by Harvey Kraft
O
One Buddha-Vehicle – an alternative to the Buddhist Three Vehicles of self-transformation. The three are Learning (through hearing and memorizing), Realization (through meditation and exploration), and Selflessness (through dedication to others). The one vehicle (ekayana) offered in the Lotus Sutra is the vehicle of Buddhahood that is ever-present in the Perfectly Endowed Reality within all beings.
One-Who-Comes to Declare the Truth (Tathagata) – the Declarer of Truth is a Buddha. The term developed from predictions of a messianic figure or savior- teacher to come, and adopted in Buddhism to convey that the Buddha embodied this mission.
P
Parable of the Hidden Gem – illustrates the principle that Buddhahood was perfectly endowed within all mortal beings, and calls for its discovery within.
Parable of the Burning Mansion – the burning mansion represents the human world on the verge of destruction. The Buddha rescues his children and gives them the gift of the One Vehicle.
Parable of the Missing Son – a prodigal son story conveying that human beings are able to inherit Buddhahood, but are unaware of their legacy.
Parable of the Great Raincloud and Green Plants – story illustrating the universal compassion of the Buddha to provide equal nourishment for all individual beings and the nature of human beings to use that nourishment as needed, according to one's capacity.
Parable of the Phantom City – tale illustrating that the concept of Nirvana was an expedient means, and that the real goal of the Buddha was to lead humans to Buddhahood. The Buddha leads the human tribe on a Great Crossing across the dangerous desert of life toward the Place of Jewels. He conjures a Phantom City, an oasis representing Nirvana. After they are rested and refreshed, it disappears.
Paradox of Attainment – it was impossible for anyone who was not already a Buddha to achieve Buddhahood.
Paradox of Relativity – because one thing could not exist independently of some other thing, all things that existed were related to one another.
Parinirvana – Nirvana of Non-Birth where Buddhas are said to retire into extinction.
Perfectly Endowed Reality – all human beings are endowed with the Universal- Mind, which is beyond the limits of relativity. It contains the True Self, the power to produce a life of joyful fulfillment.
Perfect Enlightenment – The state of Buddhahood.
Q
Quiescence (aka Tranquility, Equanimity, Peace) – the practice of quieting the Individual-Mind as a means for shutting off the interference of "surrounding and internal noise."
R
Real Nirvana – reference to the Sacred Place of Jewels, a metaphor for the Buddha-land where he stored the ultimate treasure, the wisdom of Perfect Enlightenment.
S
Selfless Volunteers – the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva from Below the Surface of Existence volunteer for the mission to manifest in the future. They vow to resurrect the True Self and help human beings transform the world into an enlightened paradise.
Singular Buddhas (Paccekabuddha) – capable of achieving a self-taught enlightenment without following a Buddha, their wisdom is not transferable.
Six Worlds of Existence (Samsara)– conditional realms (Hell, Hunger, Anger, Animality, Humanity, Heaven).
Six Great Virtues (Paramitas) – generous giving, graceful compassion, patient forbearance, fearless dedication, focused reflection, and profound wisdom.
Sacred Place of Jewels – Perfect Enlightenment as an illuminating cosmic destination.
Sacred Tree of Illumination – aka, Bodhi Tree, like a universal nervous system, this tree connects the ground with the stars, defined as the Sahasra cosmogony, a Buddhist view ascribing of a billion world systems to the Universe (1,000 x 1,000 x 1,000 = 1,000,000,000 world-systems).
Saha – World of Enduring Suffering, refers to the mortal world, specifically planet Earth.
Sakamuni – Sage of the Saka tribal nation.
Samsara – Six Worlds of rebirth, or Six Worlds of conditional existence. They are the worlds of Hell, Hunger, Anger, Animality, Humanity and Heaven, populated by Hellions, Hungry Ghosts, Demons, Animals, Humans and Heavenly Beings (Deities and Spirits).
Seven Skills – the Seven Skills for Achieving Consciousness of Enlightenment: Mindfulness, Investigation (of Universal Truth), Energy, Joyful Receptivity, Quiescence, Concentration, and Equilibrium.
Shared-Mind – a collective identity of two or more persons, a community or group, with common interests, relationships, passions, and shared goals.
Siddha – a transcendent state of divine consciousness (Jain).
Skillful Method (Upaya) – expedient teaching method or transitional practices designed to promote progressive learning.
Spiritualism – world's pre-historic, nature religion.
Sramana – ascetics in Vedic, Jaina, and Buddhist traditions.
Supreme Awakening (Skt. anuttara-samyak-sambodhi) – Buddhahood.
Sutra – In Vedism, "condensed speech," the concentration of thoughts, a "profound line of thinking," or great wisdom delivered in a dense and brief form; In Buddhism, it's "good news," or "a gate of liberation," or a harmonic vibration aligned with Universal Truth.
T
Tathagata – One-Who-Comes to Declare the Truth.
Three Great Universal Gifts – Sumerians appreciated the divine gifts of Life, Consciousness, and Health. In Buddhist, the universal gifts of Scope, Nature and Essence.
Threefold Field of Form, Formlessness, and Desire – manifestations (Form), possibilities (Formlessness), and transformations (Desire).
Threefold-body or Threefold Buddha-body (trikaya) – composed of Dharmakaya or Cosmic-body (aka Dharma-body, Universal-body, Truth-body, Lawbody, Reality-body), Sambhoga-kaya or Information-body (aka Karma-body, Transmigration-body, Transition-body, Transformation-body, Treasury-body, Reward-body, Wisdom-body, Energy-body, Illumination-body, or Bliss-body), and Nirmana-kaya or Mortal-body (aka Mutation-body, Manifestation-body, Response-body, Conditional-body, Phenomenon-body).
Three Treasure-Sanctuaries (Skt. Triratna) – composed of the Buddha himself, the Buddha-Dharma of Universal Truth, and his community of disciples.
Three Universal Realities of Mortal Existence – Impermanence (Skt. Anitya); Suffering (Skt. Duhkha); and Emptiness (Skt. Sunyata).
Tower of Flowers echoed – embodied the peak of the Buddha's enlightened wisdom connecting the mortal world with Universal Truth in the Cosmos of Relativity.
Treasure Tower – miles-high tower parked in the sky of the Perfectly Endowed Reality. It is the tower of the ghostly extinct Buddha Abundant Treasures. It is the gateway to all the treasures of the Buddha's Wisdom-body.
Truth of the Reality of All Existence – the whole Truth of Existence, as it really is, regardless of beliefs, including what is known and unknown.
The Twelve Link-Chain for Causation of Perpetual Suffering (Pali/Skt. Nidanas) – the process of cyclical sequencing that produces one's conditional identity perceived as the self.
u
Ultimate Buddha – The Buddha of all Buddhas.
Universal-Mind – an all-inclusive, non-differentiating higher identity that probed beyond the apparent and experiential. This mind unifies all beings, all things, and the cosmos.
Universal Order – Natural order and all the laws of the Universe.
Universal Truth – the way things really are, harmony, natural order of all Existence, aka Ma'at (Egyptian) Emet (Hebrew), Arta (Sumerian), Rta (Vedic), Asha (Zoroastrian), Arche (Greek) and Dharma (Buddhist).
Three Vehicles – the vehicles of Learning, Realization and Selflessness used for self-transformation in Buddhism.
U
Ultimate Buddha – the Buddha of all Buddhas.
V
Vairochana Buddha – Universal Radiance Buddha. He represented the light of creation that appeared at the inception of the Universe. Literally means "One Who Appears As-the-Sun."
Vehicle of Perfect Enlightenment –
Buddhahood as a vehicle to deliver mortals into the state of Buddhahood.
Vulture Peak (Gridhrakuta) – the site where the Buddha preached his sutras.
w
Wheel-Rolling Kings of the Four Great Metals – symbolized "the wealth of the Buddha's great wisdom" and its worldwide distribution.
World-Honored One – title describing Siddhartha Gautama as the Enlightened One renown for his wisdom across the human world and the cosmic landscape.
y
Yoga – disciplined meditation used to mount, discipline, and direct the higher mind much as a farmer would do by placing a "yoke" on an ox prior to tilling a field. It prevented the mind from "bucking" and allowed for control of a trance vision.
z
Zoroaster – a title for the religious head of a Persian religion.
SACRED FIGURES (list of figures mentioned in this book)
BUDDHIST:
Amita – Buddha-land of Infinite Light Buddha of the Blissful Heaven (Sukhavati).
