Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W Z

The Buddha of the Land of Ultimate Bliss, the land created in the West through the power of his vows which enable living beings to be reborn simply through the power of constant mindfulness and recitation of his name. [TD-BTTS]

aka Amida, Amita, and Amitayus. The word Amitabha is used in English to represent two Sanskrit terms, "Amitabha" ("Infinite Light") and "Amitayus" ("Infinite Life"). Amitabha is the most commonly used name for the Buddha of Infinite Light and Infinite Life, "the archtype of cosmic compassion (T. Cleary). A transhistorical Buddha venerated by all Mahayana schools (T'ien-T'ai, Esoteric, Zen) and, particulary, Pure Land. [He] presides over the Western Pure Land (Land of Ultimate Bliss) or Sukhavati, where anyone can be reborn through utterly sincere (i.e., singleminded) recitation of his name, particularly at the time of death. [SGB]

One of the fruitions of the path of cultivation. Arhats have attained the cessation of involuntary physical birth and death. The word has three meanings: (1) worthy of offerings, (2) killer of thieves--arhats have killed the thieves of afflictions and outflows , and (3) free of birth. [SS-BTTS]

Those who aspire to Supreme Enlightenment and Buddhahood for themselves and all beings. The word Bodhisattva can therefore stand for realized beings such as Avalokitesvara or Samanthabhadra, but also for anyone who has developed the Bodhi Mind--the aspiration to save oneself and others. [SGB]

An enlightened being who does not enter Nirvana but chooses instead to remain in the world and save living beings. [LS-BTTS]

A bhikshu is a fully ordained Buddhist monk. He is one who leads a pure and celibate life and upholds the 250 precepts. A bhikshuni is a fully ordained Buddhist nun. She is one who leads a pure and celibate life and upholds 348 precepts.

A Supremely Enlightened One, or "Awakened One." According to Mahayana tradition, Buddha Sakyamuni is the present one in a series of Buddhas, past and future. [SGB]

Nowadays, the term "Buddha" refers to the historical Buddhas Sakyamuni. "Buddhas" naturally refers to all enlightened beings. [SGB]

Another way to explain "Buddha" is by using the principles of the Three Bodies of the Buddha: 1) The Dharma Body; 2) the Reward Body; 3) the Response, or Transformation, Body. The Dharma Body is the principle and nature of Fundamental Enlightenment. The Reward Body is Perfect Wisdom, or Initial Enlightenment. The Transormation Body is a compassionate appearance in response to living beings. The Buddha responds to the needs of living beings who are suffering by compassionately appearing in response to them. Another way to explain this is that the Dharma Body is Vairochana Buddha, which translates as "All-Pervasive Light." The Reward Body is Nishyanda Buddha, which means "Fulfillment of Purity." The Transformation Body is Shakyamuni Buddha, which translates as "Capable of Humaneness," and "Still and Silent." The three bodies are not one and yet not different. The bodies are not one, because there are three bodies. But they are not different, because the three issue from one Buddha. It is because the potentials and conditions of living beings are different that beings see differently. Some see the Reward Body, others see the Response Body, and still others see the Dharma Body. Again, taking a pearl as an analogy, the Dharma Body is the substance of the pearl, which is round and perfect. The Reward Body is like the pure light emitted by the pearl. The Response Bodies are like the inter-reflections of pearls -- pearl reflected within pearl. Apart from the substance, there is no light. Apart from the light, there is no reflection. The three are one. Therefore it says, "With the Three Bodies purfied, the Brahma's Net appears." [BNS-BTTS]

The teachings of the Buddha.

