Zen Rocks

A Zen Glossary

(compiled by Mike Horne, Hull, U.K.)

Acalanatha (Skt) - see Fufo myo o

ajari - master or teacher, senior of five years standing.

Amida Butsu - Amitabha Buddha

Amida kyo - Sukhavati vyuha (Skt) one of the three important scriptures of the Pure Land School

Amida Nyorai - Amitabha Buddha

ango - 90 to 100 day summer training period for monks

angura - loose cross legged sitting position ( not full or half-lotus )

angyo - 'going on foot' - Zen pilgrimage

Anja - Assistant to Abbot's personal : Jiisha

Arakan - Arhat

Asgura - Asura, 'Titans'

Avatanasaka Sutra - see Kegon kyo

avidya - ignorance

banka - evening sutra recitation

banka zoji - cleaning monastery after evening sutra recitation

Bato Kannon - Kannon with a fierce face and horse's head in-the crown

Batto - Lecture Hall

bessu - white ceremonial footwear for Soto ceremony

Biko - monk

Bikuni - nun

Birushana/Birushanofu - see Dainich Nyorai - Vairochana Bodhisattva, the 'All Illuminating One'

Bo - Priest, or residence of priest

bodai (=Bodhi Skt.) - Buddha wisdom

Bodaidaruma - Bodhidarma - founder of the Zen sect in China

bodai shin = bodhicitta (Skt) - Bodhi-mind - intrinsic wisdom, - the inherently enlightened heart mind.

Bommo kyo (= Brahamajala Skt.)  - Sutra containing the 10 main and 48 lesser precepts of the Mahayana = "Sutra of Brahma's Net"

Bompu Zen - sitting in meditation for its physical advantages; - the first stage of zen training

bonpu nu joshijki - ordinary consciousness

bonsho - large bronze bell outside the dojo (not in town temples)

Bonten - the Hindu god Brahma; the lowest of the four dhyana-heavens

Bosatsu - Bodhisattva

bosatsu kai - Bodhisattva precepts

Bukkyo - Buddhism

Buppo - Buddha nature

Bushido - 'Way of the Warrior' or Samurai

bushin in - Buddha mind seal, sign of correct transmission

bussho - Buddha nature-one's own true nature

Butasuda - Buddha

Butsu - Buddha

butsudan - Buddhist alter shrine, a small model of which most Japanese Buddhists have at home, with a figure of Buddha or Bodhisattva, a tablet with the names of family dead; offerings of food and flowers are made in memory of the dead and Sutras are chanted before it.

Butsudanda Ryo o - one of the dragon kings, deities who bring rain and protect the Dharma

Butsuden - Buddha Hall enshrining the main religious image of a Zen temple

Butsugen - the Eye of the Buddha

Butsudo - the Buddha Way

butzuzo - Buddha image

byodo kan - ' view of sameness ', all things are identical in their Buddha nature

byodo no sekai - undivided world of sameness and intuition

cha - tea

chado - 'the way of tea'

Chanoyu - the Tea Ceremony

Chaseki - Tea House

Chasen - bamboo tea whisk

Chashitsu - Tea House

Chawan - tea bowl

Chidoron - see Daichidoron

chi e - insight from meditation

Chiji - the officers under the Abbot in charge of running the temple

choka - morning recitation of sutras

chudo - the Middle Way

chukai - 'taking off the robes', rest period between periods of practice

chutai - fundamental unity, non duality

Cosmic Buddha - see Dainichi Nyori, also another term for the Eternal, Dharmakaya, Buddhahood

dai...- great...

Daibutsuji - Great Buddha Temple, former name of Eiheiji temple, founded by Dogen.

Daichidoron - the Mahaprajnaparamita Shastra, discourses on the Great Wisdom Scriptures

dai fushi - 'great inflexible resolve'

dai gedsatsu - 'great liberation', enlightenment

daigo tettei - complete enlightenment

Daihishin Dharani - the Litany of the Great Compassionate One, a scripture addressed to Kanzeon Bosatsu

dai hon zan - great head temple, main temples of a school

daiji - compassion, loving kindness towards all living beings

Daijo - Mahayana Buddhism

daijo kai - rules/precepts of Mahayana Buddhists

daikensho - a 'great opening' leaving no doubt

Daikoku ten = Mahakala (skst) - Kitchen guardian representing gratitude and abundance; usually depicted smiling and carrying bags full of rice

Dainichi Nyorai - the Cosmic Buddha Vairocana, the All Illuminating One.

