Ah Q
(ah cue) A foolish character in a Chinese novel.
Arhat
Enlightened being with Fruit Status in the Buddha School
and one who is beyond the "Three Realms."
Assistant Spirit
Secondary soul(s); Assistant Consciousness.
asura
"Malevolent spirits" (from Sanskrit).
baihui
(buy-hway) An acupuncture point located at the crown of
one’s head.
benti
(bun-tee) One’s physical body and the bodies in other
dimensions.
Bian Que
(b’yen-chueh) A well-known doctor of Chinese medicine
in history.
Big Lotus Flower Hand Sign
A hand posture for consecration.
bigu
(bee-goo) "Avoidance of grains"; an ancient term
for abstinence from food and water.
Bodhisattva
Enlightened being with Fruit Status in the Buddha
School, and one who is higher than an Arhat but lower than a Tathagata.
Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara
Known for her compassion, she is one
of the two senior Bodhisattvas in the Paradise of Ultimate Bliss.
Book of Changes
an ancient Chinese book of divination dating from
the Zhou dynasty (1100 B.C.-221 B.C.).
Caocao
(tsaow-tsaow) Emperor of one of the Three Kingdoms (220
A.D.-265 A.D.).
Celestial Eye
Also known as the "third eye."
Changchun
(chahng-choon) Capital city of Jilin Province.
Chongqing
(chong-ching) The most populated city in Southwestern
China.
Da Ji
(dah jee) A wicked concubine of the last emperor in the
Shang Dynasty (1765 B.C.-1122 B.C.). She is believed to have been
possessed by a fox spirit and to have caused the fall of the Shang
Dynasty.
Dafa
(dah-fah) "Great law," "Great Way";
principles.
dan
(dahn) Energy cluster in a cultivator’s body, collected
from other dimensions.
Dan Jing
(dahn jing) A classic Chinese text of cultivation
practice.
dantian
(dahn tien) "Field of dan"; the lower abdominal
area.
de
(duh) "Virtue," "merit"; a precious white
substance.
Dharma
Buddha Sakyamuni’s teachings.
Dharma-ending Period
According to Buddha Sakyamuni, Dharma-ending
Period begins five hundred years after he passed away, and his Dharma
could no longer save people thereafter.
Diamond Sutra
An ancient scripture in Buddhism.
digging into a bull’s horn
A Chinese expression for going down
a dead end.
ding
(ding) A state of empty, yet conscious mind.
the Eight Deities
Well-known Taos in Chinese history.
Eight Triagrams
From the
Book of Changes, a prehistoric
diagram thought to disclose the changes of the course of nature.
energy channels
In Chinese medicine, they are said to be conduits
of qi which comprise an intricate network for energy circulation.
Fa
(fah) Law and principles in the Buddha School.
fashen
(fah-shun)
"Law body"; a body made of
gong and Fa.
fengshui
(fung-shway) Chinese geomancy, a practice of reading
landscapes.
Five Elements
Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
Fruit Status
One’s level of attainment in the Buddha School,
e.g. Arhat, Bodhisattva, Tathagata, etc.
Great Cultural Revolution
A communist political movement that
denounced traditional values and culture (1966-1976).
gong
(gong) 1. Cultivation energy; 2. A practice that cultivates
such energy.
gongshen
(gong-shuhn) A body made of gong.
Great Jade Emperor
In Chinese mythology, the deity that
supervises the Three Realms.
guanding
(gwan-ding) Pouring energy into the top of one’s head;
initiation ritual.
Guangdong
(gwang-dong) A province in Southern China.
Guangxi
(gwang-shee) A province in Southern China.
Guanyin
(gwan-yeen)
sect A cult named after Bodhisattva
Avalokitesvara, the "Goddess of Mercy."
Guiyang
(gway-yahng) Capital of Guizhou Province.
Guizhou
(gway-jhoe) A province in Southwestern China.
Han
(hahn)
The majority ethnicity of Chinese people.
Han Xin
(hahn-sheen) A leading general for Liu Bang in the Han
Dynasty (206 B.C.-23 A.D.).
heche
(huh-chuh) "River vehicle."
hegu
(huh-goo) An acupuncture point on the back of the hand,
between the thumb and the index finger.
