| Amitabha Buddha
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The Buddha of the Western Paradise, a bliss-body Buddha in Mahayana.
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| anatta
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"No self"; the doctrine that there is no soul of permanent essence in people and things.
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| anichcha
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This term means impermanence, constant change.
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| arhat
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In Theravada, a person who has practiced monastic disciplines and reached nirvana, the ideal.
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| Bodhi
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This term means enlightenment.
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| bodhisattva
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"Enlightenment being"; in Mahayana, a person of deep compassion, especially on who does not enter nirvana, but is constantly reborn to help others; a heavenly being of compassion.
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| Dharma
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The totality of Buddhist teaching.
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| dhyana
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"Meditation"; focusing of the mind; sometimes, stages of trance.
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| dukkha
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This term means sorrow, misery, suffering.
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| Guanyin
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A popular bodhisattva of compassion in Mahayana.
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| karuna
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Compassion, empathy.
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| koan
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In Zen Buddhism, a question that cannot be answered logically; a technique used to test consciousness and bring awakening.
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| lama
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A Tibetan Buddhist teacher, often a monk.
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| Maitreya
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A Buddha (or bodhisattva) expected to appear on earth in the future.
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| mandala
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A circular design containing deities, geometrical forms, symbols and so on that represent totality, the self, or the universe.
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| mudra
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A symbolic hand gesture.
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| nirvana
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The release from suffering and rebirth that brings inner peace.
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| samadhi
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A state of deep awareness, the result of intensive meditation.
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| samasara
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Constant rebirth and the attendant suffering; the everyday world of change.
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| Sangha
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The community of monks and nuns; lowercased, this term refers to and individual monastic community.
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| satori
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In Zen, the enlightened awarness.
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| shunyata
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The Mahayana notion of emptiness, meaning that the universe is empty of permanent reality.
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| stupa
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A shrine, usually in the shape of a dome, used to mark Buddhist relics of sacred sites.
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| sutra
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A sacred text, especially one said to record the words of the Buddha.
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| tathata
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"Thatness," or "thusness," "suchness"; the uniqueness of each changing moment of reality.
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| trikaya
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The three "bodies" of the Buddha-the cosmic Buddha nature, the celestial Buddhas, and the historical Buddhas.
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| Tripitaka
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The three "baskets,"or collections, of Buddhist texts.
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| vajra
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The "diamond" scepter used in Tibetan and other types of Buddhist ritual, symbolizing compassion.
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2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education