Glossary

Samadhi. Concentration attained through meditation. There are many types and levels of samadhi.

Samsara. The relentless cycle of repeated birth and death in which ordinary, unenlightened sentient beings are deeply entangled. The cause of Samsara is the presence of defilements, particularly greed, hatred and delusion. Also known as cycles of hirth and death. See also: Transmigm tion.

Samyak-sambuddha. One of the ten titles that all Buddhas have. It means "Proper and Equal Enlightenment".

Sangha. The monastic order of Buddhist monks and nuns. See also: Triple Jewel.

Sanskrit. The ancient spoken and written language of India, in which the canonical texts of the Mahayana are composed.

School of Tian Tai. A major Mahayana school that takes the Lotus Sutra as its principal text. Historically, it has had a close relationship with Pure Land.

School of Vajrayana. Tibetan Buddhism. It is hierarchical and presided over by the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama.

Seven noble wealth and seven precious wealth. Seven noble wealth are faith, precepts, repentance, reformation, ability to hear the proper Dharma, giving and wisdom. The seven precious wealth are the seven types of worldly jewels that are gold, silver, lazuli, crystal, sapphire, rosy pearls and cornelian.

Seven Tathagatas. During the meal offering ceremony to the beings in the ghost realm, the names of these seven Buddhas are recited as follows:

1) Pra-bhuta-ratna; 2) Ratna-shikhin; 3) Surupaya; 4) Vipula Gatra;

5) Abhyam Kara; 6) Amrta Rajaya; 7) Amitabhaya.

Shakyamuni Buddha. The only Buddha to appear in the world in the so-called historical period. Born in India as a prince named Siddartha Gautama, he renounced wealth, pleasures, family, and royal position and became a wandering mendicant. After six years of extreme asceticism in the Himalayas, he sat under the Bodhi Tree for forty-nine days and realised perfect enlightenment. For forty-nine years he travelled widely in India and taught living beings the Way to Buddhahood. At the age of eighty he entered Maha Parinirvana.

Sharira. Relics or ashes left after the cremation of a Buddha or sage, placed in stupas (pagodas) and worshipped.

Six desires. The desire of form, desire of appearance and countenance, desire of dignified manner and conduct, desire of speech and sound, desire of smoothness and suppleness, desire of the mark of person.

Six paths. The paths within the realm of Birth and Death. They Include the paths of gods, humans, Asuras, animals, hungry ghosts, and hell-beings. Also known as Six realms.

Six realms. See Six paths.

Southern Buddhism. Also known as Theravada Buddhism, Early Buddhism. One of the two major streams of Buddhistn, the other being Mahayana. The general name for the early Buddhism propagated after Asoka in the south of India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, etc. The scriptures preserved in these countries are written in the Pali language and belong to the Theravada teachings. Practitioners aim at attaining the state of Arhat. It is distinguished from Mahayana in putting emphasis on one's own liberation, whereas the teaching of Mahayana stresses the attainment of Buddhahood for all sentient beings. Unlike Mahayana schools, the Theravada tradition makes no mention of Amitabha Buddha, the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, etc. or the Pure Land. Theravadins believe mainly in Shakyamuni Buddha and the Maitreya Bodhisattva, but not in the numerous transhistorical Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the Mahayana tradition. This is because Theravada stresses the historical Buddha and His early teachings, applying the term Bodhisattvamainly to the previous incarnations of Shakyamuni Buddha.

Sramana. See Sangha.

Stupas. Structures or mounds that hold the relics (sharira) and other remains, such as teeth, bones and so forth, of sages, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas.

Sutras. Records of the sermons and conversations of the Buddhas and/ or the Bodhisattvas or other enlightened disciples of the Buddha.