Buddhist Terminology For Beliefs And Practices

Question 1

Ascetic

Answer 1

A person who gives up the pleasures of normal life.

Question 2

Arhat

Answer 2

A person who has achieved enlightenment following the Buddha’s teaching.

Question 3

Buddha

Answer 3

The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, after his enlightenment. It is a title which means the enlightened or awakened one.

Question 4

Diety

Answer 4

Refers to one god or goddess. In Buddhism, a deity refers to an enlightened Buddha, bodhisattva or deva (divine being).

Question 5

Dhamma (Dharma)

Answer 5

Dhamma is Buddhist doctrine about the nature of existence and includes the teachings of the Buddha.

Question 6

Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta

Answer 6

The Setting in Motion of the Wheel of the Dhamma (Dharma) Sutta. It is a Buddhist text that records the first teaching given by the Buddha after he attained enlightenment.

Question 7

Doctrine

Answer 7

A set of beliefs or teachings held by a religion or within a particular subject.

Question 8

Dukkha

Answer 8

Suffering; illness; dissatisfaction; imperfection. An unavoidable fact of existence according to the first Noble Truth.

Question 9

Enlightenment

Answer 9

The realisation of the truth about life. In Buddhism it releases a person from the cycle of rebirth.

Question 10

Five Khandas (or skandhas)

Answer 10

The five components or aggregates that make an individual self - body, perception, conception, volition, and consciousness.

Question 11

Four Noble Truths

Answer 11

The truths discovered by the Buddha during his enlightenment.

Question 12

Jataka Tales (Jataka stories)

Answer 12

A large collection of writings about the Buddha’s previous lives. It is part of the Pali Canon.

Question 13

Intrinsic

Answer 13

A natural part which belongs within someone or something.

Question 14

Karma (kamma)

Answer 14

Actions, and the consequences of actions. An important concept in Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism.

Question 15

Mahayana sutras

Answer 15

Sacred Buddhist scriptures.

Question 16

Meditation

Answer 16

Thinking quietly as a spiritual or religious exercise. Connection of the mind and soul with the Divine using breathing and other techniques. In Buddhism, using one of a set of techniques or exercises for calming the mind, developing positive emotions and understanding the way things are.

Question 17

Metta

Answer 17

The Buddhist term for loving kindness. A pure love which is neither grasping nor possessive.

Question 18

Middle Way

Answer 18

The Eightfold Path in Buddhism which represents the state between living a life of self-indulgence and one of denial. It is the ideal way to live.

Question 19

Morality

Answer 19

Concerned with right and wrong.

Question 20

Nibbana (also spelled nirvana)

Answer 20

The state when Buddhists have achieved understanding and have broken free from the cycle of samsara. Can be called Nirvana.

Question 21

Nirodha

Answer 21

The Third Noble Truth: that there is a release from suffering (Nibbana or enlightenment).

Question 22

Noble Eightfold Path (Magga - Fourth Noble Truth)

Answer 22

The teachings of the Buddha that can lead to the end of suffering: 1 - Right Views; 2 - Right Thinking; 3 - Right Speech; 4 - Right Action; 5 - Right Livelihood; 6 - Right Effort; 7 - Right Mindfulness; 8 - Right Meditation.

Question 23

Pali canon

Answer 23

The collection of scriptures preserved in the Theravada Buddhist tradition.

Question 24

Paticcasamupada (Pratityasamutpada)

Answer 24

The concept of dependent arising. The belief that everything in existence is because other things are. The idea that everything is interconnected and that everyone affects everyone else.

Question 25

Principle of conditionality

Answer 25

All things are inter-related, nothing is independent. Also known as Paticcasamupada, dependent origination or dependent arising.

Question 26

Samsara

Answer 26

In Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism, this is the cycle of life, death and rebirth.

Question 27

Samudaya

Answer 27

The Second Noble Truth: that there are causes of suffering (Tanha or craving).

Question 28

Sangha

Answer 28

The Buddhist community of practitioners, usually used to mean the community of monks.

Question 29

Sentient

Answer 29

A term used to refer to creatures that are conscious and able to experience pleasure and pain.

Question 30

Siddhartha Gautama

Answer 30

The Buddha, the founder of Buddhism.

Question 31

Three Marks of Existence

Answer 31

In Buddhism these are impermanence (anicca), dissatisfaction or suffering (dukkha), and non-self (anatta). They are characteristics shared by all humans.

Question 32

Three Poisons

Answer 32

The main causes of suffering: greed, hatred and ignorance.

Question 33

Three Refuges or Jewels

Answer 33

The three most important features of the Buddhist life, recited as an expression of belief and commitment: I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Sangha, I take refuge in the dhamma (teaching).