Exploring The Religions Of Our World, Chapter 6: Buddhism

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Nirvana

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Meaning "to extinguish" or "to blow out," it refers to the extinction of suffering, impermanence, delusion, and all that keeps the life cycle (samsara) going. Nirvana is the spiritual goal for all Buddhists.

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Four Sights

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The inspiration to become a monk for Siddhartha the Buddha, the four sights were an old crippled man (old age), a diseased man (illness), a decaying corpse (death), and finally an ascetic that Siddhartha encountered on an unannounced journey outside of the palace.

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ascetic

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A person who renounces material comforts to live a self-disciplined life, especially in the area of religious devotion.

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bodhi tree

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The large, sacred fig tree at the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya where Siddhartha the Buddha arrived at enlightenment.

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Middle Way

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The Buddhist teaching that liberation from samsura comes neither through severe ascetical practices nor through wild indulgences, but in the middle of the spectrum between those two opposites.

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sangha

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At first just the Buddhist monastic community, later it came to describe the entire community of monks, nuns, and lay persons.

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relics

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Items of religious devotion, especially a piece of the body or personal items of an important religious figure.

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Dharma

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From the Sanskrit meaning "uphold," in Hinduism it is that which is in accordance with the laws of the cosmos and of nature such as righteous acts. In Buddhism it is the teachings of the Buddha.

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Mahayana Buddhism

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Literally the "Great Ox Cart." This branch of Buddhism differs from Theravada Buddhism because it accommodates a greater number of people from all walks of life.

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Gupta dynasty

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240-550 CE, when the Gupta Empire ruled India with political peace and prosperity.

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Pala dynasty

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The empire that controlled the Indian subcontinent from the eighth to twelfth centuries. The word pala means "protector."

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Vajrayana Buddhism

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Literally "Diamond Vehicle," it is the prominent branch of Buddhism in Tibet.

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bodhisattva

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A being that compassionately refrains from entering nirvana in order to save others and is worshipped as a deity in Mahayana Buddhism.

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lamas

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In Tibetan Buddhism, teachers and often heads of monasteries.

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Dalai Lama

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The head lama of Tibetan Buddhism who was the spiritual and political leader of Tibet until its takeover by Chinese communist leaders and a forced exile to India.

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Tripitaka

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From the Sanskrit meaning "Three Baskets," and also known as the Pali Canon in Theravada Buddhism, the compilation of three collections of early Buddhist texts.

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Pali Canon

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The authoritative Buddhism scripture of Theravada Buddhists written in the Pali language, and important, but not definitive, for Mahayana Buddhists. Another name for the Tripitaka.

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Lotus Sutra

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A Mahayana Buddhist text where Enlightenment is made available not only to monastics, but to all because of the great compassion of bodhisattvas.

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tantric

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A word to describe Hindu literature written in Sanskrit and concerned with rituals acts of body, speech, and mind.

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anatma

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The Buddhist doctrine of "no soul" or "not self" that means permanent, unchanging, independent self does not exist, though people act as if it does. Ignorance of anatma causes suffering.

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arhat

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From the Sanskrit for "worthy one," it is a concept of Theravada Buddhism which refers to one who has attained Nirvana in their present lifetime, thus, liberated from the cycle of rebirth.

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Five Precepts

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A basic moral standard by which all Buddhists are to live. They are:
1. Do not take the life of any living creature.

2. Do not take anything not freely given.

3. Abstain from sexual misconduct and sexual overindulgence. (For monastics, abstain from any sexual activity.)

4. Refrain from untrue or deceitful speech.

5. Avoid intoxicants.

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pagodas

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Towers in eastern Asia, usually with roofs curved upward at the division of each of several stories and erected as temples or memorials.