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Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

terms and concepts lack direct translations into English that cover the breadth of the original term. Below are given a number of important Buddhist terms, short definitions, and the languages in which they appear. In this list, an attempt has been made to organize terms by their original form and give translations and synonyms in other languages along with the definition. Languages and traditions dealt with here: * English () –

Buddhism in the West Buddhism in the West (or more narrowly Western Buddhism) broadly encompasses the knowledge and practice of Buddhism outside of Asia, in the Western world. Occasional intersections between Western world, Western civilization and the Buddhist wor ...

Pāli Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a classical Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of '' Therav� ...

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Theravada ''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' (anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or ''Dharma (Buddhi ...

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

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Mahayana Mahāyāna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, Buddhist texts#Mahāyāna texts, texts, Buddhist philosophy, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main ex ...

* Bengali () –

* Sinhala () –

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* Karen () – Theravada * Khmer () –

* Mon () – Theravada * Mongolian () – primarily

Vajrayana ''Vajrayāna'' (; 'vajra vehicle'), also known as Mantrayāna ('mantra vehicle'), Guhyamantrayāna ('secret mantra vehicle'), Tantrayāna ('tantra vehicle'), Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, is a Mahāyāna Buddhism, Mahāyāna Buddhis ...

* Shan () – Theravada * Tibetan () –

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, D ...

Dzongkha Dzongkha (; ) is a Tibeto-Burman languages, Tibeto-Burman language that is the official and national language of Bhutan. It is written using the Tibetan script. The word means "the language of the fortress", from ' "fortress" and ' "language ...

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* Thai () – primarily

* Lao () –

* CJKV languages ** Chinese () –

Chinese Buddhism Chinese Buddhism or Han Buddhism ( zh, s=汉传佛教, t=漢傳佛教, first=t, poj=Hàn-thoân Hu̍t-kàu, j=Hon3 Cyun4 Fat6 Gaau3, p=Hànchuán Fójiào) is a Chinese form of Mahayana Buddhism. The Chinese Buddhist canonJiang Wu, "The Chin ...

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Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

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Buddhism in Hong Kong Buddhism is a major religion in Hong Kong and has been greatly influential in the traditional culture of its populace. Among the most prominent Buddhist temples in the city there are the Chi Lin Nunnery in Diamond Hill, built in the Tang dyn ...

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Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

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Buddhism in China Buddhism in China refers to Buddhism that has been developed and practiced in China, based on the geographical location and administrative region instead of a particular Buddhist branch. Buddhism is the largest officially recognized religion i ...

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Taiwanese Hokkien Taiwanese Hokkien ( , ), or simply Taiwanese, also known as Taigi ( zh, c=臺語, tl=Tâi-gí), Taiwanese Southern Min ( zh, c=臺灣閩南語, tl=Tâi-uân Bân-lâm-gí), Hoklo and Holo, is a variety of the Hokkien language spoken natively ...

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Buddhism in Taiwan Buddhism is one of the major religions of Taiwan. Taiwanese people predominantly practice Mahayana Buddhism, Confucian principles, Taoist traditions and local practices. Roles for religious specialists from both Buddhist and Taoist traditions e ...

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

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Japanese Buddhism Buddhism was first established in Japan in the 6th century CE. Most of the Japanese Buddhists belong to new schools of Buddhism which were established in the Kamakura period (1185－1333). During the Edo period (1603–1868), Buddhism was cont ...

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

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Korean Buddhism Korean Buddhism is distinguished from other forms of Buddhism by its attempt to resolve what its early practitioners saw as inconsistencies within the Mahayana Buddhist traditions that they received from foreign countries. To address this, they ...

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overseas Vietnamese, Vietnamese people living outside Vietna ...

