# Glossary

**abhidhamma** : the higher teachings of Buddhism, teachings on ultimate realities.

**Abhidhammattha Sangaha** : an Encyclopedia of the Abhidhamma, written by Anuruddha between the 8th and the 12th century A.D.

**abhiññā** : supernormal powers.

**adosa** : non aversion.

**ahetuka cittas** : not accompanied by “beautiful roots” or unwholesome roots.

**ākāsānañcāyatana** : sphere of boundless space, the meditation subject of the first immaterial jhānacitta.

**akiñcaññāyatana** : sphere of nothingness, the meditation subject of the third immaterial jhānacitta.

**akusala** : unwholesome, unskilful.

**alobha** : non attachment, generosity.

**amoha** : wisdom or understanding.

**anāgāmī** : non-returner, person who has reached the third stage of enlightenment, he has no aversion (dosa).

**anattā** : not self.

**anicca** : impermanence.

**anuloma** : conformity or adaptation.

**anusaya** : latent tendency or proclivity.

**anupādisesa nibbāna** : final nibbāna, without the khandhas (aggregates or groups of existence) remaining, at the death of an arahat.

**apo-dhātu** : element of water or cohesion.

**appanā** : absorption.

**arahat** : noble person who has attained the fourth and last stage of enlightenment.

**ārammaṇa** : object which is known by consciousness.

**ariyan** : noble person who has attained enlightenment.

**arūpa-bhūmi** : plane of arūpa jhānacitta.

**arūpa-brahma** : plane plane of existence attained as a result of arūpa-jhāna. There are no sense impressions, no rūpa experienced in this realm.

**arūpa-jhāna** : immaterial absorption.

**asaṅkhārika** : unprompted, not induced, either by oneself or by someone else.

**asaṅkhata dhamma** : unconditioned reality, nibbāna.

**āsavas** : influxes or intoxicants, group of defilements .

**asobhana** : not beautiful, not accompanied by beautiful roots.

**asubha** : foul.

**asura** : demon, being of one of the unhappy planes of existence.

**atīta-bhavanga** : past life-continuum, arising and falling away shortly before the start of a process of cittas experiencing an object through one of the sense-doors.

**Atthasālinī** : The Expositor, a commentary to the first book of the Abhidhamma Piṭaka.

**āvajjana** : adverting of consciousness to the object which has impinged on one of the six doors.

**avijjā** : ignorance.

**ayoniso manasikāra** : unwise attention to an object.

**bhāvanā** : mental development, comprising the development of calm and the development of insight.

**bhavanga** : life-continuum.

**bhavanga calana** : vibrating bhavanga arising shortly before a process of cittas experiencing an object through one of the six doors.

**bhavangupaccheda** : arrest bhavanga, last bhavanga-citta before a process of cittas starts.

**bhikkhu** : monk.

**bhikkhunī** : nun.

**bhūmi** : plane of existence or plane of citta.

**brahma-vihāras** : the four divine abidings, meditation subjects which are: loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, equanimity.

**Buddha** : a fully enlightened person who has discovered the truth all by himself, without the aid of a teacher and can proclaim Dhamma to the world.

**Buddhaghosa** : commentator on the Tipiṭaka, author of the Visuddhimagga in 5 A.D.

**cakkhu** : eye.

**cakkhu-dhātu** : eye element.

**cakkhu-dvāra** : eyedoor.

**cakkhu-dvārāvajjana-citta** : eye-door-adverting-consciousness.

**cakkhuppasāda rūpa** : rūpa which is the organ of eyesense, capable of receiving visible object.

**cakkhu-viññāṇa** : seeing-consciousness.

**cetanā** : volition or intention.

**cetasika** : mental factor arising with consciousness.

**citta** : consciousness, the reality which knows or cognizes an object.

**cuti-citta** : dying-consciousness.

**dāna** : generosity, giving.

**dassana-kicca** : function of seeing.

**dhamma** : reality, truth, the teachings.

**dhamma-dhātu** : element of dhammas, realities, comprising cetasikas, subtle rūpas, nibbāna.

**dhammārammaṇa** : all objects other than the sense objects which can be experienced through the five sense-doors, thus, objects which can be experienced only through the mind-door.

**Dhammasangaṇi** : the first book of the Abhidhamma Piṭaka.

**Dhātukathā** : Discussion on the Elements, the third book of the Abhidhamma.

**diṭṭhi** : wrong view, distorted view of realities.

**diṭṭhigata sampayutta** : accompanied by wrong view.

**domanassa** : unpleasant feeling.

**dosa** : aversion or ill will.

**dosa-mūla-citta** : citta (consciousness) rooted in aversion.

**dukkha** : suffering, unsatisfactoriness of conditioned realities.

**dukkha vedanā** : painful feeling or unpleasant feeling.

**dvāra** : doorway through which an object is experienced, the five sense-doors or the mind door.

**dvi-pañca-viññāṇa** : the five pairs of sense-cognitions, which are seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and body-consciousness. Of each pair one is kusala vipāka and one akusala vipāka.

