A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
[1896 -1977], birth name - Abhay Charan De. Founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, (ISKCON), also known as the "Hare Krishnas".

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.

abhiñña [abhi~n~naa]
~ Intuitive powers that come from the practice of concentration: the ability to display psychic powers, clairvoyance, clairaudience, the ability to know the thoughts of others, recollection of past lifetimes, and the knowledge that does away with mental effluents (see asava).

acariya [aacariya]
~ Teacher; mentor. See kalyanamitta.

adhitthana [adhi.t.thaana]
~ Determination; resolution. One of the ten perfections (paramis).

Advaita Vedanta
[ Hinduism ] - One of the six schools, (Darshanas), of ancient indian philosophy and religion, comprising the development of the indian Vedic religion. The Vedanta, or later Mimamsa school, concentrates on the philosophical teachings of the Upanishads - Advaita is probably the best-known of all Vedanta schools. Advaita literally means "not two", and therefore has its foundation in non-dualism.

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

anagami [anaagaamii]
~ Non-returner. A person who has abandoned the five lower fetters that bind the mind to the cycle of rebirth (see samyojana), and who after death will appear in one of the Brahma worlds called the Pure Abodes, there to attain nibbana, never again to return to this world.

ananda
~ Bliss, happiness, joy.

Anandamaya
[ Hinduism ] - Supreme self or highest soul, pertaining to joy or bliss, yet is still, (because of these attributes), separate from Brahman. It may be loosely associated as Jiva, (the soul), itself. Anandamaya is one of the five sheaths or Koshas of the individual, the other four being Annamaya (physical body), Pranamaya (vital body), Manomaya (mental body), and Vijnanamaya (intellectual body). [Note also the suffix; maya].

anapanasati [aanaapaanasati]
~ Mindfulness of breathing. A meditation practice in which one maintains one's attention and mindfulness on the sensations of breathing.

anatta [anattaa]
~ Not-self; ownerless.

anicca
~ Inconstant; unsteady; impermanent.

anupubbi-katha [aanupubbii-kathaa]
~ Gradual instruction. The Buddha's method of teaching Dhamma that guides his listeners progressively through increasingly advanced topics: generosity (see dana), virtue (see sila), heavens, drawbacks, renunciation, and the four noble truths.

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.

arahant
~ A "worthy one" or "pure one"; a person whose mind is free of defilement (see kilesa), who has abandoned all ten of the fetters that bind the mind to the cycle of rebirth (see samyojana), whose heart is free of mental effluents (see asava), and who is thus not destined for further rebirth. A title for the Buddha and the highest level of his noble disciples.

ariya
~ Noble, ideal. Also, a "Noble One".

ariya-puggala [ariya-puggala]
~ Noble person; enlightened individual. An individual who has realized at least the lowest of the four noble paths (see magga) or their fruitions (see phala). Compare puthujjana (worldling).

ariya-sacca
~ Noble Truth. The word "ariya" (noble) can also mean ideal or standard, and in this context means "objective" or "universal" truth. There are four: stress, the origin of stress, the disbanding of stress, and the path of practice leading to the disbanding of stress.

asava [aasava]
~ Mental effluent, pollutant, or fermentation. Four qualities "sensuality, views, becoming, and ignorance" that "flow out" of the mind and create the flood of the round of death and rebirth.

Asura
~ A race of beings who, like the Titans of Greek mythology, fought the devas for sovereignty over the heavens and lost. See apaya-bhumi.

atman
[ Hinduism ] - Self or Soul. "The soul; the breath; the principle of life and sensation". The soul in its entirety -- as the soul body (anandamaya kosha) and its essence (Parashakti and Parashiva). One of Hinduism's most fundamental tenets is that we are the atman, not the physical body, emotions, external mind or personality. In Hindu scriptures, atman sometimes refers to the ego-personality, and its meaning must be determined according to context.

avidya
[ Hinduism ] - veil of ignorance . That which binds the soul, (jiva-atman), to the material world, and the birth/death cycle, (Samsara). See Brahma Sutras, Vedas, Uphanishads.

avijja [avijjaa]
~ Unawareness; ignorance; obscured awareness; delusion about the nature of the mind. See also moha.

ayatana [aayatana]
~ Sense medium. The inner sense media are the sense organs: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. The outer sense media are their respective objects.

bhava
~ Becoming. States of being that develop first in the mind and can then be experienced as internal worlds and/or as worlds on an external level. There are three levels of becoming: on the sensual level, the level of form, and the level of formlessness.

bhavana [bhaavanaa]
~ Mental cultivation or development; meditation. The third of the three grounds for meritorious action. See also dana and sila.

bhikkhuni [bhikkhunii]
~ A Buddhist nun; a man (woman) who has given up the householder's life to live a life of heightened virtue (see sila) in accordance with the Vinaya in general, and the Patimokkha rules in particular. See sangha, parisa, upasampada.

bodhisatta
~ "A being (striving) for Awakening"; the term used to describe the Buddha before he actually become Buddha, from his first aspiration to Buddhahood until the time of his full Awakening. Sanskrit form: Bodhisattva.

Boddhisattva Vow
[ Buddhism ] -

• However innumerable sentient beings are, I vow to save them.
• However inexhaustible the defilements are, I vow to extinguish them.
• However immeasurable the dharmas are, I vow to master them.
• However incomparable enlightenment is, I vow to attain it.