As a famous quotation has it: "For teaching, develop your own school. For self-cultivation, practice Pure Land." [SGB]

"In entering the Buddha Dharma, there are generally three approaches: teaching, interpretation, and practice. Teachings are shallow, interpretation is profound, but practice is supreme (Master Ching-yin Hui-yan)." [SGB]

"A scholar who studies and 'teaches' a sutra with the intent of footnoting and categorizing it, instead of practicing it, is like a starving man who, given food, puts it under a microscope instead of eats it, and who teaches others to starve with him. (Hua:77:III)" [SGB]

In Buddhism, regardless of the school followed, practice (cultivation) is a must. A Buddhist who merely studies or lectures on the Buddha's teaching while failing to put it into practice has been likened to a sick doctor who prescribes medicines for others while refusing to take any himself. According to Buddhist teachings, we all have within us varying degrees of greed, anger, and delusion. To practice is to avoid or mitigate the conditions that promote greed, anger, and delusion. Thus, for example, whenever anger flares up, one's thoughts should be redirected, as a form of displacement, toward the Buddha through Buddha-remembrance (Buddha Recitation). [SGB]

The cardinal rule of all Buddhist cultivation, regardless of tradition or school, is introspection--looking at your own mistakes and correcting them. To look at other people's shortcomings and criticize them is bound to disturb the mind and keep us in a perpetual state of anger and frustration. [SGB]

Dan-tian is a location on the body, about one inch below the navel, and one inch inward. Tien-tai Master Zhi-yi recommends that meditators focus their attention on the dan-tian so as to prevent, or stop, the mind from being scattered while in sitting meditation. [DE]

a) The teachings of the Buddhas (generally this meaning of Dharma is capitalized in English); b) duty, law, doctrine; c) things, events, phenomena, everything. [PLPM]

The teaching of the Buddha [Shakyamuni], who recognized and formulated this "law"; thus the teaching that expresses the universal truth. The dharma in this sense existed already before the birth of the historical Buddha [Shakyamuni], who is no more than a manifestation of it. It is the dharma in this sense that a Buddhist takes refuge. [SDBZ]

"Dharma" is the Sanskrit language word, "Dhamma" is the Pali language word.

One of the three bodies of the Buddha: the Dharma Body, the Reward Body, and the Response (or Transformation) Body. See Buddha.

It is said that one day Brahma, lord of creation, offered the Buddha a flower and asked him to preach the Dharma. When the Buddha held up the flower, his audience was puzzled, except for Kashyapa, who smiled. This is how ... [dhyana] began. And this is how it was transmitted: with a flower, with a rock wall, with a shot. [SGB]

Dhyana is the Sanskrit word for Ch'an, itself the Chinese word for Zen. Zen was derived from the word Ch'an, which was derived from the word dhyana.

The Bodhisattva who saves suffering beings in the hells; he is especially popular in Japan as the saviour of the souls of dead children, particularly aborted ones. He is usually represented standing, holding in his right hand a pilgrim's staff, and in his left hand a pearl. He is also known by the name of Ksitigarbha. [SGB]

Earth Store Bodhisattva or "Earth-Womb" Bodhisattva is more popular in the Far East than he ever was in India. From a bare mention in the roll of the Eight Bodhisattvas, he has risen, in Asia, and particularly in East Asia, to a popularity second only to Avalokitesvara (Kwan Yin Bodhisattva). Like all Bodhisattvas, he aspires to deliver sentient beings wandering astray in the five (or six) paths of mundane existence; but he specializes in delivering them from hell... he takes upon himself the fearful task not merely of plumbing the depths of existence, and bringing relief and consolation to those in torment, but of personally transforming and uplifting the vast inchoate mass of fear, hatred, and despair swarming and polluting in the pitch darkness of the Abyss.

A figurative term for someone who is worthy of offerings. Just as a field can yield crops, so people will obtain blessed karmic results if they make offerings to one who deserves them. There are many kinds of "fields of blessings": monks, enlightened beings, parents, the poor, etc, including animals. [SGB]

Buddhas, bodhisattvas, arhats and all sentient beings, whether friends or foes, are fields of merits for the cultivator because they provide him with an opportunity to cultivate merits and virtues. For example, needy people provide the opportunity for the cultivator to practice charity. Thus, they are fields of merits for him. As the Avatamsaka Sutra (chapter 40) states, "Bodhi (Enlightenment) belongs to living beings. Without living beings, no bodhisattva could achieve Supreme, Perfect enlightenment." [SGB]

These are the five mental imediments that hinder meditation: desire; malice; depression and sloth; wildness and excitement; and doubt or perplexity. [SGB]

Also known as the Five Impediments.