Daiosho - 'great priest', honorific title of Zen Master

daisan - interview with Zen instructor

daishi - 'great death' of the ego leading to enlightenment

Daishi - 'great master' - posthumous title

Daruma - Bodhidharma : first Chinese Zen Patriarch

Daruma sojo - 'the Dharma succession', the Zen lineage of Masters

datsuma or ho - dharma

den - hall, temple building

den'e or denne or den I - 'handing on the robe', = dharma succession

Denko roku - 'Transmission of Light' by Japanese Zen Master Keizan Jikin 1268-1325

Dennan - altar attendant

densho - large bell to announce service or ceremony

Densuryo - office in charge of the Buddha Hall

Dento roku - 'Transmission of the Lamp' by a Chinese Zen Master

Dera - temple

Do - the Way, = Dharma

Doan - person who hits bells and gongs in temple

Dogen [1200-1253] - founder of Soto Zen in Japan, wrote Shobogenzo

dojo - meditation centre/room

Dokkaku - a self enlightened Pratyekabuddha

dokusan - private, face to face interview with a roshi at set times [ = sanzen in Rinzai tradition ]

dokusan shitsu - interview room

Donai - Zendo

Doshi - leader or master

Doto kyo - "the Tao Teh Ching" - Chinese Taoist book

e - satori wisdom

egen - Eye of Wisdom

eko - chant 'the line of succession'

Emma samma or Emma o - Yama raja - the Lord of the Dead; holds the Mirror of Karma which reflects good and evil deeds of the deceased

Engaku - self enlightened Pratyekabuddha

Enjudo - 'life prolonging room' = infirmary of monastery

enji - law of cause and effect ; karma

enso - the circle, symbol of true reality

en'yu santai - the Middle way, the perfect harmony of the three truths :

esho funi - the concept of the indivisibility of living beings from their environment

enza - 'sitting still', = zazen

Fudo myo o - 'The Immovable One', one of the Kings of Light; represents the dynamic will to enlightenment which is to be found in the middle of the flames of greed, hatred and delusion

Fugen - Samantabhadra Bodhisattva of Awakening, the active love aspect of the Eternal Buddha, often depicted on a six tusked elephant

Fukanzazengi - Dogen's Zazen rules; "Rules for meditation"

fukatoku - ungraspable

fukusa - tea cloth, square silk cloth used to purify utensils for the "Tea ceremony"

funzoe - the 7 kinds of rags used for making the kesa

Fusatsu - ceremony to renew vows held twice a month ( = uposatha days of Theravada tradition)

fushinzama - community work

fushiryo - not thinking

fushi ogami - bow down in worship

fusho - 'Unborn', true reality

Fusuryo - office where accounts regarding the Zendo life are kept

futon - quilt filled with cotton wool

Futoroku - the Record of the Lamp, compiled by Lei an Cheng shou in 1204

gaitan - front and back porches, meditation platform/corridor outside the meditation hall, trainees sit here if they arrive late for meditation or have a cold

gaki - Hungry ghost, Preta (see also Segaki)

gassho - gesture ( mudra ) of putting hand together to express respect, reverence, gratitude

ge - verse praising the Buddha, = gatha Skt.

gedatsu - complete detachment

gedappuku = kesa

gedo zen - the wrong way, zen done solely to gain powers

genjo koan - a koan that appears naturally in daily life

geta - wooden foot gear

geza - 'summer sitting', = ango

go - karma

godo - 'back hall'; section of meditation hall

godo - head monk ( in Soto sect ), head teacher in the dojo

go i - the "five degrees of Zen of Master Tozan"

goseki - 'traces of enlightenment' in someone not yet perfectly enlightened ( which leaves no trace ! )

Gosho Zenshu - collected writings of Nichiren Daishonin

go un - the five skhandas

gya tei gya tei - 'On beyond, together beyond', mantra from the-Heart Sutra

Gyo or Gyoji - practice, endless training

gyo ju za ge - 'walking, sitting, lying', Zen practice throughout daily life

haiku - short three line Japanese poem - 5:7:5 syllables long

haiseki - 'bowing seat'

hakama - skirt like garment

hakushi - 'white paper', empty state of consciousness which is a precondition for the experience of awakening

han - hanging wooden block struck to announce start of a period of Zazen

Hanamatsuri - day of birth of the Buddha : April 8th in the Zen calendar

hanka fusa - half lotus position

hannya = Prajna (Skt) - Wisdom

Hannya Haramita Shingyo - Heart Sutra, "the Scripture of Great Wisdom "

hara - region of body just below the navel

haramitsu = paramita (Skt).

