Abhidhamma The section of Theravadan Buddhist scripture concerned with philosophical, cosmological, and psychological analysis.
adharma / adharmic Unrighteous conduct. Failure to perform spiritual duty or to act from the Truth within one’s heart.
Ahamkara The false belief in individuality. This I-ness or I-maker is the source of egoism, the root cause of dualism.
Ahimsa Non-harming in deeds, words, and thoughts. One who does not have compassion for others, including all life-forms, is in some way harming them. One of the yamas.
ananda Absolute bliss.
aparigraha Non-covetousness, non-acquiring, non-attachment. To accept only that which is absolutely necessary in deed, word, and thought. One of the yamas.
arti A ritual performed to show reverence to a deity. A holy person moves clockwise around an image of the deity while chanting and carrying a tray containing a lamp/candle, camphor, and other items such as sacred ash, Tulasi leaves, flowers.
arti lamp The flame carried during an arti ceremony. The flame symbolizes both the embodiment of the deity and the deity’s transcendence of bodily form.
asana(s) Literally “seat.” A posture that is stable and comfortable. One of the eight limbs of ashtanga yoga.
ashram(a) A spiritually based residence or retreat site where yoga is lived and taught; Often, an ashram is founded in honor of a particular spiritual master. Also, a stage of life; human life has four “ashramas: student, householder, spiritual seeker, ascetic.
ashtanga yoga A physical discipline to synchronize the breath with postures to balance the body and calm the mind. The “eight-limbed” yoga: yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi.
asteya Non-stealing. Not taking what does not belong to oneself. One of the yamas.
atman The spark or breath of the Divine in all beings.
Avadhuta An incarnate being who lives in a state beyond body consciousness. An ascetic who enjoys liberation and supernatural powers.
avatar The highest form an entity can attain and still incarnate. The incarnation of a deity, such as Rama, Krishna, Christ, Zoroaster, or Buddha.
bardo Literally “island.” The state between death and rebirth.
bhakti The yoga of devotion. (“The way bhakti works—you just love until you and the Beloved become one.”—Ram Dass)
bhikhu An individual devoted to the task of following the path by renunciation of the distractions of worldly affairs.
Bhuta Yagya Offering food to birds and animals as a spiritual practice.
Brahma Yagya Surrendering oneself to the Divine, especially through the study of religious texts and ideas.
brahmacharya The practice of chastity. The spiritual student who is practicing impeccable behavior, including chastity. One of the yamas.
Brahman The inconceivable, the inexpressable, the indescribable. The principle of illumination by which all phenomena, without exception, emanate and to which all return. Ultimate reality.
buddhi The reasoning and discriminating faculty of the mind. Functions independent of the senses, and therefore is able to clarify and control them.
chakra(s) One of seven energy vortices or nerve plexuses along the astral spinal column. Each chakra has a physical and emotional counterpart.
chit Absolute knowledge.
darshan Receiving a glimpse of Truth from being in the presence of a holy person, sacred idol, or sacred place.
dharana Concentration on a single object.
dharma/dharmic The bases of all universal order, social and moral. Conformity to natural righteousness or spiritual duty.
dhyana Meditation or contemplation.
dokusan In the Zen Buddhist tradition, a private interview with one’s teacher.
dorje The thunderbolt in art and ritual that symbolizes the method of using something invincible that can cut through anything.
entheogens From the Greek, entheos, meaning “God within.” Often called psychedelics. Use of these substances (e.g., peyote, ayahuasca, cannabis, etc.) permits temporary freedom from the perception of reality created by the rational mind.
ghee Clarified butter. It represents abundance and fertility, often used as a ritual offering.
guna(s) In Hindu philosophy, literally, “threads or strands.” The three inherent characteristics or qualities of nature: sattva (truth/purity), rajas (energy/passion), and tamas (inertia/illusion).
gyan(a) The yoga of intellectual introspection and discernment. The goal is toward mind control.
hatha yoga The path of body control and discipline. Includes the breath and postures.
ida The left nadi (stream of energy) that runs along the sushumna (the astral spinal column that carries the kundalini energy). It is feminine, watery in nature, cool, and soothing. See pingala.
indrias The powers of the senses (hear, feel, see, taste, smell) and the powers of action (voice, hand, foot, organ of excretion, organ of generation).
Ishta Dev A “chosen deity” or personal God who protects and assists the devotee on the Path. (“Hanuman is Maharjji’s Ishta Dev, his route through.”—Ram Dass)
japa Devotional repetition of a mantra, a prayer, or names of God.