Brahman or Brahma
[ Hinduism ] - The name of God in His aspect of Creator. Saivites consider Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra to be three of five aspects of Siva. Smartas group Brahma, Vishnu and Siva as a holy trinity in which Siva is the destroyer. Brahma the Creator is not to be confused with; (1) Brahman, the Transcendent Supreme of the Upanishads; (2) Brahmana, Vedic texts; (3) brahmana, the Hindu priest caste (also spelled brahmin).

brahma [brahmaa]
~ "Great One", an inhabitant of the non-sensual heavens of form or formlessness.

brahman [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.

Brahmanas
[ Hinduism ] - Section of the sacred texts, the Vedas, which consists of rituals and instructions and their meanings.

Buddha
~ The name given to one who rediscovers for himself the liberating path of Dhamma, after a long period of its having been forgotten by the world. According to tradition, a long line of Buddhas stretches off into the distant past. The most recent Buddha was born Siddhattha Gotama in India in the sixth century BCE. A well-educated and wealthy young man, he relinquished his family and his princely inheritance in the prime of his life to search for true freedom and an end to suffering (dukkha). After seven years of austerities in the forest, he rediscovered the "middle way" and achieved his goal, becoming Buddha.

Carpocrates
[ Christianity ] - (AD 117-138) headed a Gnostic school in Alexandria, and Marcellina, a female disciple, spread his teaching to Rome about AD 160.

Cerinthus
[ Christianity ] - (mid-1st century) from Asia Minor, taught ideas about the Unknown God and the overshadowing of Jesus by the Christ.

citta
~ Mind; heart; state of consciousness.

dana [daana]
~ Giving, liberality; offering, alms. Specifically, giving of any of the four requisites to the monastic order. More generally, the inclination to give, without expecting any form of repayment from the recipient. Dana is the first theme in the Buddha's system of gradual training (see anupubbi-katha), the first of the ten paramis, one of the seven treasures (see dhana), and the first of the three grounds for meritorious action (see sila and bhavana).

darsana
[ Hinduism ] - meaning "vision", and pertains to philosophical views and tenets within Hinduism.

darsanas
[ Hinduism ] - These form the six schools of astika, or schools of philosophy in Hinduism, commonly known as Darshanas. These six are: Nyaya, Vaisesika, Sankhya, Yoga, Purvamimamsa, and Vedanta.

deva; devata [deva, devataa]
~ Literally, "shining one" an inhabitant of the heavenly realms (see sagga and sugati).

Devadatta
~ A cousin of the Buddha who tried to effect a schism in the sangha and who has since become emblematic for all Buddhists who work knowingly or unknowingly to undermine the religion from within.

dhamma [dhamma; Skt. dharma]
~ (1) Event; a phenomenon in and of itself; (2) mental quality; (3) doctrine, teaching; (4) nibbana. Also, principles of behavior that human beings ought to follow so as to fit in with the right natural order of things; qualities of mind they should develop so as to realize the inherent quality of the mind in and of itself. By extension, "Dhamma" (usu. capitalized) is used also to denote any doctrine that teaches such things. Thus the Dhamma of the Buddha denotes both his teachings and the direct experience of nibbana, the quality at which those teachings are aimed.

Dhamma-vinaya
~ "doctrine (dhamma) and discipline (vinaya)." The Buddha's own name for the religion he founded.

dhana
~ "Treasure(s). The seven qualities of conviction, virtue (see sila), conscience & concern, learning, generosity (see dana), and wisdom.

dhatu [dhaatu]
~ Element; property, impersonal condition. The four physical elements or properties are earth (solidity), water (liquidity), wind (motion), and fire (heat). The six elements include the above four plus space and consciousness.

dhutanga
~ Voluntary ascetic practices that monks and other meditators may undertake from time to time or as a long-term commitment in order to cultivate renunciation and contentment, and to stir up energy. For the monks, there are thirteen such practices: (1) using only patched-up robes; (2) using only one set of three robes; (3) going for alms; (4) not by-passing any donors on one's alms path; (5) eating no more than one meal a day; (6) eating only from the alms-bowl; (7) refusing any food offered after the alms-round; (8) living in the forest; (9) living under a tree; (10) living under the open sky; (11) living in a cemetery; (12) being content with whatever dwelling one has; (13) not lying down.

dosa
~ Aversion; hatred; anger. One of three unwholesome roots (mula) in the mind.

dukkha
~ Stress; suffering; pain; distress; discontent.

ekaggatarammana [ekagattaa.rammana]
~ Singleness of preoccupation; "one-pointedness." In meditation, the mental quality that allows one's attention to remain collected and focused on the chosen meditation object. Ekaggatarammana reaches full maturity upon the development of the fourth level of jhana.

ekayana-magga [ekaayana-magga]
~ A unified path; a direct path. An epithet for the practice of being mindful of the four frames of reference: body, feelings, mind, and mental qualities.

Freewill
~ the freedom to choose "yes" or "no", limited to current conditions and circumstance.

