Buddhism Glossary Terms
Chan, Linji
(also: Lin-chi Ch'an; Rinzai Zen; Rinzai) The Linji school of Zen Buddhism first developed in 9th century China, when the monk Yixuan devised a meditational technique in which the only guidance was to come from the subtle hint of a raised eyebrow, the...
Chenrezig sadhana
Chenrezig is Tibetan for Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion. Chenrezig sadhana is a form of Buddhist meditation practice ( sadhana) aimed at developing compassion and wisdom.
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche (1940-87) was a recognized lineage holder in both the Kagyu and Nyingma Buddhist traditions of Tibet. During the Tibetan sovereignty debate in 1959, Trungpa fled to northern India. He began presenting Buddhist teachings in North...
Chogye order
The major order in Korean Buddhism, the Chogye order was formed in the late 12th century by the unification of the Nine Mountains Schools of Chan (Zen). Although all Buddhist teachings were given their place in the new system, the gongan ( koan) practice...
Chua
Chua is the Vietnamese term for temple. The Buddhist temples of Southeast Asia are distinctive in that the monastery and temple complex form a single institution.
convent
A convent is a religious association and residential home of a religious order, particularly an order of women or nuns; the term is commonly used in both the Christian and Buddhist traditions.
convert Buddhism
Convert Buddhism tends to refer to groups of Euro-American Buddhists that have converted to Buddhism rather than being born into the tradition. Generally speaking these Buddhists are focused more on personal and social transformation than their immigrant...
Dalai Lama
Dalai is Mongolian for “ocean” and lama is the Tibetan word for “superior,” especially referring to those of superior spiritual attainment. Together the two terms constitute the title conferred upon the head monk of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism...
dana
Dana is a religious gift as well as the quality of liberality or generosity. In the Buddhist tradition, generosity is one of the six paramitas (“perfections”) that one cultivates on the bodhisattva path. The other perfections are: discipline, forbearance...
Dao
The term dao (or tao) literally the “path,” or “way,” has been employed in Chinese religious and philosophical traditions, including Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity. In general usage, the Tao refers to the proper way to act so as...
Dharma
Dharma means religion, religious duty, religious teaching. The word dharma comes from a Sanskrit root meaning “to uphold, support, bear,” thus dharma is that order of things which informs the whole world, from the laws of nature to the inner workings of...
Dharma school
Patterned after the Sunday schools of Christian churches, Dharma schools in some Buddhist organizations provide weekly instruction to youth in the basics of Buddhist teachings and practice.
Dharma talk
Dharma talks are daily or weekly lectures on the Buddha’s teachings ( Dharma) held at Buddhist temples or meditation centers. These lectures on Buddhist epistemology, values, or practice have become a staple of the life of Euro-American Buddhist centers.
Dharma transmission
The formal handing over of the lineage succession from teacher to student is called Dharma transmission. This transmission ensures the continuity of the Dharma as it has developed in the teaching and practice of a particular school of Buddhism. The...
Dharmadhatu
Dharmadhatu is the name of a group of Tibetan Buddhist meditation centers in North America affiliated with the Vajradhatu association founded by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1973. The term “Dharmadhatu” refers to the underlying spiritual reality, the...
Dharmapala, Anagarika
Anagarika Dharmapala (1864-1933) is best known for the important role he played in restoring Bodh Gaya, the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment, which had badly deteriorated after centuries of neglect. In order to raise funds for this project, Dharmapala...
dhyana
(also: Ch'an; Son; Zen) Dhyana is the Sanskrit term for meditation practice, which became known in China as Chan and in Japan as Zen. It consists of disciplines of sitting, breathing, and mental concentration which enable the mind to develop insight into...
Diamond Sutra
The Diamond Sutra, originally one section of the Prajnaparamita Sutra, attained great importance in East Asia as an independent scripture. Its central message is that phenomenal appearances do not reveal ultimate reality but constitute projections of one...
Dogen
The Japanese monk Dogen (1200-1253) spent two years in China studying Tendai (Tiantai) Buddhism. Disappointed by the intellectualism of the school, he was about to return to Japan when the monk Rujing explained that the practice of Chan simply meant...
dokusan
Dokusan is the name for the private interview with a Zen master. In the interview, students who are working on a koan are asked to demonstrate their understanding of it. Students who are counting breaths or practicing shikantaza (“just sitting”) can ask a...
Eastern Pure Land of Azure Radiance
The Eastern Pure Land of Azure Radiance, presided over by Bhaisajya-guru (the Medicine Buddha), is described as pure, radiant, and without any suffering. Simply by reciting the name of the Buddha with full faith, one can be reborn in a Pure Land and thus...
Eido Tai Shimano-roshi
At the urging of his teacher, Soen-roshi, Eido-roshi left Japan in 1960 to be a resident monk at the Koko-an Zendo in Hawaii. Four years later, he arrived in New York City, where he became Zen Master of the Zen Studies Society. Throughout the 1960s he...
Eightfold Noble Path
The Eightfold Noble Path is the Buddhist path of practice which includes the cultivation of ethical conduct, right understanding, and meditation that allows one to be free of the suffering inherent in ego-centered life. The eight aspects of the path are...
Foguang Buddhism
Foguang (“Buddha’s Light”) Buddhism is a humanistic Buddhist movement with its headquarters in Taiwan and over 100 branch temples on five continents. Founded by Master Hsing Yun in the 1960s, the movement is devoted to creating a Pure Land on earth. Its...
Four Noble Truths
The Buddha outlined the Four Noble Truths during his first sermon after achieving enlightenment. They are: 1 - Life is suffering. 2 - Suffering is caused by desire and attachment. 3 - There is an end to suffering. 4 - The way to achieve the end of...
Gautama, Siddhartha
Siddhartha Gautama, a prince of India in the 6th century BCE, came to be called the Buddha, the “awakened one,” after his enlightenment at the age of thirty-six. He spent the remainder of his life giving spiritual guidance to an ever-growing body of...
Gelug School
The Gelug or Gelugpa School is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism: Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, and Gelug. Dating from the fourteenth century, the Gelug was the last of the four to develop. Compared to the other schools, the Gelug order lays greater...
Glassman-roshi, Bernard Tetsugen
Ordained a Soto Zen priest in 1970, Bernard Glassman eventually became the first American-born Dharma heir of Maezumi-roshi’s Soto Zen lineage. In 1995 he was given the title of roshi and, upon the death of Maezumi-roshi, Glassman assumed leadership in...
gohonzon
The gohonzon is the mandala (sacred circle of power) designed by Nichiren Daishonin (1222-1282). It is composed of the Japanese characters that make up the title of the Lotus Sutra. Namu Myoho Rengekyo. For those of the Nichiren Buddhist tradition (such...
Goldstein, Joseph
Joseph Goldstein is one of America’s foremost teachers of vipassana or insight-meditation. After graduating from Columbia University, Goldstein went to Thailand with the Peace Corps in 1962, staying on after his two year stint to study vipassana in Bodh...