Glossary of Buddhist Terms

bodhisattva:

An individual who postpones his or her own entry into nirvana out of compassion for the suffering of others. Such an individual dedicates himself to assisting others attain enlightenment.

buddha:

A being with completely expanded awareness.

buddha-land:

A land that's spiritually pure due to the presence of a buddha. Also known as a pure land.

canon:

the collection of scriptures recognized by Mahayana Buddhism.

dharma:

Narrow sense of the word: a teaching of the Buddha

Expansive sense of the word: Anything held to be real, either provisionally or in an ultimate sense.

Sometimes it's used to refer to righteous living.

kalpa:

A vast expanse of time; an eon.

karma:

Spiritual cause and effect. It's often interpreted as meaning that good behavior will be rewarded, and bad behavior will be punished... if not in this life, in some future reincarnation.

nirvana:

That which is experienced by enlightened individuals: profound peace, limitless arwareness, bliss, unity

samsara:

That which is experienced by non-enlightened individuals: restlessness, suffering, non-awareness, multiplicity.

shastra:

Something said by a prominent disciple of the Buddha.

sutra:

Something said by the Buddha.

Tathagata:

Another name for Buddha. It's usually translated literally as meaning the "Thus come one", or the "Thus gone one." In my opinion this isn't a particularly meaningful translation. Tathagata is based on the word, tathata, often translated as "thus" or "that". However when tathata is used in in spiritual literature, it refers to the indescribable essence of reality. Correspondingly I would interpret Tathagata as meaning that this indescribably reality has just walked on to the scene, so to speak. In other words, Buddha is the living embodiment of this Ultimate Reality.