Buddhism Keywords

Anatta — Belief that there is no fixed self/no soul; one of the Three Marks of Existence. (⇦ Go Back)

Anicca — Impermanence. Belief that nothing is permanent; one of the Three Marks of Existence. (⇦ Go Back)

Arhat — A perfected person. In Theravada Buddhism this is a term for a person who has become enlightened. (⇦ Go Back)

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. (⇦ Go Back)

Bodhisattva — In Mahayana Buddhism this is a being destined for enlightenment, who postpones their final escape from samsara in order to help living beings. (⇦ Go Back)

Buddha — Historically the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama). An awakened or enlightened person. (⇦ Go Back)

Buddhahood — Reaching enlightenment. (⇦ Go Back)

Buddha-nature — In Mahayana Buddhism this refers to the fundamental nature of all beings, which means that all beings can become enlightened/reach Buddhahood. (⇦ Go Back)

Buddha rupa — An image or statue of the historical Buddha or a being believed to have attained Buddhahood. (⇦ Go Back)

Chanting — Singing or rhythmic repetition of a word, prayer or sound. (⇦ Go Back)

Compassion (Karuna) — Sympathy and concern for the suffering of others; a key part of Buddhist ethics. (⇦ Go Back)

Concentration — Focusing one’s attention; an important part of meditation and mindfulness of breathing. (⇦ Go Back)

Consciousness — The fifth of the Five Aggregates; the state of being aware of something/your surroundings before or without perception. (⇦ Go Back)

Craving (tahna) — The ongoing state of desire which causes suffering; grasping at things we enjoy/want. (⇦ Go Back)

Dependent arising (Paticcasamupada) — The belief that everything exists because other things do; everything is interconnected and everyone affects everyone else. (⇦ Go Back)

Dhamma (Dharma) — The teachings of the Buddha; these are the ultimate truth. Can also refer to following the Buddhist path (following the dharma). (⇦ Go Back)

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. (⇦ Go Back)

Dukkha — Suffering. Belief that all life includes suffering and unsatisfactoriness; one of the Three Marks of Existence. (⇦ Go Back)

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. (⇦ Go Back)

Energy — One of the Mahayanan six perfections; making a courageous effort to attain enlightenment. (⇦ Go Back)

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. (⇦ Go Back)

Ethics (Sila) — Moral principles that inform behaviour and attitudes; part of the Eightfold Path. (⇦ Go Back)

The Five Aggregates (skandhas) — The belief that human beings are composed of five factors - form, sensation, perception, mental formation, consciousness. (⇦ Go Back)

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. (⇦ Go Back)

Form — The first of the Five Aggregates; matter, physical experiences through the sense organs. (⇦ Go Back)

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. (⇦ Go Back)

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. (⇦ Go Back)

Generosity — One of the Mahayanan six perfections; the sincere and selfless desire to benefit others with no expectation of reward. (⇦ Go Back)

Gompa — Tibetan monasteries associated with learning and studying the dharma. (⇦ Go Back)

Greed — One of the Three Poisons; the attachment to material things, and the ongoing selfish desire for more. (⇦ Go Back)

Hate — One of the Three Poisons; a feeling of intense dislike, anger, wishing others harm. (⇦ Go Back)

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. (⇦ Go Back)

Intoxicants — Substances that cloud the mind, eg alcohol, drugs. The five moral precepts teach against using these. (⇦ Go Back)

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

Loving kindness (metta) — A pure love which is selfless and not possessive; a key part of Buddhist ethics. (⇦ Go Back)

Mantra recitation — A short sequence of words or syllables chanted repetitively as a form of meditation. (⇦ Go Back)

Mahayana — Literally “Greater Vehicle”; this school of Buddhism focuses on achieving enlightenment for the sake of all beings (Bodhisattva). It is the main school of Buddhism in China, Tibet and Japan. (⇦ Go Back)

Malas — Strings of beads used as a prayer aid. (⇦ Go Back)

Mental formations — The fourth of the Five Aggregates; mental activities which lead a person to actions and produce kamma (karma). (⇦ Go Back)

