Wordlist

"We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world." - Buddha

A/B/C/D/E/F/G/H/I/J/K/L/M/N/O/P/Q/R/S/T/U/V/W/X/Y/Z

A:

Amitabha: Pure Land Buddhism, if you reach the paradise, the Buddha of infinite Light, is host there.

Arhant: The third highest goal in Mahayana Buddhism, after being a Buddha and being a Pratyeke-buddha, someone who has learned the truth from others and realized it as truth.

B:

Bodhi tree: A fig tree, also called 'the tree of enlightenment'. Siddhartha sat down under a fig tree until he found the answer he had sought for so long.

Bodhisattva: The most important invention of Mahayana Buddhism. It is 'a being of wisdom'. They said the Buddha was in his earlier lives a bodhisattva, a Buddha in waiting to reach the nirvana. It is someone who is very close to the Nirvana, but turns back reaching it to help others on their way to the nirvana.

C:

 Chandara: He was the charioteer from Siddhartha, it was him who took Siddhartha out for a ride for the first time, without consent of the king. When Siddhartha saw the four visions, of the old man, the diseased person, the dead body and the religious mendicant, he explained him that old, sickness and death would come to all people.

D:

Dharma: The path what follows the teachings of the Buddha, and which will lead to awakening.

F: 

Four Noble Truths, the: From the teachings of the Buddha, Buddhists belief in four 'truths', these are: (1) suffering exists, (2) suffering arises from attachment to desires, (3) there is an end of suffering and (4) the way to end suffering is by following the Eightfold Path.   

H: 

Hence Mahaprajapati: The sister of Mahamay, the mother of the Buddha, she looked after Siddhartha when his mother died.

 Hinayana: Means 'the lesser vehicle', it was what the Mahayana Buddhists called Therevada Buddhism.   

M:

Mahamay: The wife of Shuddodana Gautama and the mother of the Buddha, she died a week after Siddhartha Gautama was born.  

Mantras: Used in different ways of Buddhism, it is a sanskrit word what means 'that what protect the mind'. It is a holy word, song, or sound that is repeated during meditation to

make spiritual power possible and transformation of consciousness.

N:

Nirvana: It is the Buddhist ultimate goal. It literally means extinguishing or unbinding. It means that you get freedom from whatever binds you, desire, jealousy, ignorance. If you have overcome these, there is no longer a need for samsara, the cycle of birth and death.

Noble Eightfold Path, the: From the teachings of the Buddha, a path that Buddhist 'should' follow. These are: (1) right understanding, (2) right intention, (3) right speech, (4) right action, (5) right livelihood, (6) right effort, (7) right mindfulness and (8) right concentration.

P:

Pratyeke-buddha: The second highest goal in Mahayana Buddhism, after being a Buddha; someone who has awakened the truth but keeps it secret

Precepts, the: There are five rules which for all Buddhists apply; (1) kill no living thing, (2) do not steal, (3) do not commit adultery, (4) tell no lies and (5) do not drink intoxicants or take drugs. There are five more, for Buddhist monks and nuns; (1) eat moderately and only at the appointed time, (2) avoid that which excites the senses, (3) do not wear adornments, (4) do not sleep in luxurious beds and (5) accept no silver or gold.

R:

Rahula: The son of Siddhartha and Yasodhara, he was born when they were both 29.

S:

Samsara: The, from original Hindu belief, in reincarnation. It is the belief that the soul transmits into a new body after death, and is born again.

Sangha: A monistic sangha, of monks and nuns. The sangha is responsible for maintaining, translating, advancing, and spreading the teachings of the Buddha.

Satori: Zen Buddhism, special practices that purposes to lead to a state of spiritual enlightenment.

Shuddodana Gautama: The father of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, he was a king of the clan ‘the Shakyas’

Siddhartha Gautama: The name of the Buddha before he came enlightenment. 

T:

Three Jewels, the: The three things Buddhists belief in/ give themselves to. (1) The Buddha, (2) the dhamma and (3) the sangha.

Yasodhara: Siddhartha's wife, he married her when he was sixteen.