Soma:

Soma (Sanskrit), or Haoma (Avestan), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sauma-, was a ritual drink of importance among the early Indo-Iranians, and the later Vedic and greater Persian cultures. It is frequently mentioned in the Rigveda, which contains many hymns… Continue reading →

Zendo:

Zendo (Chinese: Chántáng) is a Japanese term translating roughly as "meditation hall". In Zen Buddhism, the zendo is a spiritual dojo where zazen (sitting meditation) is practiced. A full-sized Buddhist temple will typically be divided into at least one… Continue reading →

Vipassana:

vipassana Vipassanā (Pāli) or vipaśyanā (Sanskrit) means "insight". While it is often referred to as Buddhist meditation, the practice taught by the Buddha was non-sectarian, and has universal application.

Vipassanā is a Pali word from the Sanskrit prefix "vi-"… Continue reading →

Urna:

urna A concave circular dot on the forehead between the eyebrows. It symbolizes and radiates wisdom. It is also a symbol for a third eye, which represents the power to emit a beam of light and illuminate the world.

Source:wikipedia

Tenzo:

tenzo In Zen, the head cook for a sesshin. In Zen temples, the officer in charge of the kitchen.

source:wikipedia

Tathagatagarbha:

tathagatagarbha Buddha-nature or the seed of enlightenment. "Tathagata-garbha" means "Buddha Womb/ Buddha Matrix" or "Buddha Embryo", and this notion is explicated by the Buddha in the "Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra" as the "True Self" within all sentient beings – the… Continue reading →

tanha:

tanha  means thirst, desire, craving, wanting, longing, yearning. The meaning of Tanhā is far-reaching and covers all desire, all wanting, all craving, irrespective of its intensity.

source: wikipedia

Sutra:

sutra Scripture; originally referred to short aphoristic sayings and collections thereof. Sutra literally means a rope or thread that holds things together, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms… Continue reading →

Sila:

sila "morals", "ethics": precepts.

Śīla (Sanskrit) or Sīla (Pāli), Tibetan tshul.khrims, is a term in the Indian religions Hinduism and Buddhism which is sometimes rendered into English as "behavioral discipline," "morality," or "ethics" . More specifically, the concept… Continue reading →

Shunyata:

shunyata Pāli: suññatā Sanskrit: śūnyatā

Emptiness; or "Voidness", which constitutes an aspect of the Buddhist metaphysical critique as well as Buddhist epistemology and phenomenology. Śūnyatā signifies that everything one encounters in life is empty of soul, permanence, and self-nature.… Continue reading →