Terms, names, etc..

george

Hello,
Really quite new to Buddhist meditation. Was inspired to do so during a relationship. The person had been meditating for almost 20 years. I didn't even know what a sanga was let alone any of the deeper terms from the loads and loads of literature out there and the few teachings that I have been to.

I suppose there is a value in keeping the terms from their source. But it befuddled me why, for instance a sanga was not just called a "meeting"

Anyway, I soon came to realize that there is also apparently a deep value placed on the dieties and the rituals.......all of which have names, specific,
energies, and different ways of relating to. It is rich with history. And given the uniqness of the concepts it would follow that there would be a whole host of words that would reference each.

This is a question and not a complaint. So....where does one go to find these terms? Just Google a phonetic spelling, read wikipedia and try to remember them all? Is that what most have done here in the beginning?
Thanks in advance.

P.S. LOL...just notice that I have even spelt "sanga" wrong.

Stephen

Errrrr.... well what Buddhist tradition are you speaking of specifically? They aren't all the same so it'd be difficult to answer your question. I can't offhand think of any Buddhist traditions that place deep value on deities. There are some that consider certain historical figures also as Buddhas (in addition to Siddhattha Gotama, "The Buddha") and also show reverence to historical Bodhisattvas (Buddhas-in-training, so to speak), generally with importance being placed on specific ones depending on which school/tradition it is...

FoibleFull

Gaden Samten Ling Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Society has a website which includes an extensive glossary (under "Dharma Practice" at gadensamtenling.org). This is a Tibetan Buddhism site, but many of the terms are common to all schools ... such as sangha, for instance.

george

My ignorance is apparent. I am content with that for the time being. Thought I would ,(and did) find some directions here..........thanks for taking the time to respond.

jinzang

I can't offhand think of any Buddhist traditions that place deep value on deities.

Tibetan Buddhists call the buddhas visualized during sadhana practice deities (lha).