| Amitabha Buddha | The Buddha of the Western Paradise, a bliss-body Buddha in Mahayana.  Listen (48.0K)
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| anatta | "No self"; the doctrine that there is no soul or permanent essence in people and things. Listen (35.0K)
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| anichcha | This term means impermanence, constant change. Listen (42.0K)
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| arhat | In Theravada, a person who has practiced monastic disciplines and reached nirvana, the ideal. Listen (43.0K)
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| bodhi | Enlightenment. Listen (33.0K)
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| bodhisattva | "Enlightenment being"; in Mahayana, a person of deep compassion, especially one who does not enter nirvana, but is constantly reborn to help others; a heavenly being of compassion. Listen (27.0K)
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| Dharma | The totality of Buddhist teaching. Listen (40.0K)
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| dhyana | "Meditation"; focusing of the mind; sometimes, stages of trance. Listen (42.0K)
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| dukkha | This term means sorrow, misery, suffering. Listen (41.0K)
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| Guanyin | A popular bodhisattva of compassion in Mahayana. Listen (43.0K)
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| karuna | Compassion, empathy. Listen (44.0K)
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| koan | In Zen Buddhism, a question that cannot be answered logically; a technique used to test consciousness and bring awakening. Listen (17.0K)
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| lama | A Tibetan Buddhist teacher; a title of honor often given to all Tibetan monks. Listen (38.0K)
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| Maitreya | A Buddha (or bodhisattva) expected to appear on earth in the future. Listen (42.0K)
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| mandala | A circular design containing deities, geometrical forms, symbols and so on that represent totality, the self, or the universe. Listen (41.0K)
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| mudra | A symbolic hand gesture. Listen (39.0K)
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| nirvana | The release from suffering and rebirth that brings inner peace. Listen (46.0K)
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| samadhi | A state of deep awareness, the result of intensive meditation. Listen (41.0K)
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| samasara | Constant rebirth and the attendant suffering; the everyday world of change. Listen (47.0K)
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| Sangha | The community of monks and nuns; lowercased, this term refers to an individual monastic community. Listen (21.0K)
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| satori | In Zen, the enlightened awareness. Listen (41.0K)
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| shunyata | The Mahayana notion of emptiness, meaning that the universe is empty of permanent reality. Listen (41.0K)
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| stupa | A shrine, usually in the shape of a dome, used to mark Buddhist relics of sacred sites. Listen (49.0K)
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| sutra | A sacred text, especially one said to record the words of the Buddha. Listen (42.0K)
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| tathata | "Thatness," or "thusness," "suchness"; the uniqueness of each changing moment of reality. Listen (41.0K)
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| trikaya | The three "bodies" of the Buddha—the Dharmakaya (cosmic Buddha nature), the Nirmanakaya (historical Buddhas), and the Sambhogakaya (celestial Buddhas). Listen (23.0K)
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| Tripitaka | The three "baskets," or collections, of Buddhist texts. Listen (45.0K)
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| vajra | The "diamond" scepter used in Tibetan and other types of Buddhist ritual, symbolizing compassion. Listen (39.0K)
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