Naming enable the noble-minded to speak, and speech enables the noble-minded to act. Therefore, the noble-minded are anything but careless in speech.The Rectification of Names clarifies the antecedents of the names and presents them as they truly are. These antecedents have their own character, and should not be confused with other entities. I think of Wallace Stevens' sarcastic poem, "Oak Leaves are Hands." Of course, while everything has its own identity, everything is a part of everything else.
--Confucius*
*David Hinton, trans., The Analects: Confucius (Washington, D.C.: Counterpoint, 1998). p. 140.
This is beyond the Confucian realm, and is a Buddhist expression that leads to a realization of the fundamental lack of anything exclusive. Everything is unique, and is at the same time vacant of anything special. "Form is emptiness; emptiness is form"‹as the Heart Sutra declares. Thus it is vitally important to avoid ambiguity. This care leads, as Confucius says, or at least implies, to noble action that is in keeping with the noble nature of the universe.
Here are terms used in Western Zen centers and their texts, with my comments. I have not included those which are commonly and correctly used. For Chinese names and terms, I use the Pinyin system of ethnography, which is now almost universal in academia. I have omitted most of the vast number of terms in the Buddhist lexicon.
Ancestral Teachers
The term "Patriarchs" implies that they were all men, but there were women among them. Use Ancestral Teachers or Ancestors.Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi
(Sanskrit) Full Enlightenment from which there is only willful turning back, and which can open the way to unimagined Dharma gardens.Arhat
(Sanskrit), Arahant (Pali), Archetype of a fully Enlightened person in the Classical Buddhist tradition. Lohan (Chinese), Rakan (Japanese), Mythological attendants of Shakyamuni in the Mahayana Realizing this relieves all suffering and is Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi itself.Bodhi
(Sanscrit) Enlightenment. The state of profound Realization.Bodhichitta
(Sanskrit), Bodaishin (Japanese). The thought of Enlightenment, and the imperative to make it one's own.Bodhidharma
(Sanskrit) fl. 520 CE.A semi-legendary South Indian Buddhist Master who brought the teaching of Dhyāna and Prajñā to China and is venerated as the first Ancestor in the Zen Buddhist lineage, He personifies Enlightenment and rigor in Zen teaching, and is claimed as a founding figure in martial arts traditions. In popular folklore he is an indomitable hero.Bodhisattva
(Sanskrit). Bosa(tsu), Bodaisata (Japanese). One on the path to enlightenment; one who is enlightened; one who enlightens others; a figure in the Buddhist pantheon. The name is sometimes translated to reflect just one or two of these three attributes, thus obscuring the full meaning. It is best to leave the term un-translated. It is a term of endearment used about noble-minded people.Bodhisattva Vows
Great Vows for All. Shujō muhen seigan do./ Bnnō mujin seigan dan,/ Homon muryō seigan gaku,/ Butsudō mujō seigan jō (Japanese); "Beings are numberless; I vow to enable them;/ Distractions rise incessantly; I vow to cut them off;/ Dharma Gates are countless; I vow to wake to them;/ The Buddha Way is lofty; I vow to make it mine." These vows were originally formulated by Zhiyi, founder of the Tiantai tradition in the Sixth Century. They form the closing verse of all Zen ceremonies, and are recited in other Mahayana traditions.Bodhi Tree
Ficus religiosa. The tree beneath which the Historical Buddha found his great Enlightenment. See Dōjō.Buddha
(Sanskrit). Butsu. Bu, Hotoke (Japanese). Enlightened One. Shakyamuni, the Historical Buddha (463?-383? B.C.E.); the founder of Buddhism. He is a central figure in the Buddhist pantheon and personifies the fully Enlightened person; the nature of each being and the nature of the universe itself. The Japanese translation, Hotoke, is sometimes used as an honorific for a corpse.Buddha Dao or Buddha Way
