Where I occasionally define my terms…
Meditation means different things in a variety of contexts and can be practised in an endless variety of ways. The word comes from the Latin meditatio and the verb meditari, which means ‘to think, contemplate, devise, or ponder.’ It was used as a translation for Hindu and Buddhist spiritual practices called dhyana, from the Sanskrit… Continue reading Spiritual Glossary: Meditation
In Buddhism, the precepts form a basic code of ethics or minimum standard of morality. There are various numbers of precepts, depending on the teaching, but the most common are the Five Precepts found in the Paramitas. They’re designed to help you achieve liberation from suffering and illusion – if you can stick to them!… Continue reading Spiritual Glossary: Buddhist Precepts
The Three Jewels of Buddhism are also known as the Three Refuges because when you commit to a spiritual practice you can take what’s called the Refuge Vow. This is where you take refuge in the Three Jewels to support and guide you on the path of liberation from suffering. The Three Jewels are: The… Continue reading Spiritual Glossary: The Three Jewels
Buddha nature is your true nature. This may be hard to believe at times, but even a tiny glimpse of reality during awakening will reveal the truth of it. Enlightenment reveals the true nature of all beings as Buddha nature. It’s also called Buddha-dhātu, which means ‘Buddha Element’ or ‘Buddha Principle.’ This is the seed… Continue reading Spiritual Glossary: Buddha Nature
The Five Remembrances come from the Upajjhatthana Sutra, which means ‘Subjects for Contemplation.’ The Buddha recommended reciting these verses every day to help you remember that life is precious and time is short. The Five Remembrances are simple statements of the facts of life and death. So meditating on them is about accepting reality as… Continue reading Spiritual Glossary: Five Remembrances
The word dharma has various meanings in different cultures, but in Buddhism it has two. As dharma it refers to cosmic law and the natural order of life, and as Dharma it refers to the teachings of the Buddha. But as we’ll see, these two things are not so far apart. The Sanskrit root of… Continue reading Spiritual Glossary: Dharma
This is one of those words you think you understand, but really never give it much thought. Self can mean many different things depending on the context. When you refer to your ‘self’, you tend to mean something along the lines of the dictionary definition of the word: a person’s essential being that distinguishes them… Continue reading Spiritual Glossary: Self
