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Buddhist terminology

  • Nirvana (Buddhism)The word nirvana comes from the Sanskrit root vā, meaning to blow. Early Buddhist texts describe it as blowing out a flame or quenching an activity of the…
  • BuddhistsThe English word Buddhist emerged in the early 19th century, formed from Buddha and the suffix -ist. Its earliest recorded usage in English dates to 1810.
  • HinayanaThe Sanskrit word hīnayāna literally means "Small Vehicle" or "Lesser Vehicle". It combines the adjective hīna, meaning little, poor, inferior, abandoned…