Appendix E: Glossary of Terms
Technical Vocabulary for Understanding Buddhist Canonical Development
This glossary provides definitions for key terms used throughout the book, organized thematically for easier reference. Sanskrit terms are given in their standard scholarly transliteration, with common English spellings in parentheses where applicable.
Buddhist Literature and Textual Categories
Abhidhamma/Abhidharma (Pāli/Sanskrit): "Higher teaching." Systematic philosophical analysis of Buddhist doctrine, forming the third "basket" (piṭaka) of many Buddhist canons. Different schools developed distinct abhidhamma traditions.
Āgama: Sanskrit term for early discourses preserved in Chinese translation, roughly corresponding to the Pāli Nikāyas.
Apocrypha: Texts of uncertain or disputed authenticity, often excluded from official canonical collections but sometimes influential in practice.
Aṭṭhakathā: Pāli commentaries on canonical texts, particularly those by Buddhaghosa (5th century CE) that became authoritative in Theravāda tradition.
Canon: An authoritative collection of texts considered sacred or foundational to a religious tradition. In Buddhism, different regional traditions maintain different canons.
Dharma/Dhamma (Sanskrit/Pāli): The Buddha's teaching; also refers to phenomena or natural law. Context determines specific meaning.
Gāthā: Verse portions of Buddhist texts, often older than prose sections and easier to memorize.
Jātaka: Stories of the Buddha's previous lives, popular in art and literature but with varying canonical status across traditions.
Kangyur (Tibetan: bka' 'gyur): "Translated Words [of the Buddha]." The Tibetan collection of texts attributed directly to the Buddha.
Nikāya: "Collection." In Theravāda tradition, the five major divisions of the Sutta Piṭaka. Also refers to early Buddhist schools.
Piṭaka (Pāli): "Basket." The three divisions of the Theravāda canon: Vinaya, Sutta, and Abhidhamma.
Sūtra/Sutta (Sanskrit/Pāli): Discourses attributed to the Buddha or his close disciples.
Śāstra: Sanskrit treatises or commentaries, often philosophical works by named authors.
Tengyur (Tibetan: bstan 'gyur): "Translated Treatises." Tibetan collection of Indian commentaries and philosophical works.
Tripiṭaka: "Three Baskets." The traditional division of Buddhist canonical literature into Vinaya, Sūtra, and Abhidharma/Abhidhamma.
Vinaya: Monastic disciplinary code governing the behavior of monks and nuns.
Languages and Scripts
Gāndhārī: Middle Indo-Aryan language used in ancient Gandhāra region (Pakistan/Afghanistan). Many early Buddhist manuscripts written in Gāndhārī.
Kharoṣṭhī: Script used for writing Gāndhārī, derived from Aramaic. Written right to left.
Pāli: Middle Indo-Aryan language in which the Theravāda canon is preserved. Likely not the Buddha's actual spoken language.
Prakrit: Family of Middle Indo-Aryan languages, closer to spoken dialects than classical Sanskrit.
Sanskrit: Classical literary language of ancient India. Many Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna texts composed in Sanskrit.
Hybrid Sanskrit: Mixture of Sanskrit and Prakrit elements found in many Buddhist texts, reflecting their oral origins.
Manuscript and Editorial Terms
Birch bark: Writing material used in northern regions, particularly for early Gāndhārī manuscripts.
Codex: Book form with bound pages, as opposed to scroll format.
Colophon: Inscription at end of manuscript providing information about scribe, date, patron, or copying circumstances.
Codicology: Study of manuscripts as physical objects, including materials, construction, and preservation.
Folio: Single leaf of a manuscript, typically numbered and containing text on both sides.
Interpolation: Text added to an existing work, often gradually incorporated until indistinguishable from original.
Manuscript tradition: Line of textual transmission preserving particular versions or variants of a text.
Palimpsest: Manuscript written over an earlier, erased text. Sometimes reveals earlier versions or different texts.
Paleography: Study of ancient writing systems and script development.
Palm leaf: Traditional writing material in South and Southeast Asia, made from dried palm fronds.
Recension: Particular version or edition of a text, often representing a specific manuscript tradition.
Scriptoria: Monastic copying centers where manuscripts were reproduced.
Stylus: Writing instrument used to inscribe text on palm leaves or other materials.
Variant reading: Different version of a particular passage found in different manuscripts of the same text.
Scholarly and Academic Terms
Apparatus criticus: Scholarly annotation listing variant readings and textual problems in critical editions.
Authenticity: Question of whether a text genuinely originates from its claimed author or period.