Jiva/Jivatman The incarnate individualized Self. The soul identifies with its manifested or incarnate state.
jnana yoga The path of knowledge and wisdom arrived at through inquiry and discrimination.
kalpa In Hindu chronology, 4,320,000,000 years. The length of a day and night of Brahman.
karma Literally, “action.” This includes not only one’s actions this lifetime, but throughout all lifetimes. It is the fuel of samsara. The karmic principle of cause and effect is not a system of reward and punishment outside ourselves, rather it is a natural law maintaining the balance of the universe.
karma yoga The path of action. The practice of consciously using one’s daily life and work as a spiritual path while relinquishing attachment to the fruits of the actions.
Kaya A form or body. The body of dharma is the dharmakaya.
koan An unsolvable riddle used as a meditation practice in some schools of Zen Buddhism. (“The mind using itself to beat itself.”— Ram Dass)
kshatria One of the four social classes of Aryan clans in India: Brahmin (learned), kshatria (warrior), valshya (merchant), and sudra (laborer). Kshatria is the fighter of the senses and protector of people. Arjuna is a kshatria.
lila Divine play; reality seen as God-at-play.
loka Other realms or dimensions than the physical world.
manas The lower mind. The rational faculty of the mind which has a dual role as a sense organ and an organ of action. Through manas, impressions from the external world are received (sense) and conscious and creative responses are given (action).
mantra Rhythmic repetition of words or phrases that support an individual’s inner journey. A method of silencing the mind. Om is the supreme mantra.
mauna Spiritual silence.
mauni A sadhu who uses silence as an upaya.
maya Literally, “illusion.” The flux that underlies everything that is created and dissolved (the phenomenal world). That which diverts humans from Spirit (Reality) to matter (unreality).
murti The manifestation of sacred power or a deity in the form of an icon, often a statue.
namaste A verbal greeting, often with palms held together at the heart center, meaning I honor the divinity in you. (“I honor the place in you where, when you are resting in yours and I am resting in mine, there is only one of us.”—Ram Dass)
nibbana / nirvana Liberation from material existence. The transcendental freedom that stands as the final goal of the Buddha’s teachings. Unconditional wisdom, unlimited awareness.
nivritti To flow back. Involution, away from activity. Opposed to pravritti, evolution.
niyama(s) The internal disciplines of ashtanga yoga: saucha (purity of mind and body), santosha (contentment), tapas (self-discipline), svadhyaya (devotion and spiritual study), and hvara pranidhara (surrender, union with the Divine).
Nri Yagya Offerings to guests or to the needy (such as food to the hungry) given as a spiritual act or practice.
pingala The right nadi (stream of energy) that runs along the sushumna (the astral spinal column which carries the kundalini energy). It is masculine, fiery in nature, hot, and stimulating. See ida.
Pitri Yagya Offering oblations, usually of water and rice, to the dead, especially ancestors.
prakriti Nature; phenomenal world. Oneness manifests as purusha (spirit) and prakriti. Prakriti is part of the Divine Being, not subordinate to it.
pralaya Periodic cosmic dissolution marking the end of an age. When all forms merge into one indiscriminable whole.
pranam To bow down to show respect, especially to a sadhu.
pranayama Regulation of the breath to control prana, or the life force of the body. Used in yoga and meditation for cleansing the body and concentrating the mind.
pratyahara Withdrawal of senses from objects to still the mind. One of the eight limbs of ashtanga yoga.
pravritti To flow forth. Evolution, toward sense stimulus. Opposed to nivritti, involution.
psychotropic A substance that can influence human consciousness, changing the functioning of the mind.
punya Right understanding. To act mindfully.
purusha Spirit. Pure consciousness. Oneness manifests as purusha and prakriti (phenomenal world).
raja yoga The “royal” path. The mind becomes the instrument of the soul.
rajas/rajasic Energy. Action, stimulation of desires. One of the gunas.
Ram Nam Satya Hey The Hindu mantra that accompanies bringing the body of a deceased person to the Ganges River during funeral rites. Often heard in Banaras (Varanasi).
Ramayana Literally, the vehicle of Rama. Composed by the sage Valmiki, the Ramayana is the oldest known Sanskrit epic poem of India. The adventures of the avatar Rama and his consort Sita with the demon Ravana. The Ramayana brings to life the eternal struggle between the impersonal laws of nature and dharma.