Gnostic Christ
[ Gnosticism ] - The gnostics generally believed not in a Jesus who was a Divine Person with a human nature, but in a spiritual Christ who dwelt in Jesus. Through the spiritual path of gnosticism, followers of these schools believed that they could experience the same knowledge, or gnosis. Their theology was or is dualistic and premised upon demigods, salvation for the elect, and the actions of God who sends periodic saviors. This was considered heresy by the Early Church as per the first Ecumenical Council, which occurred at Nicaea in 325 AD, although condemnation of the belief existed well before.

gotrabhu-ñana [gotrabhuu-~naana]
~ "Change of lineage knowledge": The glimpse of nibbana that changes one from an ordinary person (puthujjana) to a Noble One (ariya-puggala).

Hinduism
[ Hinduism ] - a development of the early Vedic Religion, following the establishment of an Aryan/Vedic culture. Hindu philosophy is divided into six orthodox astika schools of thought, or darshanas. The Vedas are the oldest scriptural texts of Hinduism, and may even be the oldest surviving scriptures in the world.

Hinayana [hiinayaana]
[ Buddhism ] - "Inferior Vehicle," originally a pejorative term coined by a group who called themselves followers of the Mahayana, the "Great Vehicle" to denote the path of practice of those who adhered only to the earliest discourses as the word of the Buddha. Hinayanists refused to recognize the later discourses, composed by the Mahayanists, that claimed to contain teachings that the Buddha felt were too deep for his first generation of disciples, and which he thus secretly entrusted to underground serpents. The Theravada school of today is a descendent of the Hinayana.

hiri-ottappa
[ Buddhism ] - "Conscience and concern"; "moral shame and moral dread." These twin emotions the "guardians of the world" are associated with all skillful actions. Hiri is an inner conscience that restrains us from doing deeds that would jeopardize our own self-respect; ottappa is a healthy fear of committing unskillful deeds that might bring about harm to ourselves or others. See kamma.

"Holy Spirit" or "Holy Ghost"
[ Christianity ] - Holy Ghost was the common name for the Holy Spirit in English prior to the 20th century. It is the name used in the Book of Common Prayer and the King James Version of the Bible, and is still used by those who prefer more traditional language, or whose religious vocabulary is largely derived from the King James Version. The term is still retained in the traditional-language rites of the Anglican Church. The original meaning of the English word ghost parallelled the words spirit or soul; only later did the former word come to acquire the specific sense of "disembodied spirit of the dead" and the associated pejorative connotations.

indriya
[ Buddhism ] - Faculties; mental factors. In the suttas the term can refer either to the six sense media (ayatana) or to the five mental factors of saddha (conviction), viriya (persistence), sati (mindfulness), samadhi (concentration), and pañña (discernment); see bodhi-pakkhiya-dhamma.

Ishvara
[ Hinduism ] - According to the ancient vedic Yoga , Ishvara is the transcendental or Supreme God himself, and is the only aspect of the soul that has not become entangled with nature.

Jainism
[ Jainism ] - traditionally known as Jain Dharma, is a religion and philosophy originating in ancient India. A minority in modern India, with growing immigrant communities in the United States, Western Europe, Africa, the Far East and elsewhere, Jains continue to sustain the ancient Shraman or ascetic tradition.

jhana [jhaana; Skt. dhyana]
[ Buddhism ] - Mental absorption. A state of strong concentration focused on a single physical sensation (resulting in rupa jhana) or mental notion (resulting in arupa jhana). Development of jhana arises from the temporary suspension of the five hindrances (see nivarana) through the development of five mental factors: vitakka (directed thought), vicara (evaluation), piti (rapture), sukha (pleasure), and ekaggatarammana (singleness of preoccupation).

jiva
[ Hinduism ] - "Living, existing." From jiv, "to live." The individual soul, atman, bound by the three malas (anava, karma and maya). The individuated self (jiva-atman) as opposed to the transcendental Self (parama atman). The jivanmukta is one who is "liberated while living".

jñana
[ Hinduism ] - meaning "knowledge". For example, the jñana kanda is included within each of the four sacred texts called the Vedas, and guides towards knowledge and understanding of Brahman.

jñana kanda
[ Hinduism ] - The jñana kanda is the latter section included within each of the four sacred texts called the Vedas, and guides towards knowledge and understanding of Brahman. The uttara mimamsa or "higher inquiry", the uphanishads, and "the end of the Vedas" or Vedantas, are all contained within these sections of the Vedas.

kalyanamitta [kalyaa.namitta]
[ Buddhism ] - Admirable friend; a mentor or teacher of Dhamma.

kamaguna [kaamagu.na]
[ Buddhism ] - Strings of sensuality. The objects of the five physical senses: visible objects, sounds, aromas, flavors, and tactile sensations. Usually refers to sense experiences that, like the strings (guna) of a lute when plucked, give rise to pleasurable feelings (vedana).

kamma [karma -Skt.]
[ Buddhism & Hinduism ] - Intentional acts that result in states of being and birth. Term literally translates as "action".

karma kanda
[ Hinduism ] - meaning "action". For example, the karma kanda is included within each of the four sacred texts called the Vedas, and guides in the ritual instruction of prayer, devotion, sacrifice and worship of Brahman. The sections known as the Brahmanas are also included within these.

karuna [karu.naa]
[ Buddhism ] - Compassion; sympathy; the aspiration to find a way to be truly helpful to oneself and others. One of the ten perfections (paramis) and one of the four "sublime abodes" (brahma-vihara).

