Citta Mind or heart. the two terms being synonymous in Asian religious philosophy.

 (See also: Citta, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Buddha Skt., Pali, lit., Òawakened one.Ó

 1. A person who has achieved the enlightenment that leads to release from the cycle of existence (samsara) and has thereby attained complete liberation (nirvana). The content of his teaching, which is based on the experience of enlightenment, is the four noble truths. A buddha has overcome every kind of craving (trishna); although even he also has pleasant and unpleasant sensations, he is not ruled by them and remains innerly untouched by them. After his death he is not reborn again.

 Two kinds of buddhas are distinguished: the pratyeka-buddha, who is completely enlight ened but does not expound the teaching; and the samyak-sambuddha, who expounds for the wel fare of all beings the teaching that he has discov ered anew. A samyak-sambuddha is omniscient (sarvajnata) and possesses the ten powers of a buddha (dashabala) and the four certainties. The buddha of our age is Shakyamuni. (See also Buddha 2.)

 Shakyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha, is not the first and only buddha. Already in the early Hinayana texts, six buddhas who preceded him in earlier epochs are mentioned: Vipashyin (Pali, Vipassi), Shikin (Sikhi), Vishvabhu (Vessabhu), Krakuchchanda (Kakusandha), Konagamana, and Kashyapa (Kassapa). The buddha who will follow Sh?kyamuni in a future age and renew the dharma is Maitreya. Be yond these, one finds indications in the litera ture of thirteen further buddhas, of which the most important is Dipamkara, whose disci ple Shakyamuni was in his previous existence as the ascetic Sumedha. The stories of these leg endary buddhas are contained in the Buddhavamsa, a work from the Khuddaka nikaya.

 2. The historical Buddha. He was born in 563 BCE, the son of a prince of the Shakyas, whose small kingdom in the foothills of the Himalayas lies in present-day Nepal. His first name was Siddhartha, his family name Gauta ma. Hence he is also called Gautama Buddha. (For the story of his life, see Siddhartha Gauta ma.) During his life as a wandering ascetic, he was known as Shakyamuni, the ÒSilent Sage of the Shakyas.Ó In order to distinguish the historical Buddha from the transcendent buddhas (see buddha 3), he is generally called Shakyamuni Buddha or Buddha Shakyamuni.

 3. The Òbuddha principle,Ó which manifests itself in the most various forms. Whereas in Hinayana only the existence of one buddha in every age is accepted (in which case the Buddha is considered an earthly being who teaches hu mans), for the Mahayana there are countless transcendent buddhas. According to the Mahayana teaching of the trikaya, the buddha principle manifests itself in three principal forms, the so-called three bodies (trikaya). In this sense the transcendent buddhas represent embodiments of various aspects of the buddha principle.

 4. A synonym for the absolute, ultimate reality devoid of form, color, and all other propertiesÑbuddha-nature.

From The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen,

By Michael S. Diener, Franz-Karl Erhard, Ingrid Fischer-Schreiber

Translated by Michael H. Kohn

 (See also: Buddha, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Surangama Sutra

Also called Heroic Gate Sutra.

 The "Sutra of the Heroic One" exercised a great influence on the development of Mahayana Buddhism in China (and neighboring countries).

It emphasizes the power of samadhi, through which enlightenment can be attained, and explains the various methods of emptiness meditation through the practice of which everyone ... can realize ... enlightenment Š (Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen.)

 (See also: Surangama Sutra, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Ban T'o

Suddhidanthaka in Sanskrit. Ban T¹o was a disciple of Buddha, and he was very forgetful; for when the Buddha taught him the second sentence of a gatha of a sutra he would forget the first one, and when he was taught the third one he would forget the second one. Ultimately, however, with persistence he became an Arhat.

 (See also: Ban T'o, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Kasaya

The monk¹s robe, or cassock.

 (See also: Kasaya, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

anusaya (anusaya): Obsesssion; underlying tendency. (The etymology of this term means "lying down with"; in actual usage, the related verb (anuseti) means to be obsessed.)

There are seven major obsessions to which the mind returns over and over again:

obsession with sensual passion (kama-raganusaya),

with resistance (patighanusaya),

with views (ditthanusaya),

with uncertainty (vicikicchanusaya),

with conceit (manusaya),

with passion for becoming (bhava-raganusaya), and

with ignorance (avijjanusaya).

Compare: samyojana.

 (See also: Anusaya, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Bodhi Mind (Bodhicitta, Great Mind)

The spirit of Enlightenment, the aspiration to achieve it, the Mind set on Enlightenment.

It involves two parallel aspects:

i)               the determination to achieve Buddhahood and

ii)             the aspiration to rescue all sentient beings.

 (See also: Bodhi Mind (Bodhicitta, Great Mind) , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

sangha (sangha): On the conventional (sammati) level, this term denotes the communities of Buddhist monks and nuns; on the ideal (ariya) level, it denotes those followers of the Buddha, lay or ordained, who have attained at least stream-entry (see sotapanna), the first of the transcendent paths (see magga) culminating in nibbana. Recently, particularly in the West, the term "sangha" has been popularly adapted to mean the wider sense of "community of followers on the Buddhist path," although this usage finds no basis in the Pali Canon. The term "parisa" may be more appropriate for this much broader meaning.