Harana - Varanasi in India where Shakyamuni Buddha first taught after His enlightenment

hashin kyoji - 'taking up needles and treating with moxa', days reserved for working, repairing, etc.; renewal days.

hasshodo - noble Eightfold path

Hassu - Dharma successor

hasu - lotus

Hekiganroku - "the Blue Cliff Record" collection of koans

henro - pilgrim

Hiei Zan - Mount Hiei, Japanese headquarters of Tendai sect

Higan - ' the other side', weeks in March and September when people visit Temples and decorate the graves

Hijo - 'ten foot square', Abbot's quarters

Hijuri - holy men

Hiparakutsu - cave near Rajagrha where Makakashyo was meditating when Shakyamuni Buddha entered parinirvana

hishiryo - beyond thinking

Ho - Dharma

ho - large wooden fish drum

Hodo - Treasure Hall of temple/monastery

hogen - the Eye of Law

Hojin - (= Sambhogakaya Skt.) Bliss body of Buddha

hokkaijoin - the Cosmic Mudra, the position of the hands for Zen meditation

Hokkekyo - Lotus Sutra

Hokke kyo Myoho Renge Kyo - Lotus Sutra

Hokku kyo - Dharmapada Sutra

hokyo - mirror

Hokyo Zammai - 'Most Excellent Mirror Samadhi' scripture written by Tozan Ryokai, one of the Soto Zen founders

homon - 'dharma gate', the teaching of the Buddha

Hondo - hall of temple where ceremonies and lectures are held

Honshi  - True Master, master who confirms trainees transmission

Hon'u bussho - 'Buddha nature present from the beginning'

honzan - main or root monastery of sect

horin - the wheel of the law

hosan - days off

hossen - 'Dharma dueling'

Hossen - ceremony where trainee is given rank Chief Junior or Shushosho

hosshin - (= Dharmakaya Skt.) 'Law Body' of Buddha, one's own True Nature

Hotoke - Buddha

hotsugammon - a vow or petition

hussu - fly whisk, a symbol of transmission

ichidaiji - 'one great affair' the Buddha's appearance in the world

ichiji fusetsu - 'not a single word' was said by the Buddha and Patriarchs describing the ultimate reality

ichiji kan = wato

ichijo - the one great vehicle of the Buddha

ichinen fusho - 'a thought not arising', consciousness free from deluded thoughts

Igyo Zen - one of the 5 Chinese schools founded by Isan Reiyu

Ihai - wooden memorial tablet with name and date of death written on it

ikebana - flower arrangement

inga - 'cause fruit', cause and effect, karma

Inga icharyo - 'cause and effect are one'

inka - seal of approval; acknowledgment by a Master that a pupil has completed his/her training

Inka shomei - 'legitimate seal of clearly furnished proof'

Inkin - small bowl shaped bell with the cushion beneath it

innen - karma

Ino - head leader of chanting in ceremonies; preceptor

inochi - life 'integrity' of a given thing

Inryo - 'retreat room' of Roshi

ishin den shin - 'from my soul to your soul', i.e. direct transmission

issai shujo - 'all sentient beings'

isshi injo - the training of a Zen student by a single Master

issho jobutsu - the attainment of Buddhahood in one human lifetime

isshu - hand position for walking meditation

ittai - 'one truth', the goal of training

itto - unity

Jaku - serenity

jakujo - complete inner 'stillness [and] peace'

ji - suffix after name = temple or monastery

jihatsu - set of formal bowls for meals or begging bowl

jihi - compassion

jiisha - priest constantly with Abbot or a senior who can help, but is not a servant, often the future Abbot

Jijo - attendant or assistant chaplain at services (carries incense box)

jikijitsu - head monk in Rinzai sect, director of Zendo

jikido - officiant who keeps time during zazen

jikishi ninshin - 'direct pointing to the heart' without dualistic thought or action

jikko  - assistant jiisha

jin - body

jippo - ten directions; the whole cosmos

jiriki - 'one's own power', endeavoring to attain enlightenment through one's own efforts rather than those of others

jisha - attendant; Zen Master's personal attendant monk

Jisharyo - attendant's office attached to a Zendo

jisho - 'self nature', Buddha nature

Jizo - Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva of benevolence and mercy, the saviour of all beings during the time between the death of Shakyamuni and the birth of Maitreya; protector of women and children; depicted as a priest with shaven head and robes carrying a begging bowl.

