the Three Marks of Existence
• Bodhisattva


  In Mahayana Buddhism, this is a being destined for enlightenment, who postpones their final escape from samsara in order to help living beings
• Buddha


  Historically the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) An awakened or enlightened person
• Arhat


  A perfected person. In Theravada Buddhism, this is a term for a person who has become enlightened
• Buddha rupa


  An image or statue of the historical Buddha or a being believed to have attained Buddhahood
• Compassion (Karuna)


  Sympathy and concern for the suffering of others; a key part of Buddhist ethics
• Concentration


  Focusing one’s attention; an important part of meditation and mindfulness of breathing
• Chanting


  Singing or rhythmic repetition of a word, prayer, or sound
• Consciousness


  The fifth of the Five Aggregates; the state of being aware of something/your surroundings before or without perception
• Buddha-nature


  In Mahayana Buddhism, this refers to the fundamental nature of all beings, which means that all beings can become enlightened/reach Buddhahood
• Dependent arising (Paticcasamupada)

  The belief that everything exists because other things do; everything is interconnected and everyone affects everyone else
• Craving (tahna)


  The ongoing state of desire which causes suffering; grasping at things we enjoy/want
• Dhamma (Dharma)


  The teachings of the Buddha; these are the ultimate truth. Can also refer to following the Buddhist path (following the dharma)
• Dukkha


  Suffering. Belief that all life includes suffering and unsatisfactoriness; one of the Three Marks of Existence
• Dhammapada


  A source of wisdom and authority; part of the Pali Canon that includes some of the most famous teachings of the Buddha, including the Eightfold Path
• The Eightfold Path (magga)


  The fourth Noble Truth. Known as ‘The Middle Way,’ it includes the way to wisdom; mental training and the way of morality. Eight stages to be practised simultaneously
• Enlightenment


  A state of wisdom that enables total clarity and understanding of the truths of existence; achieving Enlightenment (Buddhahood) allows a being to be freed from the cycle of rebirth
• Energy


  One of the Mahayanan six perfections; making a courageous effort to attain enlightenment
• Ethics (Sila)


  Moral principles that inform behaviour and attitudes; part of the Eightfold Path
• The five moral precepts

  An important part of Buddhist ethics; part of the Eightfold Path (right action). These include: not taking life, not taking things which aren’t freely given, not misusing the sense, not speaking falsehoods, not clouding the mind with intoxicants
• The Five Aggregates (skandhas)

  The belief that human beings are composed of five factors - form, sensation, perception, mental formation, consciousness
• The Four Noble Truths

  An important part of the Buddha’s teachings found in the Pali Canon, explaining the truth about existence. These include: suffering, the cause of suffering, the end of suffering, the path to the end of suffering
• Form


  The first of the Five Aggregates; matter, physical experiences through the sense organs
• The Four Sights


  Teaching from the Jataka Tales about Siddhartha Gautama’s experience of illness, old age, death and a holy man. These sights led him to give up his life of luxury, to follow an ascetic lifestyle, in search of the truth about suffering
• Generosity

  One of the Mahayanan six perfections; the sincere and selfless desire to benefit others with no expectation of reward
• Gompa


  Tibetan monasteries associated with learning and studying the dharma
• Greed


  One of the Three Poisons; the attachment to material things, and the ongoing selfish desire for more
• Ignorance


  One of the Three Poisons; the inability to see things as they really are. It is like a veil that prevents us seeing/understanding the truth of dukkha, anicca and anatta
• Hate


  One of the Three Poisons; a feeling of intense dislike, anger, wishing others harm
• Intoxicants


  Substances that cloud the mind, eg alcohol, drugs. The five moral precepts teach against using these
• Loving kindness (metta)


  A pure love which is selfless and not possessive; a key part of Buddhist ethics
• Mantra recitation


  A short sequence of words or syllables chanted repetitively
• Kamma (Karma)


  Literally 'action.’ The belief in cause and effect, intentions and actions will affect the future
• Kamma (Karma)


  Belief in cause and effect, intentions and actions affecting the future
• Loving kindness (metta)


  Pure love which is selfless and not possessive; a key part of Buddhist ethics
• Malas


  • Strings of beads used as a prayer aid
• Mahayana


  Literally “Greater Vehicle”; focuses on achieving enlightenment for the sake of all beings (Bodhisattva)