Definitions

Definitions are how we define the world and what makes up the world around us. Without them we are just watching, seeing things as they are, and in that moment. Unfortunately though, in life we still need definitions that give us some type of foundation for survival. In my blog you may find some words that are used that don’t make any sense. In result I have listed some words and their definitions that you may find on this blog to help you better understand its meaning.

1. Anicca (One of the Three Marks)
Reflecting on impermanence (anicca) I will breathe in,’ thus he trains himself; ‘reflecting on impermanence I will breathe out,’ thus he trains himself.

‘impermanent’ (or, as abstract noun, aniccata, ‘impermanence’)

is the first of the three characteristics of existence (tilakkhana, q.v.). It is from the fact of impermanence that, in most texts, the other two characteristics, suffering (dukkha) and not-self (anatta), are derived (S.22. 15; Ud.IV. I)

“Impermanence of things is the rising, passing and changing of things, or the disappearance of things that have become or arisen. The meaning is that these things never persist in the same way, but that they are vanishing dissolving from moment to moment” (Vis.M. VII, 3).

Impermanence is a basic feature of all conditioned phenomena, be they material or mental, coarse or subtle, one’s own or external: All formations are impermanent” (sabbe sankhara anicca; M. 35, Dhp. 277). That the totality of existence is impermanent is also often stated in terms of the five aggregates (khandha, q.v.), the twelve personal and external sense bases (ayatana q.v.), etc. Only Nibbana (q.v.), which is unconditioned and not a formation (asankhata), is permanent (nicca, dhuva).

The insight leading to the first stage of deliverance, Stream-entry (sotapatti; s. ariya-puggala), is often expressed in terms of impermanence: “Whatever is subject to origination, is subject to cessation” (s. Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, S.46. 11). In his last exhortation, before his Parinibbana, the Buddha reminded his monks of the impermanence of existence as a spur to earnest effort: “Behold now, Bhikkhus, I exhort you: Formations are bound to vanish. Strive earnestly!” (vayadhamma sankhara, appamadena sampadetha; D. 16).

Without the deep insight into the impermanence and insubstantiality of all phenomena of existence there is no attainment of deliverance. Hence comprehension of impermanence gained by direct meditative experience heads two lists of insight knowledge:

• (a) contemplation of impermanence (aniccanupassana) is the first of the 18 chief kinds of insight (q.v.);
• (b) the contemplation of arising and vanishing (udayabbayanupassana-nana) is the first of 9 kinds of knowledge which lead to the ‘purification by knowledge and vision of the path-progress’ (s. visuddhi, VI). -

Contemplation of impermanence leads to the conditionless deliverance (animitta-vimokkha; s. vimokkha). As herein the faculty of confidence (saddhindriya) is outstanding, he who attains in that way the path of Stream-entry is called a faith-devotee (saddhanusari; s. ariya-puggala) and at the seven higher stages he is called faith-liberated (saddha-vimutta), – See also anicca-sanna.

Personal Definition
Reflection on the idea that everything changes and nothing is permanent no matter how much we think it is. Reflection on this idea is anicca.

2. Anatta (One of the Three Marks)
Impermanence (Sanskrit: अनित्य anitya; Pāli: अनिच्चा anicca; Tibetan: མི་​རྟག་​པ་ mi rtag pa; Chinese: 無常 wúcháng; Japanese: 無常 mujō; Thai: อนิจจัง anitchang) is one of the essential doctrines or Three marks of existence in Buddhism. The term expresses the Buddhist notion that all of conditioned existence, without exception, is in a constant state of flux.

‘not-self’, non-ego, egolessness, impersonality,

is the last of the three characteristics of existence (ti-lakkhana, q.v.) The anatta doctrine teaches that neither within the bodily and mental phenomena of existence, nor outside of them, can be found anything that in the ultimate sense could be regarded as a self-existing real ego-entity, soul or any other abiding substance.

This is the central doctrine of Buddhism, without understanding which a real knowledge of Buddhism is altogether impossible. It is the only really specific Buddhist doctrine, with which the entire Structure of the Buddhist teaching stands or falls. All the remaining Buddhist doctrines may, more or less, be found in other philosophic systems and religions, but the anatta-doctrine has been clearly and unreservedly taught only by the Buddha, wherefore the Buddha is known as the anatta-vadi, or ‘Teacher of Impersonality’.

Whosoever has not penetrated this impersonality of all existence, and does not comprehend that in reality there exists only this continually self-consuming process of arising and passing bodily and mental phenomena, and that there is no separate ego-entity within or without this process, he will not be able to understand Buddhism, i.e. the teaching of the 4 Noble Truths (sacca, q.v.), in the right light. He will think that it is his ego, his personality, that experiences suffering, his personality that performs good and evil actions and will be reborn according to these actions, his personality that will enter into Nibbana, his personality that walks on the Eightfold Path. Thus it is said in Vis.M. XVI:

“Mere suffering exists, no sufferer is found;

The deeds are, but no doer of the deeds is there;

Nibbana is, but not the man that enters it;

The path is, but no traveler on it is seen.”