Cultivated by Bodhisattvas: a mind of inifinite loving-kindness, of infinite compassion, of infinite joy, and of infinite equanimity. [SGB]

Also known as the Four Limitless Minds, the Four Boundless Minds.

Four types of Buddhist meditation for eradicating illusions and attaining enlightenment. The first is to contemplate the body as impure. The second is to contemplate all sensation (feelings) as the cause of suffering. The third is to contemplate the mind as impermanent and the fourth is to contemplate all things as being dependent, without self-nature or self-identity. [SGB]

And how does a monk remain focused on the body in and of itself?... a monk reflects on this very body from the soles of the feet on up, from the crown of the head on down, surrounded by skin and full of various kinds of unclean things: 'In this body there are head hairs, body hairs, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, tendons, bones, bone marrow, kidneys, heart, liver, pleura, spleen, lungs, large intestines, small intestines, gorge, feces, bile, phlegm, pus, blood, sweat, fat, tears, skin-oil, saliva, mucus, fluid in the joints, urine.' [AI:DN22]

Also known as the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, the Four Meditations, and the Great Frames of Reference. Not to be confused with the Four Immeasurable Minds.

The entire cosmos, consisting of worlds upon worlds ad infinitum, as described in the Avatamsaka Sutra. It is the realm of Vairocana Buddha, the transcendental aspect of Buddha Sakyamuni and of all Buddhas. The Saha World, the Western Pure Land and, for that matter, all lands and realms are within the Flower Store World. [SGB]

Known also as Avalokitesvara (Sanskrit) and Kuan Yin, Gwan Yin Bodhisattva is one of the Three Pure Land Sages, the other two being Buddha Amitabha and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva. Amitabha Buddha is frequently depicted standing between Gwan Yin and Mahasthamaprapta... In some texts, Gwan Yin is referred to in the masculine form. However. the feminine form is commonly used to reflect popular East Asian imagery. [SGB]

Gwan Yin is the Bodhisattva of Compassion, and is usually recognized by the small Buddha adorning her crown or headdress... In China, she is known as the "Goddess of Mercy." She is also known as the one who hears the sounds of the world, because she attained enlightenment by means of the faculty of hearing. [SGB]

Gwan Yin's attainment of enlightenment by means of the faculty hearing is documented in the Shurangama Sutra.

The Venerable Master Hsuan Hua developed the inclination to cultivate early on in his childhood. Influenced by the filial piety of Filial Son Wong (Great Master Chang Ren) of Shuangcheng County, the Master vowed to follow his example. Every morning and evening after bowing to the Buddhas, he would make three bows to his parents. Later he took refuge with the Triple Jewel and had deep faith in Buddhism. When he was nineteen his mother passed away, and he lived in a tiny hut by her graveside for three years in observance of filial piety. At that time he left the home-life with Venerable Master Chang Zhi and cultivated quietly and earnestly. He travelled widely to study under Elder Masters of great virtue. Later he received the transmission of Dharma from Venerable Master Hsu Yun and became the Ninth Patriarch of the Wei Yang Sect, the forty-fifth generation since the First Patriarch Mahakashyapa. In 1949 the Master went to Hong Kong to propagate the Dharma. He founded monasteries, delivered lectures on Sutras, and engaged in other activities to benefit living beings, thus causing Buddhism to flourish in Hong Kong. In 1962 he came to America alone. Responding to the ripening conditions in the West, he worked to gradually actualize his vow to raise the banner of the Proper Dharma in the West.

