Siddhartha Gautama, a prince of India in the 6th century BCE, came to be called the Buddha, the “awakened one,” after his enlightenment at the age of thirty-six. He spent the remainder of his life giving spiritual guidance to an ever-growing body of disciples. The Buddha entered into parinirvana (bodily death and final liberation) in 483 BCE at the age of 81.

(also: sesshin) In Buddhist meditation traditions, setting aside a weekend, a month, or several months for intensive practice is considered crucial to expediting the student’s progress. During such meditation retreats in the Zen tradition, the practitioner engages in breath-counting practice, sitting and walking meditation, and, in Rinzai Zen, koan study. Typically, no talking is allowed, except asking necessary questions during work practice and in the interview with the teacher.

Shakya is the name of the clan into which the Buddha was born. Thus, he is sometimes referred to as “Shakyamuni Buddha” which can be translated as “Sage of the Shakya Clan.”

Vairochana, the “Resplendent One,” represents the eternal Dharma Body of whom Sakyamuni and all other Buddhas are transformations. His Pure Land is the Flower Store World, which is none other than the whole universe when experienced correctly. Although a wide range of Mahayana Buddhists display reverence for Vairochana, this Buddha is especially important in certain forms of Esoteric Buddhism in Japan.

The anniversary of the birth of Siddhartha Gautama is a major Buddhist celebration, although the date of observance differs in the various traditions. For the Theravada tradition, Visakha (or Vesak) usually falls in May and celebrates simultaneously three great events—the birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana (bodily death and final liberation) of Siddhartha Gautama. In the Japanese tradition of the Buddhist Churches of America, the Buddha’s birthday is observed on April 8, a day called Hanmatsuri. For all Buddhists, the Buddha’s birthday is an opportunity to visit the temple, think deeply... Read more about Buddha’s Birthday

One of the earliest Mahayana sutras, the Lotus Sutra has played a significant role in shaping the Buddhist tradition in East Asia. Especially influential has been its teaching of the one Great Vehicle (Mahayana) under which is subsumed all other lesser vehicles. This sutra is the main text of the Tiantai (Tendai) and Nichiren schools.

Sharon Salzberg has been practicing vipassana meditation for over three decades. She is a founding member of Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and has taught meditation at Buddhist centers around the world. Her book Loving Kindness: the Revolutionary Act of Kindness (1995) was the first full-length treatment of metta, or loving-kindness practice, in the United States.

(also: T'ien-t'ai; Tendai) Tiantai Buddhism was founded in China in the 6th century. The teachings of this Mahayana school are distinguished by: reverence for the Lotus Sutra; an emphasis on the underlying unity of all Buddhist practice and doctrine; assertion of the universality of Buddha Nature; and the assurance that, with proper practice, everyone may attain enlightenment in this life.

Sylvia Boorstein is a practicing psychotherapist and an active teacher of vipassana at Spirit Rock Center, located north of San Francisco. She also leads an annual retreat at Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. As is readily apparent in her book, Happiness is Simpler Than You Think: Buddhist Wisdom for Everyone, Boorstein emphasizes that meditation can easily and perhaps most effectively be practiced in ordinary, daily activities.

Kshitigarbha is a bodhisattva who vowed, “So long as hell is not empty, I will not attain Buddhahood.” Usually depicted with a staff with six rings, he has delayed his own enlightenment indefinitely in order to teach those in hell about the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Because of his association with the underworld, East Asian Mahayana Buddhists usually pray for his blessing when celebrating Ullambana, the Buddhist festival especially honoring one’s ancestors.

In Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist tradition, a prayer wheel is a cylinder on the outside of which is written a mantra (sacred utterance), very often the mantra “Om mani padme hum” (“ Om, the Jewel in the Lotus,” referring to Chenrezig, the bodhisattva of compassion). Such wheels vary greatly in size, some small enough to fit in a person’s palm, others suspended within the temple complex. The spinning of the wheel sets the mantra’s power in motion.

The Theosophical Society was founded in 1875 by Colonel Henry Steel Olcott and Helena Petrovna Blavatsky “to study ancient and modern religions, philosophies and sciences, and to investigate the unexplained laws of Nature and the psychical powers latent in man.” Olcott, Blavatsky, and the eclectic band who gathered around them studied what they saw to be the common secret mysteries of the religions of ancient Egypt, Greece, and India.

Bhikkhunis are Buddhist nuns. Although the lineage of fully ordained women monastics died out long ago in the Theravada traditions of South Asia, it has been preserved in the Mahayana traditions of East Asia. In fact, there are currently more nuns than monks in the Chinese Buddhist communities of Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Taiwan. As with Buddhist monks, those who become bhikkhunis shave their heads and don special robes to symbolize their renunciation. While both monks and nuns vow to follow strict precepts to regulate their lives, nuns are subject to a much greater number of... Read more about bhikkhuni

Anagarika Dharmapala (1864-1933) is best known for the important role he played in restoring Bodh Gaya, the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment, which had badly deteriorated after centuries of neglect. In order to raise funds for this project, Dharmapala founded the Bodh-Gaya Maha Bodhi Society in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and edited the society’s journal. It was after reading the Maha Bodhi Journal that Reverend J.H. Barrows invited Dharmapala to represent the Buddhists of South Asia at the 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago. Shortly after attending the Parliament,... Read more about Dharmapala, Anagarika

Kathina is a fall festival, especially important in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, during which new robes are presented to ordained monks and nuns.