Hetu
(huh-too) As a prehistoric diagram, it discloses the changes
of the course of nature.
Hinayana
"The Small Vehicle Buddhism."
Huatuo
(hwa-twoah) A well-known doctor of Chinese medicine in
history.
huiyin
(hway-yeen) An acupuncture point in the center of the
perineum (the area between one’s anus and genitals).
hun
(huhn) Food that is forbidden in Buddhism.
In-Triple-World-Fa
Buddhism holds that one must go through
samsara (the cycle of reincarnation) if one has not reached
Beyond-Triple-World-Fa cultivation or the Three Realms.
Investiture of the Gods
A classic work of Chinese fiction.
Iron Sand Palm, Cinnabar Palm, Vajra Leg, Arhat Foot
Types of
Chinese martial arts techniques.
Jiang Ziya
(jyang dzz-yah) A character in
Investiture of the
Gods.
Jigong
(jee-gong) A well-known Buddhist monk in the Southern Song
Dynasty (1127 A.D.-1279 A.D.).
Jinan
(jee-nahn) Capital of Shandong Province.
kalpa
A period lasting for two billion years; here the term is
used as a number.
karma
A black substance resulted from previous wrongdoing.
Lady Queen Mother
In Chinese mythology, the highest-level female
deity within the Three Realms.
Lao Zi
(laow-dzz) Founder of the Tao School and author of the
Dao
De Jing (
Tao Te Ching), thought to have lived and taught in
China around the 5th or 4th century B.C.
laogong
(laow-gong) An acupuncture point at the center of the
palm.
Last Havoc
The community of cultivators holds that the universe
has three phases of evolution (The Beginning Havoc, The Middle Havoc,
The Last Havoc), and that now is the The Last Havoc’s final period.
Lei Feng
(lay-fung) Chinese moral exemplar in the 1960’s.
li
(lee) A Chinese unit for distance (=0.5 km). In Chinese,
"108 thousand li" is a common expression to describe a very
far distance.
Li Shizhen
(lee shr-jhun) A well-known doctor of Chinese medicine
in history.
Lianhuase
(l’yen-hwa-suh) One of ten major female disciples of
Buddha Sakyamuni.
Liu Bang
(leo bahng) Emperor and founder of the Han Dynasty (206
B.C.-23 A.D.).
Lu Dongbin
(lyu dong-bin) One of the Eight Deities in the Tao
School.
Luoshu
(luo-shew) As a prehistoric diagram, it discloses the
changes of the course of nature.
Mah Jong
A traditional Chinese game played by four people.
Mahayana
"The Great Vehicle Buddhism."
maoyou
(maow-yo) The borderline between the yin and yang sides of
the body.
Milky-White Body
A purified body without qi.
Ming Dynasty
Period between 1368 A.D. and 1644 A.D. in Chinese
history.
mingmen
(ming-muhn) "Gate of life"; an acupuncture
point located at the middle of the lower back.
mo ding
(muh ding) As claimed by some qigong masters, touching
the top of one’s head to give energy.
Mujianlian
(moo-j’yen-l’yen) One of ten major male disciples
of Buddha Sakyamuni.
Nanjing
(nahn-jing) Capital of Jiangsu Province.
nirvana
(From Sanskrit) departing the human world without this
physical body, the method of completing cultivation in Buddha Sakyamuni’s
School.
niwan palace
A Taoist term for the pineal body.
Primordial Spirit
This is sub-divided into the Main Spirit (
zhu
yuanshen) and the Assistant Spirit (
fu yuanshen). In
traditional Chinese thought, it is believed that many spirits exist in
the body, governing certain functions and processes (e.g., many believed
that a spirit resides in the liver and governs it’s functions).
Pure-White Body
A transparent body at the highest level of Shi-Jian-Fa
cultivation.
qi
(chee) In Chinese culture, it is believed to be "vital
energy"; but compared with gong, it is a lower form of energy .
qiankun
(chyen-kuhn) "Heaven and earth."
Qianmen
(chyen-mun) One of the major shopping districts in
Beijing.
qigong
(chee-gong) A form of traditional Chinese exercise which
cultivates qi or "vital energy."
qiji
(chee-jee) "Energy mechanisms."