The Venerable Master Hua's three great vows after leaving the home-life were (1) to promote and develop education in the Buddhist tradition, (2) to translate the Buddhist Canon, and (3) to establish a foundation for Buddhism in America. In order to make these vows a reality, the Venerable Master based himself in the Three Great Principles and the Six Great Guidelines. Courageously facing every hardship, he founded monasteries, schools, and centers in the West, drawing in living beings and teaching them on a vast scale. Over the years, he founded the following institutions: The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, Instilling Goodness Elementary School, Developing Virtue Secondary School, Dharma Realm Buddhist University, Sangha and Laity Training Programs, Proper Dharma Buddhist Academy, International Translation Institute, Administrative Headquarters of the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association, and Dharma Realm Buddhist Books Distribution Association, The Institute of World Religions, Affiliated Monasteries (including this monastery, the Gold Summit Sagely Monastery).

More information about the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua can be found at these pages on the Gold Buddha Monastery and the DRBA Web sites.

According to early Buddhism, a sentient being who, being inherently unreceptive to the teachings of the Buddha, will never attain enlightenment. Later Mahayana tended to regard an icchantika as one who would ultimately attain Buddhahood, although his path would be difficult. [SGB]

[An] unbeliever... a person who has cut all the wholesome roots... in himself and has no wish to attain Buddhahood. [SGB]

[A Sanskrit word meaning] the human world. The world in which we are living. Also ancient name of India. [SGB]

Jambudvipa is a small part of the Saha World, the realm of Sakyamuni Buddha. [SGB]

The 'Continent of the Jambu Tree,' so called because this continent is overlooked by a gigantic Jambu tree growing on the summit of Mount Sumeru. Jambudvipa is the southermost of the four continents, supposedly the world in which we humans live. It is said to be wide in the north and narrow in the south, shaped almost like an inverted triangle. [SGB]

Alternative transliteration into English from Sanskrit of the word dhyana.

Deeds, activity. Karma does not mean fate. It means the deeds which we create ourselves and the retributions which those deeds bring upon us. [TD-BTTS]

[Karma is] action leading to future retribution or reward or future lifetimes... The doctrine of karma is subtle and extremely intricate. Reduced to its most elementary meaning, karma is action; it refers also to the fruits of action. It may be seen as the law of causation on a personal level, a combination of primary and secondary causes... every thought, utterance, and deed is a seed that ripens over time until, under suitable conditions, it comes to fruition as an event or circumstance. It is, moreover, a continuous process, for the way in which one responds to these circumstances determines the quality of his present life as well as future ones. Thus, the doctrine of karma repudiates any notion of 'fate' or 'fixed destiny,' inasmuch as these circumstances and our response to them are constantly changing... The Buddha said, "If you want to know the past [cause], look at your present [effect]. If you want to know the future [effect], look at your present [cause]." [SGB]

Poverty and want, for example, are the results of miserly thoughts and actions in past lives. For a destitute person to cheat and steal in order to escape poverty and become wealthy is a classic case of creating more evil karma in the hope of escaping retribution. [SGB]

How do we reconcile bad happenings occuring to good people with the law of karma? The general answer is that karma extends over many lifetimes, and therefore our present good deeds may attenuate the bad results of past misdeeds but not necessarily eliminate them completely. [SGB]

A sutra which expounds the doctrines of the eight consciousnesses and Tathagatha-matrix (womb). This is one of the sutras upon which the Zen and Yogacara schools are based. There are three extant Chinese versions. [SGB]

A scripture of the Yogacara School of Mahayana Buddhism, written in Sanskrit in India (ca. 350 AD). Contains an epitome of nearly all Mahayana teaching. Teaches subjective idealism based on the Buddha's Enlightenment, and the doctrines of Sunyata and Mind-Only. Said to have been given by Bodhidharma to his disciple, the Second Patriarch, Hui-K'o, as containing the Buddha's teaching. [SGB]

A Bodhisattva predicted to succeed Shakyamuni as a future Buddha. Also called Ajita, meaning "invincible". Some accounts view him as a historical personage who preceded the Buddha in death. He is said to have been reborn in the Tushita Heaven where he is now expounding the Dharma to the heavenly beings in the inner palace. It is said that he will reappear in this world [several billion years[ after Shakyamuni's death, attain Buddhahood, and save the people in Shakyamuni's stead. For this reason he is also sometimes called Miroku Buddha. [SGB]

