Glossary of Buddhist terms
Words from the blog's articles, explained simply: dukkha, anatta, jhana and more.
A
- Ajahn Tong Sirimangalo
- A Thai meditation master (1923–2019), abbot of Wat Phra That Si Chom Thong
- In articles: Meditation Retreat in Thailand: Seven Days of Silence
- Arahants
- People who have reached complete liberation
- In articles: Metta: Loving-Kindness Meditation and Small Daily Steps
B
- brahmavihara
- One of the four «immeasurable» states of the heart: kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity
- In articles: Mudita: Sympathetic Joy You Can Give
D
- Dhammapada
- A collection of the Buddha's sayings in verse, one of the best-known texts of the Canon
- In articles: Metta: Loving-Kindness Meditation and Small Daily Steps
- doomscrolling
- The habit of scrolling through bad news for hours
- In articles: What Is Compassion: Not Suffering Along, but Helping
J
- jhanas
- Jhana: a state of deep collectedness and calm in meditation
- In articles: What Is Vipassana: In Plain Words and in the Suttas
K
- karuna
- Pali for compassion, the second of the four brahmaviharas, the «immeasurable» states of the heart
- In articles: What Is Compassion: Not Suffering Along, but Helping
M
- Mahasi Sayadaw
- A Burmese meditation master (1904–1982) who taught the method of mental noting
- In articles: What Is Vipassana: In Plain Words and in the Suttas
- mirror neurons
- Nerve cells that fire both when we act and when we watch someone else act
- In articles: What Is Compassion: Not Suffering Along, but Helping
N
- Nibbana
- Nirvana: the quenching of craving and suffering, the goal of the path
- In articles: What Is Vipassana: In Plain Words and in the Suttas
- nimitta
- An image or theme the mind gathers around in meditation
- In articles: What Is Compassion: Not Suffering Along, but Helping
S
- satipatthana
- The four foundations of mindfulness: watching the body, feelings, the mind and phenomena
- In articles: Meditation Retreat in Thailand: Seven Days of Silence
- sañña
- Recognition: knowing and naming what you perceive
- In articles: Metta: Loving-Kindness Meditation and Small Daily Steps
T
- Tathagata
- «thus-gone one», the way the Buddha referred to himself
- In articles: What Is Vipassana: In Plain Words and in the Suttas
V
- vedana
- Feeling tone: pleasant, unpleasant or neutral
- In articles: Metta: Loving-Kindness Meditation and Small Daily Steps
- Visuddhimagga
- «The Path of Purification», Buddhaghosa's great commentarial treatise, 5th century
- In articles: Mudita: Sympathetic Joy You Can Give