Glossary

Arahant: A “worthy one” or “pure one;” a person whose mind is free of defilement and thus is not destined for further rebirth. A title for the Buddha and the highest level of his noble disciples. Sanskrit form: Arhat.

Āsava: Effluent; fermentation. A tendency that flows out of the mind, leading to further rebirth. The Canon identifies three types: sensuality, becoming, and ignorance.

Brahmā: An inhabitant of the highest heavenly realms of form or formlessness.

Brahman: A member of the priestly caste, which claimed to be the highest caste in India, based on birth. In a specifically Buddhist usage, “brahman” can also mean a fully awakened person, conveying the point that excellence is based not on birth or race, but on qualities attained in the heart and mind.

Dhamma: (1) Event; action; (2) a phenomenon in and of itself; (3) mental quality; (4) doctrine, teaching; (5) object of the mind; (6) the realization of nibbāna. (There are passages describing nibbāna itself as the abandoning of all dhammas). When capitalized in this book, Dhamma means teaching. Sanskrit form: Dharma.

Dukkha: Pain, suffering, stress. Sanskrit form: Duhkha.

Gotama: The Buddha’s clan name.

Jhāna: Mental absorption. A state of strong concentration, devoid of sensuality or unskillful thoughts, focused on a single physical sensation or mental notion which is then expanded to fill the whole range of one’s awareness. Jhāna is synonymous with right concentration, the eighth factor in the noble eightfold path. Sanskrit form: Dhyāna.

Kamma: Intentional act. Sanskrit form: Karma.

Māra: The personification of death, temptation, and all forces, within and without, that create obstacles to release from the round of rebirth..

Nibbāna: Literally, the “unbinding” of the mind from passion, aversion, and delusion, and from the entire round of death and rebirth. As this term also denotes the extinguishing of a fire, it carries connotations of stilling, cooling, and peace. (According to the physics taught at the time of the Buddha, the property of fire exists in a latent state to a greater or lesser degree in all objects. When activated, it seizes and clings to its fuel. When extinguished, it lets go and is unbound.) Sanskrit form: Nirvāṇa.

Pāli: The name of the oldest extant complete Canon of the Buddha’s teachings and, by extension, of the language in which it was composed.

Saṅkhāra: Fabrication. The process by which the mind intentionally constructs its experiences (whether or not it is aware of what it is doing), and the constructed experiences that result.

Tathāgata: Literally, “one who has become authentic (tatha-āgata),” or “one who is really gone (tatha-gata),” an epithet used in ancient India for a person who has attained the highest religious goal. In the Pali Canon, this usually denotes the Buddha, although occasionally it also denotes any of his fully awakened disciples.