Maitreya means "compassionate clan." He is also known as Ajita, "Invicible," because no heavenly demons or externalists can be victorious over him. Maitreya Bodhisattva dwells in the inner court of the Tushita heaven and cultivates "compassionate heart samadhi." Everyone who meets him brings forth a compassionate heart. Because he is compassionate towards all beings, all living beings are fond of him and loyal to him... When Shakyamuni Buddha steps down as teaching host of the Saha world, Maitreya will succeed him. When will this happen? Many externalists say, "Maitreya Bodhisattva has come; Maitreya Bodhisattva has appeared in the world," but they are speaking in a dream. Why do I say this? Shakyamuni Buddha stated very clearly when Maitreya would come: [LFS-BTTS]

This present world kalpa is now in a period of decrease. Every hundred years, man's average lifespan decreases by one year and his height by one inch. When man's average lifespan is ten years, the period of increase will begin again and every hundred years man's height will increase one inch and his average lifespan will increase by one year. When man's lifespan has reached eighty-four thousand years, the period of decline will begin again and, when man's lifespan has decreased to eighty-thousand years, Maitreya Bodhisattva will appear in the world. [LFS-BTTS]

Buddha who heals the ills of body and spirit including that of ignorance; popular figure in early Mahayana Buddhism; reigns over the Pure Lapis Lazuli Paradise in the East... Iconographically he is usually depicted with a healing fruit in his right hand and his left in the gesture of protecting or resting in his lap. He often appears as part of a triad with Shakyamuni and Amitabha, in which he is on the left, and Amitabha on the right. In a sutra dedicated to him, only extant in Tibetan and Chinese, twelve vows are mentioned that [he] made in a previous life and in the fulfillment of which he is aided by a great number of helpers, including Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and the yaksas. He is of great importance in the Mahayana countries, particularly China, Tibet, Vietnam, and Japan. [SGB]

Also known as Bhaisajya Buddha; Bhaisajya-guru; Buddha of Healing [SGB]

Perfect quiescence realized by enlightened sages. [SGB]

"Originally, nirvana meant total extinction of desire and suffering. Today it refers to the state of liberation through full enlightenment. In Mahayana [Buddhism], nirvana is classified into four categories: 1. Nirvana with residue, the state of a person who has realized the nature of nirvana, but has not yet eliminated the five aggregates; 2. Nirvana without residue, wherein the aggregates have been eliminated; 3. Svabhava nirvana, the primeval nirvana which is always present, whether we realize it or not; and 4. Nonabiding nirvana, in which one abides in neither samsara nor ultimate quiescence. This is the nirvana of the Buddhas and the highest Bodhisattvas." [TD-BTTS]

All bad habits and faults are outflows. Outflows are the root of birth and death; they let our vital energy leak away. [TD-BTTS]

Some say it is as sweet as pineapple. (Pineapple, [in Mandarin Chinese] po lo kuo, and paramita, po lo mi, contain the same characters, po lo. Mi means "sweet"; thus the pun, "sweet as pineapple.") Not only that, it is the sweetest of sweets. It is separation from suffering and attainment of bliss. Whenever a task is well done the people of India say it is "paramita," just as we would say it is "finished." But paramita means more than just finished. It means the task has been perfectly accomplished. [VS-BTTS]

Paramita means "arrived at the other shore." If you take a bridge or ferry from San Francisco to Oakland, your arrival in Oakland is "paramita." Receiving a certificate of promotion from elementary school is "paramita." Obtaining a high school diploma is "paramita." Acquiring a Bachelors degree is "paramita." A Masters degree, a Doctorate, are also "paramita." At present we are on "this shore" of birth and death. By passing through the sea of suffering we can arrive at the other shore of Nirvana. This is also "paramita." [VS-BTTS]