Rinpoche Literally, “precious One.” A title of honor given to Tulkus and others of high spiritual attainment.
rohatsu dai sesshin A Zen tradition of intense meditation practice. For the first eight days of December, continuous meditation with breaks for sutras, eating, and sleeping.
sadhak A spiritual aspirant of God or Truth doing sadhana.
sadhana(s) From the verb root sadh, meaning “to go straight to the goal.” Spiritual way or spiritual disciplines that ultimately create evolutionary energy for all beings.
sadhu A holy person, saint, or sage.
samadhi Concentration, absorption, unification. The person and the object of meditation merge. Total absorption of body, mind, soul, and spirit into the One Reality. Oneness, ecstasy.
samsara Literally, “to circle.” The bondage of the repetitious cycle of birth, death, and rebirth initiated by one’s karma (actions in each lifetime).
sankhya A Hindu school of philosophy focusing study on the human body and soul.
sat Truth Absolute Being. Beyond duality.
satori In the Zen Buddhist tradition, “direct perception.” This experience may vary from a flash of intuitive awareness to nirvana. It is the beginning and not the end of Zen training.
sattva/sattvic Ritually pure. Being in a state of tranquility or purity. One of the gunas.
satya Truthfulness.
sesshin A period of intense meditation practice.
seva Service without attachment to the fruits of one’s labor. (“God serving God—puts it into a loving space.”—Ram Dass)
shabhd yoga The yoga of working with the inner sound.
shakti The feminine principle of Divine energy or power. Recognition of one’s own inner power.
siddhi From sidh, “to attain.” Supernatural or hidden powers inherent in the human spirit attained through mantra, meditation, and other yogic practices.
siddhi baba A perfected yogi who has mastered the eight siddhis: the power to become infinitely small (anima), infinitely large (mahima), light (laghima), heavy (garima), to create (ishatwa), command (vashitwa), reach anywhere (prapti), and gratify any wish (prakamya).
sila Purification, morality, virtue.
skandas The causal and impermanent elements inherent in all forms of life. There are five elements (skandas) creating the personality and temporal nature of humans: rupa (form), vedana (sensation), sanna (perception), sankhara (reactions), and vinnana (consciousness).
stupa Literally, “crest, top, summit.” The monument built over the ashes or relics of a spiritual master.
sunnyas A renunciate. One who has renounced the world for a life of solitude and meditation.
sushumna The astral spinal column, where the chakras ascend and where the kundalini energy is carried.
swaha Invocation used during offerings to spiritual deities. Has the intent of “So be it!”
Svayamvara The Indian ceremony when the princess chooses her own husband.
tapasya/tapas Self-discipline and austerity to achieve progress in spiritual growth.
Theravadan Buddhism: Literally, “the Way of the Elders.” A council of five hundred elders committed the Buddha’s teachings from oral tradition to written form. From this text, the Pali Canon, Theravadan Buddhism draws its spiritual inspiration. It is the predominant school of Buddhism in Southeast Asia, and is often referred to as Southern Buddhism. Since the nineteenth century it has spread across Europe and North America.
tucket A low bed or platform made from planks used by some of the holy beings in India.
Tulku(s) A sage who has chosen to reincarnate, rather than accept nirvana, to be available to spiritual seekers.
Upanishads Literally, “to be close-by devotedly.” One of the most important Hindu spiritual texts. The Upanishads, along with the Aranyakas and Brahmanas, are the principal commentaries on the Vedas and on Hindu scriptural ideas. The central teaching is that the Self is the same as Brahman.
upaya A way or path. Any means or method used to achieve spiritual awareness.
vasana(s) Self-limitation caused from memories (habits or conditioning) that can prevent enlightenment. Awareness of these memories can be used to progress.
Vedas Literally, “wisdom.” The ancient sacred writings of India which form the heart of Hindu scripture. The Vedas were composed beginning in 2000 B.C. The four Vedas (also called the Samhitas) are the Rig-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Yajur-Veda, and the Atharva-Veda.
Vichara Atma “Who am I?” A practice of self-inquiry, taught and practiced by Ramana Maharshi.
Visuddhimagga A fifth-century work on Theravadan Buddhist doctrine. Translated into English by Bhikku Nanamoli. Visuddhimagga, the title, is also a phrase meaning “the Path of Purification.”
yama(s) One of the external disciplines: ahimsa (non-harming), satya (truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (chastity), and aparigraha (non-covetousness).
yoga(s) Literally, to yoke or join. The way to or the union of the soul with the Ultimate Reality. Includes meditation, breath control, postures, right behavior, devotion, etc.
yuga An age in Hindu chronology lasting 432,000 years. There are four yugas in each cycle of creation: Satya or Krita Yuga (Truth or Golden Age), with emphasis on meditation; Treta Yuga (Silver Age), sacrifices; Dvapara Yuga (Bronze Age), worship of deities; and the present Kali Yuga (Dark or Iron Age), chanting of Holy Names. The Kali age began in 3102 B.C. and is the fourth yuga of this cycle.
zazen “Just sitting” method of meditation in Zen Buddhism.
zendo In the Zen Buddhist tradition, a place used to practice zazen.