Zen & Buddhism Q&As

What are Buddhist technical terms?

Buddhism, like most other traditions of religion or learning, has developed special meanings for many words. Through the centuries, Buddhism has been practiced in a number of different languages (eg Sanskrit, Pali, Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, Korean, English) some of which have left their traces as technical terms. The bulk of terms come from Sanskrit, often with alternative forms from Pali.

Some of the many important terms are anatman, anitya, arahant, avidya, bhiksu, bodhi, bodhisattva, buddha, dana, dharma, dhyana, duhkha, hinayana, karma, jataka, mahayana, mandala, mantra, maya, mudra, nirvana, prajña, paramita, samadhi, samsara, sangha, skandha, stupa, sutra, śunyata, tantra, tathagata, tripitaka, vajrayana, vinaya.