“Whosoever is not clear with regard to the conditionally arisen phenomena, and does not comprehend that all the actions are conditioned through ignorance, etc., he thinks that it is an ego that understands or does not understand, that acts or causes to act, that comes to existence at rebirth … that has the sense-impression, that feels, desires, becomes attached, continues and at rebirth again enters a new existence” (Vis.M. XVII. 117).

While in the case of the first two characteristics it is stated that all formations (sabbe sankhara) are impermanent and subject to suffering, the corresponding text for the third characteristic states that “all things are not-self” (sabbe dhamma anatta; M. 35, Dhp. 279). This is for emphasizing that the false view of an abiding self or substance is neither applicable to any ‘formation’ or conditioned phenomenon, nor to Nibbana, the Unconditioned Element (asankhata dhatu).

The Anatta-lakkhana Sutta, the ‘Discourse on the Characteristic of Not-self’, was the second discourse after Enlightenment, preached by the Buddha to his first five disciples, who after hearing it attained to perfect Holiness (arahatta).

The contemplation of not-self (anattanupassana) leads to the emptiness liberation (sunnata-vimokkha, s. vimokkha). Herein the faculty of wisdom (pannindriya) is outstanding, and one who attains in that way the path of Stream-entry is called a Dhamma-devotee (dhammanusari; s. ariya-puggala); at the next two stages of sainthood he becomes a vision-attainer (ditthippatta); and at the highest stage, i.e. Holiness, he is called ‘liberated by wisdom’ (panna-vimutta).

Personal Definition
The idea that everything is constantly changing and nothing is left still. Everything is a wave, either being born or dyeing. Everything is anatta.

3. Attachment
attachment is a product of the activity of a number of behavioral systems that have proximity to a person, e.g. a mother, as a predictable outcome.[1] The concept of there being an “attachment” behavior, stage, and process, to which a growing person remains in proximity to another was developed beginning in 1956 by British developmental psychologist John Bowlby. According to Bowlby, the concept of proximity attachment has its origins in Charles Darwin’s 1856 Origin of Species, which “sees instinctive behavior as the outcome of behavioral structures that are activated by certain conditions and terminated by other conditions”, Sigmund Freud’s 1905 Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality and his 1915 Instincts and their Vicissitudes, which according to Bowlby “postulates part-instincts, differentiates the aim of an instinct, namely the conditions that terminate instinctive behavior, and its function, and notes how labile are the objects towards which any particular sort of instinctive behavior is directed”, and Konrad Lorenz’s 1937 theory of imprinting.[1] The 2001 book The Ontogeny of Human Bonding Systems by research psychiatrist Warren B. Miller and academic psychologist Joseph L. Rodgers offers an alternative approach to Bowlby, based on social bonding theory.[2]

Personal Definition
Attachment is the delusion of what is not. It is the idea that events are something you can grasp, something we can hold on to, which in result causes suffering.

4. Bodhisattva
One who aspires to enlightenment, or Buddhahood. Bodhi means enlightenment, and sattva, a living being. In Hinayana Buddhism, the term is used almost exclusively to indicate Shakyamuni Buddha in his previous lifetimes. The Jataka, or “birth stories” (which recount his past existences), often refer to him as “the bodhisattva.” After the rise of Mahayana, bodhisattva came to mean anyone who aspires to enlightenment and carries out altruistic practice. Mahayana practitioners used it to refer to themselves, thus expressing the conviction that they would one day attain Buddhahood. In contrast with the Hinayana ideal embodied by the voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones who direct their efforts solely toward personal salvation, Mahayana sets forth the ideal of the bodhisattva who seeks enlightenment both for self and others, even postponing one’s entry into nirvana in order to lead others to that goal. The predominant characteristic of a bodhisattva is therefore compassion.According to Mahayana tradition, upon embarking on their practice of the six paramitas, bodhisattvas make four universal vows: (1) to save innumerable living beings, (2) to eradicate countless earthly desires, (3) to master immeasurable Buddhist teachings, and (4) to attain the supreme enlightenment. The six paramitas are (1) almsgiving, (2) keeping the precepts, (3) forbearance, (4) assiduousness, (5) meditation, and (6) the obtaining of wisdom. Some sutras divide bodhisattva practice into fifty-two stages, ranging from initial resolution to the attainment of enlightenment. Bodhisattva practice was generally thought to require successive lifetimes spanning many kalpas to complete. From the standpoint of the Lotus Sutra, which recognizes that one can attain Buddhahood in one’s present form, the bodhisattva practice can be completed in a single life-time.In Japan, the title bodhisattva was occasionally given to eminent priests by the imperial court, or by their followers as an epithet of respect. It also was applied to deities. When Buddhism was introduced to Japan, deities of the Japanese pantheon were regarded as afflicted with an assort-ment of flaws, delusions, and vices. Later, their status was raised when they were identified with bodhisattvas due to the syncretism of Buddhism and Shintoism. Great Bodhisattva Hachiman is an example of this.In terms of the concept of the Ten Worlds, the world of bodhisattvas constitutes the ninth of the Ten Worlds, describing a state characterized by compassion in which one seeks enlightenment both for oneself and others. In this state, one finds satisfaction in devoting oneself to reliev-ing the suffering of others and leading them to happiness, even if it costs one one’s life. See also fifty-two stages of bodhisattva practice.

