Basic Pali Terms for Dhamma
Burmese Pāḷi
I have made a list of the most basic Pāḷi terms which will help you in your Theravāda Buddhist Readings and listening to Dhamma Talks. I could have added more, but there are already 165+ terms. I have decided to sort the words in alphabetical order so I would not have to decide which were the most important. Grouping the words would have also given me the same dilemma. If you learn 10 words per day, it should not take long to master. You will likely know many of these terms already.
If you wish to learn these words with a flashcard program, I have uploaded 165 words to ankiweb at the link below: https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/1529596152
The words are listed below:
| abhidhamma | the “higher-dhamma”, or explanation of mind, matter and causes and nibbāna, or the listings groups of the 3 baskets |
| adinnādānā | stealing (Part of the five precepts) |
| adosa | non-anger |
| adukkhamasukha vedanā | neither painful nor pleasant feeling |
| akusala | unwholesome |
| alobha | non-greed |
| amoha | non-ignorance |
| anāgāmin | third level of enlightenment; Nonreturner |
| ānāpāna | in breath and out breath |
| anatta | non-self |
| anicca | impermanent |
| anumodana | donation, or rejoicing depending on the context. |
| āpatti | an offense a monk may commit (any type) |
| arahant | fourth and final level of enlightenment; Fully Enlightened with greed hatred and delusion permanently destroyed. |
| ariyasacca | noble truth (4 Noble Truths) |
| asaṅkhyeyya | uncountable measure of time often referred in modern times to a period of time for a big bang cycle to occur |
| aṭṭha | eight |
| aṭṭhakathā | The books which explain the meaning of the specified text (like the vinaya,suttas, or abhidhamma) |
| avijja | ignorance (part of dependent origination) |
| āvuso | “friend” or “brother” a polite form of addressing junior monks |
| bhante | “venerable sir” a polite form of addressing senior monks |
| bhāvanā | term for meditation or development |
| bhavo | becoming (part of dependent origination) |
| bhikkhu | a mendicant monk |
| cakkhuviññaṇa | eye consciousness |
| catu | four |
| cha | six |
| citta | mind/consciousness (Thai Forest Tradition uses “citta” which seems to be more of a Vedanta term to describe a permanent mind which was never taught by the Buddha) |
| cittānupassanā | insight meditation with a focus on the mental phenomena as the object |
| cīvara | a monk’s robes |
| cūḷa | small, often used in the names of smaller discourses |
| dāna | generosity |
| dasa | ten |
| dāyaka | supporter of a monk |
| desana | a dhamma talk or sermon |
| deva | a heavenly being |
| dhamma | the teaching |
| dhammānupassanā | contemplation on dhamma |
| dīgha | long |
| diṭṭhi | wrong view (connected with a self) |
| domanassa vedanā | unpleasant feeling |
| dosa | anger |
| dukkata | a small class of offense (but some are serious like dressing in lay clothes (wearing shirts) or playing a musical instrument) |
| dukkha | suffering, unsatisfactoriness, mental and physical pain |
| dukkha vedanā | painful feeling |
| dvi | two |
| eka | one |
| ekaggataṃ | “one-going of mind”, tranquility of mind; one-pointedness. |
| gacchāmi | I go for |
| ghānaviññāṇa | nose consciousness |
| gilāna | sickness (gilānapaccaya is support for the sick) |
| hiri | shame |
| issa | jealous (cannot bare to see the success and gain of one not liked) |
| jarā | old age (part of dependent origination) |
| jāti | birth (part of dependent origination) |
| jhāna | term for concentration or samadhi |
| jīvha viññāṇa | tongue consciousness |
| kalyāṇamitta | a good and wholesome friend who helps with the practice of dhamma and maintaining wholesome actions and speech |
| kāmarāga | desire and lustful mind |
| kāmāvacara | sensual plane of existence |
| kāmesumicchācārā | sexual misconduct (sexual activity without the woman’s protector’s permission) |
| kamma | similar to the english word karma (action that has results) |
| kappi | term often referring to a helper who helps do things not allowed by monks (usually offering things that are stored for him or getting things from the shop) |
| kappiya | a helper of a monk |
| karuṇā | compassion |
| kasiṇa | object for meditation, usually a color disk or a representation of the 4 elements |
| kāyānupassanā | contemplation on the body |
| kāyaviññāṇa | body consciousness |
| kusala | wholesome |
| lobha | greed |
| macchariya | selfishness (cannot bare to share with someone not liked) |
| magga | Path (as in enlightenment) |
| maha | great, big, often used with maha-thera 20 years or more, also used for the names of larger discourses. |
| majja | that which causes unawareness of mind (Part of the five precepts) |
| majjhimā | middle |
| maṅgala | blessings |
| maraṇaṃ | death (part of dependent origination), also part of a meditation called marananussati |
| mettā | Loving-kindness |