Ananda – personal attendant to the Sakamuni, his cousin from his Saka hometown of Babil.
Buddhas of Ten Directions – Buddhas from every direction of the cosmos.
Bountiful Treasures Buddha (Skt. Prabhutaratna) – Extinct Buddha appearing as a ghost inside the Treasure Tower in the Lotus Sutra.
Devadatta (aka Daevadatta) – religious figure who opposed Sakamuni.
Kasyapa – one of the ten major disciples of Sakamuni.
Katyayana – one of the ten major disciples of Sakamuni.
Mahaprajapati – Siddhartha Gautama's aunt named after the Vedic Lord of Creatures (Prajapati).
Maitreya – Celestial Bodhisattva Loving Kindness, one of two Bodhisattvas at Sakamuni's side, representing the cosmic future.
Manjusri – Bodhisattva named Sweet Voice of Wisdom, one of two Bodhisattvas at Sakamuni's side. He represented the cosmic past.
Maya – mother of Sakamuni. Her name means "illusion".
Bhaishajya-guru buddha – Sovereign-Teacher of Healers Buddha of the Pure Emerald Paradise.
Maudgalyayana – one of the ten major disciples of Sakamuni.
Rahula – son of Sakamuni and one of the ten major disciples.
Ratthapala – disciple of the Buddha in Kuru, son of King Dhanajaya.
Sariputra – leader of the ten major disciples of Sakamuni.
Sakamuni Buddha – Awakened One, Enlightened One.
Siddhartha Gautama – First and last name of man who became the Buddha.
Subhuti – one of the ten major disciples of Sakamuni.
Suddhodana Gautama – father of Siddhartha and Saka King of Babil.
Universal Radiance Buddha (Skt. Vairochana) – the Universe as a Buddha.
Vimalakirti – the archetypal devotee of Selfless compassion.
KEY HISTORICAL FIGURES
Abraham – biblical sage, prophet of Elohim, and founder of Hebrew nation.
Bardiya (aka Smerdis) – younger son of Cyrus the Great; may have been murdered by his brother Kambujiya, Emperor of the Persian Empire.
Cyrus II, Cyrus the Great – grandson of Achaemenes, founder of the Achaemenid Persian dynasty, and conqueror of the Babylonian and Median Empires.
King Gilgamesh – the legendary Sumerian king who sought to achieve immortality and failed.
King Dhanajaya of Kuru – King from a kingdom in India who hosted the Buddha. He decided to abdicate the throne and replace his rule with a representative government.
King Ajatasattu – King from a kingdom of India who was converted to Buddhism after falling deathly ill. He represents a leader who transformation from militarism to peace.
Darius the Great – A Persian military general who led a coup to seize the Persian throne. He grew the Persian Empire into the world's largest and most powerful military power.
Hammurabi – the first Amorite ruler of the Old Babylonian Empire, maker of laws, and builder of Babylon. Under his rule the religion of Marduk replaced the religions of Sumer/Akkad.
Kambujiya (aka Cambyses) – son of Cyrus the Great, he became the second Emperor of the Persian Empire, conqueror of Egypt. He met with a mysterious and untimely death.
Mahavira – philosopher and cosmologist of Jainism, who devoted himself to physical denial in order to purify his Soul.
Nebuchadnezzar – the Chaldean King who rebuilt Babylon and the Esagila Ziggurat. He also destroyed the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. He brought in the Magi Order from Medes to serve as his advisors.
Pharaoh Khufu – the great king of Egypt buried in the Great Pyramid at Giza.
Zarathustra Spitamas – The name of Zoroaster contemporary with Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha.
