Affirmation: A short, positive prayer statement declaring as already accomplished a desired good.

Ascetics: The early companions of the historical Buddha who believed an austere life would lead to enlightenment.

Asleep: The mental state of most people while living in samsara.

Bardo: The state we enter immediately upon death. It is an in-between state, where Buddhists believe most remain for forty-nine days.

Beginner’s Mind: Young practitioner uncluttered with many concepts.

Bodhichitta: The energy of compassion, grace, love and goodness combined. The supreme medicine.

Brahma: God of the faith practiced by people at the time of the Buddha.

Buddha: The first enlightened being who reached the pinnacle of perfection and evolution. The term generally refers to the historical Buddha of 2,600 years ago.

Chakras: One of seven primary energy centers found in the body, running from the root to the crown of the head.

Clear Light: A term translated from the Sanskrit that means the subtlest light that illumines one’s reality or the entire universe. It is different from the light of celestial bodies. It is transparent rather than bright.

Consciousness: The sum total of all thoughts, feelings and emotions.

A Course in Miracles: A twentieth-century spiritual text offering a systematic method for awakening.

Dakinis: Holy, enlightened women of the celestial realms. They move about in the space of absolute reality.

Darshan: A group sitting in meditation.

Deer Park Sermon: Location of the historical Buddha’s first teaching in which he taught the Four Noble Truths.

Dhammapada: A sacred collection of the sayings and teachings of the historical Buddha.

Dharma: The entire body of Buddhist teachings. The reality of truth.

Diamond Sutra: The earliest teaching on how to respect all forms of life. The Diamond Sutra reminds us of the great teaching: “Where there is perception, there is deception.”

Eight-fold Path: The fullness of the Four Noble Truths. A formula for spiritual awakening. All eight are equally important.

Eknath Eswaran: A gifted teacher of mysticism who came to the United States in 1959 as a Fulbright scholar. All of his writings are highly recommended.

Enlightenment: An instantaneous experience of total awakening from the world of samsara. Sleeping levels of consciousness enter full awakening upon reaching enlightenment.

The Five Aggregates: Containing everything found in nature, in the world at large, and inside and outside of us, the Five Aggregates are form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness.

The Four Factors: The very nature of an enlightened person. They constitute a general spiritual practice. See The Four Immeasurables.

The Four Immeasurables: So called because the vastness of their splendor cannot be measured, they are love, compassion, joy, equanimity. Also called The Four Factors.

The Four Noble Truths: The first teaching of Buddha, which set the wheel of dharma in motion. See page 12.

The Golden Key: A creative thought offered by Emmet Fox in which one thinks about God rather than one’s own problems.

Happiness: What all sentient beings desire.

Heart Sutra: The teaching of absolute truth in which there is no birth and no death. It is not in contradiction to earlier relative truths. It simply comes from a deeper level of understanding. The Heart Sutra is exquisitely chanted by a sangha of Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns.

Hungry Ghost: An inhabitant of the so-called hell realms. One who can never be satisfied.

Illusion: The which appears real, but in actuality does not have any enduring reality.

Impermanence: The Buddhist view that nothing in this world is permanent.

Karma: The eternal cyclical law of life. Similar to but not the same as cause and effect.

Lama: A highly trained spiritual teacher.

Mantra: A sound or chant used to save the mind from distractions. Mantra literally means “saving the mind.”

Medicine Buddha: The manifestation of the healing energy of all enlightened beings. It can also be called “Spiritual Medicine.”

Meditation: Various methods to still the mind and ultimately reach one-pointed awareness.

Metaphysics: A deeper view of all of life that embraces more than just the physical.

Middle Way: A middle or balanced approach to life taught by the Buddha. Not too rigid, not too slack. Sometimes called “Middle Path.”

Nirvana: The permanent rising out of all lower states of consciousness or samsara. To dwell constantly in this elevated mind, one’s nature is merged into Buddha nature.

Noble Being: One who cares and values others as much as oneself.

Non-Self: The Second Dharma Seal, a challenging concept for the Western mind. It is not quite “oneness.” It is not a philosophy, it is an insight.

Om, Madna, Padna, Hum: The most popular mantra (or prayer) that erases and purifies negative emotions and suffering.

Perception: What we individually perceive as the truth, which may not be. Our perceptions may be true or false, and often lead to deception.

Ram Dass: A noted spiritual teacher who, as a young Harvard professor, traveled to India, found his guru and transformed his life. In the ensuing decades he has assisted millions through his clear, direct teachings. His book Be Here Now is a spiritual classic.

Refuge: A place of solace for spirit, soul and body. Refuge can be found in the Three Jewels.

Right Action: Having every action be in accord with inner essence. Conscious action.

Right Concentration: Cultivating a mind that is single-pointed.

Right Effort: Using your energy in only life-affirming ways.

Right Livelihood: Having one’s career in alignment with spiritual essence.

Right Mindfulness: Living in an awake, aware, conscious state.

Right Speech: Speaking only words that are true, beneficial and in accord with inner essence.

Right Thought: Recognizing and experiencing our true thoughts. Thinking in alignment with the greatest truths.

Right Vew: Perceiving all of life clearing and as it truly is. Looking deeply.

Rinpoche: A highly educated lama who has passed many tests after years of study. The designation can be likened to that of Ph.D.

Samsara: The myriad complexities of life with all of life’s lures and illusions. The endless cycle of birth, life and death and being stuck in that cycle.

Sangha: A community of spiritually minded people, often ordained clery, that studies and practices the Dharma.

Seeds: Thoughts held in the mind.

Shantideva: The eighth-century Buddhist master of compassion. His prayer:

His classic, A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way, has instructed for 1,300 years.

The Six Perfections: Six goals, ranging from generosity to wisdom, that enable one to cross over to the other shore of liberation, freedom and peace.

Store Consciousness: The information that fills the subconscious mind.

Sutras: Ancient sacred verses, which are most often chanted.

Tara: Several incarnations of the divine feminine found in Buddhism. The name “Tara” means “she who liberates.” One of myriad awakened beings who love and care for others.

Thich Nhat Hanh: A Zen Buddhist monk from Vietnam who now resides in the Dordogne region of France. He is regarded as a profound and perceptive teacher of Buddhism, and is the author of more than forty books.

The Three Dharma Seals: Impermanence, nonself, and nirvana. These three need to be present in any teaching in order for it to be considered true. Understanding that impermanence and nonself, teachings on time and space, lead to nirvana, liberation.

Three Filters of Consciousness: Emptiness, signlessness, aimlessness. They liberate us from fear, confusion, and sadness. Also called “Three Doors of Liberation.”

The Three Jewels: Buddha, dharma and sangha. Here we take refuge. These three are a fundamental practice of Buddhism.

Tonglin: Tibetan for giving and receiving. An eleventh-century meditation practice.

Truth: That which never changes, which is eternally the highest spiritual teaching.

Tulku: A child emanation that is pure and noble; recognized by adult lamas as being the return of a previous enlightened one.

Wheel of Dharma: A teaching by the Buddha in the Deer Park Sermon, setting the wheel in motion.