**ekaggatā** : concentration, one-pointedness, a cetasika which has the function to focus on one object.

**ganthas** : bonds, a group of defilements.

**ghāna-dhātu** : nose element.

**ghānappasāda rūpa** : rūpa which is the organ of smelling sense, capable of receiving odour.

**ghāna-viññāṇa** : smelling-consciousness.

**ghāyana-kicca** : function of smelling.

**gotrabhū** : change of lineage, the last citta of the sense-sphere before jhāna, absorption, is attained, or enlightenment is attained.

**hadaya-vatthu** : heart-base, rūpa which is the plane of origin of the cittas other than the sense-cognitions.

**hasituppāda-citta** : smile producing consciousness of an arahat.

**hetu** : root, which conditions citta to be “beautiful” or unwholesome.

**indriya** : faculty. Some are rūpas such as the sense organs, some are nāmas such as feeling. Five ’spiritual faculties’ are wholesome faculties which should be cultivated, namely: confidence, energy, awareness, concentration and wisdom.

**issā** : envy.

**jāti** : birth, nature, class (of cittas).

**javana-citta** : cittas which ’run through the object’, kusala citta or akusala citta in the case of non-arahats.

**jhāna** : absorption which can be attained through the development of calm.

**jhāna-factors** : cetasikas which have to be cultivated for the attainment of jhāna: vitakka, vicāra, pīti, sukha, samādhi.

**jivhā-dhātu** : tongue element.

**jivhāppasāda rūpa** : rūpa which is the organ of tasting sense, capable of receiving flavour.

**jivhā-viññāṇa** : tasting-consciousness.

**kāma** : sensual enjoyment or the five sense objects.

**kāma-bhūmi** : sensuous plane of existence.

**kāmacchandha** : sensuous desire.

**kāma-sobhana cittas** : beautiful cittas of the sense sphere.

**kāmāvacara cittas** : cittas of the sense sphere.

**kamma** : intention or volition; deed motivated by volition.

**kammapatha** : course of action performed through body, speech or mind which can be wholesome or unwholesome.

**karuṇā** : compassion.

**kasiṇa** : disk, used as an object for the development of calm.

**kāya** : body. It can also stand for the “mental body”, the cetasikas.

**kāya dhātu** : the element of bodysense.

**kāyappasāda rūpa** : bodysense, the rūpa which is capable of receiving tangible object. It is all over the body, inside or outside.

**kāya-viññatti** : bodily intimation, such as gestures, facial expression, etc.

**kāya-viññāṇa** : body-consciousness.

**khandhas** : aggregates of conditioned realities classified as five groups: physical phenomena, feelings, perception or remembrance, activities or formations (cetasikas other than feeling or perception), consciousness.

**kicca** : function.

**kilesa** : defilements.

**kiriya citta** : inoperative citta, neither cause nor result.

**kukkucca** : regret or worry.

**kusala citta** : wholesome consciousness.

**kusala kamma** : a good deed.

**kusala** : wholesome, skillful.

**lobha** : attachment, greed.

**lobha-mūla-citta** : consciousness rooted in attachment.

**lokiya citta** : citta which is mundane, not experiencing nibbāna.

**lokuttara citta** : supramundane citta which experiences nibbāna.

**lokuttara dhammas** : the unconditioned dhamma which is nibbāna and the cittas which experience nibbāna.

**macchariya** : stinginess.

**magga** : path (eightfold Path).

**magga-citta** : path consciousness, supramundane citta which experiences nibbāna and eradicates defilements.

**mahā-bhūta-rūpas** : the rūpas which are the four great elements of “earth” or solidity, “water ” or cohesion, “fire” or temperature, and “wind” or motion.

**mahā-kiriyacitta** : inoperative sense-sphere citta of the arahat, accompanied by “beautiful” roots.

**mahā-kusala citta** : wholesome citta of the sense sphere.

**mahā-vipākacitta** : citta of the sense sphere which is result, accompanied by “beautiful” roots.

**manāyatana** : mind-base, including all cittas.

**mano** : mind, citta, consciousness.

**mano-dhātu** : mind-element, comprising the five-sense-door adverting- consciousness, and the two types of receiving-consciousness.