Meditation — A spiritual experience that opens a person up to the highest state of consciousness; one of the Mahayanan six perfections, and part of the Eightfold Path (Samadhi). (⇦ Go Back)

Mindfulness of breathing — A form of meditation found in Theravada, Zen and Tibetan Buddhism. It focuses on the practice of breathing. (⇦ Go Back)

Monasteries (viharas) — Buildings that house monks and nuns. They may also have shrines, Buddha rupas, and spaces for study, as well as accommodation. (⇦ Go Back)

Morality — Principles or beliefs about what is right and wrong. One of the Mahayanan six perfections; includes following the Five Moral Precepts. (⇦ Go Back)

Nibbana/Nirvana — Literally ‘blowing’ out. The belief that individuals can achieve a state of perfect peace where they experience liberation from the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. (⇦ Go Back)

Parinirvana Day — A festival in Mahayana Buddhism that celebrates the death of the Buddha and his attainment of final nibbana. It is most often celebrated on 15th February. (⇦ Go Back)

Patience — Being able to tolerate delay or problems without becoming agitated or anxious. One of the Mahayanan six perfections. (⇦ Go Back)

Perception — The third of the Five Aggregates. The ability to distinguish between different objects that we experience through our senses; it also enables memory. (⇦ Go Back)

Puja/devotional ritual — The name given to ceremonies that involve meditation, prayer and offerings. (⇦ Go Back)

Pure Land — This is the dominant form of Buddhism in Japan and focuses on chanting the name of Amitabha Buddha. (⇦ Go Back)

Rebirth — This refers to the belief that when a being dies they are reborn. This process depends on kamma, and will continue until nibbana is attained. (⇦ Go Back)

Retreats — Temporarily leaving one’s everyday life and going to special places to aid spiritual development. (⇦ Go Back)

Samatha — Concentration and tranquility. A method of meditation; a state of calmness. (⇦ Go Back)

Sensation — The second of the Five Aggregates; the feelings that arise from our sense organs making contact with objects. (⇦ Go Back)

Shrine — A room or part of a room which contains a Buddha rupa, candles, an incense burner and sometimes other offerings. (⇦ Go Back)

The six perfections — Ethical principles in Mahayana Buddhism to lead a being to enlightenment. (⇦ Go Back)

Sunyata — Literally ‘emptiness’. Mahayana belief about the absence of an intrinsic nature or self-identity. (⇦ Go Back)

Temple — A structure/building for religious or spiritual activities, such as meditation. Will usually contain a shrine(s). (⇦ Go Back)

Theravada — The school of Buddhism mainly found in Sri Lanka and Thailand; it is an older tradition than Mahayana. (⇦ Go Back)

The Threefold Way — The three divisions of the Eightfold Path: ethics, meditation and wisdom. (⇦ Go Back)

The Three Marks of Existence — The belief that all life involves/is marked by these three features; sometimes known as the Three Universal Truths. The three are: dukkha, anicca, anatta. (⇦ Go Back)

The Three Poisons — Causes of dukkha that affect all beings: ignorance, greed and hate. (⇦ Go Back)

Tranquility — A state of peace and calm. (⇦ Go Back)

Vipassana (insight) — A method of meditation focused on insight into the true nature of things. (⇦ Go Back)

Visualisation — Forming a mental image. A method of meditation in Mahayana Buddhism, imagining an image of a Buddha or Bodhisattva and focusing on their qualities. (⇦ Go Back)

Wesak — A Buddhist festival celebrating the Buddha's birth. For some Buddhists it also celebrates his enlightenment and death. (⇦ Go Back)

Wisdom (panna) — Insight into the true nature of reality. One of the Mahayanan six perfections, which includes the realisation of sunyata. (⇦ Go Back)

Zazen — The main form of meditation in Zen Buddhism, practiced cross-legged with the aim of gaining vipassana (insight). (⇦ Go Back)

Zen — A Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism. It focuses on the value of meditation and intuition rather than ritual worship and study of the scriptures. (⇦ Go Back)