"Green bamboo... yellow flowers... Everything is prajna." The Sanskrit word prajna is included among the Five Kinds of Terms Not Translated which were established by Dharma Master Hsuan Tsang in the T'ang Dynasty. The list comprises terms not translated because they 1) are secret, 2) have many meanings, 3) refer to something not existing in the translator's country, 4) traditionally have not been translated, and 5) are honored terms. Although prajna could be translated as "wisdom," since it contains many meanings the original Sanskrit is retained. There are three kinds of prajna: 1) literary prajna, 2) contemplative prajna, and 3) real mark prajna. [VS-BTTS]

Transcendental wisdom. [TD-BTTS]

The perfection of wisdom. [TD-BTTS]

The paramita (or perfection) of wisdom. Also refers to an important and voluminous sutra group in which the doctrine of emptiness (sunyata) is taught. [SGB]

The Prajna Paramita Sutra is the longest of all Buddhist sutras; the second longest is the Avatamsaka Sutra. [SGB]

These Buddhas become fully enlightened... by meditating on the principle of causality. Unlike the Perfect Buddhas, however, they do not exert themselves to teach others. [SGB]

In Buddhism, Pratyekabuddhas generally mean those who live in a time when there is no Buddha but who awaken to the Truth through their own efforts. [SGB]

The vehicles of Sravakas and Pratyekabuddhas are known as the Theravada or Southern Vehicle of Buddhism. [SGB]

A Pratyekabuddhas is one of the Two Vehicles.

Pure Land comprises the schools of East Asia which emphasize aspects of Mahayana Buddhism stressing faith in Amida, meditation on his name, and the religious goal of being reborn in his "Pure Land," or "Western Paradise." The goal of those devoted to Amitabha and the Pure Land is to be reborn there, and attain enlightenment (Buddhahood). [SGB]

Pure Land Buddhism chiefly consists in hearing and reciting Amitabha Buddha's name with a faithful mind, but it does not exclude meditation (dhyana) and insight (vipasyana) through which one can visualise the Buddha. Obviously, meditation and insight are mainly practiced by monks, particularly by gifted persons, while hearing and reciting the name with faith are easily practiced by even laymen. [SGB]

The principal and essential goal of Pure Land practice is to achieve rebirth in the Pure Land within one lifetime so as to reach the stage of Non-Retrogression. This is what sets Pure Land apart from other schools and gives it its name. To insure success, however, the cultivator needs to fulfill two crucial conditions: develop the Buddha Mind and practice one-pointedness of mind. Seeking auspicious signs of future rebirth is also recommended. [SGB]

One of the three bodies of the Buddha: the Dharma Body, the Reward Body, and the Response (or Transformation) Body. See Buddha.

One of the three bodies of the Buddha: the Dharma Body, the Reward Body, and the Response (or Transformation) Body. See Buddha.

Frequently translated as "concentration," this word denotes a state in which the mind, free from distraction, is absorbed in intense, "purposeless" concentration, thereby entering a state of inner serenity. With the mind thus completely absorbed in itself, the essential nature of Self can be experienced directly. [SGB]

Meditative absorption. "Usually denotes the particular final stage of pure concentration." There are many levels and types of samadhi (Buddha Recitation...). [SGB]

A shramanera is novice monk. A shramanerika is novice nun. The words come from Sanskrit.

Aka Leng-Yen Ching (Chinese), and the Sutra of the Herioc One. This sutra gives the most detailed explanation of the Buddha's teachings concerning the mind. It includes an analysis of where the mind is located, an explanation of the origin of the cosmos, a discussion of the specific workings of karma, a description of all the realms of existence, and an exposition on the fifty kinds of deviant samadhi-concentraions, which can delude us in our search for awakening. Also, in this sutra twenty-five enlightened sages explain the methods they used to become enlightened.

