(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 sudden jolt of an unexpected slap, or the teacher’s direct questioning on the meaning of a gongan (koan). In the late 12th century the monk Eisai brought the tradition to Japan, where it soon became a major school known as Rinzai Zen.

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 (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 America and Europe in 1970. Over the next 17 years, he founded over 100 Vajradhatu meditation centers, established the Naropa Institute (the first Buddhist University in the United States), and initiated Shambhala Training (a meditation program designed specifically for non-Buddhists).

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 of Linji Chan (Rinzai Zen) gained highest stature as the most direct path to enlightenment.

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.

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 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 counterparts, and often critique the relentlessly ambitious culture of the “American dream” that new immigrants seek to emulate.

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. Since the 15th century, the Gelug order has followed a system in which, upon the death of each Dalai Lama, his successor has been located while still a young child by a special council of monks. The council recognizes the child to be the new incarnation of Chenrezig, the bodhisattva of compassion. Tenzin Gyatso was revealed to be the 14th Dalai Lama in 1935, at age 2. In 1959 he fled Chinese-occupied Tibet for India. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his tireless work spreading a message of compassion and non-violence.

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, energy, concentration, and wisdom.

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 to fulfill one’s true role in the world. In Daoism, dao points to the ineffable creative process which gives birth to heaven, earth, and the myriad creatures. The Dao is invisible, inaudible, and subtle, though it is not separate from the sights, sounds and objects of this world. It is that which leads from nonexistence to the full flower of existence, and back again, a process which in later Daoist thought expressed in terms of yin and yang.

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 conscience. For the Buddhist tradition, the Dharma (or Dhamma in Pali) refers especially to the teachings of the Buddha. This body of teachings constitutes one element of the “Three Jewels” in which Buddhists take refuge: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha (the community). For Hindus, dharma means righteous conduct, religious obligation, or religious duty—either the eternal obligations (sanatana dharma) incumbent upon all humankind, or the obligations specific to one’s caste and stage of life (varnashrama dharma).

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 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.

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 student receiving transmission from his or her teacher becomes the Dharma heir of that master.

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 infinite ground or nature of all things.

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 founded the Bodh-Gaya Maha Bodhi Society in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and edited the society’s journal. It was after reading the Maha Bodhi Journal that Reverend J.H. Barrows invited Dharmapala to represent the Buddhists of South Asia at the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago. Shortly after attending the Parliament, Dharmapala conducted the first Three Refuges ceremony and the first Vesak celebration to be held in America.

(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 its real nature. Chan and Zen also designate the particular school of Buddhism which emphasizes this form of practice. The two principle sub-traditions within Chan/Zen are Rinzai (which emphasizes koan study) and Soto (for which “just sitting” is the main form of practice).

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’s own mind.

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 “dropping off both body and mind.” Dogen suddenly realized that the very act of sitting in meditation, so that such conceptions as “body” and “mind” do not arise, is itself enlightenment. After Dogen returned to Japan, the Soto school which he founded developed into one of the preeminent Zen traditions.

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 question about their practice or some other concern. These exchanges are intended to snap the students into a realization of their True Nature by helping them to react in a natural and spontaneous manner.

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 continue one's cultivation with no distractions.

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 often served as the translator for Yasutani-roshi, accompanying the senior monk on his travels in the United States and around the world.

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: right understanding, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

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 main temple in the United States is Hsi Lai Temple, located in Hacienda Heights near Los Angeles. Foguang organizations can also be found in Nevada, Texas, Kansas, Florida, New York, and Connecticut.

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 suffering is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path.

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 disciples. The Buddha entered into parinirvana (bodily death and final liberation) in 483 BCE at the age of 81.

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 emphasis on the need to thoroughly train in the doctrines of the sutras before progressing to the practices of the tantras. The Gelug eventually developed into the largest school in Tibet and came to exert a great deal of power once the succession of Dalai Lamas were enthroned as spiritual and political rulers in the 17th century.

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 the White Plum lineage. Glassman-roshi’s center, the Zen Community of New York, has launched an extensive and progressive array of for-profit and non-profit programs addressed directly to the urban crisis. Greystone Bakery, Greystone Family Inn for homeless families, and Issan House (a residence for people with AIDS).

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 as the American members of SGI: Soka Gakkai International) the gohonzon is enshrined behind an altar in an individual’s home so that they may chant on a daily basis.

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 Gaya, India. In 1976, Goldstein teamed up with Jack Kornfield to become resident teachers at the newly-founded Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, where Goldstein continues to teach.