Following is a compilation of Buddhist terms used at the Toronto Zen Centre and in this website. All non-English words are Japanese unless otherwise noted.
All-day sitting: Beginning at 8 a.m. and ending
around 4 p.m., one-day sittings are an opportunity to practice zazen
intensively, listen to a Zen lecture (teisho) and receive dokusan or
private instruction from the teacher. All-day sittings also involve a work period and chanting service.
Bodhisattva: Sanskrit word meaning wisdom (bodhi)
being (sattva). An awakened person who, having dedicated himself or
herself to helping all living beings attain enlightenment, postpones
his or her own supreme liberation for the sake of others.
Buddha: A Sanskrit word meaning either (1)
ultimate truth or reality or (2) one who has awakened to the true
nature of existence, that is, a person who knows who and what he or
she is. "The Buddha" refers to the historical person, Siddhartha
Gautama, who was born around the year 563 B.C. After his
enlightenment at the age of 35 he became known as Shakyamuni Buddha.
Dharma: Sanskrit word meaning (1) the teachings of
Shakyamuni Buddha and (2) universal Law, or Truth. With small 'd'
usually means phenomena or things of existence.
Dharma Heir: A Zen disciple who has reached at
least the same degree of understanding as his or her teacher and has
been given permission to teach and transmit the teaching to his or
her own successors.
Disciple: A student who has formally requested to
practice Zen Buddhism with a particular teacher as a life-long
commitment.
Dokusan/Private Instruction: A private meeting
between teacher and student in a room set aside for this purpose
(the dokusan room). During dokusan (for formal students of Roshi) a
student may bring up any matter or question directly relating to his
or her practice. In private instruction (for trial members and
non-students), a person can also bring up matters not directly
relating to practice. Dokusan and private instruction are strictly
confidential.
Enlightenment: Also called awakening,
self-realization, kensho, satori. This is the experience of seeing
into one's true nature and awakening to the fundamental perfection
of all existence. There are many different degrees of realization.
Gassho: The gesture of raising the hands palm to
palm in non-separation, to indicate respect, gratitude, humility, or all three.
Han: A wooden block hit with a mallet to notify
sitters that zazen is about to begin. On the back of the han appear
the following words of the Buddha:
Great is the matter of birth and death
Life flows quickly by
Time waits for no one
Wake up! Wake up!
Don’t waste a moment!
Hara: The center of energy four fingers below the
navel. This is where the mind is focused during zazen.
Inkhin bell: Bell used to signal the beginning and end of formal rounds of zazen and kinhin.
Jukai: Ceremony of receiving (ju) the Buddhist
Precepts (kai) from an ordained teacher. This is a formal initiation into Buddhism, making
one a member of the Buddha's family.
Karma: A complex doctrine fundamental to the
teachings of Buddhism meaning action and its fruits, the continuing
process of cause and effect. From a moral standpoint, karma implies
that people are the architects of their own destiny, for what they
sow, they will reap. Karma is not the same as fate, for it is made
and changed by ourselves.
Keisu: Bowl-shaped gong used in chanting services.
Kinhin: Walking zazen or zazen in motion done
between periods of sitting.
Kotsu: Wooden scepter of Zen teachers given to
them by their teacher when they have been granted permission to
teach. Has an s-shaped curve, like a human spinal column.
Lotus: In Buddhism, the lotus flower is symbolic
for the purity and perfection intrinsic in all beings. A lotus
begins its life in mud, yet grows upward, blossoming after it has
gone beyond the surface of the water. Similarly, humans, mired in
the darkness of ignorance, display their true qualities of wisdom
and compassion once they have transcended their desires, anger and
ignorance. The lotus position is a cross-legged posture used by some
people when doing zazen.
Mokugyo: Literally wooden fish. An elaborately
carved wooden drum struck with a padded wooden stick during chanting
services. Fish, since they never sleep, symbolize the alertness and
watchfulness needed to attain Buddhahood.
Monitor: Person responsible for running sittings.
General questions about zendo etiquette may be addressed to the
monitor.
Precepts: There are 16 Precepts in Buddhism. These
are comprised of the Three Refuges (placing one's trust in Buddha,
Dharma, and Sangha), the Three General Resolutions (to avoid evil,
do good and liberate all sentient beings), and Ten Cardinal
Prohibitions:
- Not to kill but to cherish all life.
- Not to take what is not given but to respect the things of others.
- Not to engage in improper sexuality but to live a life of purity and self-control.
- Not to lie but to speak the truth.
- Not to cause others to take substances that confuse the mind nor to do so oneself but to keep the mind clear.
- Not to speak of the misdeeds of others but to be understanding and sympathetic.
- Not to praise oneself nor disparage others but to overcome one's own short-comings.
- Not to withhold spiritual or material aid but to give them freely where needed.
- Not to indulge in anger but to exercise self-control.
- Not to revile the Three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha) but to cherish and uphold them.
Rakusu: Garment worn over the sitting robe by
those who have practiced zazen for several years and have taken
Jukai. The rakusu is symbolic of the Buddha's robe.
Roshi: Literally venerable (spiritual) teacher.
This is the title of a mature Zen master, who may be a monk, priest,
layperson, male or female. The function of a roshi is to guide and
inspire his or her students along the path to self-realization.
Sangha: The community of those who practice the
Buddha's teachings. In a narrow sense, those who practice at a
particular Center. In a wider sense, all Buddhist practitioners
everywhere.
Sensei: Literally any type of teacher. In this
country many Zen teachers use the term Sensei rather than Roshi.
Sesshin: A five- to seven-day period of intensive,
strict zazen practice. The daily routine begins at 4:00 a.m. with
wake-up and ends at 9:30 p.m. Two- to three-hour blocks of zazen and
kinhin with dokusan end with teisho, chanting, meals, work periods
and rest periods.
Student: Someone who has made a formal commitment
to practice Zen Buddhism with a particular teacher.
Teisho: A formal talk which is a presentation of a
Zen teacher's experiential understanding of Buddhism. Unlike a
sermon or lecture, which has didactic overtones, it is a direct
demonstration of the teacher’s insight. In Zen parlance, a teisho
comes from the hara.
Zazen: Literally za (to sit) zen
(one-pointed concentration or absorption). Thus, to do zazen is to
sit with the mind intensely focused. This is the type of meditation
taught in the Zen sect of Buddhism and is the cornerstone of a Zen
Buddhist's spiritual practice.
Zendo: Room where zazen is practiced.