kayagata-sati [kaayagataa-sati]
[ Buddhism ] - Mindfulness immersed in the body. This is a blanket term covering several meditation themes: keeping the breath in mind; being mindful of the body's posture; being mindful of one's activities; analyzing the body into its parts; analyzing the body into its physical properties (see dhatu); contemplating the fact that the body is inevitably subject to death and disintegration.

khandha
[ Buddhism ] - Heap; group; aggregate. Physical and mental components of the personality and of sensory experience in general. The five bases of clinging (see upadana). See: nama (mental phenomenon), rupa (physical phenomenon), vedana (feeling), sañña (perception), sankhara (mental fashionings), and viññana (consciousness).

khanti
[ Buddhism ] - Patience; forbearance. One of the ten perfections (paramis).

kilesa
[ Buddhism ] - Defilement lobha (passion), dosa (aversion), and moha (delusion) in their various forms, which include such things as greed, malevolence, anger, rancor, hypocrisy, arrogance, envy, miserliness, dishonesty, boastfulness, obstinacy, violence, pride, conceit, intoxication, and complacency.

Krishna
[ Hinduism ] - One of the most popular Gods of the Hindu pantheon. He is worshiped by Vaishnavas as the eighth avatara, incarnation, of Vishnu. He is best known as the "Supreme Personage" depicted in the Mahabharata, and specifically in the Bhagavad Gita. For Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Krishna is the Godhead. See also Vaishnavism.

kusala
[ Buddhism ] - Wholesome, skillful, good, meritorious. An action characterized by this moral quality (kusala-kamma) is bound to result (eventually) in happiness and a favorable outcome. Actions characterized by its opposite (akusala-kamma) lead to sorrow. See kamma.

lobha
[ Buddhism ] - Greed; passion; unskillful desire. Also raga. One of three unwholesome roots (mula) in the mind.

loka-dhamma [loka-dhamma]
[ Buddhism ] - Affairs or phenomena of the world. The standard list gives eight: wealth, loss of wealth, status, loss of status, praise, criticism, pleasure, and pain.

magga
[ Buddhism ] - Path. Specifically, the path to the cessation of suffering and stress. The four transcendent paths or rather, one path with four levels of refinement are the path to stream-entry (entering the stream to nibbana, which ensures that one will be reborn at most only seven more times), the path to once-returning, the path to non-returning, and the path to arahantship. See phala.

Mahayana
[ Buddhism ] - Mahayana Buddhism is not a single group but a collection of Buddhist traditions: Zen Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, and Tibetan Buddhism are all forms of Mahayana Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism says that there are three aspects of Buddhahood, which it describes by regarding Buddha as having three bodies (trikaya):
Dharmakaya: Buddha is transcendent - he is the same thing as the ultimate truth.
Sambhogakaya: Buddha's body of bliss, or enjoyment body.
Nirmanakaya: Buddha's earthly body - just like any other human being's body.

Mara [Maara]
~ The personification of evil and temptation.

Marcion
[ Christianity ] - was a rich ship owner who lived on the south shore of the Black Sea. He held office as a bishop, as did his father, and lived in Rome around AD 155. He based his teachings on those of Paul, and rejected most of the other Gospels that were circulating at the time. He is perhaps best known for his complete rejection of the Old Testament.

maya
[ Hinduism ] - The unchanging Brahman appears as the changing world through the power of Maya, a mysterious indescribable power of the Lord which hides the real and manifests itself as the unreal. Brahman interacts with the world, and creates, by way of maya.

metta [mettaa]
[ Buddhism ] - Loving-kindness; goodwill. One of the ten perfections (paramis) and one of the four "sublime abodes" (brahma-vihara).

moksha
[ Hinduism ] - Similar to the Buddhist understanding of Nirvana, moksha is the goal and final freedom of the soul, from it's ignorance and attachment in Samsara. According to Samkhya, the Purusha is eternal, pure consciousness; Once ignorance is overcome, moksha can be attained. Synonymous with mukti.

mukta
[ Hinduism ] - Liberated one.

mukti
[ Hinduism ] - Final emancipation or freedom through knowledge and enlightenment. Sadyo-Mukti refers to immediate emancipation, whereas Krama-Mukti refers to gradual emancipation. Synonymous with moksha.

mula [muula]
[ Buddhism ] - Literally, "root." The fundamental conditions in the mind that determine the moral quality skillful (kusala) or unskillful (akusala) of one's intentional actions (see kamma). The three unskillful roots are lobha (greed), dosa (aversion), and moha (delusion); the skillful roots are their opposites. See kilesa (defilements).

Nag Hammadi codices
[ Christianity ] - In 1945, near the banks of the River Nile, a jar was unearthed which contained one of the richest manuscript finds of modern history -- the Nag Hammadi codices. Like the Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered two years later, this library of ancient documents (dated AD 350) contained texts relating to early Christianity that the world had never seen. The Dead Sea texts belonged to an earlier, Jewish branch of Christianity, and the works from Nag Hammadi to a later philosophical movement, called Gnosticism. Since their discovery scholars have long pondered their contents, questioning their relation to original Christianity.

nibbana [nibbaana; skt - nirvana]
[ Buddhism ] - Liberation; literally, the "unbinding" of the mind from the mental effluents (see asava), defilements (see kilesa), and the round of rebirth (see vatta), and from all that can be described or defined. As this term also denotes the extinguishing of a fire, it carries the connotations of stilling, cooling, and peace. (According to the physics taught at the time of the Buddha, a burning fire seizes or adheres to its fuel; when extinguished, it is unbound.) "Total nibbana" in some contexts denotes the experience of Awakening; in others, the final passing away of an arahant.

nibbida [nibbidaa]
[ Buddhism ] - Disenchantment; aversion; disgust; weariness. The skillful turning-away of the mind from the conditioned samsaric world towards the unconditoned, the transcendent nibbana.

nirodha
~ Cessation; disbanding; stopping.

