Glossary
Attachment- A deluded mental factor that observes a
contaminated object, regards it as a cause of happiness, and wishes for it.
Bodhi Mind- Mind in which the aspiration for enlightenment
has been awakened; the impulse that moves one towards self-realization.
Bodhisattva- One who practices the Buddha Way and
compassionately postpones final enlightenment for the sake of others; the ideal of
practice in Mahayana Buddhism.
Bodhi Tree- The fig tree under which the historical
Buddha, Siddhartha Guatemala, attained complete enlightenment.
Buddha- The name for an enlightened being, usually used to
refer to Sakymuni Buddha, the fifth century B.C. Indian founder of Buddhism.
Buddha-nature- The slf experienced without separateness
from all that is.
Cohen, Kenneth, M.A.- Director and
principal instructor of teh Qigong Research and Practice Center, is an internationally
renowned health educator, China scholar, and qigong master. A former collaborator
with Alan Watts, he is the author of "The Way of Qigong" (Ballantine),
best-selling qigong audiotapes (Sounds True), and more than 150 journal articles.
Ken is a graduate of the William Chen School of T'ai Chi Ch'uan (1974) and also trained
with B.P. Chan and Madame Gao Fu, a leading Master from Beijing. Ken was one of the
nine (9) "exceptional healers" studied in the Menninger Clinic's Copper Wall
Project and is a pioneer in the dialogue between Eastern wisdom and WEstern science.
Ken is an adjunct professor at Union Graduate School and maintains clinical
practice with physician referred clients. In 1994, he was chosen as the sole
representative of Chinese Medicine at the World Congress on Energy Medicine in
Switzerland. His work has been sponsored by the Association of Asian Research
Scholars, the Canadian Ministry of HEalth, and numerous universities.
Dharma- Universal Truth or law; the Buddha's teachings;
all phenomena that make up reality.
Dharma Combat- Unrehearsed dialogue in which two Zen
practitioners test and sharpen their understanding of Zen truths.
Dharma Discourse- A formal talk on a koan or significant
aspects of Zen teachings; not an intellectual presentation or a philosophical explanation,
but a direct expression of the spirit of Zen by the teacher.
Dharma Name- Name given to a student by the teacher during
jukai, the precepts ceremony.
Dogen Kigen Zenji- (1200-1253) Founder of the Japanese
Soto School of Zen; Dogen established Eihei-ji, the principal Soto training monastery in
Japan; he is the author of the Shobogenzo, an important collection of Dharma essays.
Dokusan/Daisan- Private interviews with the teacher during
which students present and clarify their understanding of the Dharma.
Eightfold Path- The content of the Buddha's Fourth Noble
Truth, the way out of suffering; it consists of right views, right determination right
speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right
concentration; some translators replace "right" with "perfect" to
avoid dualistic connotations.
Eight Gates of Training- Training System used at Zen
Mountain Monastery for complete living and realization. It includes zazen, Zen study
with the teacher, academic study, liturgy, precepts practice, art practice, body practice,
and work practice. It corresponds roughly to the aspects of the Buddha's Eightfold
Path.
Enlightenment- The direct experience of one's true nature.
Four Noble Truths- The first teaching of the historical
Buddha. It addresses the nature of all suffering and points to the way of overcoming
suffering. The Truths are:
- Life is suffering
- Suffering has a cause
- There is an end to the cause of suffering
- The way to put an end to suffering is the Eightfold Path.
Four Vows- Vows taken by the bodhisattvas, expressing
commitment to postpone their own enlightenment until all beings are liberated from
delusion. They are chanted at the end of each day at Zen monasteries.
Gassho- Gesture of bringing one's hands together, palm to
palm, embodying the identity of all dualities.
Gatha- Short sutra that presents the Dharma teachings in
terse, pithy wording; frequently chanted.
Hara- Physical and spiritual center of one's body/mind;
area in the lower belly used in centering one's attention in meditation and any activity.
Joriki- Power of concentration, developed through the
practice of meditation, that allows a person to place their focus of attention where they
choose for extended periods of time.
Jukai- Acknowledgement of and the reception of the
Buddhist precepts; the ceremony of becoming a Buddhist.
Karma- The universal law of cause and effect, linking an
action's underlying intention to that action's consequences. It equates the actions
of body, speech, and thought as potential sources of karmic consequences.
Kensho- "Seeing into one's own nature"; first
experience of realization.
Kesa- Monk's outer robe, worn across one shoulder.
Ki- Vital life-force present in and permeating all things;
the energy which is the source of all creative activity.
Kinhin- Walking meditation; it provides a transitional
stage for shifting the concentration developed in zazen into activity.
Koan- An apparently paradoxical statement or question used
in Zen training to induce in the student an intense level of doubt, allowing them to cut
through conventional and conditioned descriptions of reality and see directly into their
true nature.
Loori, John Daido- is the resident
teacher and spiritual leader of the Zen Mountain Monastery. A successor to Hakuyu
Taizan Maezumi Roshi, he has completed formal training in rigorous koan Zen and the subtle
teachings of Master Dogen's Zen, both of which are reflected in the teaching and training
at ZMM. Devoted to maintaining authentic Zen spirit, he has developed a distinctive
training style, involving both monastic and lay practitioners in a program of study that
embraces every aspect of daily life. Abbot Loori is the founder and director of the
Mountain and Rivers Order (MRO), an organization of Zen Buddhist temples, practice
centers, and sitting groups in the United States and abroad. He is also the
president of Dharma Communications, a right-action enterprise devoted to making Buddhist
teachings widely available. Drawing on his background as scientist, artist,
naturalist, parent, and Zen priest, Abbot Loori is an American Master who speaks directly
to students from the perspective of a shared background. His books include 'The
Way of Everyday Life', 'Mountain Record of Zen Talks', 'The Eight Gates of Zen', 'Two
Arrows Meeting in Mid-Air: The Zen Koan', 'The Still Point' and 'The Heart of
Being: Moral and Ethical Teachings of Zen Buddhism'.
Mu- One of the first koans used in koan training.
The first case in Master Wu-men's Gateless Gate collection of koans.
Nirvana- Union with the absolute. In Zen it is
essential to realize that samsara is nirvana, form is emptiness, that all beings are
innately perfect from the outset.
Oryoki- "Containing just enough"; set of bowls
and the ceremonial meal eaten in silence in Buddhist monasteries.
Paramitas- Perfections; virtues of attitude and behavior
cultivated by bodhisattvas in the course of their development, necessary on the path of
transcendence or realization. "Reaching the other shore", the six (6)
paramitas are:
- generosity
- discipline
- patience
- exertion
- meditation
- wisdom
Patriarch- A term meaning "father" applied to
the founders and early influential contributors to Buddhism.
Prajna- Wisdom; not that which is possessed but that which
is directly and thoroughly experienced.
Samsara- The world of appearances adn ever-changing flux.
The illusion of separateness. Teh wheel of reincarnation that leads a soul
through many births in its search of enlightenment.
Sanskrit- The sacred language of ancient India.
