Pali Buddhist

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

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

For more dictionary entries, see » Pali Buddhist Dictionary

apaya-bhumi (apaaya-bhuumi): State of deprivation; the four lower levels of existence into which one might be reborn as a result of past unskillful actions (see kamma):

rebirth in hell,

  * as a hungry ghost (see peta),

  * as an angry demon (see Asura), or

  * as a common animal.

None of these states is permanent.

Compare sugati.

 (See also: Apaya-bhumi , Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul)

For more dictionary entries, see » Pali Buddhist Dictionary

ugghatitannu (uggha.tita~n~nu): Of swift understanding. After the Buddha attained Awakening and was considering whether or not to teach the Dhamma, he perceived that there were four categories of beings: those of swift understanding, who would gain Awakening after a short explanation of the Dhamma, those who would gain Awakening only after a lengthy explanation (vipacitannu); those who would gain Awakening only after being led through the practice (neyya); and those who, instead of gaining Awakening, would at best gain only a verbal understanding of the Dhamma (padaparama).

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

For more dictionary entries, see » Pali Buddhist Dictionary

anapanasati (aanaapaanasati): Mindfulness of breathing. A meditation practice in which one maintains one's attention and mindfulness on the sensations of breathing.

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

For more dictionary entries, see » Pali Buddhist Dictionary

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)

For more dictionary entries, see » Pali Buddhist Dictionary

Abhidhamma (abhidhamma):

(1) In the discourses of the Pali Canon, this term simply means "higher Dhamma," and a systematic attempt to define the Buddha's teachings and understand their interrelationships.

(2) A later collection of analytical treatises based on lists of categories drawn from the teachings in the discourses, added to the Canon several centuries after the Buddha's life.

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

For more dictionary entries, see » Pali Buddhist Dictionary

acariya (aacariya): Teacher; mentor. See kalyanamitta.

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

For more dictionary entries, see » Pali Buddhist Dictionary

akaliko (akaaliko): Timeless; unconditioned by time or season.

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

For more dictionary entries, see » Pali Buddhist Dictionary

anatta (anattaa): Not-self; ownerless.

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

For more dictionary entries, see » Pali Buddhist Dictionary

Pali Chanting in the Theravada Buddhist Tradition

With translation to enlglish, including

Vandan a - Homage to the Triple Gems

Ti-Sarana - The Three Refuges

Panca-sila - The Five Precepts

Buddha Vandana - Homage to the Buddha

Dhamma Vandana - Homage to the Teachings

Sangha Vandana - Homage to the Disciples of the Buddha

Maha-Mangala Sutta - Discourse on Blessings

Karaniya Sutta - Discourse on Loving Kindness

Ratana Sutta - The Jewel Discourse

Read more here: » Buddhism: Pali Chanting in the Theravada Buddhist Tradition

Buddhism: Basic Buddhist Dictionary

A basic dictionary of Buddhism terms. Please note that all words in grey like " Buddhism " are links to an archive with related articles.

For more dictionary entries, see » Pali Buddhist Dictionary

The history of Buddhism spans from the 6th century BCE to the present, starting with the birth of the Buddha Siddharta Gautama. This makes it one of the oldest religions practiced today. Throughout this period, the religion evolved as it encountered various countries and cultures, adding to its original Indian foundation Hellenistic as well as Central Asian, East Asian, and Southeast Asian cultural elements. In the process, its geographical extent became considerable so as to affect at one time or another most of the Asian continent. The history of Buddhism is also characterized by the development of numerous movements and schisms, foremost among them the Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana traditions, punctuated by contrasting periods of expansion and retreat.

Read more here: » Buddhism: History of Buddhism

Buddhism: Origins of Buddhism

Legend has it that the Buddha to be, Siddhartha Gautama, was born around the 6th century BCE. His birthplace is said to be Lumbini in the kingdom of Magadha, in what is now Nepal. His father was a king, and Siddhartha lived in luxury, being spared all hardship.

Read more here: » Buddhism: Origins of Buddhism

Buddhism: Buddhist Scriptures

The Buddhist canon of scripture is known in Sanskrit as the Tripitaka and in Pali as the Tipitaka. These terms literally mean "three baskets" and refers to the three main divisions of the canon, which are:

1.    The Vinaya Piaaka, containing disciplinary rules for the Sangha of Buddhist monks and nuns, as well as a range of other texts which explain why and how rules were instituted, supporting material, and doctrinal clarification.

2.    The Sutta Pitaka (Pali; Sanskrit: Sutra Pitaka), containing discourses of the Buddha.

3.    The Abhidhamma or commentary Pitaka, containing a philosophical systematization of the Buddha's teaching, including a detailed analysis of Buddhist psychology.

Read more here: » Buddhism: Buddhist Scriptures

The main principles of Buddhism: The Three Jewels, The Four Noble Truths, The Noble Eightfold Path, The Five Precepts, The three marks of conditioned existence and vegetarianism.

Read more here: » Buddhism: Principles of Buddhism

Buddhism: Buddhist Marriage Ceremony

Although wedding ceremonies have always been regarded as secular affairs in Buddhist countries, the parties concerned have nevertheless obtained the blessing from monks at the local temple after the civil registration formalities have been completed.

In view of the traditional importance that the marriage ceremony has in the West, moreover, local, and especially isolated Buddhists without access to a temple or a monk might well adopt the following service that could be performed by relatives and friends of the bride and groom:

Read more here: » Buddhism: Buddhist Marriage Ceremony

The three marks of conditioned existence

According to the Buddhist tradition all phenomena (dharmas) are marked by three characteristics, sometimes referred to as the Dharma Seals: Anatta, Anicca and Dukkha

Read more here: » Buddhism Beliefs: The three marks of conditioned existence

Buddhism Schools: The three main branches of Buddhism

Buddhism has evolved into myriad schools that can be roughly grouped into three types: Nikaya, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. Of the Nikaya schools, only the Theravada survives. Each branch sees itself as representing a true, original teachings of the Buddha, and some schools believe that the dialectic nature of Buddhism allows its format, terminology, and techniques to adapt over time in response to changing circumstances, thus validating dharmic approaches different from their own.

Read more here: » Buddhism Schools: The three main branches of Buddhism

Relevance of Buddhism In the New Century

In the 20th century great changes took place as a result of experiments and developments in a broad range of human activities, in economics, politics, and science. The past hundred years' experiences have made us appreciate the importance of freedom, and the significant contributions of individual and private enterprise in improving the economy. We also began to recognise the importance of putting a stop to the production and proliferation of weapons of tremendous destructive power.

By The Dalai Lama

Read more here: » Buddhism: Relevance of Buddhism In the New Century

Buddhism Beliefs: Buddhist Vegetarianism

The first lay precept in Buddhism prohibits killing. Many see this as implying that Buddhists should not eat the meat of animals. However, this is not necessarily the case. The Buddha made distinction between killing an animal and consumption of meat, stressing that it is immoral conduct that makes one impure, not the food one eats.

Read more here: » Buddhism Beliefs: Buddhist Vegetarianism