 (See also: Sangha, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Buddha Nature

The following terms refer to the same thing: Self-Nature, True Nature, Original Nature, Dharma Nature, True Mark, True Mind, True Emptiness, True Thusness, Dharma Body, Original Face, Emptiness, Prajna, Nirvana, etc.

According to the Mahayana view, (buddha-nature) is the true, immutable, and eternal nature of all beings. Since all beings possess buddha-nature, it is possible for them to attain enlightenment and become a buddha, regardless of what level of existence they occupy ...

The answer to the question whether buddha-nature is immanent in beings is an essential determining factor for the association of a given school with Theravada or Mahayana, the two great currents within Buddhism.

In Theravada this notion is unknown; here the potential to become a buddha is not ascribed to every being.

By contrast the Mahayana sees the attainment of buddhahood as the highest goal; it can be attained through the inherent buddha-nature of every being through appropriate spiritual practice. (The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen.)

See also "Dharma Nature."

 (See also: Buddha Nature, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

vipassana (vipassanaa): Clear intuitive insight into physical and mental phenomena as they arise and disappear, seeing them for what they actually are - in and of themselves - in terms of the three characteristics (see ti-lakkhana) and in terms of stress, its origin, its disbanding, and the way leading to its disbanding (see ariya-sacca).

 (See also: Vipassana, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

brahman (from Pali braahmaa.na): The brahman (brahmin) caste of India has long maintained that its members, by their birth, are worthy of the highest respect.

Buddhism borrowed the term brahman to apply to those who have attained the goal, to show that respect is earned not by birth, race, or caste, but by spiritual attainment. Used in the Buddhist sense, this term is synonymous with arahant.

 (See also: Brahman, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

ajaan, ajahn, achaan, etc.: (Thai). Teacher; mentor. Equivalent to the Pali acariya.

 (See also: Ajaan, , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Charity or almsgiving, the first Paramitas.

There are three kinds of charity in terms of goods, teaching (Dharma) and courage (fearlessness). Out of the three, the merits and virtues of the teaching of the Buddha Dharma is the most surpassing.

Charity done for no reward here and hereafter is called pure or unsullied, while the sullied charity is done for the purpose of personal benefits. In Buddhism, the merits and virtues of pure charity is the best.

 (See also: Charity, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Vipasyana

Discernment; also, insight, correct perception or view.

 (See also: Vipasyana, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Lesser Vehicle

The early Buddhism. A term coined by Mahayanists to distinguish this school of Buddhism (whose modern descendent is Theravada) from Mahayana.

It is so called because the teaching of this school puts emphasis on one's own liberation, whereas the teaching of Mahayana stresses the attainment of Buddhahood for all sentient beings.

Theravada is now prevalent in southeast Asia, while Mahayana has spread over the northern area (China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan ...) (G.C.C. Chang).

 (See also: Lesser Vehicle, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Agamas

Generic term applied to a collection of traditional doctrines and precepts; also means the home or collecting-place of the law or truth; the peerless law; the ultimate absolute truth.

The Four Agamas are as follows:

(1)  Dirghagama, "law treatises on cosmogony;

(2)  Madhyamagama, "middle" treatises on metaphysics;

(3)  Samyuktagama, "miscellaneous" treatises on abstract contemplation;

(4)  Edottaragama, "numerical" treatises on subjects treated numerically.

The sutras of Theravada are referred to at times as the Agamas.

 (See also: Agamas, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Buddhadharma

Lit., Teaching of Enlightenment.

Originally apllied to designate the teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha; supplanted by the term "Buddhism" in its later historical development.

 (See also: Buddhadharma, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Buddha-Remembrance

General term for a number of practices, such as

i)               oral recitation of Amitabha Buddha's name and

ii)             visualization/contemplation of His auspicious marks and those of the Pure Land.

In reciting the buddha-name you use your own mind to be mindful of your own true self: how could this be considered seeking outside yourself?

Reciting the buddha-name proceeds from the mind. The mind remembers Buddha and does not forget. That's why it is called buddha remembrance, or reciting the buddhaname mindfully.

 The most common Pure Land technique is recitation of Amitabha Buddha's name.

See also "Amitabha," "Pure Land."

 (See also: Buddha-Remembrance, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Hinayana

The Lesser Vehicle; a term applied by the Mahayana to those schools of Buddhism that practice to attain the fruits of Sravakayana and Pratyekabuddhayana and do not attempt to attain the Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi of Buddha.

 (See also: Hinayana, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

Asamkhiya (kalpa)

Term related to the Buddhist metaphysics of time. Each of the periodic manifestations and dissolutions of universes which go on eternally has four parts, called asamkhiya kalpas.

 (See also: Asamkhiya (kalpa) , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)