() – Mahayana/Theravada * Javanese () – Mahayana/Theravada

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} ** Jp: ''hokkukyō'' ( shin. 法句経) ** Ko: ''beopgugyeong'' ** Vi: ''kinh pháp cú'' , - valign="top" , dhammapala/dharmapala A fearsome deity, known as protector of the Dharma , * Sanskrit: ''dharmapāla'' * Pāli: ''dhammapāla'' , * Tib: ''chos skyong'' * Mn: догшид, ''dogshid''; хангал, ''khangal'' * 護法 ** Cn: ''hùfǎ'' ** Jp: ''gohō'' ** Ko: ''hobeop'' ** Vi: ''Hộ Pháp'' , - valign="top" ,

Dhyana Dhyana may refer to: Meditative practices in Indian religions * Dhyana in Buddhism (Pāli: ''jhāna'') * Dhyana in Hinduism * Jain Dhyāna, see Jain meditation Other *''Dhyana'', a work by British composer John Tavener Sir John Kenneth ...

, see jhana , * Pāli: ''jhāna'' * Sanskrit: ''dhyāna'' , * Bur: ''zan'' () * Mon: () * Mn: дияан, ''diyan'' * 禪 or 禪那, 禅 or 禅那 ** Cn: ''Chán'' or ''Chánnà'' ** Jp: ''Zen'' or ''Zenna'' ** Ko: ''Seon'' ** Vi: ''Thiền'' or ''Thiền-na'' , - valign=top ,

Dīpankara Buddha Dipankara (Pali: ''Dīpaṅkara''; Sanskrit: ', "Lamp bearer") or Dipankara Buddha is one of the Buddhas of the past. He is said to have lived on Earth four asankheyyas and one hundred thousand kalpas ago. According to Buddhists, Dipankara wa ...

, * Pāli: ''Dīpamkara'' * Sanskrit: ''Dīpankara'' , * Bur: ''dipankara'' () * Thai: พระทีปังกรพุทธเจ้า * 燃燈佛 ** Cn: ''Rándēng Fo'' ** Jp: ''Nentōbutsu'' ** Vi: ''Nhiên-đăng Phật'' , - valign="top" , doan In Zen, a term for person sounding the bell that marks the beginning and end of

Zazen ''Zazen'' is a meditative discipline that is typically the primary practice of the Zen Buddhist tradition. The generalized Japanese term for meditation is 瞑想 (''meisō''); however, ''zazen'' has been used informally to include all forms ...

, * Japanese: 堂行 ''dōan'' , , - valign="top" , dokusan A private meeting between a Zen student and the master. It is an important element in Rinzai Zen training, as it provides an opportunity for the student to demonstrate understanding , * Japanese: 独参 ''dokusan'' , * 獨參 ** Cn: ''dúcān'' ** Ko: ''dokcham'' ** Vi: ''độc tham'' , - valign="top" , dudie official certificate for monks and nuns issued by government , , * 度牒 ** Cn: ''dùdié'' ** Jp: ''dochō'' ** Ko: 도첩, ''docheop'' ** Vi: ?? , - valign="top" , dukkha Suffering, dissatisfaction, unsatisfactoriness, stress , * Pāli: ''dukkha'' * Sanskrit: ' , * Bur: ''doukkha'' () * Shan: () * Thai: ทุกข์ ''took'' * Tib: ''sdug bsngal'' * Mn: зовлон, ''zovlon'' * 苦 ** Cn: ''kǔ'' ** Jp: ''ku'' ** Ko: ''go'' ** Vi: ''khổ'' , - , dveṣa aversion , * Sanskrit: ''dveṣa'' , * 瞋 , - valign="top" ,

dzogchen Dzogchen ( 'Great Completion' or 'Great Perfection'), also known as ''atiyoga'' ( utmost yoga), is a tradition of teachings in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and Bön aimed at discovering and continuing in the ultimate ground of existence. The goal ...

The natural, intrinsic state of every sentient being , * Tibetan: ''rdzogs pa chen po'' , * Sanskrit: ''atiyoga'' * 大究竟 ** Cn: ''dàjiūjìng'' ** Jp: ''daikukyō'' ** Ko: ''daegugyeong'' ** Vi: ''đại cứu cánh''

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References

External links

Pali Text Society Dictionary
(Be sure to check the "Unicode font" option, and to have one; also, if looking for a word, choose "words that match")

Digital Dictionary of Buddhism
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Kadampa Glossary of Buddhist TermsFo Guang Shan Glossary of Buddhist Terms (with Chinese translation)
{{Buddhism topics Buddhism-related lists Wikipedia glossaries using tables