Glossary of Pali Terms (P-S)

(A) (B-J) (K-O) (P-S) (T-Z)

Pañña - Wisdom, insight, intuitive understanding: correct seeing, knowing, understanding, experiencing of the things we must know in order to extinguish dukkha, namely , the Four Noble Truths, the three Common Characteristics, dependent origination. The various terms used for "knowing" are not meant to express an intellectual activity, although the intellect has its role. The emphasis is on direct, intuitive, non-conceptual comprehending of life as it is here and now. Memory, language, and thought are not required. Pañña, rather than faith or will power, is the characteristic quality of Buddhism. Papa - Evil, vice, demerit. Puñña - Goodness, virtue, merit. Raga - Lust: desire to get or have. Raga can be sexual, for material objects, and even for non-material things. It covers all attachment and defilements. Sacca - Honesty, truthfulness, truth. Samadhi - Concentration, collectedness: secure establishment of the mind, the gathering together of the mental flow. Proper samadhi has the qualities of purity, clarity, stability, calmness, readiness, and gentleness. It is perfected in one-pointedness (ekagatta and jhana. The supreme samadhi is the one-pointed mind (egagatta-citta), which has nibbana as its sole concern. Samyojana - Fetters, bonds: the ten defilements that keep us trapped in the cycles of egoistic birth and death. The ten are personality beliefs, doubt, attachment to practices and rituals, sensual desires, ill-will, lust for material things, lust for non-material things, conceit, agitation, and ignorance. Sañña - Recognition, perception, experience, evaluation: once the mind has made contact (phassa) with a sense object and then feels it(vedana), a concept, label or image is attached to the experience, which involves recognizes similarities with past experience and discriminating the value of the object. Sati - Mindfulness, attention, awareness, recall, recollection: the mind's ability to know and observe itself. Sati is the vehicle and transport mechanism for pañña. Without sati, wisdom cannot be developed, retrieved, or applied. Sati is not memory or remembering, although it is related to them. Nor is it mere heedfulness or carefulness. Sati allows us to be aware of what we are about to do. It is characterized by speed and agility. In Thai, sati is translated as "raluek," which can be rendered as "recall" or, perhaps, "recollection." This is a sense of sati which is often overlooked. The awareness recalls or brings back wisdom. This recall is not the same as memory for it does not recall concepts or beliefs, but intuitive wisdom which is experienced rather than thought. Satipatthana - The four foundations or applications of mindfulness: the four bases on which sati must be established in mental development. We investigate life through these four subjects of spiritual study: Kayanupassana Contemplation of body Vedananupassana Contemplation of feeling. Cittanupassana Contemplation of mind. Dhammanupassana Contemplation of Dhamma. Sila - Normality, morality, right conduct: verbal and bodily action in line with dhamma, the way of living in society which is truly peaceful because it does no harm. Silabbataparamasa - Superstition, attachment to practices and rituals: to ignorantly follow practices, precepts, rites and rituals; to do anything for the wrong reason. Even a correct practice can be misused in this way. Sutta - Discourses: The term is used, in Theravada Buddhism, for discourses attributed to the Buddha and certain of his disciples.

(A) (B-J) (K-O) (P-S) (T-Z)