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Helpful Words To Know

ShoshinShoshin No one in particularNowhere Special Veteran
edited December 2018 in Buddhism Basics

For those new to Buddhism some useful words to help with your study/understanding...

A few of the common words/terms used on this forum (which are either in Pali & Sanskrit )
Anatta Non-self
Anāpānasati Mindfulness of breathing
Dukkha Unsatisfactoriness
The Dharma Basically the true nature of things AKA cosmic law and order
Karma S#!t happens for a reason (my personal take :) )
Kuruna Compassion
Metta Loving Kindness
Nirvana Nice place to be (my personal take :) )
Samatha Calm Abiding
Samsara Not a nice place to be (my personal take :) )
Sati Mindfulness
Taṇhā Craving
Upadana Attachment/Clinging

For more words check out this link...

"Glossary of Buddhism"

Happy Sailing ...It can be a bit rough out there at times...so one has to be somewhat tack/tactful :)

Other members... Please feel free to add other words that you have seen used on the forum...(but no swear words... ;) )

BuddhalotusZazen1VastmindlobsteryagrBunks

Comments

  • BuddhalotusBuddhalotus Here and now Explorer

    Nice to meet you, @Shoshin and very useful thread.

    Let me add beautiful Sukha, that state of lasting bliss and equanimity, which comes about as we deepen our Dharma practice.

    ShoshinlobsterZazen1
  • ShoshinShoshin No one in particular Nowhere Special Veteran

    Nice to meet you @Buddhalotus ...Welcome....with Metta :)

    Buddhalotus
  • BuddhalotusBuddhalotus Here and now Explorer

    Thank you and much metta, @Shoshin
    =)

    Shoshin
  • BuddhalotusBuddhalotus Here and now Explorer
    edited December 2018

    Papañca or mental proliferation.
    The stream of consciousness, narrative, monkey mind endless effusion, that we superimpose on bare awareness.

    "The propensity of the worldling's imagination to erupt in an effusion of mental commentary that obscures the bare data of cognition"
    -Bikkhu Bodhi

    The fact that we see less of things as they are, and more as we construe them to be, as Andrew Olendzki, neatly put it.

    (Aside note: I would like to add more words to the list, but dear husband is using my thick dictionary of Buddhist terminology to prop up the computer screen on his desk, lol of sorts...?)

    ShoshinlobsterZazen1seeker242
  • @federica said:
    ...And let us not forget the variant spelling (if not pronunciation) of terms in Pali and Sanskrit...
    Moderator (P) Terminator (S)

    :D

    I have an strong aversion (working on it) to wasting coffee. Even more so when it is wasted out my nose.

    ShoshinZazen1Fosdickfederica
  • lobsterlobster Veteran
    edited December 2018

    Bodhi - Enlightenment. As in, 'The Bodhi of Buddha', 'Ramen'.
    Daka and Dakini - Buddhist superheroes, like 'The Avengers' but less collateral damage
    Hinayana - A form of inferior Buddhism for those with a superiority complex

    Here to help o:)

    ShoshinZazen1Buddhalotus
  • BuddhalotusBuddhalotus Here and now Explorer

    @lobster said:
    Hinayana - A form of inferior Buddhism for those with a superiority complex

    Theravada followers consider the word "Hinayana" to have a derogative meaning and the use is forbidden in most Buddhist forums.

    But Chögyam Trungpa uses it often in his books, with no offence intended, just to make a distinction between the more traditional, basic teachings of Buddhism and the later schools:

    "The hinayana is called the smaller vehicle, not because it is simpleminded or lacking in vision, but because it is a pragmatic, deep-rooted approach"

    lobsterZazen1
  • JeroenJeroen Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter Netherlands Veteran

    I would add

    Sila or virtue... it’s a key concept in Buddhism, with 5 precepts and 8 fold path.

    Zazen1lobster
  • JasonJason God Emperor Arrakis Moderator

    @Jason said:
    Dhamma can also mean duty, as in we have certain duties with respect to others. If our sense of duty is informed by things like non-greed, non-aversion, and non-delusion, then our actions will produce happiness, or at the very least, no harm. Right now, I'm striving for that, as sometimes my thoughts, words, and deeds are informed by greed, angry, and ignorance and cause others harm in some shape or form, even if just through a bad attitude or sharp word.