Personal Definition
Someone who seeks to be enlightened and vows to save the many beings.

6. Buddha and Buddh
One enlightened to the eternal and ultimate truth that is the reality of all things, and who leads others to attain the same enlightenment. Buddha was originally a common word meaning awakened one or enlightened one, referring to those who attained any kind of religious awakening. In Buddhism, it refers to one who has become awakened to the ultimate truth of all things and phenomena. In this context, the term Buddha at first was applied exclusively to Shakyamuni. Later, however, with the development of Buddha as an ideal, numerous Buddhas appeared in Mahayana scriptures. These include such Buddhas as Amida and Medicine Master. Expressions such tences” communicate the idea that Buddhas, or the potential for enlightenment they represent, pervade the universe and are eternally present.Various definitions of Buddha are set forth in Buddhist teachings. In Hinayana teachings, it means one who has entered the state of nirvana, in which both body and mind are extinguished. Mahayana teachings generally maintain that one becomes a Buddha only after innumerable kalpas of austere and meritorious practices, by eradicating illusions and earthly desires and acquiring the thirty-two features of a Buddha. The Lotus Sutra views Buddha as one who manifests the three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent, who is enlightened to the true aspect of all phenomena, and who teaches it to people to save them from suffering. Phi-losophy based on the Lotus Sutra, including that of T’ient’ai and Nichiren who regarded the sutra as Shakyamuni’s most profound teaching, recognizes the potential of every person to become a Buddha.

Personal Definition
One who is enlightened

7. Causality/Conditionality
refers to the relationship between an event (the cause) and a second event (the effect), where the second event is a direct consequence of the first.

Personal Definition
The relationship between cause and effect where our causes are the delusions and the effect are the dukkha.

8. Compassion (One of the Four Immeasurables)
In Buddhism, altruistic action that seeks to relieve living beings from their sufferings and give ease and delight to them. An outstanding characteristic of bodhisattvas is a mind of pity and compassion that seeks to save others even at the risk of their own lives. A Buddha is revered as one who shares in the torments of all living beings and strives to release all beings from suffering and bring them happiness. The Nirvana Sutra says, “The varied sufferings of all living beings—all these the Thus Come One himself undergoes as his own sufferings.”

Personal Definition
Helping others for no gain.

9. Craving/Desire: trsna
The wisdom king Craving-Filled. A Buddhist deity who is said to purify earthly desires and free people from the illusions and sufferings caused by earthly desires. Craving-Filled belongs to a group of deities, called the wisdom kings, who are said to destroy all obstacles. Raga in his Sanskrit name means passion, love, affection, and desire; and to be dyed or saturated, as with emotion, desire, or love; raja means king. In Esoteric Buddhism, his true identity is regarded as Vajrasattva. Craving-Filled appears on the Diamond Realm mandala and is depicted with three eyes, six arms, and a furious face. He holds a bow and arrows in his hands. On the Gohonzon, the object of devotion inscribed by Nichiren (1222-1282), his name appears on the left as one faces it, and symbolizes the principle that earthly desires are enlightenment. See also earthly desires are enlightenment.

Personal Definition
Grasping onto things that bring us pain or temporary happiness.

10. Dharma (its various meanings)
A term fundamental to Buddhism, dharma derives from the root dhri, which means to preserve, main-tain, keep, or uphold. It has a wide variety of meanings, including law, truth, doctrine, the Buddha’s teaching, decree, observance, conduct, duty, virtue, morality, religion, justice, nature, quality, character, characteris-tic, essence, elements of existence, or phenomena.Some of the more common usages are: (1) (Often capitalized) The Law, or ultimate truth. For example, Kumarajiva translated saddharma, the Sanskrit word that literally means Correct Law, as Wonderful Law or Mystic Law, indicating the unfathomable truth or Law that governs all phenomena. (2) The teaching of the Buddha that reveals the Law. Dharma of abhidharma means the Buddha’s doctrine, or the sutras. (3) (Often plural) Manifestations of the Law, i.e., phenomena, things, facts, or existences. The word phenomena in “the true aspect of all phenomena” is the translation of dharmas. (4) The elements of existence, which, according to the Hinayana schools, are the most basic constituents of the individual and his or her reality. (5) Norms of conduct leading to the accumulation of good karma.The word dharma is a component of the names of many Indian Buddhist monks, including Dharmagupta, Dharmaraksha, Dharmamitra, Dharmapala, Dharmayashas, Dharmakala, and Bodhidharma.