jo - samadhi, zazen

Jodo - Pure Land Buddhism

Jodo - festival of the attainment of Buddhahood on 8th December; a Zen ceremony where the Abbot ascends to the high alter to be tested in mondo (questions and answers), one of the kessai ceremonies

Jodomon - Pure Land teaching

Jodo Shinsu - Shin Buddhism

Jodo shu - Pure Land sect

Jogo ten - fourth heaven in the world of form; the personification of the world

Joju - office quarters of monastery where the business side of the Zendo is conducted

joriki - meditation power

Joshu Jushin - Chao chou Ts'ung shen (ch.) 788-897CE Zen master famous for Koan 'Mu'

ju or juko - eulogy, poetic expression of wisdom, gatha Skt.

ju - stage; the ten stages of the Bodhisattva

Jugyo nozu - the Ten Ox herding Pictures (analogy for stages of practice/enlightenment)

Juichimen Kannon - Kannon with eleven faces

juji - the ten stages of developing Buddha wisdom

Jukai - Zendo monitor who uses kyosaku

Jukai - festival when trainees and lay Buddhists take/renew precepts

Jukai Sesshin - week retreat when lay trainees take/renew precepts

Jukai Tokudo - lay ordination, becoming a lay Buddhist

Jukyo - Confucianism

juni zuda - see zuda gyo

ju riki - the ten fields of knowledge of a Buddha

ju riki - the ten powers of a Bodhisattva

Jushi - see Miroku

Kabira - Kapilavastu in India

kado - way of flowers, = ikebana

kafu - 'household air'

kai - precepts

Kaidan - ordination hall

Kaidan seki - 'Kaidan stone' tablet at the front of a Zen monastery which says 'meat, fish, alcohol prohibited'

kaigen - 'opening the eye', experience of awakening or consecration of a statue

kaijo - 'opening of silence', striking wooden block or gong to awaken monks in the morning or to mark the end of a period of sitting meditation

Kaimyo - 'Buddhist precept name' given by a Master on the initiation of a student

Kairitsu or Kai - precepts : Zen Buddhists receive the 10 Mahayana precepts at the Jukai ceremony to refrain from :
the taking of life
theft
unchastity
lying
selling,buying or drinking alcohol
speaking of the shortcomings of others
praising oneself and reviling others
denying material and spiritual aid to others
anger
disparaging the Three Treasures - ( Buddha, Dharma and Sangha )

Kaisan - 'mountain founder', term for founder of a monastery, posthumous title for temple founder

Kaisando - hall where founder's relics are kept

kaiseki - a light meal

Kanin - the Chief Administrator of a temple

kanno doko - 'mutual exchange of feeling', direct and immediate non dualistic communication between Master and student

Kannon or Kwannon or Kanzeon ( = Kuan Yin [Ch.] ) - Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva of Compassion

Kan shiketsu - 'dry shit stick', one attached to the world of appearances

Kasho = Makakshyo - Kasyapa disciple of the Buddha

'Katsu' or 'khatz' - an exclamation with no exact meaning

Kegon kyo - Avatamsaka Sutra, 'Flower Garland Sutra', believed to be the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha in the 3 weeks following His enlightenment

Kei - respect

Keisaku = Kyosaku

Keisan Jokin [1267-1325] - founder of Dai Hon Zen Sojiji, dharma successor of Dogen, wrote Denkroku, Zazen yojinki, Kyojukaimon and most of the Soto Zen ceremonials

keisu - bowl shaped gong used during chanting

kekka fuza - full lotus position for sitting meditation

kendo - 'the way of the sword' martial art

kensho - 'seeing into one's true nature' ; the opening of the-Buddha eye; not as deep as satori

kensho godo - Satori awakening

kentan - 'looking at the tan', a round made by the Master to check rows of practitioners during zazen

kesa - full outer robe of a priest or monk; robe as symbol of transmission from Master to successor

kesa bunko - box in which kesa is kept

kessai - series of ceremonies performed when a trainee achieves rank of Chief Junior (shusosho)

ketchimyaku - 'Blood Line' unbroken lineage from master to disciple

ketsuge - 'beginning the summer', the first day of anga

ki - activity

kikai - 'sea energy' = tanden

kimono - inner white robe

kinhin - walking meditation, mindful walking

Kissako - 'drink tea', Zen life is not something special separated from daily life

ko - a very long period of time, kalpa Skt.