Nirguna
[ Hinduism ] - Brahman without attributes. The aspect non-dual nature of the creator. See also Saguna, (dualistic nature of Brahman). Both these terms should be understood as comprehensive of Brahman, rather than exclusive. Neither of these terms seek to contradict each other, or subscribe to opposing views, but aid in the complete understanding and awareness of the divine, according to the scriptures.

nivarana [niivara.na]
~ Hindrances to concentration sensual desire, ill will, sloth & drowsiness, restlessness & anxiety, and uncertainty.

opanayiko
[ Buddhism ] - Referring inwardly; to be brought inward. An epithet for the Dhamma.

Origen of Alexandria
[185 - 254 AD], considered one of the greatest of all Christian theologians. As a philosopher, he is famous for composing the seminal work of Christian Neoplatonism, his treatise On First Principles. Origen lived through a turbulent period of the Christian Church, when persecution was wide-spread and little or no doctrinal consensus existed among the various regional churches. In this environment, Gnosticism flourished, and Origen was the first truly philosophical thinker to turn his hand not only to a refutation of Gnosticism, but to offer an alternative Christian system.

paccekabuddha
[ Buddhism ] - Private Buddha. One who, like a Buddha, has gained Awakening without the benefit of a teacher, but who lacks the requisite store of paramis to teach others the practice that leads to Awakening. On attaining the goal, a paccekabuddha lives a solitary life.

Pali [paali, paa.li]
[ Buddhism ] - The canon of texts (see Tipitaka) preserved by the Theravada school and, by extension, the language in which those texts are composed.

pañña [pa~n~naa]
[ Buddhism ] - Discernment; insight; wisdom; intelligence; common sense; ingenuity. One of the ten perfections (paramis).

Parameshvara
[ Hinduism ] - Parameshvara is described as the original, uncreated soul, the creator of all other souls. Parameshvara has many other names and epithets, including those denoting the five divine actions -- Sadashiva, the revealer; Maheshvara, the obscurer; Brahma, the creator; Vishnu the preserver; and Rudra the destroyer.

parami, paramita [paaramii, paaramitaa]
[ Buddhism ] - Perfection of the character. A group of ten qualities developed over many lifetimes by a bodhisatta, which appear as a group in the Pali canon only in the Jataka ("Birth Stories"): generosity (dana), virtue (sila), renunciation (nekkhamma), discernment (pañña), energy/persistence (viriya), patience/forbearance (khanti), truthfulness (sacca), determination (adhitthana), good will (metta), and equanimity (upekkha).

Parashiva
[ Hinduism ] - "Transcendent Siva." The Self God, Siva's first perfection, Absolute Reality. Parashiva is That which is beyond the grasp of consciousness, transcends time, form and space and defies description. To merge with the Absolute in mystic union is the ultimate goal of all incarnated souls, the reason for their living on this planet, and the deepest meaning of their experiences. Attainment of this is called Self Realization or nirvikalpa samadhi.

parinibbana [parinibbaana]
[ Buddhism ] - Total Unbinding; the complete cessation of the khandhas that occurs upon the death of an arahant.

parisa [parisaa]
[ Buddhism ] - Following; assembly. The four groups of the Buddha's following that include monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. Compare sangha. See bhikkhu, bhikkhuni, upasaka/upasika.

pariyatti
[ Buddhism ] - Theoretical understanding of Dhamma obtained through reading, study, and learning. See patipatti and pativedha.

patipada [pa.tipadaa]
[ Buddhism ] - Road, path, way; the means of reaching a goal or destination. The "Middle way" (majjhima-patipada) taught by the Buddha; the path of practice described in the fourth noble truth (dukkhanirodhagamini-patipada).

patipatti [pa.tipatti]
[ Buddhism ] - The practice of Dhamma, as opposed to mere theoretical knowledge (pariyatti). See also pativedha.

Pentecostalism
[ Christianity ] - The Christian movement called Pentecostalism derives its name from the event of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit when Jesus' disciples were gathered in Jerusalem. They also believe that, once received, the Holy Spirit is God working through the recipient to perform the gifts of the Spirit. These gifts are portrayed in 1 Corinthians chapter 12.

