Buddhism
& Meditation Dictionary
Jhana
Definition: Literally means 'meditation'. Jhanas are rapturous states
achieved through the practice of samatha meditation. They consist of
four material jhanas and four formless jhanas.
Kamma
Definition: Action. Kamma (Karma- Sanskrit) refers to willed or
volitional acts that have consequences for good or ill. Good deeds have
happy consequences; bad acts have unhappy consequences, either in this
life or future lives.
Karuna
Definition: Compassion. This is one of the key virtues Buddhism
promotes. It was the Buddha's compassion for all sentient beings that
led to him teaching the dhamma. It is the Bodhisattva's compassion that
leads him to postpone his own entry into nibbana and help others to it
first.
Kasinas
Definition: These are objects used in samatha meditation as a means of
gaining concentration. Traditionally there are ten of these: earth,
water, fire, blue, yellow, red, white, space and light.
Khandas
Definition: Heaps. Buddhism sees the personality as being made up of
five factors: corporeality, mental formations (including volition),
feelings, perception, consciousness. None of these individually or
collectively can be said to constitute a permanent self.
Koan
Definition: A zen 'riddle' which, unlike conventional riddles, doesn't
have a rational explanation. The purpose of koans is to jolt the mind
out of its habitual thought processes. 'What's the sound of one hand
clapping?' is perhaps the one that is most widely known.
Lama
Definition: Spiritual master/teacher. A term used in the Tibetan
tradition.
Mahayana
Definition: The Great Vehicle. This form of Buddhism emerged somewhere
between 150 BCE and 100CE. Its distinctive features include the new
emphasis given to compassion and the Bodhisattva ideal, the
three-bodies of the Buddha doctrine, emptiness or sunyata and skill in
means.
Mandala
Definition: 'Circle'. A design used in Tibetan Buddhism to represent a
spiritual map of the cosmos. Used as a meditational device.
Mantras
Definition: Repetition of a word or phrase which has spiritual
significance. This can be a simple word such as 'Buddha' or a whole
phrase. One of the most widely known is the Tibetan Om Mani Padme Hum
('Hail to the Jewel of the Lotus'). Pure Land Buddhism uses the Namu
Amida Butsu which venerates Amitabha Buddha.
Metta
Definition: Loving-kindness. This quality is given especial emphasis in
Buddhism with its ideal of unselfish and all-embracing love. In the
words of the metta sutta, just as mother would give her own life to
save that of her child, so we too must cultivate loving-kindness for
all beings.
Mumukshutva
Definition: Desire of liberation
Nibbana
Definition: To cease blowing. Nibbana is the ultimate goal of Buddhism,
the third noble truth. In nibbana, the suffering and the desire that
causes suffering have come to an end, as has the cycle of birth and
death. Sometimes nibbana was referred to by the Buddha as 'unborn' and
'unconditioned', in contrast to the phenomenal world we experience in
our unenlightened state.
Noble
Eightfold Path
Definition: This is the pathway to enlightenment, combining wisdom,
morality and meditation. The eight factors are: right understanding,
right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right
effort, right mindfulness and right concentration