Ko - Confucius

koan - (= kung an Ch.) 'public document' or 'standard'; a formulation or story pertaining to the ultimate truth; cannot be solved by logic

koh - incense

kokoro - mind = shin

kokoro kanashiku - the grief of the heart

kolomo or koromo = wide sleeved black robe of monk worn under the kesa

Kongo kyo - Diamond Sutra

koso - 'great monk'

kotsu - a roshi's baton or stick about 15" long

koza - discourse on a Zen textbook, = teisho

ku - Sunyata, emptiness, void, vacuity

Kuin - Kitchen

Kuo Butsu - Dharmagahana Bhyudgata Raja (Skt) : a Buddha mentioned in the Lotus Sutra who taught the understanding of the Absolute

kusen - oral teaching during Zazen

kutsujum - fine textured cloth resembling cotton, Bodhidharma's kesa was made of it

kutai - the nonsubstantial nature of all phenomena, manifest for example in the blossoming of flowers or the speech of humans

ketai - actual perceptible forms of all existence

-kyo - sutra or teaching;' a thread on which jewels are strung '

kyogai - general mental attitude

kyuge betsuden - 'special transmission outside the teaching', transmission from mind to mind

kyosaku or keisaku - long wooden stick applied to shoulders to encourage zazen practice; person administering kyosaku and other duties

Kyudo - Zen archery

kyuhai - ninefold prostration

Makakashyo - Kasyapa the disciple of the Buddha

makyo - fantasies or hallucinations experienced during zazen

manda ryu o - dragon

Mandara - diagram expressing religious view of the universe ( = Mandala)

mandara - blossoms, heavenly red flowers

mani ju - mani jewels, wish fulfilling gems

manji - swastika, ancient symbol of Indian Buddhism

mappo - present era of predicted decline of Buddhism

matcha - thick green tea, whipped to a froth in the Tea Ceremony

mayoi - delusion

Mikkyo - Tantric Buddhism

Miroku bosatsu - Maitreya Bodhisattva, the next Buddha, the Loving One

mokugyo - fish shaped drum used to beat rhythm during chanting

mokusa or moxa - 'burn herb' or incense next to the skin causing scars

mokusho zen - 'zen of silent enlightenment' i.e. without koans

Mon - temple gate

mondo - 'question and answer' sessions when student asks Master about aspects of Buddhism

Monju Bosatsu - Manjushri Bodhisattva of Wisdom, the wisdom aspect of the Eternal Buddha

monshin - a bow from the waist with the hands in gassho

mosshoseki - 'leaving not trace', an enlightened person lives completely naturally leaving no trace

mu - no/none/nothing/immaculacy/Buddha Mind; a famous koan

muga - no ego

mu i - (= wu wei Ch.) 'non doing'

muji - mu practice; meditating on the koan Mu

Mujinni Bosatsu - Aksayamati Bodhisattva of devotion

mujo - impermanence

mujodo no taigen - actualisation of the supreme way in daily life

muku sho - serene reflection

Mumonkan - famous collection of koans

munen/muso - ' without concepts and thoughts ', a state of meditative absorption

musa - that which exists in its original unconditioned state

mushin - no heart

mushotoku - without any goal or profit seeking

myo - mystic

myo ho - mystic law

Myo ho renge kyo - Lotus Sutra

naisan - visiting the Roshi secretly for sanzen when special circumstances warrant it

namu amida butsu - "Homage to Amidhaba Buddha" mantra

namu myoho renge kyo - "Honour to the Lotus Sutra" mantra

natsume - tea caddy for storing matcha

nehan - nirvana, extinction of desire and delusion

Nehan - day for observing the Death of the Buddha - 15th February

nembutsu - recitation of the name of Amida Buddha in Jodo sect :-' Namu Amido Butsu '

nembutsu shu - Pure Land sect

nenge misho - ' smiling and twirling a flower' transmission from Shakyamuni Buddha to Mahakashyapa, from master to student

nenju - formal thanksgiving to Roshi in Zendo

ninkyo funi - 'person phenomenon not two'

ni oshi - woman priest, priestess

ni sodo - nun

Niwa zume - 'occupying the court', one of the experiences that a novice has to go through before admittance to a monastery, left outside the monastery for several days

No or Noh - Japanese dance drama

nosu or noshi - patchwork robe of monk or a monk who wears the patchwork robe

nyoi - wooden or jade sceptre carried by celebrant during ceremonies, can be shape of lotus representing the compassion of Kanzeon

nyoi - jewel = cintamani (skt.) jewel capable of removing all suffering

nyoihoju - wish fulfilling gem

Nyorai - Tathagata, 'thus gone', i.e. Buddha

Nyorai zo - 'Tathagata treasurehouse', Buddha nature

Nyorai zo shin - ' mind of Tathagata treasure-house', the mind of human beings is identical to that of the Buddha

oba san - monk or priest

Obaku shu - Obaku Zen sect

ocha - green tea

ochazuke - tea poured over boiled rice

Ohigan - Japanese festival of the equinox

ojin - (Nirmanakaya Skt.) transformation body of Buddha; oneness; absorption to the point of self forgetfulness

Oneness - experience of the Void or Emptiness

oryoki - formal meals, set of bowls for meals and begging

Osho - a Buddhist priest

otoki - dinner

Ox herding Pictures-a series of ten pictures depicting Zen training, attributed to Kaku an Shi en, a 12th Century Chinese priest

rakan - arhat (lohan Ch.) humans who have achieved full enlightenment; Rakan Statues are often seen in Temples

rakusu - abbreviated, less formal kesa robe worn around the neck

renge - lotus blossom

ri - measure of distance about 1/3 mile

rinne - 'wheel of life', cycle of birth and death in the six realms

Rinzai - Zen school

ro - 'twelth month', marks end of ango; monks count the number of ro spent in the monastery as a rank of seniority

Rohatsu or Rohachi - day of the Buddha's enlightenment - 8th December

Rohatsu Sesshin -Sesshin commemorating the Buddha's enlightenment ending on 8th December

rokudo - six realms of existence :

jigoku - hell
gaki - hungry ghosts
chikusho - beasts
shura - asuras ; titans
ningen - human beings
tenjo - devas ; gods

Rokuso - 'Sixth Patriarch' Hui Neng

Roshi - 'venerable teacher'

Ryoga kyo or Ryogi kyo - Lankaravata Sutra. the Lanka Entering Scripture

Ryogon kyo - Shurangama Sutra

Ryoji - or Ryozen - mountain in India known as Vultures Peak

Ryo - a dragon, defender of the Buddhist faith

sabetsu no sekai - world of differentiation and intellectual understanding

saiketanden - see tanden

saiza - dinner

sakugo - 'requesting a work', question asked by a student during the Master's teisho

Sambo - the Three Treasures :-
Namu kie Butsu
Namu kie Ho
Namu kie So

sammyaku smabodai - complete and perfect enlightenment

sammai or zammai = samadhi (Skt.)

samo/samu - physical work as part of everyday life in monastery; working meditation

sampai - (triple) prostration with the forehead on the ground and the palms upwards

sanakudo - the three evil realms : hell, hungry ghosts and beasts

sangai - the three worlds of desire, form and no form

sange - contrition, sincere repentance

sanju ni so - the 32 distinguishing marks of a Buddha

San Ki Kai - the Three Refuges

San mon - the main gate of a Zen monastery

sanshin - the three bodies = trikaya (Skt)

Sanso - 'mountain monk' name a Roshi uses to describe himself

sanzen - interview with teacher

Sanzo - the Tripitaka, Buddhist Cannon

Sarei - tea drinking ceremony in a Monastery

satori - enlightenment experience

Segaki - Feeding the Hungry Ghosts ceremony held twice a year

sei - purity

seiza - Japanese sitting posture, kneeling with the back straight and the buttocks on the heels

Sekko - a Zen master

Semmon Dojo - Zen Institute

senge - 'entering transformation', dying

Senju Kannon - Kannon with a thousand arms

sensei - teacher

sesshin - 'to unify the mind' - a meditation retreat

setsuna jodo - to attain Buddhahood in a single moment, whilst still in a mortal body

settai - giving to pilgrims

Shaka Nyorai - Shakyamuni Buddha; the historical Buddha

'shako' - 'this!' : a cry pointing to reality

shaku - unit of measure just over a foot in length

shakujo - a Buddhist priest's staff mad from wood and metal

shami - a male Buddhist novice vowed to observe the 10 precepts

shamon - a novice, wanderer, monk or priest

shari - relic of the Buddha or priest

Sharihotsu - Shariputra disciple of the Buddha

shashu - an expression of respect similar to a gassho, hands are joined with the fingers curled on the chest

Shigu Seigan - the Four Vows, see Shiku seigon

Shiho - dharma transmission

shikantaza - ' just (nothing but) sitting '; meditation using no devices such as breath counting or a koan

Shikaryo - general directing office of a monastery

shiki - consciousness : realms 1 to 6 are taste, sight, sound, smell, touch, intellect; 7 is Manas ( the source of persistent I Awareness ); 8 is Alaya vijnana or 'seed' repository

shikishin funi - concept of indivisible oneness of mind and body

shiki soku ze ku, ku soko ze shiki - ' Phenomena become emptiness, emptiness becomes phenomena ', the core sentence of the Heart Sutra

shiku seigon - the Four Vows:

Shujo muhen seigando, bonno mujin seigandan, homon muryo seiganaku, butsudo mujo seiganjo.
Sentient beings are numberless, I vow to save them;
Desires are inexhaustible, I vow to put an end to them;
The Dharmas are boundless, I vow to master them;
The Buddha Way is unsurpassable, I vow to attain it.

shin - mind, soul, spirit,'heart', intuition, will, True Self, Buddha Nature

Shin Buddhism - Pure Land Buddhism

shingi - rules of monastic daily life; also used as a suffix

shingon - mantra, short religious text or word, 'true words'

Shingon - esoteric sect of Buddhism

shin jin datsu raku - ' body and mind dropped away '

shin san shiki - Abbot installing ceremony

shin to - 'new arrival', novice awaiting admission to a monastery

shiryo - thinking

shisho - the four modes of birth : from womb, egg, moisture or metamorphosis

shisho - teacher, tutor

shi tai - the four noble truths

sho - satori, wisdom, understanding

sho - sentient beings

shobo - 'the true law', the first period of Buddhism

Shobogenzo - book by Zen Master Dogen 'Treasury of the True Dharma Eye'

sho Butsu ichi nyo - ' sentient beings and Buddha are not two (different) '

shodo - ' way of writing ', calligraphy

Shofuku ji - Japan's first Zen Temple, established in 1191 at Fukuoka by Essai

shoji - tinted paper screens forming the walls of Japanese rooms

shoji = samsara (Skt.) - the realm of birth and death

shoji soku nehan - 'birth and death are themselves nirvana' - samsara and nirvana are the same

shojin ryori - Zen style vegetarian cuisine

Shojo - Hinayana Buddhism

Sho Kannon - human shaped form of Kannon, usually portrayed standing and holding a lotus and a vial/vase of water of compassion

shoken or shokan - 'seeing one another', first dokusan between student and master after the student's enlightenment has been recognised

shomon - 'one who hears', a disciple

shoso funi - 'nature and form are not two'

Shoshi - 'genuine master'

Shoshigata - the Patriarchs of Zen; 28 in India and 6 in China

Shoyo roku - ' Record of Great Serenity ' - 100 koans

shu - practice

...-shu - sect, church, school

shujo honra hotoke nari - 'all beings are endowed with Buddha nature from the very beginning'

shura - Buddha curl, small tuft of hair left on head which is removed during the ordination ceremony

shuryo or sodo - trainee's hall

Shuso - head monk or head of designated training period, usually 3 months, ensures that the rules of the dojo are followed

Shusogi - "What is truly meant by Training and Enlightenment", compiled extracts from the Shobgenzo written by Dogen Zenji

Shushosho - Chief Junior trainee selected by Abbot to lead trainees for 100 days

So - Buddhist Priest

So - Sangha

Sodan - Sangha

sodo or semmen dojo or zendo - temple or monastery

Sodo - monk's dormitory in a Zen monastery

Sojo - Buddhist High Priest

sokoshin jobutsu - manifesting one's Buddha Nature

Sonja - honorific title of an Indian Zen Patriarch

sosan - listening to roshi's lectures as a group

Soto - one of the two main Zen sects (ts'ao tung Ch.)

Sotoba - Stupa

tabi - Japanese-style socks with a separate big toe

taiko - senior member of the priesthood who has undergone at least 5 years training

taiso - title meaning 'Great Ancestor'

takuan - pickled radish

takushatsu - 'holding the bowl', religious mendicancy, begging for food and alms

Tamo - Bodhidharma

tan - wooden platform about 3 ft high around zendo where trainees sit, eat and sleep

tanden = saietanden = Dandien (ch.) = hara (skt) - point just below the navel

tanga or tanka - overnight stay of wandering monk in a monastery

tang zume - 'staying in the guest's room', trial period for a monk requesting acceptance into a monastery

tanka - short poem, 5:7:5:7:7 syllables

tan to - head of the tan

tariki - 'power of others',power of Amitabha Buddha to liberate those who recite his name

tatami - rice straw mat, about 6 ft x 3 ft

Tatchu - residential sub temple of a Zen Monastery

teisho - ' Dharma talk', lecture

tekiden - 'authorised transmission'

Ten - Deva ; 'god'

Ten - one of 6 worlds, Deva realm, heaven

Tendai - (T'ien t'ai Ch.) Buddhist sect

Ten doku - 'read revolving' recitation of long sutras with each monk reading the beginning and end of a volume

tengetsu - clear penetrating vision, beyond normal human vision

tenkien - senior priest on night duty in training temple

tennitsu - clear penetrating hearing, beyond normal human hearing

Tenrinno - Cakraarti Raja (Skt) - "Wheel Turning King"

Tenzo - the cook in monastery

Tera - temple

Toba - Stupa

tokonoma - alcove in a Tea House with a work of art, calligraphy or painting

tokudo - monk ordination ceremony : ' leaving home '

tomoe - Buddhist swastika symbol

Torii - distinctive gateway to a Shinto Temple

Tosotsuten - Tushita Heaven, the fourth heaven of Buddhist mythology

Tosu - Lavatory of a Zen Monastery

uji - existence, flow, time

unno - 'cloud robe' = unsui

unpan - bronze board gong with cloud design used to call monks to meals, 'cloud plate'

usa - that which is removed from its native state by conditioning, hence phenomena in the natural and human worlds

unsui - 'cloud water' : a novice

wa - harmony

wasan - 'song of praise' to Buddha, Bodhisattva or Patriarch

wato - (hua t'ou Ch.) - key word or phrase from a koan

Wegasa - 'circular kesa', a simplified kesa worn by lay ordained trainees

Yakuseki - evening meal, taken as 'medicine'

Yakushi Nyorai - the Buddha of Healing, Medicine Buddha

yaza - zazen done after 9 pm (the usual bedtime in a Zen monastery)

yo in - yin and yang the principle of polarity, e.g. earth and heaven, male and female, etc.

Yuima - Vimlakirti (skt) - ''Spotless Reputation' a highly enlightened layman living at the time of the Buddha

Yuimakyo - Vimlakirti Sutra consisting of the discourses of Vimlakirti

zabutan - square sitting mat

zafu - kapok filled cushion used in Zazen

zaku or zagu - piece of cloth carried by monk on which bowing is done; bowing mat

zaniku - blanket about 1 metre square = zabaton

zazen - sitting Zen meditation

zazenkai - group of persons practicing zazen; one day gathering with or without a teacher

Zempanryo - quarters reserved for Roshi

zenbyo - 'Zen sickness' makyo or attachment to ones own enlightenment experiences

Zendo or Sodo - large hall or room where zazen is practiced

Zen'en Shingi - 'Book of rules for Zen Monasteries' by Chinese Master Tsu Chiao in 1101

Zenji - ' Zen Teacher '

Zenshu - Zen sect

Zenso - Zen priest

zuda or Zudo gyo - twelvefold practice of a Hinayana monk

 Zen observance days :

Jan 1st : New Year-three days rest and reading sutras
Feb 15th : death of the Buddha - Mehan
Mar 18th to 24th : equinox called Higan; some monks undertake begging tours
Apr 8th : birth of the Buddha - Hanamatsuri
Jun 21st : summer solstice
Jul 1st : monks change robes ( no special ceremony )
Jul 15th to Aug 15th : Obon - offering food to ancestors, especially on Aug 15th
Sept 20th to 26th : equinox called Higan; some monks undertake begging tours
Oct 5th : memorial day to Bodhidharma (Daruma) - monks and laity purchase Daruma dolls and the monks honour the sage with special chanting
Oct 15th : monks change robes ( no special ceremony )
Dec 8th : enlightenment day of Buddha - Rohatsu
Dec 21st : winter solstice-party

These notes were compiled from various sources (the books of D T Suzuki, P Jiyu-Kennett, D Katagiri, C Humphreys, T Deshimaru and the Rider Encyclopedia to name a few). The words are Japanese unless specified.

[note - abbreviations - Ch = Chinese; Skt = Sanskrit]