Enlightenment

(Jpn.: satori)

See also: attainment of Buddhahood)

Acquired enlightenment

(Jpn.: shikaku)

See also: inherent enlightenment)

Enlightened One

(Jpn.: kakusha)

Also, Awakened One. A Buddha. One who is enlightened to the ultimate truth or principle of life and the universe.

(See also: Enlightened One, Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment Dictionary)

Twenty-five years ago, in the light of a full moon, I sat facing the lying Buddha in Polonnaruwa in central Sri Lanka. It was Buddha Purnima . I noticed the Buddha’s smile as he lay dying, and the concern on his disciple, Ananda’s face, standing before him.

Buddha’s last words were: “Be lamps unto yourselves”. As he left us, the Sakyamuni did not ask us to pray to him or believe in him as a messiah. Unfortunately, over time, his life and teachings have become encrusted in layers of religiosity.

(See also: Buddhism, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Bodhi (Pāli and Sanskrit. Lit. awakening) is a title given in Buddhism to the specific awakening experience attained by the Indian spiritual teacher Gautama Buddha and his disciples. It is sometimes described as complete and perfect sanity, or awareness of the true nature of the universe. After attainment, it is believed one is freed from the cycle of Samsāra: birth, suffering, death and rebirth. Bodhi is most commonly translated into English as enlightenment, though this translation is problematic, since enlightenment ...

Including:

• Bodhi - Modes of Enlightenment
• Bodhi - Pacceka-Bodhi Pratyeka
• Bodhi - Sammā-Sambodhi supreme Buddha
• Bodhi - Quotes

Read more here: » Bodhi

History of Buddhism

The history of Buddhism is the story of one man's spiritual journey to Enlightenment, and of the teachings and ways of living that developed from it.

Read more here: » Buddhism: History of Buddhism

Buddhist meditation, meditation used in the practice of Buddhism, "includes any method of meditation that has Enlightenment as its ultimate aim"1. The closest word for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism is bhavana or "mental development"2. The main methods of Buddhist meditation are divided into samatha (tra ...

Read more here: » Buddhist meditation

Bodhi (Pāli and Sanskrit. Lit. awakening) is a title given in Buddhism to the specific awakening experience attained by the Indian spiritual teacher Gautama Buddha and his disciples. It is sometimes described as complete and perfect sanity, or awareness of the true nature of the universe. After attainment, it is believed one is freed from the cycle of Samsāra: birth, suffering, death and rebirth. Bodhi is most commonly translated into English as enlightenment, though this translation is problematic, since enlightenment ...

Including:

• Bodhi - Modes of Enlightenment
• Bodhi - Sāvaka-Bodhi Arhat
• Bodhi - Pacceka-Bodhi Pratyeka
• Bodhi - Sammā-Sambodhi supreme Buddha
• Bodhi - Quotes

Read more here: » Bodhi: Encyclopedia - Bodhi

Mahāyāna (literally "great vehicle"; from the Indian language of Sanskrit. Chinese: 大乘, Dàshèng; Japanese: 大乗, Daijō; Vietnamese: Đại Thừa; Korean:대승, Dae-seung) is one of the major branches of Buddhism. (See Yana for the classification of Buddhism into vehicles, and Schools of Buddhism for further information.) Mahayana originated in the Indian subcontinent, and some of the areas in which it is practiced today are India, China, Tibet, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Taiwan. From Mahayana d ...

Including:

• Mahayana - Doctrine
• Mahayana - Universalism
• Mahayana - Enlightened wisdom
• Mahayana - Compassion
• Mahayana - Salvation
• Mahayana - Headline text
• Mahayana - Origins
• Mahayana - Epigraphical evidence
• Mahayana - Scriptures
• Mahayana - The 4th Buddhist Council
• Mahayana - Expansion 1st c.CE–10th c.CE
• Mahayana - Bibliography
• Mahayana - Older works

Read more here: » Mahayana: Encyclopedia - Mahayana

In the Indian religions Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism, nirvāna (from the Sanskrit निर्वाण, Pali: Nibbāna -- Chinese: 涅槃; Pinyin: niè pán), literally "extinction" and/or "extinguishing", is the culmination of the yogi's pursuit of liberation. Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, described the Dharma as "... a raft used to cross the river. Only a fool would carry the raft around after he had already reached the other shore of liberation." Hinduism and Jainism also use the word nirvana to describe the state of moksha, and it is spoken of in several Hin ...