The teaching of the Historical Buddha and his successors; the Dharma; Buddhism; the Eightfold Path; the Way that is apparent in how things function, including the universe itself.Buddha Nature
The Essential Nature of the individual and of all things.Case
A Kōan.Classical Buddhism
The Buddhism that relies on the Historical Buddha's teaching, and on his style of teaching; Theraāda, Vipassana.Complementarity
The truth of the sameness of certain logical opposites, as, for example, "Form is emptiness."Dao
Tao (Chinese). Way or Way Making, a central principle of Chinese religion and philosophy. Dō, Michi (Japanese). Dharma, Buddha Way or Teaching; the Eightfold Path.Dependent Origination
Mutual Interdependence. The manifestation of impermanence, or Anitya. See Three Marks of Existence.Deva
(Sanskrit). Celestial. A heavenly being.Dharma
(Sanskrit), Fa (Chinese). Hō, Nori (Japanese). Religious, secular, or natural law; the Law of Karma; phenomena; Dao or Way; teaching; things acted upon, pure emptiness; Turning the Dharma Wheel is lending wisdom and energy to the transformational process of the Buddha Way. Avoid translations that obscure the rich ambiguity of Dharma.Dharma Assembly
Teishō followed by Hōsen (Shōsan), commonly scheduled daily during Sesshin.Dharma Gates
Openings for Realization that show up in texts, and in everyday events like spoken words or birdsong.Dhyāna
(Sanskrit), Zenjō (Japanese). The nature or condition of Zazen, absorption. The term Samadhi is its less formal equivalent. See Prajñā.Diamond Sangha
A network of Zen centers and their members in the Harada-Yasutani Line, found in the Americas, Europe and Australasia.Doksan
Dok'san (Japanese) To go respectfully alone. The private encounter of Master and student in the spirit of Teishō. It is not psychological counseling, and the term "interview" is inadequate as a translation.Dōjō
(Japanese), Bodhimanda (Sanskrit). Spot or place of enlightenment of the Buddha under the Bodhi Tree; one's own place of practice; the training hall, the Zendo. It is the term used by students of martial arts for their training hall.Eightfold Path
Right view, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right Dhyāna. For "right" read "straight, honest, reliable" The fourth of the Four Noble Truths.Enlightenment
Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi. Avoid the casual use of the term Enlightenment.Four Noble Truths
1. Life means suffering, 2. The origin of suffering is attachment, 3. The cessation of suffering is attainable. 4. The Eightfold Path leads to the cessation of suffering. This is a mnemonic summing up of the first presentation of the Dharma by Shakyamuni Buddha.Gateless Barrier
Also Gateless Gate. A translation of the Wumenguan (Chinese), Mumonkan (Japanese). A 13th century collection of 48 traditional Zen Cases with prose and poetical comments.Gatha
Gāthā (Sanskrit) A four line verse of two sorts: one in which the first line establishes the circumstances that prompts a vow, the second line is the vow taken with all beings, and the final lines set forth the aspiration of the vow in the circumstances. The Gatha can also be simply a brief devotional, sometimes mnemonic verse.Great Matter
The ultimate point of Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi.Guanyin
(Chinese; Kannon, Japanese). See Avalokiteshvara and Bodhisattva.Harada-Yasutani Line
The Zen Buddhist tradition traced to the masters Harada Dai'un (1870-1961) and Yasutani Haku'un (1885-1973). It emphasizes the teaching of Dōgen Kigen and involves kōan study. It is the source of the Diamond Sangha way of practice and is partly the inspiration of members of the Zen Center of Los Angeles and its White Plum Sangha. See Sambōkyōdan.Heart Sutra
Prajñāpāramitā-hridaya-sūtra (Sanscrit), Hannya Shingyō (Japanese), The essence of the Prajñāpāramitā-sūtra in twenty eight lines. It is easily the most important Sutra for Zen students and is recited in all their services, See Avalokiteshvara.Hōjō