Personal Definition
The truth or reality of the now. The world without delusion.

11. Dukkha (One of the Three marks)
suffering
(Skt duhukha; Pali dukkha; Jpn ku ) Buddhism describes various categories of suffering, such as the four sufferings and the eight sufferings. The Sanskrit term duhukha (duhkha according to standard alphabetization) is rendered as suffering. It also means uneasiness, pain, sorrow, trouble, or difficulty. Shakyamuni’s renunciation of the world and quest for enlightenment was motivated by a desire to find a solution to the four sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death. The first of the four noble truths, which Shakyamuni is said to have taught in his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, is the truth of suffering, i.e., the truth that all existence is suffering. Thus, the seeking and attaining of the way of release from suffering became the object of Buddhist practice. The doctrine that all existence is suffering constitutes one of the four Dharma seals, the four basic identifying principles of Buddhism; the other three are that all existence is impermanent, that nothing has an independent existence of its own, and that nirvana, enlightenment, is tranquil and quiet. See also four sufferings; eight sufferings.

Personal Definition
Dukkha is (view here)

12. Ego, Egoism: We seek maturation, not elimination.
Egotism is the motivation to maintain and enhance favorable views of oneself. Egotism means placing oneself at the center of one’s world with no direct concern for others.

It is closely related to narcissism, or “loving one’s self,” and the possible tendency to speak or write of oneself boastfully and at great length. Egotism may coexist with delusions of one’s own importance, even at the denial of others. This conceit is a character trait describing a person who acts to gain values in an amount excessively greater than that which he/she gives to others. Egotism is often accomplished by exploiting the altruism, irrationality and ignorance of others, as well as utilizing coercive force and/or fraud.

Egotism differs from both altruism, or acting to gain fewer values than are being given, and egoism, the belief that gaining more values than given is permissible. Various forms of “empirical egoism” can be consistent with egotism, as long as the value of one’s own self-benefit is entirely

Personal Definition
The idea of self, where the mind has created the self to be the mind and nothing more. It has made an I or thing in which that encompasses all of self.

13. Equanimity: (One of the Four Immeasurables)
Equanimity is a peace of mind and abiding calmness that cannot be shaken by any grade of unfortunate circumstance. It is a concept promoted by several major religious groups.

Personal Definition
The realization of truth and where happiness comes from. The never ending happiness found in reality of the moment.

14. Happiness
Happiness is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy.[1] A variety of philosophical, religious, psychological and biological approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources.

Philosophers and religious thinkers often define happiness in terms of living a good life, or flourishing, rather than simply as an emotion. Happiness in this older sense was used to translate the Greek Eudaimonia, and is still used in virtue ethics.

While direct measurement of happiness presents challenges, tools such as The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire have been developed by researchers. Positive psychology researchers use theoretical models that include describing happiness as consisting of positive emotions and positive activities, or that describe three kinds of happiness: pleasure, engagement, and meaning.

Research has identified a number of attributes that correlate with happiness: relationships and social interaction, extraversion, marital status, employment, health, democratic freedom, optimism, religious involvement, income and proximity to other happy people.

Happiness economics suggests that measures of public happiness should be used to supplement more traditional economic measures when evaluating the success of public policy.

Personal Definition
The feeling that is received in reaction to pleasant feelings.

15. Interdependent Co-Arising: Pratītyasamutpāda
The doctrine of pratītyasamutpāda (Sanskrit; Pali: paticcasamuppāda; Tibetan: rten.cing.’brel.bar.’byung.ba; Chinese: 緣起), often translated as “Dependent Arising,” is an important part of Buddhist metaphysics. It states that phenomena arise together in a mutually interdependent web of cause and effect. It is variously rendered into English as “dependent origination”, “conditioned genesis”, “dependent co-arising”, “interdependent arising”, or “contingency”.

Personal Definition
Karma as well as causality can be described in this way. Things arise together never by self. The product dukkha is caused by the fuel of dukkha.