Qimen
(chee-mun)
School "Unconventional School".
Qin Hui
(chin hway) A wicked official of the royal court in the
Southern Song Dynasty (1127 A.D.-1279 A.D.).
Qingdao
(ching-dow) A seaport city in Shandong Province.
Qiqihar
(chee-chee-har) A city in Northeastern China.
Ren
Endurance, forbearance, tolerance.
Right Fruit
Attainment of Fruit Status in the Buddha School.
Sakyamuni
The historical Buddha, Guatama Siddhartha.
samadhi
In Buddhism, "meditation in trance."
samsara
The six paths of reincarnation in Buddhism. (One may
become a human being, an animal, a plant, or other forms of matter
through reincarnation.)
setting up a bodily crucible and furnace to make dan using gathered
medicinal herbs
A Taoist metaphor for internal alchemy.
Shan
(shahn)
Kindness, benevolence, compassion.
shangen
(shahn-guhn)
An acupuncture point located
between one’s eyebrows.
Shen Gongbao
(shun gong-baow) A jealous character in
Investiture
of the Gods.
Shenxiu
(shuhn-shyo) Founder of the Northern School of Zen
Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty.
shichen
(shr-chuhn) A Chinese unit of time for two hours.
shishen
(shr-shuhn) A Taoist term for one’s Main Spirit.
Sun Simiao
(sun szz-meow) A well-known doctor of Chinese
medicine in history.
Sun Wukong
Also known as "Monkey King", a character
in the classic work of Chinese fiction,
Journey to the West.
srivatsa
"Wheel of light" from Sanskrit, the symbol
dates back over 2,500 years and has been unearthed in cultural
relics in Greece, Peru, India, and China. For centuries it has
connoted good fortune, represented the sun, and been held in
positive regard.
Taiji
(tie-jee) The symbol of the Tao School, popularly known
in the West as the "yin-yang symbol."
Taiyuan
(tie-yu-en) Capital city of Shanxi Province.
Tang
(tahng)
Dynasty One of the most prosperous
periods in Chinese history (618 A.D.-907 A.D.).
Tangshan
(tahng-shahn) A city in Hebei Province.
Tantrism
An esoteric cultivation way in Buddhism.
tanzhong
(tahn-jong) An acupuncture point located at
approximately the center of the chest.
Tao
(daow) 1. Also known as "Dao," a Taoist term
for "the Way of nature and the universe"; 2. enlightened
being who has achieved this Tao.
Tao Zang
(daow-zang) A classic Chinese text of
cultivation practice.
Tathagata
An enlightened being with Fruit Status in the
Buddha School who is above the levels of Bodhisattva and Arhat.
the world of ten directions
A Buddhist conception of the
universe.
tian
(tyen) "Field."
Tiananmen
The Gate of Heavenly Peace in front of the
Forbidden City in Beijing.
tianzi zhuang
(tyen-dzz jwahng) A form of standing qigong
exercise in the Tao School.
Wuhan
(woo-hahn) Capital of Hubei Province.
wuwei
(woo-way) "Non-action," "inaction";
"without intention."
Xinjiang
(sheen-jyang) A province in Northwestern China.
Xingming Guizhi
(shing-ming gwee-jhr) A classic Chinese
text for cultivation practice.
xinxing
(shin-shing) Mind or heart nature; moral character.
yin
(yeen) and
yang (yahng) The Tao School believes
that everything contains opposite forces of yin and yang which are
mutually exclusive, yet interdependent, e.g. female (yin) vs. male
(yang).
yuan
(yu-en)
A unit of Chinese currency (approx. =
USD$0.12).
yuzhen
(yu-jhun) An acupuncture point located at the lower
rear side of one’s head.
Zhang Guolao
(jahng gwo-laow) One of the Eight Deities in the
Tao School.
Zhen
(jhun)
Truth, truthfulness.
Zhen-Shan-Ren
Truthfulness-benevolence-forbearance.
Main Spirit
One’s main soul; Main Consciousness.
zhuyou ke
(jew-yo kuh) The practice of supplication.