Including:

• Nirvana - Nirvana in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra
• Nirvana - Quotations

Read more here: » Nirvana: Encyclopedia - Nirvana

Buddhist meditation, meditation used in the practice of Buddhism, "includes any method of meditation that has Enlightenment as its ultimate aim"1. The closest word for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism is bhavana or "mental development"2. The main methods of Buddhist meditation are divided into samatha (tra ...

Read more here: » Buddhist meditation: Encyclopedia - Buddhist meditation

Original enlightenment

(Jpn.: hongaku)

1. A reference to the enlightenment Shakyamuni attained countless kalpas ago, as described in the "Life Span" (sixteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra.
2. Enlightenment or Buddhahood originally inherent in human life.

See: Life Span of the Thus Come One,  Inherent enlightenment

(See also: Original enlightenment, Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment Dictionary)

Perfect enlightenment

(Jpn.: myogaku or engaku)

Also, supreme perfect enlightenment. The enlightenment of a Buddha. "Perfect enlightenment" also refers to the last and highest of the fifty-two stages of bodhisattva practice, or Buddhahood.

See: fifty-two stages of bodhisattva practice, Buddhahood

(See also: Perfect enlightenment, Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment Dictionary)

The way of the Mahayana, in contrast to the more conservative and austere Theravada school of Buddhism, can be characterized by: Universalism, Everyone will become a Buddha. Enlightened wisdom, as the main focus of realization. Compassion through the transferal of merit. Salvation, supported by a rich cosmography, including celestial realms and powers, with a spectrum of Bodhisattvas, both human and seemingly godl ...

See also:

Mahayana, Mahayana - Doctrine, Mahayana - Universalism, Mahayana - Enlightened wisdom, Mahayana - Compassion, Mahayana - Salvation, Mahayana - Mahayana Scriptures, Mahayana - Origins, Mahayana - Epigraphical evidence, Mahayana - Scriptures, Mahayana - The 4th Buddhist Council, Mahayana - Expansion 1st c.CE–10th c.CE, Mahayana - Bibliography, Mahayana - Older works

Read more here: » Mahayana: Encyclopedia II - Mahayana - Doctrine

The term "nondual" is a literal translation of the Sanskrit term advaita. In the context of postmodern feminism and Tibetan Buddhism, Anne Carolyn Klein (1995, p.151), defines "dualism" as "an opposition that presumes a differance or tension that goes beyond taking account of qualities unique to logically related categories, for example, subject and object, sacred and profane, or enlightened or unenlightened." She defines cognitive, ontological, and evolutionary nondualism. Simultaneous perception of self and other or joining o ...

See also:

Nondualism, Nondualism - Terminology, Nondualism - Nondual realization, Nondualism - Nondual religious and spiritual traditions, Nondualism - Zen, Nondualism - Buddhism, Nondualism - Dzogchen, Nondualism - Advaita, Nondualism - Taoism, Nondualism - Sufism, Nondualism - Individuals subscribing to a non-dual view of reality, Nondualism - Ancient Western philosophers, Nondualism - Medieval Western philosphers, Nondualism - Modern Western philosophers, Nondualism - Asian philosophers and spiritual leaders, Nondualism - Authors, Nondualism - Musicians, Nondualism - Source

Read more here: » Nondualism: Encyclopedia II - Nondualism - Terminology

Unsurpassed enlightenment

(Jpn.: mujo-bodai; Skt.: anuttara-sambodhi)

Also, supreme enlightenment or supreme perfect enlightenment. The enlightenment of a Buddha. The Sanskrit anuttara means "unsurpassed." A Buddha's enlightenment is so called because it is the highest and supreme among all levels of awakening gained through Buddhist practice. Bodhisattvas make four vows when they first resolve to embark upon the Buddhist practice. These four vows are known as the four universal vows, one of which is to attain unsurpassed enlightenment.

(See also: Unsurpassed enlightenment, Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment, Buddhism Enlightenment Dictionary)

Guan Yu has been deified as early as the Sui Dynasty and is still popularly worshipped today among the Chinese people variedly as an indigenous Chinese deity, a bodhisattva in Buddhism and a guardian deity in Taoism. He is also held in high esteem in Confucianism. These are not necessarily contradictory or even distinguished among the common folks as is characteristic of the Chinese, who have quite seamlessly merged these ancient phil ...

