Glossary: T.
The glossary is a simple dictionary of terms you will find in Buddhism. You may not find an entry you're looking for. This is because I haven't included it yet. This is so, even if you've clicked a link to it elsewhere. So, if you can't find an entry today, try again at a later date.
Taṇhā. See: tṛṣṇā.
Teachings. See Buddhism, and Dharma in sense 1.
Theravada. This is a Pali word meaning “way of the elders”. It is one of the two main branches of Buddhism, the other being the Mahayana. It is also the older by some centuries, and is also called “Southern Buddhism”. The Mahayana stresses the Arhat ideal, rather than that of the Bodhisattva. Pali is the language used in Theravada sūtras.
Three Jewels. See triratna.
Three Marks. See trilakṣaṇa.
Three Refuges. See triśaraṇa.
Three Roots of Evil. See akuśala-mūla.
Three Roots of Vice. See akuśala-mūla.
Three Roots of Virtue. See kuśala-mūla.
Tilakkhaṇa. See trilakṣaṇa.
Tiratna. See triratna.
Tisaraṇa. See triśaraṇa.
Tolerance. See kṣānti.
Transience. See anitya.
Trilakṣaṇa. This is a Sanskrit word usually translated as “Three Marks”. The Pali word is tilakkhaṇa. They are the three characteristics of all conditioned phenomena, dharmas. These are: anitya, “impermanence”, duḥkha, and “absence of an abiding substance”, anātman. The first two of the Four Noble Truths set out their implications. See also: samudāya.
Triple Gem. See triratna.
Triratna. This is a Sanskrit word meaning “Three Jewels” or “Triple Gem.” The Pali word is tiratna. It is sometimes also called ratna-traya. They are the nucleus of Buddhism. They are the Buddha usually in sense 1, the Dharma usually in sense 2 and the Saṃgha. They are also known as the triśaraṇa, or “Three Refuges.”
Triśaraṇa. This is a Sanskrit word meaning “Three Refuges”. The Pali word is Tisaraṇa. They are the Buddha usually in sense 1, the Dharma usually in sense 2 and the Saṃgha. They are also known as the triratna, or “Three Jewels.”
Tṛṣṇā. This is a Sanskrit word meaning “thirst.” The Pali word is taṇhā. This is often translated as “greed”, “craving” or “attachment”. It is meant in the sense of an excessive or inappropriate desire. As such it is a proximate cause of the Samudāya, arising, of duḥkha as taught in the second of the Four Noble Truths. Also called rāga, it is one of the akuśala-mūla, the Three Roots of Evil.
Twelve Links. See: nidāna, pratītya-samutpāda.