16. Karma: Intentional Action
Potentials in the inner, uncon-scious realm of life created through one’s actions in the past or present that manifest themselves as various results in the present or future. Karma is a variation of the Sanskrit karman, which means act, action, a former act leading to a future result, or result. Buddhism interprets karma in two ways: as indicating three categories of action, i.e., mental, verbal, and physical, and as indicating a dormant force thereby produced. That is, one’s thought, speech, and behavior, both good and bad, imprint themselves as a latent force or potential in one’s life.This latent force, or karma, when activated by an external stimulus, produces a corresponding good or bad effect, i.e., happiness or suffering. There are also neutral acts that produce neither good nor bad results. According to this concept of karma, one’s actions in the past have shaped one’s present reality, and one’s actions in the present will in turn influ-ence one’s future. This law of karmic causality operates in perpetuity, car-rying over from one lifetime to the next and remaining with one in the latent state between death and rebirth.It is karma, therefore, that accounts for the circumstances of one’s birth, one’s individual nature, and in general the differences among all living beings and their environments. It was traditionally viewed as a natural process in which no god or deity could intervene. The Hindu gods, in fact, were subject to the same law of karma as people, having become gods supposedly through the creation of good karma. The idea of karma predates Buddhism and was already prevalent in Indian society well before the time of Shakyamuni. This pre-Buddhist view of karma, however, had an element of determinism, serving more to explain one’s lot in life and compel one to accept it than inspiring hope for change or transforma-tion. The Brahmans, who were at the top of the Indian class structure by birth, may well have emphasized this view to secure their own role. The idea of karma was further developed, however, in the Buddhist teachings.Shakyamuni maintained that what makes a person noble or humble is not birth but one’s actions. Therefore the Buddhist doctrine of karma is not fatalistic. Rather, karma is viewed not only as a means to explain the present, but also as the potential force through which to influence one’s future. Mahayana Buddhism holds that the sum of actions and experiences of the present and previous lifetimes are accumulated and stored as karma in the depths of life and will form the framework of in-dividual existence in the next lifetime. Buddhism therefore encourages people to create the best possible karma in the present in order to ensure the best possible outcome in the future. In terms of time, some types of karma produce effects in the present lifetime, others in the next lifetime, and still others in subsequent lifetimes. This depends on the nature, intensity, and repetitiveness of the acts that caused them. Only those types of karma that are extremely good or bad will last into future existences. The other, more minor, types will produce results in this lifetime. Those that are neither good nor bad will bring about no results.Karma is broadly divided into two types: fixed and unfixed. Fixed karma is said to produce a fixed result—that is, for any given fixed karma there is a specific effect that will become manifest at a specific time. In the case of unfixed karma, any of various results or general outcomes might arise at an indeterminate time. Irrespective of these differences, the Buddhist philosophy of karma, particularly that of Mahayana Buddhism, is not fatalistic. No ill effect is so fixed or predetermined that good karma from Buddhist practice in the present cannot transform it for the better. Moreover, any type of karma needs interaction with the corresponding conditions to become manifest. See also fixed karma; unfixed karma.

Personal Definition
The reaction to any action, the cause and its effect. If you intend to cause dukkha you will cause dukkha. If you provide fuel to the fire of dukkha, dukkha will exist. If you end the source of the fire, the fire will go out. Cause and effect.

17. Letting Go

18. Loving Kindness: (One of the Four Immeasurables)

19. The Middle Way
In general, the Middle Way or Middle Path (Sanskrit: madhyamā-pratipad; Pali: majjhimā paṭipadā)[1] is the Buddhist practice of non-extremism.[2]

More specifically, in Theravada Buddhism’s Pali Canon, the Middle Way crystallizes the Buddha’s Nirvana-bound path of moderation away from the extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification and toward the practice of wisdom, morality and mental cultivation[citation needed]. In later Theravada texts as well as in Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, the Middle Way refers to the concept, enunciated in the Canon, of direct knowledge that transcends seemingly antithetical claims about existence.[3]
In Theravada Buddhism’s Pali Canon, the phrase “middle way” is ascribed to the Buddha himself in his description of the Noble Eightfold Path as a path between the extremes of austerities and sensual indulgence[citation needed]. Later Pali literature has also used the phrase “middle way” to refer to the Buddha’s teaching of dependent origination as a view between the extremes of eternalism and annihilationism.

Personal Definition
Not taking things to extremes. The idea that we can still obtain enlightenment by not killing ourselves, or putting our bodies in so much pain because we are not taking part in anything that does with this world. The idea that in order to think we must take care of our needs as well as not dwelling into delusions. We must take the middle path, or both worlds.