| moha | ignorance |
| muditā | joy arising from the success of others. (sympathetic joy) |
| musāvāda | wrong speech (lying) (Part of the five precepts) |
| nāma | mentality |
| ñāṇa | knowledge |
| nava | nine |
| nekkhamma | renunciation |
| nibbāna | Similar to Nirvana, however the Pali version is according to Pali Buddhism. Nirvana can mean anything according to different philosophies. |
| nikāya | a grouping of books (dīgha nikāya) or an organization consisting of monks (swezin nikāya, dhammayutta nikāya, etc) |
| nimitta | often a meditation sign for meditation, or a subject of the mind |
| nirodho | cessation |
| nissaggi | an expression for something that is not allowed (money, objects bought by monks or wrongly obtained objects through fundraising and directing people to a helper to collect money without being prompted by the donor) |
| nīvaraṇa | hindrances |
| ottappa | fear of doing wrong |
| pabbajjā | ordination (it can be full ordination of a bhikkhu or just a novice monk) |
| paccekabuddha | a self enlightened Buddha who does not teach enlightenment |
| pamādato | without wisdom, awareness (part of the five precepts) |
| pāṇātipātā | killing (Part of the five precepts) |
| pañca | five |
| pañña | wisdom |
| pārājika | offense of defeat (cause for disrobing, sex, stealing, killing a human, and false claims of attainments) |
| paṭiccasamuppāda | dependent origination |
| phala | fruition, one of the 4 pairs of enlightenment |
| phassa | contact which arises with the 6 sense consciousness (also part of dependent origination) |
| piṇḍapāta | collecting alms |
| piṭaka | basket.. (as part of the group of books, carried in a basket). |
| pīti | joy (one of the 5 factors of jhāna) |
| rāga | lust |
| rūpa | materiality |
| rūpāvacara mind | mind that arises mostly in the fine material plane |
| sacca | truth |
| saddhā | faith |
| sādhu | “amen” often used three times to express a gratitude and agreement of what was said or done. In India it is the title given to a virtuous hermit – one who does good. |
| sakadāgāmi | second level of enlightenment; Once Returner |
| sālā | a hall where various things are formed (ie dhammasālā for listening to dhamma) |
| saḷāyatanaṃ | 6 sense bases (eye, ears, nose, tongue, body sensation, mind (heart) ) |
| samādhi | concentration |
| samatha | calm meditation |
| sammāājīvo | right livelihood |
| sammādiṭṭhi | right view |
| sammākammanto | right action |
| sammāsambuddha | a self enlightened Buddha who does teach |
| sammāsaṅkappa | right thought |
| sammāsati | right mindfulness |
| sammāvācā | right speech |
| sammāvāyāmo | right effort |
| samphappalapa | talking nonsense (useless talk) |
| saṃyutta | connected, often used with “saṃyutta nikaya” a grouping of teachings |
| saṅgha | group of monks |
| saṅghādisesa | heavy offense a monk commits which requires special meetings by sangha |
| saṅkhāra | volitional formations (part of the 5 aggregates, and part of dependent origination) |
| saññā | perception (part of the 5 aggregates) |
| saraṇa | gem (part of triple gem, Buddha, Dhamma, Saṅgha) |
| Satipaṭṭhāna | foundation of mindfulness |
| satta | seven |
| senāsana | lodging for monks |
| sīla | morality |
| sīma | a hall where formal acts are performed (ie ordination) |
| sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsā | the whole mass of suffering (part of dependent origination) |
| somanassa vedanā | pleasant feeling |
| sotadvāravīthi | the ear-door mental process |
| sotāpanna | first level of enlightenment; Stream Winner |
| sotaviññaṇa | ear consciousness |
| sukha | happiness |
| suññatā | emptiness (of self) |
| surāmeraya | alcoholic drinks (Part of the five precepts) |
| sutta | the discourse section of the 3 baskets |
| taṇhā | craving (part of dependent origination) |
| thera | an elder monk, usually of 10 years or more |
| ti | three |
| ṭīkā | The subcommentary which explains further information from the Aṭṭhakathā |
| tipiṭaka | The three baskets, often known as tripitaka in Sanskrit. |
| upādāna | clinging, or repeated craving (part of dependent origination) |
| upekkhā | equanimity |
| vedanā | feeling (part of the 5 aggregates) |
| vedanānupassanā | contemplation on feeling |
| veramaṇi | I will not do, I will refrain from doing (used with taking the 5 precepts) |
| vicāra | sustained thought (usually part of the 5 jhāna factors) (also means investigation), |
| vinaya | the morality section of the 3 baskets |
| viññāṇa | consciousness (part of the 5 aggregates and part of dependent origination) |
| vipāka | the results of previous kamma |
| vipassanā | insight meditation (with seeing impermenence, suffering and non self) |
| viriya | energy (effort) |
| vitakka | initial or applied thought (usually part of the 5 jhāna factors) |
| viveka | being alone, detachment, seclusion |
Table of Pali words
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