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English Glossary of Buddhist Terms
This glossary is only a partial list of technical terms found on the pages of the website. From time to time, as work progresses on the glossary project, new terms will be added to the list. Sanskrit equivalents for Tibetan terms have been provided only for select terms and all diacritical marks for transliterated Sanskrit have been omitted, for ease of display on all browsers.
Choose one of the letters below to see the glossary entries that start with this letter:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z everything
| English | Definition | Tibetan / Sanskrit / Pali |
|---|---|---|
| wandering, mental | See: mental wandering | |
| wandering being | A being that "wanders" from one uncontrollably recurring rebirth to the next; a being caught in samsara. Synonymous with "limited being" (sentient being). | Tib: 'gro-ba Skt: gamin |
| wavering, indecisive | See: indecisive wavering | |
| way of cognitively taking an object | Also called: way of taking an object | Tib: 'dzin-stangs |
| ways of being aware of something | One of the three kinds of nonstatic phenomena -- all types of mental activity cognizing an object. | Tib: shes-pa |
| what is supported | ||
| what supports | ||
| wholehearted commitment to a spiritual mentor | ||
| winds of karma | In the Kalachakra system, the subtle energy-winds that carry the impulses of karma -- either the karmic impulses that draw one into actions or the karmic impulses with which one carries out physical or verbal actions. | Tib: las-kyi rlung |
| without a referent aim | A state of mind, such as immeasurable compassion, that lacks focus on the three circles ('khor-gsum) involved -- the action itself (in the case of compassion, wishing all beings to be free from suffering), the object, and the agent -- existing in an impossible way. Also translated as: unaimed. | Tib: dmigs-med |
| words, permitted | See: permitted words | |
| worldly | See: mundane | |
| would-be divine | A class of limited beings characerized by extreme jealousy toward the divine beings, with whom they continually fight. Also translated as "quasi-divine beings," "anti-gods," or simply as "asuras." | Tib: lha ma-yin Skt: asura |
| wrong livelihood | A dishonest means of earning a livelihood or procuring offerings. | Tib: log-'tsho |
| wrong view | See: distorted outlook | |
| wrong views, sixty-two |
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z everything