**mano-dvārāvajjana-citta** : mind-door-adverting-consciousness.

**mano-dvāra-vīthi-cittas** : cittas arising in a mind-door process.

**mano-viññāṇa-dhātu** : mind-consciousness element, comprising all cittas other than the sense-cognitions (seeing, etc.) and mind-element.

**māra** : “the evil one”—all that leads to dukkha

**mettā** : loving kindness.

**middha** : torpor or languor.

**moha** : ignorance. moha-mūla-citta citta rooted in ignorance.

**muditā** : sympathetic joy.

**nāma** : mental phenomena, including those which are conditioned and also the unconditioned nāma which is nibbāna.

**natthika diṭṭhi** : wrong view of annihilation, assumption that there is no result of kamma.

**n’eva-saññā-n’āsaññāyatana** : sphere of neither perception nor non-perception, the meditation subject of the fourth immaterial jhāna.

**nibbāna** : the unconditioned reality, the reality which does not arise and fall away.The destruction of lust, hatred and delusion. The deathless. The end of suffering.

**nimitta** : mental image one can acquire of a meditation subject in tranquil meditation.

**nirodha-samāpatti** : attainment of cessation of consciousness.

**nīvaraṇa** : hindrances, a group of defilements.

**ñāṇa** : wisdom, insight.

**ojā** : the rūpa which is nutrition.

**oḷārika rūpas** : gross rūpas (sense objects and sense organs).

**Pacceka Buddha** : Silent Buddha, an enlightened one who has found the truth by himself but does not proclaim Dhamma to the world.

**paṭibhāga nimitta** : counterpart image, more perfected mental image of a meditation subject, acquired in tranquil meditation.

**paṭigha** : aversion or ill will.

**Paṭṭhāna** : Conditional Relations, the seventh book of the Abhidhamma.

**paṭisandhi citta** : rebirth consciousness.

**Pāli** : the language of the Buddhist teachings.

**pañcadvārāvajjana-citta** : five-sense-door-adverting-consciousness.

**pañcaviññāṇa** : (or dvi-pañcaviññāṇa), the sense cognitions (seeing etc.) of which there are five pairs.

**paññā** : wisdom or understanding.

**paññatti** : concepts, conventional terms.

**paramattha dhamma** : truth in the absolute sense: mental and physical phenomena, each with their own characteristic.

**parikamma** : preparatory consciousness, the first javana citta arising in the process during which absorption or enlightenment is attained.

**pasāda-rūpas** : rūpas which are capable of receiving sense-objects such as visible object, sound, taste, etc. peta ghost.

**phala-citta** : fruition consciousness experiencing nibbāna. It is result of magga- citta, path-consciousness.

**phassa** : contact.

**phoṭṭhabbārammaṇa** : tangible object, experienced through bodysense.

**phusanakicca** : function of experiencing tangible object.

**pīti** : joy, rapture, enthusiasm.

**Puggalapaññatti** : Designation of Human Types, the fourth book of the Abhidhamma.

**puthujjana** : “worldling”, a person who has not attained enlightenment.

**Rāhula** : the Buddha’s son.

**rasārammaṇa** : object of flavour.

**rūpārammaṇa** : visible object.

**rūpa** : physical phenomena, realities which do not experience anything.

**rūpa-brahma** : plane rūpa-bhūmi, fine material realm of existence attained as a result of rūpa-jhāna.

**rūpa-jhāna** : fine material absorption, developed with a meditation subject which is still dependant on materiality.

**rūpa-khandha** : aggregate or group of all physical phenomena (rūpas).

**rūpāvacara cittas** : rūpa-jhānacittas, consciousness of the fine-material sphere.

**saddārammaṇa** : sound.

**saddhā** : confidence.

**sahagata** : accompanied by.

**sahetuka** : accompanied by roots.

**sakadāgāmī** : once-returner, a noble person who has attained the second stage of enlightenment.

**samādhi** : concentration or one-pointedness, ekaggatā cetasika.

**samatha** : the development of calm.

**sammā** : right.

**sampaṭicchana-citta** : receiving-consciousness.

**sampayutta** : associated with.

**Sangha** : community of monks and nuns. As one of the triple Gems it means the community of those people who have attained enlightenment.

**saṅkhāra dhammas** : conditioned dhammas that arise together depending on each other.

**saṅkhata dhamma** : what has arisen because of conditions.

**saṅkhāra-kkhandha** : all cetasikas (mental factors) except feeling and memory.

**saññā** : memory, remembrance or “perception”.

**saññā-kkhandha** : memory classified as one of the five khandhas.

**santīraṇa-citta** : investigating-consciousness.

**Sāriputta** : chief disciple of Buddha.

**sasaṅkhārika** : prompted, induced, instigated, either by oneself or someone else.

**sati** : mindfulness or awareness: non-forgetfulness of what is wholesome, or non-forgetfulness of realities which appear.

