Pali Glossary
Most of the words in this glossary are discussed in the section appended to the introduction: Pāḷi Terms Used in the Discourses.
Abhidhamma: ultimate truth. The Abhidhamma-piṭaka is the third section of the Buddhist canon.
Abhidhammattha-saṅgaha: an introduction to the Abhidhamma written by Anuruddha
adhicitta: higher mentality or concentration
adhiṭṭhāna-pāramī: the perfection of determination
adhicitta: higher wisdom
adhisīla: higher morality
adosa: non-anger
agga-sāvaka: chief disciple
ājīva: livelihood
akāliko: immediate
akusala: unskilful
alobha: non-greed
amoha: “non-ignorance”, knowledge, understanding
anāgāmī: non-returner
Ānāpāna: meditation on the breath
Anuruddha: author of Abhidhammattha-saṅgaha
Anāthapiṇḍika: a leading lay disciple of the Buddha
anattā: non-self
anicca: impermanence
Anottata: a lake in the Himalayas whose waters always remain cool
āpo: water, the element of cohesion (one of the mahābhūta)
arahat: “Noble One”, a fully-awakened individual
ariya: “Worthy One”, an individual who has attained at least the first of the four states of Nibbāna
arūpa: immaterial
asaṅkheyya: incalculably large number
attā: self
atthakathā: commentary
avijjā: ignorance (of the Four Noble Truths)
avyākata: neutral action
bhāvanā: mental development
bhikkhu: Buddhist monk
bhikkhunī: Buddhist nun
Bimbisāra: king of Rājagaha and disciple of the Buddha
bodhi: awakening
bodhipakkhiya-dhammā: 37 Factors of Awakening
Bodhisatta: “One who is intent on Awakening”, Buddha-to-be
bodhiyaṅgaṇa: area around a Bodhi tree
Brahmā: beings of the twenty highest planes of existence
brahman: member of the caste of priests in India
Buddha: “Awakened One”
Buddhaghosa: author of the Visuddhimagga?
caraṇa: (right) conduct
cetiyaṅgaṇa: area around a pagoda
citta: mind
cuti: the last mind moment when “falling” away from a life (i.e., death).
Deva: beings of the six planes above the human world
dāna-pāramī: the perfection of generosity
Dhamma: the Teaching (of the Buddha)
Dhammapada: collection of verses spoken by the Buddha, part of the Tipiṭaka
dhūtaṅga: ascetic practice
diṭṭhi: (right) view
dosa: dislike
dukkha: unsatisfactoriness, suffering
iddhipāda: “path to power”
Jetavana: monastery in Sāvatthi donated by Anāthapiṇḍika
jhāna: absorption state
Kaccāna or Kaccāyana: a leading disciple of the Buddha
kalāpa: the smallest unit of matter
kāma: sensual desire
kamma: actions (the residual force of past actions)
kammanta: action
Kassapa: a leading disciple of the Buddha
kāyapasāda: clearness of the sense of touch or sense in general
khandha: aggregate
khanti-pāramī: the perfection of patience
kusala: skilful
lobha: wanting
loka: world, sphere, a plane of existence
maggaṅga: the sections of the Noble Eightfold Path
magga: Path
magga-phala: Path and Fruition State
mahā: great
mahā-bhūta: the “great” (primary) elements
Majjhima-nikāya: one of the four Nikāyas of the Sutta section of the Tipiṭaka
mettā-pāramī: the perfection of loving kindness
moha: delusion
nāma: mind
nekkhamma-pāramī: the perfection of renunciation
Nibbāna: “quenching”, the end of all suffering
nikāya: there are four or five nikāyas:
four nikāyas in the Sutta-piṭaka.
five nikāyas if all the texts apart from the Sutta-piṭaka are taken as one nikāya.
These are simply different ways of subdividing the Tipiṭaka.
nirodha: cessation
Pacceka Buddha: a non-teaching Buddha
pakati-sāvaka: an ordinary disciple (i.e., an Arahat, but not a chief disciple or leading disciple)
Pāḷi: the language in which the Theravāda Buddhist scriptures are written
pañca-sīla: the five moral precepts
paññā: insight, understanding
paramattha: highest, ultimate
pāramī: perfection
pariccheda (in nāma-rūpa-pariccheda-ñāṇa): the ability to distinguish between mental and physical phenomena
pariyatti: training (in the texts)
pathavī: earth, element of extension (one of the mahā-bhūta)
Pātimokkha: the collection of the 227 rules of conduct for the monks
paṭipatti: practice of the Teachings
paṭisandhi: rebirth consciousness (following the last mind moment of the preceeding life, cf. cuti)
paṭivedha: attainment of Nibbāna
piṭaka: “basket”, collection (of texts)
phala: Fruition State
Rājagaha: a city in India
rūpa: matter
sacca-pāramī: the perfection of truth
sakadāgāmī: a once-returner
Sakka: the king of the Devas
samādhi: concentration
sāmapatti: attainment
samatha: calm
sammā: right, good
saṃsāra: the cycle of births and deaths
samudāya: origin [of suffering]
Saṃyutta-nikāya: part of the Sutta-nikāya
Saṅgha: the Order of Buddhist Monks
saṅgīti: Buddhist Council
saṅkappa: thought
saṅkhāra: the force of past actions
saññā: perception
Sāsana: the Teachings of the Buddha
sati: attention, awareness
Sāvatthi: a city in India
sikkhā: training
sīla: morality
sotāpatti: a Stream-enterer
Sutta: discourse
Suttanta-piṭaka: the books of discourses
tejo: fire (one of the mahā-bhūta)
Thera: Elder (form of address for Buddhist monks who have been ordained for more than ten years)
Therī: Form of address for Buddhist nuns
Tipiṭaka: the three collections (of the Pāḷi canon)
upasampadā: ordination as a full member of the Saṅgha
upekkha-pāramī: the perfection of equanimity
Uposatha: observance day
vācā: speech
vāyāma: effort
vāyo: wind, the element of motion (one of the mahā-bhūta)
vedanā: sensation, feeling
vijjā: understanding (of the Four Noble Truths)
Vinaya-piṭaka: the Collection on Discipline
viññāna: consciousness
Vipassanā: insight
viriya: effort
Vīsākhā: a leading woman lay disciple of the Buddha
Visuddhimagga: a general commentary on the Teachings of the Buddha by Buddhaghosa