(Japanese), Fangzhau (Chinese). The abbot's quarters, traditionally ten feet square; the Dokusan room in Western Zen centers. It is derived from the tradition that the sage Vimalakirti lived in a room ten feet square. It is a term that has been used by Far Eastern hermits for their dwellings.Hōsen
Dharma battle. The formal public encounter of Master and student at a Dharma Assembly. Shōsan.Jataka Tales
Early instructive folkstories of the Buddha in his previous incarnations as various animals.Jizō
(Japanese), Ksitigarbha (Sanskrit), Dizang (Chinese). He who Encompasses the Earth. The Bodhisattva who is the patron of children, fishermen and travelers. He guides children who have died to the Western Paradise, and serves denizens of Hell. He is the most human of all archetypal Bodhisattvas, and his stone image is seen at crossroads all over Japan.Jukai
(Japanese) To Receive the Precepts. The ceremony of becoming a disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha, involving vows and the presentation of a Rakusu and sometimes a certificate. Distinguish from Tokudō.Kanjiza
(Japanese). See Avalokiteshvara and Bodhisattva.Kannon, Kanzeon
(Japanese). See Avalokiteshvara and Bodhisattva.Karma
(Sanskrit). Action. The intention and volition of an action, and what happens. Let your usage of Karma reflect this meaning. "Cause" is not correct for the first step.Kenshō
(Japanese). The experience of seeing into one's essential nature and the essential nature of all things. The experience of Enlightenment. Realization. This Japanese term is widely interpreted as referring to something be-all and end-all, whereas in fact it marks a kind of beginning. Use Realization.Kōan
(Japanese). Universal/particular. A traditional Zen story that becomes a theme of zazen that is already clear, or is to be made clear; A Complementarity of form and emptiness, karma and immediacy, etc, Kōan study is central to the practice in Linji, Rinzai and Sambōkyōdan traditions.Lotus Land; Pure Land
Nirvana. The afterlife envisioned in the Pure Land schools, used in Zen Buddhism as a metaphor for the world as it is, for us to realize.Mahayana
Mahāyāna, (Sanskrit). Great Vehicle. The Buddhism that predominates in Japan, China and Korea and is also found in Vietnam; the practice includes realizing the Buddha Way, selflessness and compassion.Maitreya
(Sanskrit). The Compassionate One. The future, potential, or inherent Buddha. In the far East. Hōtei (Japanese) and Budai (Chinese), are folkloric representations of Maitreya as the "Laughing Buddha."Mañjushrī
(Sanskrit). Beautiful Virtue. Archetypal Bodhisattva of Wisdom. One hand presents a scroll, and the other brandishes a sword. She is the usual altar figure of Zen training halls, riding on a lion.Master
The accredited Zen teacher, who is accepted as such by a Sangha. Rōshi.Metta
(Pali). Loving Kindness, particularly idealized in Theravāda Buddhism.Middle Way
The Way of the Buddha; the Eightfold Path; the Complementarity of the universal and the particular and of other rational opposites.Monk
Unsui (Japanese), Monk. The ceremonies of becoming a Monk, a nun (Nin), and a priest (Osho) differ a little, but legally their status is the same. The monk and nun will don a priest's robe for various ceremonies, and both nuns and priests call themselves monks. Commonly nuns or monks are those in training. See Jukai, Tokudō.Mu
(Japanese), Wu (Chinese). No; does not have. Usually the first Kōan of Zen practice, from Case One of The Gateless Barrier.Nembutsu
(Japanese). The practice of calling and recalling Amida (Amitābha) Buddha, widespread in Pure Land schools throughout the Mahayana world.Nirvana
(Sanskrit), Nehan (Japanese). Extinction of craving; liberation found in wisdom; the world as it is, for us to Realize.Pāramitā
(Sanskrit). Perfection; crossed to the other shore of Nirvana. There are ten Pāramitās: Giving, Morality, Forbearance, Zeal, Dhyāna, Prajñā, Compassionate Means, Aspiration, Spiritual Power, and Knowledge. Path.PrajñāSee Dao and Dharma.