"Within Buddhism, there are very many important sutras. However, the most important Sutra is the Shurangama Sutra. If there are places which have the Shurangama Sutra, then the Proper Dharma dwells in the world. If there is no Shurangama Sutra then the Dharma Ending Age appears. Therefore, we Buddhist disciples, each and every one, must bring our strength, must bring our blood, and must bring our sweat to protect the Shurangama Sutra." [SS-BTTS]

The full text of the Shurangama Sutra, translated into English from the Chinese, with explanation and commentary, can be obtained by contacting the monastery, or by contacting the Buddhist Text Translation Society

The eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. The six sense faculties. [SS-BTTS]

Those who follow [Theravada] and eventually become arhats as a result of listening to the Buddhas and following their teachings. [SGB]

Literally, "hearer." One who has heard the Buddha's teaching. Generally denotes a follower of the Lesser Vehicle path. Sravaka is also translated as "disciple." [SGB]

In Mahayana Buddhism, [the term sravaka] refers to a person in the Theravada school who exerts himself to attain the stage of arhat by observing 250 precepts in the case of monks and 348 precepts in the case of nuns. This is a lower stage than that of bodhisattva. [SGB]

See also Arhat. A Sravaka is one of the Two Vehicles.

A discourse spoken by Buddhas, bodhisattvas, or other qualified sages. [LS-BTTS]

A title of the Buddha meaning "Thus Come One." [TD-BTTS]

Greed, anger, delusion. Sometimes translated as avarice, anger and ignorance. The fundamental evils inherent in life which give rise to human suffering. The three poisons are regarded as the source of all illusions and earthly desires. The three poisons are so called because they pollute people's lives. [SGB]

The major causes of samsaric suffering: [SGB]

1. Desire (Sanskrit, kama, raga, or trsna): lust or greed. Broadly, to try to "get hold of" something, and to have more and more of it. In its most specific sense, ... [it] refers to sexual craving. Desire can also mean avarice or any kind of attachment. [SGB]

2. Hatred or anger (Sanskrit, dvesa): animosity, aversion, rejection of what displeases one or infringes upon one's ego. [SGB]

3. Ignorance or delusion (Sanskrit, avidya, moha): eradication of ignorance or delusion in Mahayana requires, on the one hand, elimination of wrong views, and on the other, the positive acquisition of all-knowing wisdom. [SGB]

The world of desire, the world of form, and the world of formlessness. The realms inhabited by unenlightened beings... The world of desire is so called because its inhabitants are ruled by various desires, representative of which are the desire for food and sex. It comprises the Four Evils Paths (Hell, Hungry Ghosts, Animality, and Asura) [and the two Paths of humans and celestials]. [SGB]

Beings in the world of form have material form but are free from desires. This world consists of the four meditation (dhyana) heavens, which are further subdivided into eighteen heavens (sixteen or seventeen according to other explanations). [SGB]

The world of formlessness is free both from desire and from the restrictions of matter. It has four non-substantial realms. [SGB]

Also referred to as the Triple Realm, Triple World, and Threefold World. [SGB]

A universe of a billion worlds. [TD-BTTS]

The Two Vehicles are those of the Sravakas and Pratyekabuddhas. Together they constitute what is called the Theravada Vehical or Southern Vehicle. The Bodhisattva vehicle which leads to Buddhahood is called the Mahayana vehicle (Third Vehicle). [SGB]

Udana is the Sanskrit for dan-tian, of which see. [DE]

A Buddhist festival... of the hungry ghosts, celebrated on the fifteenth day of the seventh month (lunar calendar). On this day ceremonies are held in which the sutras are recited in order to soothe the torments of the deceased in the lower realms of existence. The origin of this ceremony is to be found in the story of Maudgalyayana, who thanks to his "divine eye" saw that his mother had been reborn as a hungry ghost, and he wanted to save her. The Buddha told him that only the combined effort of all Buddhist monks could [help her escape her fate]. From this tradition developed the custom of offering food, clothing, and so on to the [clergy on Ullambana, the date of which coincides with the end of the yearly Rains Retreat]. The combination of the Buddhist world view and the Chinese custom of ancestor veneration explains the tremendous popularity of this festival in East Asia, in which not only Buddhists but also Taoists and Confucians participate. [SGB]

Upasaka is Sanskrit for layman. Upasika for laywoman. [SGB]

A Sanskrit word which means "durable," "luminous," and "able to cut." It is indestructible and is usually represented by diamond. [TD-BTTS]

Vajra is identical with the self-nature, the essential life force of all living beings, because both are indestructible and adamantine. Furthermore, the eternally dwelling heart all beings have in common is the same as the vajra nature, since it too cannot be destroyed. Prajna, as the highest form of wisdom living beings can attain, is real mark prajna, eternally indestructible. It is therefore referred to as vajra prajna. [VS-BTTS]

The Diamond Sutra.