See also:

Guan Yu, Guan Yu - The historical Guan Yu, Guan Yu - Early life, Guan Yu - Short service under Cao Cao, Guan Yu - Capture of Jingzhou, Guan Yu - Downfall, Guan Yu - Note, Guan Yu - Guan Yu in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu - Brotherhood sworn in the garden of peach blossoms, Guan Yu - Slaying Hua Xiong, Guan Yu - Surrender to Cao Cao, Guan Yu - Slaying Yan Liang, Guan Yu - Slaying Wen Chou, Guan Yu - Crossing five passes and slaying six warriors, Guan Yu - Releasing Cao Cao at Huarong Trail, Guan Yu - Treatment of a poisoned arm, Guan Yu - Enlightenment on Yuqian Hill, Guan Yu - Revenge on Lü Meng, Guan Yu - Miscellaneous Information, Guan Yu - Worship of Guan Yu, Guan Yu - General worship, Guan Yu - Worship in Taoism, Guan Yu - Worship in Buddhism, Guan Yu - Reference

Read more here: » Guan Yu: Encyclopedia II - Guan Yu - Worship of Guan Yu

Guan Yu - Early life. Guan Yu was born in the county of Xie (解, a subdistrict of present day Yuncheng, Shanxi). The year of his birth is not found in historical records, but according to a 1680 stele in a temple worshipping Guan Yu in his hometown, as well as a biography of Guan Yu written in 1756, Guan Yu's birth year is estimated to be 160. Guan Yu fled his hometown at the age of twenty-three after slaying a local bully named Lü Xiong (吕熊). Five years later, he arrived in Zhuo Commandery (涿郡, ...

See also:

Guan Yu, Guan Yu - The historical Guan Yu, Guan Yu - Early life, Guan Yu - Short service under Cao Cao, Guan Yu - Capture of Jingzhou, Guan Yu - Downfall, Guan Yu - Note, Guan Yu - Guan Yu in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu - Brotherhood sworn in the garden of peach blossoms, Guan Yu - Slaying Hua Xiong, Guan Yu - Surrender to Cao Cao, Guan Yu - Slaying Yan Liang, Guan Yu - Slaying Wen Chou, Guan Yu - Crossing five passes and slaying six warriors, Guan Yu - Releasing Cao Cao at Huarong Trail, Guan Yu - Treatment of a poisoned arm, Guan Yu - Enlightenment on Yuqian Hill, Guan Yu - Revenge on Lü Meng, Guan Yu - Miscellaneous Information, Guan Yu - Worship of Guan Yu, Guan Yu - General worship, Guan Yu - Worship in Taoism, Guan Yu - Worship in Buddhism, Guan Yu - Reference

Read more here: » Guan Yu: Encyclopedia II - Guan Yu - The historical Guan Yu

Buddhism - Refuge in The Three Jewels. Main Article: Refuge (Buddhism) Buddhists seek refuge in the "Three Jewels" of Buddhism as the foundation of their religious practice. The jewels are the Buddha, the Dharma, and the "noble" and "monastic" Sangha [1] (the group of beings possessing at least some degree of enlightenment ...

See also:

Buddhism, Buddhism - What is a Buddha?, Buddhism - Origins, Buddhism - Principles of Buddhism, Buddhism - The Three Marks of Existence, Buddhism - The Four Noble Truths, Buddhism - The Noble Eightfold Path, Buddhism - Practices of Buddhism, Buddhism - Refuge in The Three Jewels, Buddhism - The Five Precepts, Buddhism - Meditation, Buddhism - Buddha-dhatu Buddha-Principle Buddha-nature, Buddhism - Other principles and practices, Buddhism - Vegetarianism, Buddhism - Buddhist religious philosophy and branches, Buddhism - Buddhism after the Buddha, Buddhism - Principal schools of Buddhist philosophy, Buddhism - Scriptures, Buddhism - Relations with other Eastern faiths, Buddhism - Buddhism in the modern world, Buddhism - Buddhism and the West, Buddhism - Buddhism, Buddhism - Related systems and religions, Buddhism - References and Links, Buddhism - References, Buddhism - Footnotes, Buddhism - External links

Read more here: » Buddhism: Encyclopedia II - Buddhism - Practices of Buddhism

However, in certain Mahayana teachings of the Buddha, Nirvana, or "Great Nirvana" in particular (higher than "ordinary" Nirvana), is said to be the sphere or domain ("visaya") of the True Self. In the "Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra", as well as in a number of other important Mahayana sutras, Great Nirvana is seen as the state which constitutes the attainment of that which is "Eternal, Self, Bliss, and Pure". Maha-nirvana thus becomes equivalent to the ineffable, unshakeable, blissful, all-pervading and deathless Selfhood of the Buddha himself - a mystery which no words can adequately reach ...

See also:

Nirvana, Nirvana - Nirvana in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, Nirvana - Quotations

Read more here: » Nirvana: Encyclopedia II - Nirvana - Nirvana in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra