AJAHN – the Thai word for ‘teacher’; often used as the title of the senior monk or monks at a monastery. This is also spelt ‘achaan’, ‘acharn’ (and several other ways – all derived from the Pali word ‘acariya’).
BHIKKHU – alms mendicant; the term for a monk, who lives on alms and abides by training precepts which define a life of renunciation and morality.
BUDDHA RUPA – an image of the Buddha.
DEPENDENT ORIGINATION – a step-by-step presentation of how suffering arises dependent on ignorance and desire, and ceases with their cessation.
DHAMMA – a phenomenon when seen as an aspect of the universe, rather than identified with as personal. When capitalised, it refers to the teaching of the Buddha as contained in the scriptures or the Ultimate Truth towards which the teaching points. (In Sanskrit: ‘dharma’).
KAMMA – action or cause which is created or recreated by habitual impulse, volitions, natural energies. In popular usage, it often includes the sense of the result or effect of the action, although the proper term for this is vipaka. (In Sanskrit: karma).
OBSERVANCE DAY (in Pali: Uposatha) – a sacred day or ‘sabbath’, occurring every lunar fortnight. On this day, Buddhists re-affirm their Dhamma practice in terms of precepts and meditation.
TIPITAKA – literally means ‘three baskets’ – the collections of the Buddhist Scriptures, classified according to Sutta (Discourses), Vinaya (Discipline or Training) and Abhidhamma (Metaphysics).
