Diacritics

Sanskrit diacritics:

Ś ś Ā ā ṇ ṅ Ī ī ṁ ṃ ñ ṛ Ṣ ṣ Ū ū Ḍ ḍ Ṭ ṭ ḥ

ō ö Ö ü Śākyamuni

nirvāṇa

saṃsāra

śrāvaka

Mañjuśrī

Prāsaṅgika

maṇḍala

Śāntideva

Bodhicaryāvatāra

pāramitā

The disciples of the Buddha who aspire to attain individual liberation or nirvāṇa. The final goal of the Hearers is to become an arhat, a state in which one has totally eliminated the inner problems of attachment, hatred and ignorance, the main causes for rebirth in this cycle of existence. There are four stages of a śrāvaka path including eight phases.

The six or ten types of practices which lead an individual to Buddhahood. The practice of perfections is particularly important in Mahāyāna Buddhism in which the entire path of the Bodhisattva to reach full enlightenment is included in the six or ten perfections. The six perfections are that of giving, of discipline, patience, zeal, meditation, and wisdom. The perfection of skill-in-means, power, aspirations, power and pristine wisdom are added to them ten perfections.