GLOSSARY
afflictions. Condition or cause of pain, distress, and suffering which disturbs the body and mind. They can be thoughts of gain or loss, of wanting to control others, of criticism or slander. They might be worries, doubts, regrets, and so much more.
Amitabha. The name of the Buddha of the Western Pure Land, primarily meaning "Infinite Life and Infinite Light." To help all beings attain Buddhahood, Amitabha Buddha created the Western Pure Land, an ideal place of cultivation.
attachments. These are desires, the emotional cravings for family, friends, possessions, sensuous pleasures, erroneous views, life, the idea of the self as an inpidual, and more.
bodhisattva. One who has vowed to attain Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment for themselves as well as for all beings. While Buddhas symbolize our virtuous nature, bodhisattvas represent the virtue of practice, without which, the innate virtuous nature cannot be revealed.
Buddha. Buddha is a Sanskrit word, meaning "wisdom and enlightenment." A Buddha is one who has reached supreme perfection both in self-realization and in helping others to attain realization. The innumerable Buddhas are not gods to be worshipped but compassionate and wise beings to be respected and emulated.
causality, or cause and effect. Everything that happens to us is the result of what we have thought, said, or done. In this lifetime, we are undergoing the consequences of what we had done primarily in our previous lifetimes and sometimes earlier in our current lifetime. What we do now will determine what we will undergo in our future lifetimes.
Dharma. When capitalized, Dharma means the teachings of the Buddhas. When lowercased, dharmas can either mean laws and doctrines, or things in general, phenomena, and events.
enlightenment. Generally means Supreme, Perfect Enlightenment, the enlightenment of the Buddhas. It is to see one”s true nature and to comprehend reality perfectly.
Five Practice Guidelines. (1) The Three Conditions, (2) the Six Harmonies, (3) the Threefold Learning, (4) the Six Paramitas, and (5) Samantabhadra Bodhisattva”s Ten Great Vows.
Five Precepts. The Five Precepts are abstentions from (1) killing; (2) stealing; (3) committing sexual, or sensual, misconduct; (4) lying; and (5) taking intoxicants.
five Pure Land sutras and one treatise. (1) Buddha Speaks of the Infinite Life Sutra of Adornment, Purity, Equality, and Enlightenment of the Mahayana School (Infinite Life Sutra); (2) Amitabha Sutra; (3) Visualization Sutra; (4) the “Chapter on the Vows and Practices of Samantabhadra” from theAvatamsaka Sutra; (5) the “Chapter on the Perfect and Complete Realization of Mahasthamaprapta” from the Surangama Sutra; and (6) the Rebirth Treatise.
forty-eight vows. Different Bodhisattvas make different vows. Dharmakara Bodhisattva made forty-eight vows before he became Amitabha Buddha. He wished to create an ideal land for all those who wished to transcend rebirth within samsara. These beings would be born in the Pure Land as Bodhisattvas who would never regress in their practice. They would learn all the ways to help other beings transcend birth and death, and to attain Buddhahood.
Four Kindnesses. The Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha), parents, teachers, all sentient-beings.
good fortune. All the goodness in one”s life. It may manifest as happiness, friends, family, health, longevity, intelligence, prosperity, position, and more. Good fortune is the benefit of …
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