Critical edition: Scholarly text that compares multiple manuscripts to reconstruct original or best version.
Diplomatic edition: Exact transcription of a single manuscript without editorial changes.
Editio princeps: First printed edition of a text previously existing only in manuscript.
Philology: Study of language and texts, especially historical and comparative analysis.
Redaction: Process of editing or revising texts; also refers to particular edited versions.
Stemma: Diagram showing relationships between different manuscripts of the same text.
Synopsis: Text arranged to show parallel versions side by side for comparison.
Textual criticism: Scholarly method for determining original or best text from variant manuscripts.
Religious and Cultural Terms
Bodhisattva: "Awakening being." In Mahāyāna Buddhism, one who vows to achieve Buddhahood for the benefit of all beings.
Buddha: "Awakened one." Historical Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) or any being who achieves complete enlightenment.
Dharma transmission: Process by which Buddhist teaching is passed from teacher to student across generations.
Mahāsaṅghika: "Great Assembly." Early Buddhist school known for more liberal interpretations and possible influence on Mahāyāna development.
Mahāyāna: "Great Vehicle." Buddhism emphasizing bodhisattva path and universal liberation, dominant in East Asia and Tibet.
Parinirvāṇa: Final passing away of the Buddha or other enlightened beings.
Saṅgha: Buddhist monastic community; sometimes extended to include lay practitioners.
Sarvāstivāda: "All Exists School." Important early Buddhist school with sophisticated Abhidharma system.
Śūnyatā: "Emptiness." Central Mahāyāna teaching about the lack of inherent existence in all phenomena.
Theravāda: "Teaching of the Elders." Buddhism dominant in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, claiming to preserve earliest traditions.
Vajrayāna: "Diamond Vehicle." Buddhism emphasizing tantric practices, dominant in Tibet and Mongolia.
Historical and Institutional Terms
Council: Assembly convened to recite, organize, or standardize Buddhist teachings. Traditional accounts describe several early councils.
Diaspora Buddhism: Buddhist communities and practices in regions outside traditional Buddhist homelands, often adapted to new cultural contexts.
Lineage: Chain of transmission connecting contemporary teachers to historical Buddhist figures.
Monastery: Residential religious community; center for textual preservation and education.
Ordination: Formal ceremony inducting individuals into monastic community with specific vows and responsibilities.
Patronage: Support provided by rulers, merchants, or other benefactors for Buddhist institutions and textual projects.
Reform movement: Efforts to purify or modernize Buddhist practice, often involving selective emphasis on particular texts.
Schism: Division within Buddhist community over doctrinal or disciplinary issues, often leading to separate schools.
Sectarian: Relating to particular schools or denominations within Buddhism, each with distinctive interpretations.
Syncretic: Combining elements from different religious or cultural traditions.
Modern and Contemporary Terms
Digital humanities: Use of computational methods to analyze and preserve textual materials.
Hypertextual: Text format allowing non-linear navigation through links and cross-references, common in digital environments.
Metadata: Information about texts (author, date, language, etc.) stored in digital databases.
Open access: Principle of making scholarly resources freely available online without subscription barriers.
Crowdsourcing: Collaborative projects involving contributions from many volunteers, increasingly used in translation projects.
API (Application Programming Interface): Technical system allowing different software programs to share data, enabling Buddhist apps to access canonical databases.
TEI (Text Encoding Initiative): Standard method for marking up digital texts to preserve structural and semantic information.
Regional and Denominational Terms
Buddhist Churches of America: Organization of Japanese-American Pure Land temples, representing adaptation to American religious culture.
Chinese Tripiṭaka: Comprehensive collection of Buddhist texts in Chinese, including translations and indigenous compositions.
Pāli Text Society: British organization founded in 1881 to publish critical editions of Theravāda scriptures.
Pure Land: Buddhist tradition emphasizing devotion to Amitābha Buddha and rebirth in his paradise.
Taishō Shinshū Daizōkyō: Standard modern edition of Chinese Buddhist canon, completed in 1934.
Zen: Meditation-focused Buddhism emphasizing direct insight over textual study, though maintaining important textual traditions.
Note on Usage: Throughout this book, Sanskrit terms are generally used for pan-Buddhist concepts (dharma, saṅgha), while Pāli terms appear primarily in Theravāda contexts (dhamma, saṅgha). Chinese, Tibetan, and other regional terms are used when discussing tradition-specific developments. Contemporary scholarly terms reflect ongoing evolution in Buddhist studies methodology.