Indexes
DEITIES INDEX, SACRED LITERATURE INDEX,
BUDDHISM INDEX, AND ANCIENT HISTORY INDEX
DEITIES
Aryan religion, originally gods of Hittites, Mitanni, and proto-Steppes people
Mitra and
Varuna
Assyrian, god of the city of Assur
Assur
Babylonian, gods of
Bel and
El (Lord God)
Ishtar
Marduk and
Brahmanism, religion of
Brahma and
Shiva and
Vishnu
Buddhism, mortal gods of, see also Golden Mountain cosmology of heavenly beings
Maha-Ishvara, god of freedom
Mahabrahma
Mara, Demon King of the Sixth Heaven of Desire
Sakra Devanam Indra
Egyptian, primordial gods
Nu
Aker (Horizon)
Anubis (Judge)
Anum(Creator)
Amun. See also Amun-Rae (Overseer)
Geh (Land)
Hathor (Life or Mother Earth)
Hesat (sacred sky-cow)
Isis (Soul Protector)
Nut (Sky)
Ogdoad
Ptah (Designer)
Shu (Air)
Tefunt (Rain)
Thoth, the God of scribes
Egyptian, Sun gods
Amun-Rae
Aten (Sun Disc)
Kepri
Rae (Sun)
Greek, gods and titans
Chronos
Gaia
Themis
Uranus
Zeus
Hebrew, Almighty God of Judea and Israel
Elohim
YHWH (pronounced Yahweh)
Sumer/Akkad (Mesopotamian), celestial
and elemental gods:
Annunaki, assembly of gods:
Igigi
Innana or Ishtar
Ningal
Ninlil
Shamash. See also Utu (Sun)
Sin. Sees also Nannar (Moon)
Telepinu, god of farming
Uttu, spinner of Nature's patterns
Sumer/Akkad (Mesopotamian), primordial gods
Anum, primordial father of Heaven
Enki, god of Water
Enlil, Supreme God of Air, Sky and Wind
Nammu, primordial mother goddess
Ninhursag, Mother Earth goddess
Vedism, divine powers of
Agni, god of fire
Indra, protective god
Kala, god of fate and time
Zoroaster, gods of the Persian prophet
Angra Manyu, devil god
Assura Mazda (Ahuramazda), god of good
SACRED LITERATURE
(list of scriptures mentioned in this book)
Aramaic-Jewish biblical commentary
Book of Enoch
Bible, Hebrew Old Testament scripture
Daniel
Exodus
Genesis
Numbers
Buddhism, select sutras of
Avatamsaka Sutra (Flower Garland Sutra)
Buddhacarita (Acts of the Buddha), xxvi
Dharma-Wheel Sutra
Dharmachakra-pravartana Sutra (Sutra for Setting the Wheel of the Dha
rma into Motion),
Ekottaragama Sutra
Innumerable Meanings Sutra
Isigili Sutta, second of the Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha (Majjhima Nikaya)
Large Sutra on Perfecting Wisdom (Chavim-shati-sahasrika-prajnaparamita Sutra)
Parinirvana Sutra
Pali Canon
Sahd-Dharma Pundarika Sutra, Sanskrit title of Lotus Sutra
The Great Discourse on the Arousal of Mindfulness (Pali Mana-Sati-Patthhana Sutta)
The Great Discourse on Origination (Pali Maha-Nidana Sutta)
The Way to Unshakable Quiescence (Pali Anen-Jasappaya Sutta)
The Diamond Cutter Sutra
Vimalakirti Sutra
Egyptian, funerary guidebook
Pyramid Texts, also known as the Egyptian Book of the Dead
Hinduism, scriptures of Vedism, Brahmanism and
Brahmanas
Manu, Laws of
Mahabharata
Puranas
Rig Veda
Upanisads
Mesopotamian (Iraq) religions include, Summer/Akkad and Old Babylonian scriptures
Epic of Gilgatnesh
Tablets of Creation (aka Enûrna Elis)
Tablets of Destiny (aka Dup Shirnati)
Enuma Anu Enlil
Zoroastrianism, scriptures of Avesta
Gathas
Vi-Daeva-datta (aka Vendidad) is a Guide to Exorcising Demons
BUDDHISM:
Asvaghosa. See also Buddhacarita
Asita
awakening, the
Bhagava, Lord Buddha
Bhiksu and Bhiksuni
Bodh Gaya
Bodhi tree, see also Sacred Tree of Illumination
Cosmic Tree
Tree of Enlightened Life
Bodhisattva, aides to Gautama Buddha
Maitreya
Manjusri
Bodhisattva-Mahasattva in Buddha visions
Below Surface o£ Existence
Celestial
Selfless Volunteers
Bountiful Treasures Buddha (Prabhutaratna)
Buddhacarita
Bright Sun Moonlight Buddha
Buddhas of the Ten Directions