(Sanscrit), Hannya (Japanese), Enlightenment, Bodhi. Distinguish from Dhyāna. Huineng famously said, "Dhyāna is the lamp and Prajñā is the light."Prajñāpāramitā (Sūtra)
(Sanscrit) Perfect Enlightenment crossed to the other shore of Nirvana, and its Sutra in many volumes. See Heart Sutra.Pure Land Schools
Popular Mahayana traditions that assure Rebirth in paradise for believers. Found throughout Asia.Rakusu
(Japanese)A bib-like garment, an abbreviation of a priest's robe, sewn by the postulant, inscribed with the postulant's Dharma name and signed and dated by the Master, presented at the Jukai ceremony.Realization, Realize
The profound experience of making real by making intimate. See Kenshō and Satori.Rebirth
The doctrine held over from Hinduism that declares in the face of Anitya and Anatman that a human being will be reborn after death. Despite its absence from Shakyamuni's teaching, belief in Rebirth is widespread among Buddhists. See Three Marks of Existence.Rōshi
(Japanese). Venerable Master, Old Boss, a title that is affectionately conferred by the Sangha after Transmission, though it is overused. Often the English title Master is preferable to Rōshi. The title Sensei is secular and general in connotation and tends in this context to blur the distinction of the office.Shākyamuni
(Sanskrit). The Historical Buddha.Samadhi
Samādhi (Sanskrit), Zammai (Japanese). Absorption; Zazen. It sometimes refers to `complete absorption in circumstances apart from Zazen.Samantabhadra
(Sanskrit). Pervading Goodness. Archetypal Bodhisattva of Great The heart of Bodhi. Action in conveying the Buddha Way. Commonly she is the main figure on the altar of the Hōjō, riding on an elephant.Sambōkyōdan
(Japanese) Order of the Three Treasures. A sect of the Harada-Yasutani Line founded by Yasutani Rōshi.Samsara
(Sanskrit), Ukiyo (Japanese). The "floating world" of unaware, everyday living.Samu
(Japanese). Work-practice, especially physical labor, an essential part of practice at Zen centers and monasteries.Sangha
(Sanskrit). Sō (Japanese) United in a Flock. Priesthood; Buddhist fellowship; fellowship; kinship of all beings. Often the Japanese Sō is used for an individual priest or monk.Satori
(Japanese). Enlightenment. The experience or condition of Realization. Cf. Kenshō, a term limited to the experience. Again, both Japanese terms are often seen as referring to something be-all and end-all. Use Realization.Senryū
(Japanese). Brief satirical or wryly humorous verses that use a form similar to haiku and deal with themes of human life.Shāriputra
(Sanskrit), Sharishi (Japanese).A disciple of the historical Buddha, interlocutor in the Heart Sutra.Sesshin
(Japanese) To touch the Mind, to receive the Mind, to convey the Mind. The Zen Buddhist seclusion. Retreat usually implies a seclusion designed for character perfection. If you think of your Sesshin as a Retreat, you will have a Retreat.Shōsan
Equivalent to Hōsen.Skandas
(Sanskrit). Form, sensation, discernment, judgment and mind‹all declared empty, yet not empty, by Kanjizai in the Heart Sutra.Sutra(s)
Sūtra (Sanskrit). Texts attributed to the Historical Buddha and to his successors down through the ages, recited or chanted in Buddhist services.Tathāgata
(Sanskrit). Honorific reference to the idealized Buddha.Teishō
(Japanese). Presentation of the song or shout. The Dharma presented by the Rōshi. "Talk" and "Lecture" imply something discursive. Use Teishō.Ten Grave Precepts