20. Mindfulness
Mindfulness is calm awareness of one’s body functions, feelings, content of consciousness, or consciousness itself. Mindfulness (Pali: sati; Sanskrit: smṛti स्मृति) plays a central role in the teaching of the Buddha where it is affirmed that “correct” or “right” mindfulness (Pali:sammā-sati; Sanskrit samyak-smṛti) is the critical factor in the path to liberation and subsequent enlightenment. It is the seventh element of the Noble Eightfold Path, the practice of which supports analysis resulting in the development of wisdom (Sanskrit: prajñā). The Satipatthana Sutta is one of the foremost early texts dealing with mindfulness. A key innovative teaching of the Buddha was that meditative absorption should be combined with the practice of vipassana.[1] For more on the concept in early Buddhism, also see sampajañña.

Personal Definition
Watching ones own thoughts or actions, and understanding reality.

21. Nirvana
Enlightenment, the ultimate goal of Buddhist practice. The Sanskrit word nirvana means “blown out” and is variously translated as extinction, emancipation, ces-sation, quiescence, or non-rebirth. Nirvana was originally regarded as the state in which all illusions and desires as well as the cycle of birth and death are extinguished. Hinayanists distinguish two types of nirvana. The first is that of the arhat who has eliminated all illusions and will no longer be reborn in the six paths, but who is still bound to the world of suffering in that he possesses a body. This is called the nirvana of remain-der or incomplete nirvana. The second is that which the arhat achieves at death, when both body and mind—the sources of suffering—are extin-guished. This is called the nirvana of no remainder or complete nirvana. Because Hinayana Buddhism teaches that the ultimate goal of practice can only be achieved at death, it was called the teaching of “reducing the body to ashes and annihilating consciousness.” Mahayanists criticized the practice directed toward this goal as escapist and indifferent to the salvation of others, and probably derogatively coined the above phrase. In Mahayana Buddhism, nirvana came to mean not so much an exit from the phenomenal world as an awakening to the true nature of phenomena, or the attainment of Buddha wisdom. Even in Mahayana sutras, however, this attainment is regarded as requiring the elimination of earthly desires in the same manner as expounded in the Hinayana teachings. Therefore, it is taught that nirvana requires an immeasurably long period to achieve.In contrast, the Lotus Sutra teaches that, by awakening to one’s innate Buddha nature, one can reach the state of nirvana in his or her present form as an ordinary person who possesses earthly desires and undergoes the sufferings of birth and death. It reveals the principle that the sufferings of birth and death are none other than nirvana. From the standpoint of the Lotus Sutra, birth and death are two integral phases of eternal life. Nirvana, therefore, is not the cessation of birth and death, but a state of enlightenment experienced as one repeats the cycle of birth and death.The sufferings of birth and death and nirvana, or enlightenment, are inseparable: it is not necessary to extinguish one in order to attain the other. These sufferings belong to the nine worlds, and nirvana, to the world of Buddhahood. The nine worlds and the world of Buddhahood are mutually inclusive. By manifesting the state of Buddhahood, one enjoys nirvana while repeating the cycle of birth and death.

Personal Definition
The realization of reality. Understanding the beauty in all things, the interconnection between all things. The waking up and release of the cycle of rebirth.

22. Nutriment
Nutrition (also called nourishment or aliment) is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary (in the form of food) to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet.

The diet of an organism is what it eats, and is largely determined by the perceived palatability of foods. Dietitians are health professionals who specialize in human nutrition, meal planning, economics, and preparation. They are trained to provide safe, evidence-based dietary advice and management to individuals (in health and disease), as well as to institutions.

A poor diet can have an injurious impact on health, causing deficiency diseases such as scurvy, beriberi, and kwashiorkor; health-threatening conditions like obesity and metabolic syndrome, and such common chronic systemic diseases as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis.
Personal Definition
Providing for the body and mind things that are quality and true. Helping the body and mind grow.

Nekkhamma
word generally translated as “renunciation” while also conveying more specifically “giving up the world and leading a holy life” or “freedom from lust, craving and desires.”[1] In Buddhism’s Noble Eightfold Path, nekkhamma is the first practice associated with “Right Intention.” In the Theravada list of ten perfections, nekkhamma is the third practice of “perfection.”

Renunciation as right intention

In the Pali Canon, in a discourse in which the Buddha describes antecedents precipitating his Awakening, the Buddha divided his thoughts between those that impair discernment, cause affliction and deter one from Nirvana on the one hand, and those that have the opposite effect.[2] In the former category, he included thoughts permeated with sensuality, ill-will and harmfulness; in the latter, thoughts permeated with renunciation, non-ill will and harmlessness:

“Whatever a monk keeps pursuing with his thinking & pondering, that becomes the inclination of his awareness. If a monk keeps pursuing thinking imbued with renunciation, abandoning thinking imbued with sensuality, his mind is bent by that thinking imbued with renunciation. If a monk keeps pursuing thinking imbued with non-ill will, abandoning thinking imbued with ill will, his mind is bent by that thinking imbued with non-ill will. If a monk keeps pursuing thinking imbued with harmlessness, abandoning thinking imbued with harmfulness, his mind is bent by that thinking imbued with harmlessness.”[3]