The Vajracchedika Prajna Paramita Sutra, "the Perfection of Wisdom which cuts like a Diamond." One of the two most famous Scriptures in the vast Perfection of Wisdom (Prajan-paramita) group of Mahayana Canon. The Heart Sutra is a small epitome of this "Wisdom which has gone beyond." [SGB]

This sutra sets forth the doctrines of sunyata and prajna. It is a very popular scripture, and many commentaries have been written on it. It is highly esteemed as a basic sutra in the Zen Sect. There are six Chinese translations: the most popular being Kumarajiva of the Later Chin (Shin) Dynasty." [SGB]

A Chinese word for a category of ghost that, like celestial demons, externalists, and the li and mei ghosts, reveals its true appearance when it sees the Shurangama Sutra. It has no way to hide and no place to flee to. It will be among those who for whom the Shurangama Sutra -- a demon spotting mirror -- is like a nail in its eyes and a thorn in its flesh. [SS-BTTS]

The spiritual path of cultivation; the ultimate truth, which is realized through following that path. [TD-BTTS]

In classical Chinese philosophy, the term for the inherent pattern of reality, which furnishes the proper moral orientation for self and society; used in Buddhist parlance as a synonym for the path of enlightenment. [SGB]

A classical Chinese concept best known through its use in Taoism, but also appropriated by the Buddhists to translate the Sanskirt term marga (path). Sometimes used to refer both to the universal principle of One Mind, or Buddha nature, and to the particular path of practice that brings one more and more into harmony with the One Mind. [SGB]

A [Buddhist] monastery; a place where enlightenment is sought and attained. [TD-BTTS]

The word "Zen" comes from the Sanskrit word "dhyana" (meditation). The word "dhyana" was transcribed as "Ch'an" in Chinese, and the latter was transcribed as "Zen" in Japanese. [SGB]

In the west, the word "Ch'an" is far better known by its Japanese name "Zen". See Dhyana. [SGB]

A school of Mahayana Buddhism in China founded by Bodhidharma (6th century). This school stresses the cultivation of intuitive wisdom. An extremely influential Buddhist school in East Asia. [SGB]

A school which maintains that enlightenment is not to be found in the pursuit of doctrinal studies but only through the direct perception of one's own mind with the practice of meditation. [SGB]

AI:DN22. Thanissaro Bhikkhu, trans., "Maha-satipatthana Sutta: The Great Frames of Reference," Digha Nikaya 22, 22 September 2002 (01 December 2002). http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/digha/dn22.html

BNS-BTTS. The Buddha Speaks the Brahma Net Sutra, With Commentary by the Venerable Master Hui Seng. Buddhist Text Translation Society, 1981.

DE. Bhikshu Dharmamitra, trans., The Dharma Essentials for Cultivating Calming and Cultivation and Sitting in Dhyana, Tien-tai Master Zhi-yi, 2004

LFS-BTTS. The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra, A Simple Explanation by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua. Buddhist Text Translation Society, 1998.

PLPM. J.C. Cleary, trans., Pure Land, Pure Mind: The Buddhism of Masters Chu-hung and Tsung-pen The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation, 1994.

SGB. The Seeker's Glossary of Buddhism, Sutra Translation Committee of the United States and Canada, 2nd Edition, 1998.

SDBZ. Shambala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen, Shambala, 1991.

SS-BTTS. The Shurangama Sutra, A Simple Explanation by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, Buddhist Text Translation Society, 1996.

TD-BTTS. Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, Talks on Dharma, Buddhist Text Translation Society, 1995.

VS-BTTS. Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, A General Explanation of the Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra, Buddhist Text Translation Society, 1974.