Key Terms in Buddhism:

  • anatman:  the state of nonsoulness that, according to the Buddha, was the natural state of humanity
  • arhat:  state of sainthood in Buddhism
  • Dalai Lama:  Leader of Tibetan Buddhism and, until 1950, the spiritual and political ruler of Tibet
  • koan:  literally means, "case study"; a riddle, tale, or short statement used by Zen masters to bring students to sudden insight
  • Mahayana:  literally means, "the expansive way," or "the big raft"; the largest branch of Buddhism
  • Nirvana:  literall means, "blowing out," or "extinguish"; cessation of human individuality and suffering
  • Pure Land Buddhism:  version of Mahayana Buddhism popular in Japan; it teaches that its devotees can achieve a paradise, called the 'Pure Land of the West,' after their deaths
  • Sangha:  Buddhist monastic order
  • tanha:  desire, thirst, or craving; a concept identified by Buddha as that which causes suffering
  • Theravada:  literally means, "the tradition of the elders"; the smaller branch of Buddhism
  • Zen Buddhism:  Form of Mahayana Buddhism that teaches that the real truth about life comes from intuitive flashes of insight

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