    Some more reflections of dhamma, from my blog:

    What is the Dhamma? In Buddhism, Dhamma is twofold. It refers to (1) the teachings/symbols pointing towards (2) a profound truth. That truth is an experience/way of perceiving reality that leads to a new mode of being; and that new mode of being is an existential transformation lifting us above the fear and suffering we experience through our ignorance and craving, the reality of things as they are when seen with a calm, clear, and ultimately selfless mind—a mode of being where, in the words of Jean-Pierre de Caussade, we're able to "embrace the present moment as an ever-flowing source of holiness."

    Although I began my journey into Buddhism with meditation, I think my journey truly began when I read Food for the Heart: The Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah, which inspired me to read the suttas starting with the Majjhima Nikaya and got me seeing things from a whole different perspective. I was inspired to practice, to change myself for the better.

    But somewhere along the way, I fell into a sort of intellectual rabbit hole, and began to accumulate views rather than weed them down. I felt it important to be authentic and orthodox, which caused me to have a very closed-minded and narrow point of view, clinging to the finger rather than seeing where it was pointing. The Dhamma became just another possession; and it's only been through a combination of practice and interfaith dialogues and study that I've finally found myself slowing climbing out of that hole.

    I realized things were different when I started to see through the appearances of the words and symbols and began catching glimpses of what they're pointing towards; and I eventually came to the conclusion that there's a universal truth which underlies the foundation of most spiritual traditions in some shape or form. For me, Buddhism opened my eyes to this truth, and contemplative Christianity, I think, is helping me to realize it.

    From that perspective, then, I'd say that the first aspect of Dhamma is the study of the symbols pointing towards 'knowledge and vision of things as they are.' The next is the application of the various methods of achieving this gnosis until, eventually, everything becomes reflective of Dhamma, which isn't the same thing as saying everything is Dhamma. You just get better and better at recognizing it hiding in plain sight, at seeing through all the illusory distinctions and perceiving the fullness of the emptiness betond.

    But paradoxically, that emptiness isn't empty, it's full. And it's the fullness of that truth we're all seeking, whether it's the luminous mind defiled by incoming defilements due to ignorance, the light of the sun that's obscured within the cave of ignorance, or the presence of God dwelling within the temple of our bodies. The teachings of the wise (like Jesus, the Buddha, Caussade, Ajahn Chah, etc.) point the way; and all we have to do is pierce the veil of ignorance and discover it for ourselves.

    Jeroen
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    @Jason, as ever, you bring a substance to the thread that is of immeasurable value to us, something which supports. teaches and informs us of the Right Way to focus our practice.

    For my part, I thank you.
    What a precious Christmas Gift you have imparted.

    lobsteradamcrossley
  • bodhichitta - cheating the buddha body with the mined
    vajra - powerful yoni banana
    Arhat - ah-ha hat, temporarily worn out

    o:)

    Zazen1
  • Zazen1Zazen1 London Explorer

    Bodhichitta = ?

    lobsterShoshinBuddhalotus
  • ShoshinShoshin No one in particular Nowhere Special Veteran
    edited December 2018

    Karma (Car Ma )

    Zazen1
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    Dhammapanda

    ShoshinBuddhalotusZazen1
  • BuddhalotusBuddhalotus Here and now Explorer

    @lobster said:
    Hinayana - A form of inferior Buddhism for those with a superiority complex

    Today I resumed with the analysis of the Diamond Sutta, which I left off a couple of years ago for lack of time.
    I am using Dwight Goddard's "A Buddhist Bible" and Thich Nhat Hanh's analysis.
    Dwight Goddard's translation dates back to 1935, Bhikshu Wai-Tao helped, and the original they used was Kumarajiva's translation from the Sanskrit (384-417 CE).

    What stood out in section 15 of this translation -which Thay omitted completely- was this passage, where the merits of understanding and observing the Sutta are highlighted:

    "And why, Subhuti, is this promise limited to the Mahayana disciples?
    It is because the Hinayana disciples have not yet been able to free themselves from such arbitrary conceptions of phenomena as one's own selfhood, other personalities, living beings and a universal self and, therefore, are not yet able to faithfully and earnestly observe and study and explain this Scripture to others"

    No comment...

  • lobsterlobster Veteran
    edited December 2018

    No comment...

    Well said.
    Long the Hinayana (smaller and tighter wheel). Down with the heretics. Bring on the Maitreya o:)

    Heretic - Non Buddhist
    Maitreya - All Change
    Hinayana - Non Lamaism

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