Glossary

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Glossary

This glossary provides definitions for key Buddhist terms, concepts, and practices referenced throughout the Middle Way Education Curricular Framework. Terms are drawn from multiple Buddhist traditions and include both original language words (Sanskrit, Pali, Japanese, Tibetan) and English translations. Each definition aims to be accessible while maintaining accuracy to traditional meanings.

The glossary serves as a reference tool for educators and students engaging with Buddhist concepts across the framework’s five domains. Definitions emphasize practical understanding and application rather than purely academic interpretation, supporting the framework’s inquiry-based approach to learning.

Terms marked with asterisks (*) indicate transliterated words from original Buddhist languages. Cross-references appear in parentheses where relevant concepts connect to other glossary entries.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
  • Saddha
    Faith that begins with admiration, then progresses to aspiration, and ultimately becomes confidence or conviction on any aspect of the teachings. It is seen as the foundation for developing trust and commitment on the path.
  • Saddha-mudita
    (faithful joy) Rejoicing in the virtue and faith of others.
  • Sadhana
    (spiritual practice) A structured meditation or ritual practice, often involving visualization, mantra, and offerings, especially in Vajrayana Buddhism.
  • Sado/Shodo
    (Japanese arts) Traditional Japanese arts like the way of tea (sado) and calligraphy (shodo) that cultivate aesthetic and spiritual refinement.
  • Samadhi
    Concentration or meditative absorption; the cultivation of a focused, one-pointed mind, often in the practice of meditation.
  • Samanera/Samaneri
    A novice monk (samanera) or novice nun (samaneri) in the Buddhist tradition, who has taken the initial monastic vows.
  • Samma Ajiva
    (right livelihood) the fifth factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, which guides practitioners to earn a living in a way that is ethically sound and does not cause harm.
  • Samma Ajivo
    Right Livelihood; the fifth factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, which guides practitioners to earn a living in a way that is ethically sound and does not cause harm.
  • Samma kammanta
    (right action) Ethical conduct guided by non-harming, non-stealing, and sexual responsibility.
  • Samma Sankappa
    (right Intention) the second factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, involving intentions rooted in renunciation, goodwill, and harmlessness.
  • Samma Vaca
    (right speech) Right Speech; the third factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, focusing on speech that is truthful, kind, and beneficial, avoiding lying, divisive speech, and harsh words.
  • Samma vayama
    (right effort) Diligence in preventing and abandoning unwholesome states and cultivating wholesome ones.
  • Samsara
    (cycle) The cyclic existence of birth, death, and rebirth, characterized by suffering (dukkha) and driven by karma and ignorance, from which one seeks liberation.
  • Samsara (Cycle)
    The cyclic existence of birth, death, and rebirth, characterized by suffering (dukkha) and driven by karma and ignorance, from which one seeks liberation.
  • Sangha
    The community of Buddhist practitioners, including monastics and lay practitioners, who support one another in their practice.
  • Sankhara
    (mental formations) Volitional mental activities; one of the five aggregates. Mental formations or volitional actions, which are the seeds of karma, shaping a person's behavior, attitudes, and future experiences.
  • Sanskaras
    Mental formations or volitional actions, which are the seeds of karma, shaping a person's behavior, attitudes, and future experiences.
  • Sati
    Mindfulness; the practice of maintaining awareness of the present moment, cultivating mental clarity and insight through direct attention to one's body, emotions, thoughts, and actions.
  • Selflessness
    Refers to Anatta (non-self), the Buddhist teaching that there is no permanent, unchanging self, and that what we identify as "self" is simply a collection of impermanent aggregates.
  • Shamatha
    Calm abiding meditation; the practice of focusing the mind and developing mental stability, typically through concentration on an object of meditation.
  • Shastra
    (commentary texts) Scholarly treatises that interpret and explain Buddhist sutras and practices, often written by great masters.
  • Shenpa
    (Tibetan for attachment/clinging) A subtle tendency to react or cling to thoughts, feelings, or experiences; often a precursor to suffering.
  • Shikantaza
    (just sitting meditation) A form of Zen meditation focused on open awareness without specific object or effort.
  • Shila/Sila
    Ethical conduct or virtue; one of the foundational practices of Buddhism, focused on avoiding harmful actions and cultivating moral discipline through right speech, action, and livelihood.
  • Shravakayana
    (alternative name for early Buddhist path) Literally "vehicle of listeners," referring to the path followed by early disciples who sought personal liberation through hearing and practicing the Buddha's teachings.
  • Shrine
    A sacred space or place where religious objects or relics are kept and venerated, often used for meditation or worship.
  • Shunyata
    Emptiness; the concept that all phenomena are devoid of inherent existence or independent essence, and are interdependently arising.
  • Six sense faculties
    The faculties of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind that receive sensory and mental information also known as cakkhu-indriya, sot-indriya, ghan-indriya, jivh-indriya, kay-indriya, man-indriya.
  • Skandhas
    The five aggregates (form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness) that make up the individual being, illustrating the lack of a permanent self.
  • Smrti
    Mindfulness; another term for sati, emphasizing the practice of remembering to maintain awareness and presence in the moment.
  • Sonam
    (Tibetan for merit) Positive spiritual potential accumulated through virtuous actions, prayers, and aspirations in the Tibetan tradition.
  • Sot-indriya
    The faculty of hearing, or ear-consciousness; one of the six sense faculties in Buddhist teachings, through which one perceives sound.
  • Sraddha
    See Saddha.
  • Stupa
    A sacred, dome-shaped structure that contains Buddhist relics or important texts, often used as a place of meditation and pilgrimage.
  • Sutra
    A discourse or scripture of the Buddha, often recorded in a collection of teachings that form the basis of Buddhist doctrine and practice.
Middle Way Education Curricular Framework ©️ 2025 by Michelle Macioce, Noa Jones, Mariana Restrepo, Carlo Carranza, Harry Einhorn, Connie Moffit is licensed under CC BY 4.0

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