These latter three types of thought content — renunciation, non-ill will and harmlessness — comprise the traditional triadic definition of the Noble Eightfold Path’s notion of “Right Intention” (Pali: sammā-saṅkappa; Skt.: samyak-saṃkalpa).[4] For each of the former types of thought content — sensuality, ill will and harmfulness — the Buddha stated:

“Whenever thinking imbued with sensuality [or ill will or harmfulness] had arisen, I simply abandoned it, destroyed it, dispelled it, wiped it out of existence.”[5]

23. Papanca
In Buddhism, Conceptual Proliferation or Self-Reflexive Thinking (Pali: papañca, Sanskrit prapañca) refers to the deluded conceptualization of the world through the use of ever-expanding language and concepts, all rooted in the delusion of self; it is intended to elucidate reality although it has the unexpected result of distorting it and\or creating a false perceptual reality.

The term is mentioned in a variety of suttas in the Pali canon, such as the Madhupindika Sutta (MN 18) and is mentioned in Mahayana Buddhism as well. When referencing the concepts derived from this dubious process, such concepts are referred to in Pali as “Papañca-sañña-sankha”.

Personal Definition
The nonsense thinking that occurs to the mind when it is trapped or unable to think in a habitable way. It makes things up to think about that have no meaning.

24. Samsara
Transmigration. The cycle of birth and death that ordinary people undergo in the world of illusion and suffering. In India, the theory of transmigration first appeared in Upanishad philosophy, before the rise of Buddhism, in the eighth or seventh century B.C.E. Buddhism holds that ordinary people undergo an endless cycle of birth and death within the threefold world (the worlds of desire, form, and formlessness) and among the six paths (the realms of hell, hungry spirits, animals, asuras, human beings, and heavenly beings). This repeated cycle of birth and death in the realms of illusion and suffering is referred to as “transmigration in the six paths.” Unen-lightened beings are born into one of the six paths in accordance with their actions in their previous existence; when the present life is over, they are reborn in the same or another of the six paths, repeating this process so long as they fail to free themselves from it. The Buddhist concept of emancipation (Skt vimoksha ) means libera-tion from this repeated cycle of birth and death in the realms of illusion and suffering. Freeing oneself from transmigration in the six paths was considered the goal of Buddhist practice. The causes for such transmi-gration were regarded as ignorance of the true nature of life and self-ish craving. Liberation from them required awakening to the truth and eliminating selfish craving, and was considered to lead to the attainment of nirvana, or emancipation.

Personal Definition
The cycle of birth and death and rebirth from death.

25. Sangha
Also, sangha. The Buddhist Order, or the community of Buddhist believers. One of the three treasures of Buddhism, the other two being the Buddha and his teachings. Samgha refers specifically to the group of monks and nuns who renounced secular life and dedicated themselves to Buddhist practice night and day, but in a broad sense includes all Buddhist practitioners: monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. The Sanskrit term originally meant a collective body or assembly and later came to refer to the body of Buddhist practitioners. In the early stage of Buddhism, a body of at least four monks or nuns living in a communal arrangement was called a samgha, designation of a community for practicing the Buddha’s teaching, preserving it, and transmitting it to the future. Because this role was considered so important, the samgha was regarded together with the Buddha and his teachings as deserving of devotion and protection. With the rise of Mahayana Buddhism, the samgha came to refer to the body of Mahayana practitioners, or bodhisattvas, including monks, nuns, or laypersons. See also three trea-sures.

Personal Definition
The Buddha and his teachings of his way.

26. Skillful: (see wholesome)
A skill (also called talent) is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills. For example, in the domain of work, some general skills would include time management, teamwork and leadership, self motivation and others, whereas domain-specific skills would be useful only for a certain job. Skill usually requires a certain environmental stimuli and situation to assess the level of skill being shown and used.

Personal Definition
Understanding of how to do a task. Knowing the way.

27. Sunyata: Emptiness
Śūnyatā, शून्यता (Sanskrit noun from the adj. sūnya – ‘void’ ), Suññatā (Pāli; adj. suñña), stong pa nyid (Tibetan), Kòng/Kū, 空 (Chinese/Japanese), Gong-seong, 공성(空性) (Korean), qoɣusun (Mongolian) meaning “Emptiness” or “Voidness”, is a characteristic of phenomena arising from the fact (as observed and taught by the Buddha) that the impermanent nature of form means that nothing possesses essential, enduring identity (see anattā). In the Buddha’s spiritual teaching, insight into the emptiness of phenomena (Pali: suññatānupassanā) is an aspect of the cultivation of insight (vipassanā-bhāvanā) that leads to wisdom and inner peace. The importance of this insight is especially emphasised in Mahayana Buddhism, and receives a more ‘positive’ explication in the Tathagatagarbha sutras.