Peta [peta; Skt. preta]
[ Buddhism ] - A "hungry shade" or "hungry ghost" one of a class of beings in the lower realms, sometimes capable of appearing to human beings. The petas are often depicted in Buddhist art as starving beings with pinhole-sized mouths through which they can never pass enough food to ease their hunger.

prakriti
[ Hinduism ] - According to the ancient vedic Samkhya, Prakriti is matter. Matter is inert, temporary, and unconscious. It is composed of three qualities or gunas, corresponding to creation, sustenance, and destruction. These qualities are - sattva (goodness), rajas (passion), and tamas (ignorance).

puñña [pu~n~na]
[ Buddhism ] - Merit; worth; the inner sense of well-being that comes from having acted rightly or well and that enables one to continue acting well.

purusha
[ Hinduism ] - According to the ancient vedic Samkhya, Purusha is the Transcendental Self or Pure Consciousness. It is absolute, independent, free, imperceptible, unknowable, above any experience and beyond any words or explanation. It remains pure, "nonattributive consciousness". Purusha is neither produced nor does it produce.

raga [raaga]
~ Lust; greed.

sacca
[ Buddhism ] - Truthfulness. One of the ten perfections (paramis).

saddha [saddhaa]
[ Buddhism ] - Conviction, faith. A confidence in the Buddha that gives one the willingness to put his teachings into practice. Conviction becomes unshakeable upon the attainment of stream-entry (see sotapanna).

sagga
[ Buddhism ] - Heaven, heavenly realm. The dwelling place of the devas. Rebirth in the heavens is said to be one of the rewards for practicing generosity (see dana) and virtue (see sila). Like all waystations in samsara, however, rebirth here is temporary. See also sugati.

Saguna
[ Hinduism ] - Brahman with attributes. The aspect duality or dual nature of the creator. See also Nirguna, (non-dualistic nature of Brahman). Both these terms should be understood as comprehensive of Brahman, rather than exclusive. Neither of these terms seek to contradict each other, or subscribe to opposing views, but aid in the complete understanding and awareness of the divine, according to the scriptures.

Saivism
[ Hinduism ] - The religion followed by those who worship Siva as supreme God. Oldest of the four sects of Hinduism. The earliest historical evidence of Saivism is from the 8,000-year-old Indus Valley civilization in the form of the famous seal of Siva as Lord Pashupati, seated in a yogic pose. In the Ramayana, dated astronomically at 2000 BCE, Lord Rama worshiped Siva, as did his rival Ravana. Buddha in 624 BCE was born into a Saivite family.

sakadagami [sakadaagaamii]
[ Buddhism ] - Once-returner. A person who has abandoned the first three of the fetters that bind the mind to the cycle of rebirth (see samyojana), has weakened the fetters of sensual passion and resistance, and who after death is destined to be reborn in this world only once more.

sakkaya-ditthi [sakkaaya-di.t.thi]
[ Buddhism ] - Self-identification view. The view that mistakenly identifies any of the khandha as "self"; the first of the ten fetters (samyojana). Abandonment of sakkaya-ditthi is one of the hallmarks of stream-entry (see sotapanna).

Sakyamuni [saakyamuni]
[ Buddhism ] - "Sage of the Sakyans"; an epithet for the Buddha, (Gautama).

sallekha-dhamma [sallekha-dhamma]
[ Buddhism ] - Topics of effacement (effacing defilement) having few wants, being content with what one has, seclusion, uninvolvement in companionship, persistence, virtue (see sila), concentration, discernment, release, and the direct knowing and seeing of release.

samadhi [samaadhi]
~ Concentration; the practice of centering the mind in a single sensation or preoccupation, usually to the point of jhana.

samana [sama.na]
~ Contemplative. Literally, a person who abandons the conventional obligations of social life in order to find a way of life more "in tune" (sama) with the ways of nature.

Samkhya
[ Hinduism ] - One of the six schools, (Darshanas), of ancient indian philosophy and religion, comprising the development of the indian Vedic relgion. Samkhya is the oldest of the orthodox philosophical systems in Hinduism. Samkhya postulates that everything in reality stems from purusha (Self or soul) and prakriti (Matter, creative agency, energy).

samsara [sa.msaara]
~ Transmigration; the round of death and rebirth. See vatta.

samvega [sa.mvega]
~ The oppressive sense of shock, dismay, and alienation that comes with realizing the futility and meaninglessness of life as it's normally lived; a chastening sense of one's own complacency and foolishness in having let oneself live so blindly; and an anxious sense of urgency in trying to find a way out of the meaningless cycle.

samyojana, sanyojana [sa.myojana]
[ Buddhism ] - Fetter that binds the mind to the cycle of rebirth (see vatta) self-identification views (sakkaya-ditthi), uncertainty (vicikiccha), grasping at precepts and practices (silabbata-paramasa); sensual passion (kama-raga), resistance (vyapada); passion for form (rupa-raga), passion for formless phenomena (arupa-raga), conceit (mana), restlessness (uddhacca), and unawareness (avijja). Compare anusaya.

sangha
[ Buddhism ] - 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.

Sankara (Shankara)
[ Hinduism ] - "Conferring happiness;" "propitious." A name of Siva. Also one of Hinduism's most extraordinary monks, Adi Sankara (788 -- 820), preeminent guru of the Smarta Sampradaya, noted for his monistic philosophy (Advaita Vedanta), his many scriptural commentaries, and his formalizing of ten orders of sannyasins with pontifical headquarters at strategic points across India. He lived only 32 years, but traveled throughout India and transformed the Hindu world of that time.

