Eight Negations == 八不
The eight negations of Nagarjuna, founder of Madhyamika, are actually four pairs of neither birth nor death, neither end nor permanence, neither identity nor difference, neither coming nor going. This is one of the important concepts of the Middle Way, the ultimate truth of Buddhism and the reality character of all Dharma.
Eighteen Fields == 十八界
The Six Consciousness and the Twelve Bases are together called the Eighteen Fields.
sassata-ditthi; s. ditthi.
Four Great Vows == 四弘誓愿
1.Vow to take across the numberless living beings.
2.Vow to cut off the endless afflictions.
3.Vow to study the countless Dharma doors.
4.Vow to realize the supreme Buddha Way.
”Maturity-knowledge”; s. prec. and visuddhi (VII)
s. a^yatana.
This term is probably found for the first time in the Com., esp. Vis.M. IV. The rudiments of this doctrine, however, are already found in the old sutta texts, e.g. A. III, 100.
”equilibrium, balance, or harmony of faculties”, relates to the 5 spiritual faculties: faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom (s. indriya 15-19). Of these there are two pairs of faculties, in each of which both faculties should well counter-balance each other, namely: faith and wisdom (saddha^, pan~n~a^, q.v.) on the one hand and energy and concentration (viriya, sama^dhi, q.v.) on the other. For excessive faith with deficient wisdom leads to blind belief, whilst excessive wisdom with deficient faith leads to cunning. In the same way, great energy with weak concentration leads to restlessness, whilst strong concentration with deficient energy leads to indolence. Though for both faculties in each of the 2 pairs a balanced degree of intensity is desirable, mindfulness should be allowed to develop to the highest degree of strength. Cf. Vis.M. III- (App.).
citta-sankha^ra; s. sankha^ra (2).
ceto-khila (q.v.).
”nihilistic view” (a doctrine that all values are baseless, that nothing is knowable or can be communicated, and that life itself is meaningless), s. ditthi.
natthika-ditthi; s. ditthi.
s. a^yatana.
”earth-element”. or ”solid element”. It is cognizable through the sensations of pressure, touch, cold, heat. pain, etc. - About the 4 elements. s. dha^tu, khandha (I. A.).
”earth-kasina” (s. kasina).
Pratyeka-Buddha == 辟支佛
the second stage in Hinayana, the first or initial being that of Sravaka. He is enlightened to the conditions, i.e. the Law of Dependent Origination. He seeks enlightenment for himself and understands deeply Nidanas. He attains his enlightenment alone, independently, or a teacher, and with the object of attaining Nirvana and his own salvation rather than that of others.
”personality-belief”, is the first of the 10 fetters (samyojana). It is entirely abandoned only on reaching the path of Stream-winning (sota^patti-magga; s. ariya-puggala). There are 20 kinds of personality-belief, which are obtained by applying 4 types of that belief to each of the 5 groups of existence (khandha, q.v.): (1-5) the belief to be identical with corporeality, feeling, perception, mental formations or consciousness; (6-10) to be contained in them; (11-15) to be independent of them; (16-20) to be the owner of them (M. 44; S. XXII. 1). See prec., ditthi, upa^da^na 4.
”one who takes tranquillity as his vehicle”. This is a name for a person who not only has reached insight but also one or the other of the absorptions, to distinguish him from one ”who practises only insight” (sukkha-vipassaka, q.v.).