Personal Definition
The voidness the is experienced during meditation and enlightenment that is the absence of thought.

28. Sympathetic Joy: (One of the Four Immeasurables)
Mudita is a Buddhist (Pali and Sanskrit: मुदित) word meaning rejoicing in others’ joy. Mudita is sometimes considered to be the opposite of schadenfreude.

The term mudita is usually translated as “sympathetic” or “altruistic” joy, the pleasure that comes from delighting in other people’s well-being rather than begrudging it. Many Buddhist teachers interpret mudita more broadly as referring to an inner spring of infinite joy that is available to everyone at all times, regardless of circumstances. The more deeply one drinks of this spring, the more secure one becomes in one’s own abundant happiness, and the easier it then becomes to relish the joy of other people as well.

The traditional example of the mind-state of mudita is the attitude of a parent observing a growing child’s accomplishments and successes.

Mudita is also traditionally regarded as the most difficult of the brahmaviharas to cultivate. To show mudita is to celebrate happiness and achievement in others even when we are facing tragedy ourselves.[1]

According to buddhist teacher Ayya Khema showing mudita towards sadistic joy is wrong, there should be compassion instead.

The “far enemies” of mudita are jealousy and envy, two mind-states in obvious opposition. Mudita’s “near enemy,” or quality which superficially resembles mudita but is in fact more subtly in opposition to it, is exhilaration, perceived as a grasping at pleasant experience out of a sense of insufficiency or lack.

29. Tathata: suchness
Thusness, such-ness, essential nature, true nature, or truth. Tathata is a fundamental concept in Mahayana philosophy and is interpreted as the true nature of all phenomena or as the original state of things. A Buddha is regarded as one who observes things exactly as they are and who perceives the true nature of all things.

30. The Three Root Poisons: Individually: Hatred or Anger, Greed or Craving, Ignorance or Delusion

In Mahayana Buddhism, the mūla kleśa (English: root poisons) of the Twelve Nidānas are:

1. ignorance (Sanskrit: Avidyā; Tibetan: ma rig pa)
2. attachment (Sanskrit: Upādāna; Tibetan: len pa)
3. craving (Sanskrit: Tṛṣṇā; Tibetan: sred pa)

In other enumerations of the mula kleśa, hatred or anger (Sanskrit: dveṣa; Tib.: ཞེ་སྡང་ zhe sdang; 瞋 Cn: chēn; Jp: jin; Vi: sân) is substituted for ignorance.

These three mula kleśa are rendered into English as the “Three Poisons” and are symbolized by the Gankyil.

These three klesas specifically refer to the subtle movement of mind (Sanskrit: citta) when it initially encounters a mental object. In Buddhist conceptions of the mind, “mental object” refers to any object which the mind perceives, be it a thought, emotion or object perceived by the physical senses. If the mind initially reacts by moving towards the mental object, seeking it out, or attaching to it, the experience and results will be tinged by the upādāna klesha. Unpleasant objects or experiences are often met by aversion, or the mind moving away from the object, which is the root for hatred and anger to arise in relation to the object.
[edit] Five Poisons

The Five Poisons (Sanskrit: pañca-kleśa; Tibetan: Japanese: go-shō), also known as the Five Disturbing Emotions are:

1. Passion (desire, greed, lust, etc.)
2. Aggression (anger, hatred, resentment etc.)
3. Ignorance (bewilderment, confusion, apathy etc.)
4. Pride (wounded pride, low-self esteem etc.)
5. Jealousy (envy, paranoia etc.)

Personal Definition
The five causes of dukkha as well as delusion in the world.

31. Wholesome/Unwholesome and Skillful/Unskillful

32. Wisdom/Insight
Wisdom is the quality or state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight[1] It is an ideal that has been celebrated since antiquity as the application of knowledge needed to live a good life[citation needed]. Beyond simply knowing/understanding what options are available, “Wisdom” provides the ability to differentiate between them and choose the one that is best. What this means exactly depends on the various wisdom schools and traditions claiming to help foster it. In general, these schools have emphasized various combination’s of the following: knowledge, understanding, [experience] discipline, discretion, and intuitive understanding, along with a capacity to apply these qualities well towards finding solutions to problems. In many traditions, the terms wisdom and intelligence have somewhat overlapping meanings; in others they are arranged hierarchically, with intelligence being necessary but not sufficient for wisdom.

Neo-Platonists like Cusanus, endorsed a ‘docta ignorantia’ in which the greatest wisdom was to recognize one’s own ignorance of the divine.

Personal Definition
Knowing truth of all things.