Satornilos of Syria
[ Christianity ] - was an ascetic who also taught at Antioch in the early 2nd century.

sati
[ Buddhism ] - Foundation of mindfulness; frame of reference body, feelings, mind, and mental events, viewed in and of themselves as they occur.

satipatthana [satipa.t.thaana]
[ Buddhism ] - Mindfulness, self-collectedness, powers of reference and retention. In some contexts, the word sati when used alone covers alertness (sampajañña) as well.

sayadaw
[ Buddhism ] - Venerable teacher; an honorific title and form of address for a senior or eminent bhikkhu.

sekha
[ Buddhism ] - A "learner" or "one in training"; a noble disciple (ariya-puggala) who has not yet attained arahantship.

sila [siila]
[ Buddhism ] - Virtue, morality. The quality of ethical and moral purity that prevents one from falling away from the eightfold path. Also, the training precepts that restrain one from performing unskillful actions. Sila is the second theme in the gradual training (see anupubbi-katha), one of the ten paramis, the second of the seven treasures (see dhana), and the first of the three grounds for meritorious action (see dana and bhavana).

Simon Magus
[ Christianity ] - (Acts 8:9-24) was a contemporary of Paul known for his magical feats. Because of this, stories about his life are fantastic and bizarre, but many historians say that all the later sects derive from him. Blavatsky says that he and many other Gnostics were powerful workers of occult miracles (The Secret Doctrine III, pp117-121). Menander, Simon's disciple, was also known for his practice of transcendental magic. He took the teachings to Antioch, a city in Asia Minor which developed a strong Christian community.

Siva
[ Hinduism ] - The "Auspicious," "Gracious," or "Kindly one." Supreme Being of the Saivite religion. God Siva is All and in all, simultaneously the creator and the creation, both immanent and transcendent. As personal Deity, He is Creator, Preserver and Destroyer. He is a one Being, perhaps best understood in three perfections: Parameshvara (Primal Soul), Parashakti (Pure Consciousness) and Parashiva (Absolute Reality).

Siva-Shakti
[ Hinduism ] - Father-Mother God, both immanent and transcendent. A name for God Siva encompassing His unmanifest Being and manifest energy.

stupa [Pali thupa (thuupa)]
[ Buddhism ] - Originally, a tumulus or burial mound enshrining relics of a holy person such as the Buddha or objects associated with his life. Over the centuries this has developed into the tall, spired monuments familiar in temples in Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Burma; and into the pagodas of China, Korea, and Japan.

sugati
[ Buddhism ] - Happy destinations; the two higher levels of existence into which one might be reborn as a result of past skillful actions (see kamma): rebirth in the human world or in the heavens (See sagga). None of these states is permanent. Compare apaya-bhumi.

sugato
[ Buddhism ] - Well-faring; going (or gone) to a good destination. An epithet for the Buddha.

sukha
[ Buddhism ] - Pleasure; ease; satisfaction. In meditation, a mental quality that reaches full maturity upon the development of the third level of jhana.

sutta [sutra]
[ Buddhism ] - Literally, "thread"; a discourse or sermon by the Buddha or his contemporary disciples. After the Buddha's death the suttas were passed down in the Pali language according to a well-established oral tradition, and were finally committed to written form in Sri Lanka around 100 BCE. More than 10,000 suttas are collected in the Sutta Pitaka, one of the principal bodies of scriptural literature in Theravada Buddhism. The Pali Suttas are widely regarded as the earliest record of the Buddha's teachings.

Tattvas
[ Jainism ] - The backbone of the Jain philosophy, the nine Tattvas show how to attain salvation. Without knowing them, one cannot progress towards liberation. Jainism explains that Karma theory is intertwined with these nine principles. They comprise:
Jiva - Souls and living things
Ajiva - Non-living things
Punya - Good karma {Counted as Padaarth}
Paap - Bad karma {Counted as Padaarth}
Asrava - Influx of karma
Bandha - The bondage of karma
Samvara - The stoppage of influx of karma
Nirjara - Shedding of karma
Moksha - Liberation or Salvation

Theravada
[ Buddhism ] - This school of Buddhism believes that it has remained closest to the original teachings of the Buddha. Theravada Buddhism emphasises attaining self-liberation through one's own efforts. Meditation and concentration are vital elements of the way to enlightenment. The ideal road is to dedicate oneself to full-time monastic life. Theravada Buddhism is strongest in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Burma (Myanmar). It is sometimes called 'Southern Buddhism'.

tipitaka [tipi.taka; Skt. tripitaka]
[ Buddhism ] - The Buddhist (Pali) Canon. Literally, "three baskets," in reference to the three principal divisions of the Canon: the Vinaya Pitaka (disciplinary rules); Sutta Pitaka (discourses); and Abhidhamma Pitaka (abstract philosophical treatises).

ugghatitaññu [uggha.tita~n~nu]
[ Buddhism ] - 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 (vipacitaññu); 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).

upadana [upaadaana]
[ Buddhism ] - Clinging; attachment; sustenance for becoming and birth attachment to sensuality, to views, to precepts and practices, and to theories of the self.

upasampada [upasampadaa]
[ Buddhism ] - Acceptance; full ordination as a bhikkhu or bhikkhuni. See pabbajja.

