For many readers, the terms used throughout this site may be unfamiliar. This list is intended to reduce confusion and assist visitors to gain more from the site.

Many of the terms are in Sanskrit and/or Tibetan and are born from traditional Buddhist thought. The main point we would like to stress is that all these terms refer to aspects of our own basic good nature and one need not be a Buddhist to appreciate this project.

The definitions offered here are by no means conclusive and are moreover geared to give general audiences an easy-to-understand sense of an awakened landscape.

We hope this glossary serves you well, and your questions are always welcome.

Definitions:

Bodhi: Altruistic, compassionate, enlightened mind; perfect knowledge or wisdom by which a human becomes a Buddha (an awakened being); The extinction of greed, hatred, and delusion.

Bodhivastu: The Auspicious Manifestation of Perfected Compassionate Awakening

Buddha: From the Sanskrit "Budh," to notice or to understand. Someone who has come to a complete purified and unstained understanding and actualization of the nature of reality. Tibetan: Sangye, which means completely purified and expanded.

Dharma: The teachings that issue forth from an awakened understanding.

Lama: A spiritual teacher in the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition.

Mantra: A sound composed of one or more syllables used in meditation. Formulaic enlightened speech of the Buddhas. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantra

Rinpoche: Precious. Normally used when referring to high Lamas (spiritual teachers); also a ranking of spiritual being.

Sangha: The community of those who practice on the path of enlightenment, as well as more advanced beings dwelling in the various stages of accomplishment.

Stupa: Sanskrit and in Tibetan: Chorten. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stupa

Sugatas: A Sanskrit term meaning "those who course in, come from, or go to bliss."

Thatagatha: "thus gone" or one who has realized selflessness, i.e., the Buddha. A Sanskrit term meaning "those who course in, come from, or go into thusness or abide in suchness."

Vastu: The auspicious design and building of objects and environments in harmony with physical and metaphysical forces. The seat, realm, or place of an abiding substance, essence, or worthy object.