Glossary of Pali Terms (B-J)

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Buddha-sasana - The teachings of the Buddha, Buddhism: now used in the modern sense of "religion". The term commonly used by the Buddha were Dhamma-Vinaya (doctrine and discipline). Citta - Mind, heart, consciousness, mind-heart: that which thinks, knows, and experiences, the four mental khandhas. In a more limited sense, citta is what "thinks," can be defiled by kilesa, can be developed, and can realize nibbana. Dana - Giving, generosity, charity: a fundamental virtue and practice. Deva - Shining one, celestial being, heavenly: a being enjoying the life of leisure in which sensual pleasures come without having to work for them as humans do. Dhamma (1) - Truth, Nature, Law, Natural Truth, "the ways things are": this impossible to translate word has many meanings, the most important of which are Nature, the Law of Nature. Dhamma (2) - Things, nature, natural things: all things, mental and physical, conditioned and unconditioned, are dhammas. There are namadhamma (immaterial things, mental things), and rupadhamma (material things, tangible things). Dhatu - Element, natural essence: something that maintains itself temporarily or permanently, through conditions or independent of them, depending on the kind of dhatu it is. Some important kinds of elements are listed below. Akasa-dhatu Space element Amata-dhatu Deathless element Arupa-dhatu Formless element, element of immateriality Nekkhama-dhatu Renunciation element Nibbana-dhatu Coolness element Nirodha-dhatu Cessation element Rupa-dhatu Form element, element of materiality Vatthu-dhatu Material element Vinnana-dhatu Consciousness element. Dosa - Hatred, ill-will: the second category of defilement (kilesas), which includes anger, aversion, dislike, and all other negative thoughts and emotions. It is characteristics by the mind pushing away the object. Dukkha - Pain, hurt, ill-being, suffering, misery, unsatisfactoriness, imperfections): the spiritual dilemma of human beings. Dukkha can also be translated "hard to endure, difficult to bear"; "once seen, it is ugly"; and "horribly, wickedly void." In its experiential sense, dukkha is the quality of experience that results when the mind is concocted by avijja into desire, attachment, egoism, and selfishness. This feeling takes on the forms – from the crudest to the most subtle levels – such as disappointment, dissatisfaction, frustration, agitation, anguish, disease, despair. In its universal sense, dukkhata is the inherent condition of unsatisfactoriness, imperfections, and misery in all impermanent, conditioned things (sankhara). This second fundamental characteristic of conditioned things is a result of anicca (the fact of impermanence); impermanent things cannot satisfy our wants and desires no matter how hard we try (or cry), and trying is often very hard. Further, the inherent undependability, decay, and dissolution of things is painfully ugly. To fully understand the meaning of dukkha, one must realize that sukha (happiness, bliss) is also dukkha. Iddhipada - Roads to success; paths to, or bases of , accomplishments: chanda, will, aspiration, resolve in carrying out an activity or duty; viriya, energy, effort, exertion in that duty without letting up; citta, attentiveness, thoughtfulness regarding that duty; vimamsa, investigation and examination of, reasoning about that duty. Jhana - Peering, contemplation, absorption, meditation; one-pointed focus of the mind on an object to develop tranquility or on impermanence for the sake of insight. Jhana is understood both as an activity of the mind (focusing, peering) and as the result of that activity. These results are of two types: (1) the rupa-jhanas, the jhanas dependent on the forms of material objects, mental absorption into objects of finer materiality, and (2) the arupa-jhanas, the jhanas depedent on immaterial or formless objects.

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