**satipaṭṭhāna sutta** : Middle Length Sayings 1, number 10, also Dīgha Nikāya, Dialogues, no. 22.

**satipaṭṭhāna** : applications of mindfulness. It can mean the cetasika sati which is aware of realities or the objects of mindfulness which are classified as four applications of mindfulness: Body, Feeling Citta, Dhamma. Or it can mean the development of direct understanding of realities through awareness.

**sa-upadi-sesa nibbāna** : the attainment of nibbāna with the khandhas remaining by the arahat, thus not final nibbāna at death of an arahat.

**sāyana-kicca** : function of tasting.

**savana-kicca** : function of hearing.

**sīla** : morality in action or speech, virtue.

**sīlabbatupādāna** : wrong practice, which is clinging to certain rules (“rites and rituals”) in one’s practice.

**sobhana-hetus** : beautiful roots.

**sobhana kiriya cittas** : kiriyacittas accompanied by sobhana (beautiful) roots.

**sobhana(citta and cetasika)** : beautiful, accompanied by beautiful roots.

**somanassa** : happy feeling.

**sota-dhātu** : element of earsense.

**sota-dvārāvajjana-citta** : ear-door-adverting-consciousness.

**sota-dvāra-vīthi-cittas** : ear-door process cittas.

**sotāpanna** : person who has attained the first stage of enlightenment, and who has eradicated wrong view of realities.

**sota-viññāṇa** : hearing-consciousness.

**sukha** : happy, pleasant.

**sukha-vedanā** : pleasant feeling.

**sukhuma** : subtle.

**sutta** : part of the scriptures containing dialogues at different places on different occasions.

**suttanta** : a sutta text.

**tadālambana** : retention or registering, last citta of a complete process of the sense-sphere.

**tadārammaṇa** : as above.

**Tathāgata** : literally “thus gone”, epithet of the Buddha.

**tatramajjhattatā** : equanimity or evenmindedness.

**tejo-dhātu** : element of fire or heat.

**Theravāda Buddhism** : ‘Doctrine of the Elders’, the oldest tradition of Buddhism.

**thīna** : sloth.

**Tipiṭaka** : the teachings of the Buddha contained in the Vinaya, the Suttanta and the Abhidhamma.

**uddhacca** : restlessness.

**Udāna** : Verses of Uplift from the Minor Anthologies.

**upacāra** : access or proximity consciousness, the second javana-citta in the process in which absorption or enlightenment is attained.

**upacāra-samādhi** : access-concentration.

**upādā-rūpa** : “derived rūpas” the rūpas other than the four Great Elements.

**upādāna** : clinging.

**upādāna-kkhandhas** : khandhas of clinging.

**upekkhā** : indifferent feeling. It can stand for evenmindedness or equanimity and then it is not feeling.

**vacīviññatti** : the rūpa which is speech intimation.

**vatthu** : base, physical base of citta.

**vāyo-dhātu** : element of wind or motion.

**vedanā** : feeling.

**vedanā-kkhandha** : group of all feelings.

**Vibhaṅga** : “Book of Analysis”, second book of the Abhidhamma.

**vicāra** : sustained thinking or discursive thinking.

**vicikicchā** : doubt.

**vinaya** : Book of Discipline for the monks.

**viññāṇa** : consciousness, citta.

**viññāṇa-dhātu** : element of consciousness, comprising all cittas.

**viññāṇa-kkhandha** : group of all cittas (consciousness).

**viññāṇañcāyatana** : sphere of boundless consciousness, meditation subject for the second stage of immaterial jhāna.

**vipākacitta** : citta which is the result of a wholesome deed (kusala kamma) or an unwholesome deed (akusala kamma). It can arise as rebirth- consciousness, or during life as the experience of pleasant or unpleasant objects through the senses, such as seeing, hearing, etc.

**vipassanā** : wisdom which sees realities as they are.

**vippayutta** : dissociated from.

**viriya** : energy.

**visaṇkāra dhamma** : unconditioned dhamma, nibbāna.

**Visuddhimagga** : an Encyclopaedia of the Buddha’s teachings, written by Buddhaghosa in the fifth century A.D.

**vitakka** : applied thinking.

**vīthi-cittas** : cittas arising in a process.

**vīthimutta-cittas** : process freed cittas, cittas which do not arise within a process.

**votthapana-citta** : determining consciousness.

**vyāpāda** : ill-will.

**Yamaka** : the Book of Pairs, the sixth book of the Abhidhamma.

**yoniso manasikāra** : wise attention to the object.


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