Upanishads
[ Hinduism ] - Philosophical and religious scripture and interpretation relating to the ancient indian sacred texts or Vedas. These are known as "the end of the Vedas" or Vedantas. Also referred to within the Vedas as the uttara mimamsa or "higher inquiry".

uttara mimamsa
[ Hinduism ] - Meaning "higher inquiry". This relates to the final sections of the sacred texts known as the Vedas, and consists of the philosophical meaning and understanding of Brahman and of creation. This section is also referred to as the Vedantas, or "the end of the Vedas".

Vaisheshika
[ Hinduism ] - One of the six schools, (Darshanas), of ancient indian philosophy and religion, comprising the development of the indian Vedic relgion. The Vaisheshika school was founded by Kanada and postulates an atomic pluralism - All objects in the physical universe are reducible to certain types of atoms.

Vaishnavism (Vaishnava)
[ Hinduism ] - One of the four major religions, or denominations of Hinduism, representing roughly half of the world's one billion Hindus. It gravitates around the worship of Lord Vishnu as Personal God, His incarnations and their consorts. The doctrine of avatara, (He who descends), especially important to Vaishnavism, teaches that whenever adharma gains ascendency in the world, God takes a human birth to re-establish "the way". There are either 10, 22 or 34 avataras of Vishnu, according to various scriptures. The most renowned avataras were Rama and Krishna. The last to come will be Kalki, the harbinger of a golden age on Earth.

vatta [va.t.ta]
[ Buddhism ] - The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. This denotes both the death and rebirth of living beings and the death and rebirth of defilement (kilesa) within the mind. See samsara.

vedana [vedanaa]
[ Buddhism ] - Feeling pleasure (ease), pain (stress), or neither pleasure nor pain. See khandha.

Vedas
[ Hinduism ] - Ancient indian texts often recited at prayers, and relgious gatherings. Comprising the Rig-Veda, Yajur-Veda, Sama-Veda, and Atharva-Veda. The Vedas are the oldest scriptural texts of Hinduism, and may even be the oldest surviving scriptures in the world. Estimations are in the range 1500-1200 BCE.

Vesak, Vesakha, Visakha, Wesak, etc. [visaakha]
[ Buddhism ] - The ancient name for the Indian lunar month in spring corresponding to our April-May. According to tradition, the Buddha's birth, Awakening, and Parinibbana each took place on the full-moon night in the month of Visakha. These events are commemorated on that day in the Visakha festival, which is celebrated annually throughout the world of Theravada Buddhism.

vicara [vicaara]
[ Buddhism ] - Evaluation; sustained thought. In meditation, vicara is the mental factor that allows one's attention to shift and move about in relation to the chosen meditation object. Vicara and its companion factor vitakka reach full maturity upon the development of the first level of jhana.

vijja [vijjaa]
[ Buddhism ] - Clear knowledge; genuine awareness; science (specifically, the cognitive powers developed through the practice of concentration and discernment).

Vinaya
[ Buddhism ] - The monastic discipline, spanning six volumes in printed text, whose rules and traditions define every aspect of the bhikkhus' and bhikkhunis' way of life. The essence of the rules for monastics is contained in the Patimokkha. The conjunction of the Dhamma with the Vinay forms the core of the Buddhist religion: "Dhamma-vinaya", "the doctrine and discipline" is the name the Buddha gave to the religion he founded.

viññana [vi~n~naa.na]
[ Buddhism ] - Consciousness; cognizance; the act of taking note of sense data and ideas as they occur. There is also a type of consciousness that lies outside of the khandhas called consciousness without feature (viññanam anidassanam) which is not related to the six senses at all. See khandha.

vipaka [vipaaka]
[ Buddhism ] - The consequence and result of a past volitional action (kamma).

vipassana [vipassanaa]
[ Buddhism ] - 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).

vipassanupakkilesa [vipassanuupakkilesa]
[ Buddhism ] - Corruption of insight; intense experiences that can happen in the course of meditation and can lead one to believe that one has completed the path. The standard list includes ten: light, psychic knowledge, rapture, serenity, pleasure, extreme conviction, excessive effort, obsession, indifference, and contentment.

viriya
[ Buddhism ] - Persistence; energy. One of the ten perfections (paramis), the five faculties (bala; see bodhi-pakkhiya-dhamma), and the five strengths/dominant factors (indriya; see bodhi-pakkhiya-dhamma).

Vishnu
[ Hinduism ] - "All-pervasive." Supreme Deity of the followers of Vaishnavism; one of the four major religions, or denominations of Hinduism, representing roughly half of the world's one billion Hindus. It gravitates around the worship of Lord Vishnu as Personal God, His incarnations and their consorts. The doctrine of avatara,(He who descends), especially important to Vaishnavism, teaches that whenever adharma gains ascendency in the world, God takes a human birth to re-establish "the way." There are either 10, 22 or 34 avataras of Vishnu, according to various scriptures. The most renowned avataras were Rama and Krishna. The last to come will be Kalki, the harbinger of a golden age on Earth.

vitakka [vitakka]
[ Buddhism ] - Directed thought. In meditation, vitakka is the mental factor by which one's attention is applied to the chosen meditation object. Vitakka and its companion factor vicara reach full maturity upon the development of the first level of jhana.

yakkha
~ One of a special class of powerful "non-human" beings sometimes kindly, sometimes murderous and cruel corresponding roughly to the fairies and ogres of Western fairy tales. The female (yakkhini) is generally considered more treacherous than the male.