"I take up the Way of Not Killing; I take up the Way of Not Stealing; I take up the Way of Not Misusing Sex; I take up the Way of Not Speaking Falsely; I take up the Way of Not Giving or Taking Drugs; I take up the Way of Not Discussing Faults of Others; I take up the Way of Not Praising Myself while Abusing Others; I take up the Way of Not Sparing the Dharma Assets; I take up the Way of Not Indulging in Anger; I take up the Way of Not Defaming the Three Treasures." These are vows central to the Jukai ceremony and are taken up as Kōans by the advanced student.Three Marks of Existence
Tri-Laksana (All Marks rendered in Sanscrit): Anitya, unrelenting impermanence, Duhkha. the unsatisfactory nature of life, Anatman, the complete lack of a permanent self or soul.Three Pure Precepts
"Maintain the Precepts; Practice all good Dharmas; Sustain the many beings." Recited as vows in the Jukai ceremony and taken up as Kōans by the advanced student. Derived from a Classical Buddhist dictum: "Always do good, never do evil, keep your mind pure."Three Treasures
Sambō (Japanese) Buddha, Dharma, Sangha: wisdom, the teaching, fellowship, the fundamentals of Buddhism. See Ti Sarana, Jukai.Three Bodies of the Buddha
The Trikāya: Dharmakāya, Sambhogakāya, Nirmānakāya (All terms Sanskrit). The void, mutual interdependence and total uniqueness;Ti Sarana
Embodied as Vairochana, venerated in the Shingon Sect; as Lochana, venerated in the Kegon Sect; and as Shakyamuni, venerated in the Zen Sect. Three Bodies of the Buddha are incorporated into the mealtime Gatha.
(Pali) The Three vows of Refuge: Buddham saranam gacchami; Dhammam saranam gacchami; Sangham saranam gacchami. (Pali). "I take refuge in the in the Buddha; I take refuge in the Dharma; take refuge in the in the Sangha." A Gatha linked to the Vandana and recited at the outset of Sutra services in virtually all Buddhist gatherings everywhere; With the Vandana they are taken up in the Jukai ceremony and as Kōans by the advanced student.Tokudō
Attaining the Way. The ordination ceremony for Priests, Monks and Nuns, It consists of Jukai, plus tonsure and the presentation of robe and certificate.Transmission
Realization of the Dharma, and approval of that Realization by a true Master, with authorization to maintain and enhance the Buddha Way. Sometimes ceremonialized.Vajrayāna Buddhism
(Sanskrit). Esoteric Buddhism; the religion of Tibet, northern Nepal, Bhutan, and states of India (Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Sikkim). It is practiced in Mongolia and parts of Russia (Kalmykia, Buryatia, and Tuva) and in Northeast China, and is also found in the Shingon tradition of Japan.Vandanā
(Pali). Veneration Gatha: Namo tassa, bhagavato, arahato samma sambuddhasa (Pali), "I venerate the Sacred One, the Great Sage, the Truly Awakened One." See Ti Sarana.Vipassana
A modern form of Classical Buddhism, well represented in the West.Way
See Dao and Dharma.Western Paradise
Poetical and folkloric equivalent of the Pure Land.Zabuton
(Japanese) Sitting Quilt. The pad used in Zazen.Zafu
(Japanese) Sitting cushion. The cushion used in Zazen.Zazen
(Japanese). Selfless seated focus. Central to Zen Buddhist practice. Dyāna.Zen
(Japanese) Chan (Chinese). The practice of selfless focus. The sect of Zen.Zendō
(Japanese). Zen hall; Zen Buddhist center. See Dōjō.
REFERENCES
Har Dayal, Bodhisattva Doctrine in Buddhist Sanskrit Literature
(Delhi: Mitilal Banarsidas: 1934),
Louis Frédéric, Flammarian Iconographic Guides: Buddhism
(Paris, New York: Flammarian, 1995).
Richard Gard, Buddhism
(New York: George Braziller, 1962).
Hisao Inagaki, A Dictionary of Japanese Buddhist Terms: Based on references in Japanese literature
(Union City, CA: Heian International, 1989).
William Edward Soothill and Lewis Hodous, A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms
(London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner, 1937).
Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. On line.