Glossary of Pali Terms (A)

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Abhidhamma - Higher Dhamma, extra Dhamma: the third of three "baskets" of the Buddhist Canon. Compiled after the Buddha's death, they are a complex analysis of mind and matter into their constituents parts. Anatta - Non-self, soullessness: the fact that all things, without exception and including nibbana, are non-self and lack any essence or substance that could properly be regarded as a "self". This fact does not deny the existence of things, but denies that they can be owned or controlled, that there can be the owner or controller, in any but a relative, conventional sense. This is the third fundamental characteristics of conditioned things. Anicca - Impermanent, flux, instability: conditioned things are ever-changing, constantly arising, manifesting, and ceasing. This is the first fundamental characteristics (lakkhana) of conditioned things. The Three Common Characteristics are Anicca, Dukkha, and Anatta. Anupadisesa-nibbana-dhatu - The nibbana element (dhatu) with no fuel remaining: the nibbana element experienced by the Arahant in whom all defilements is ended and the feelings are cooled, that is, are not regarded as positive or negative. Anupassana - Contemplation, spiritual experience: following up (and penetrating more deeply into) insight. Sustained, non-verbal, non-reactive, even-minded scrunity of a dhamma. Annicanupassana Contemplation of the characteristics of annica (impermanence) in objects of attachment. Dukkhanupassana Contemplation of the characteristics of dukkha in objects of attachment. Anattanupassana Contemplation of non-self, spiritual experience of non-self: seeing that there is no self nor anything belonging to self, that there are merely dhamma and natural processes. Arahant - Worthy One, one far from defilement, one who has broken the wheel of birth and death, one without secrets: the mind totally and finally free of greed, anger, and delusion; void of "I" and "mine"; which has ended kamma; which is unaffected by dukkha. The Arahant should not be regarded as a "person" or "individual". Ariyasacca - Noble Truth: truth which frees one from enemies (ari), namely, defilements and dukkha. Usually expresses in the fourfold formula: the noble truth of dukkha, that is, the fact that dukkha exits; the noble truth of dukkha-samudaya (the origin of dukkha), namely , tanha (craving, thirst, lust); the noble truth of dukkha-nirodha (the cessation of suffering), the cessation of tanha, including ignorance and all the conditions of paticca-samuppada,; and the noble truth of dukkha-magga, the path leading to the cessation of suffering – it is the practice leading to the end of suffering. Atta - Self, ego, soul: the instinctual feeling (and illusion) that there is some "I" who does all the things to be done in life. Through ignorance and wrong understanding this instinctual sensibility is attached to and becomes "ego". Although theories about "self" abound, all are mere speculations about something that exists only in our imaginations. In a conventional sense, the atta can be a useful concep (beliefs, perception), but that conventional "self" is not-self (anatta). No personal, independent, self-existing, free-willing, lasting substance or essence can be found anywhere, whether within or without human life and experience, not even in "God." Avijja - Ignorance, not-knowing, wrong knowledge, foolishness: the lack, partial or total, of vijja (correct knowledge) regarding the things that need to be known (e.g., the four noble truths, paticca-samuppada); also knowing things in the wrong way, that is, as permanent, satisfying, and self. The most original cause of all dukkha. Without Dhamma practice, ignorance grows into increasingly wrong knowledge. Ayatana - Senses, sense media: things which are experienced or sensed, most commonly, the inner ayatana (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind-sense) and outer ayatana (forms, sounds, odors, flavors, and mental objects).

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