7.1 · Pāli · Reference
Pāli Terms
Defined in Plain Language
ຄຳສັບ ພາສາ ບາລີ — ໃນ ພາ ສາ ທຳ ມ ະ ດ າ
Pāli is the sacred language of Theravāda Buddhism — the language of the Pāli Canon, of monastic chanting, and of the Buddha’s original discourses. Every term defined here in plain English and Lao, with pronunciation guide and cross-references.
Pāli romanization notes: ā = long “a” (as in “father”); ī = long “ee”; ū = long “oo”; ṭ/ṭh = retroflex consonants; ñ = “ny” sound; ṃ/ṅ = nasal consonants. Stress generally falls on the first syllable unless a long vowel appears later.
A
Anicca
— ah-NIT-chah
ອານິດຈັງ
Pāli
Impermanence. One of the three characteristics of all conditioned existence (tilakkhaṇa). Everything that arises, passes away — every sensation, thought, experience, and living thing. Understanding anicca deeply is one of the entry points to liberation.
See also: Dukkha, Anattā
Anattā
— ah-NAT-tah
ອານັດຕາ
Pāli
Non-self. The teaching that there is no fixed, unchanging, independent self. What we call “I” is a constantly changing flow of five aggregates (khandhas). Anattā does not mean you do not exist — it means the permanent, solid self we believe in is a construction.
See also: Anicca, Khandha
Ānāpānasati
— ah-nah-pah-nah-SAH-tee
ອານາປານາສະຕິ
Pāli
Mindfulness of breathing. The foundational Theravāda meditation practice — sustained, non-controlling awareness of the breath. Described by the Buddha as the direct path to liberation. See the LaoDharma Meditation Guide (5.1).
See also: Samādhi, Sati
Arahant
— ah-rah-HANT
ອາລະຫັນ
Pāli
Enlightened one; one who has attained Nibbāna. The highest spiritual ideal in Theravāda Buddhism — a being who has completely uprooted craving, hatred, and delusion, and will not be reborn. Distinct from the Mahāyāna ideal of the Bodhisattva.
See also: Nibbāna, Bodhisattva
Avijjā
— ah-VIJ-jah
ອະວິດຊາ
Pāli
Ignorance; not-knowing. Specifically, ignorance of the Four Noble Truths and the true nature of reality. Considered the root cause of suffering and the cycle of rebirth. The opposite of vijjā (true knowledge).
See also: Taṇhā, Dukkha
B
Bhikkhu
— BIK-koo
ພິກຂຸ
Pāli
Fully ordained monk. A male monastic who has received full ordination and observes the 227 rules of the Pātimokkha. The plural is bhikkhū. The female equivalent is bhikkhunī (nun), though the full bhikkhunī ordination does not currently exist in Lao and Thai Theravāda.
See also: Pātimokkha, Vinaya
Bodhisatta
— boh-dee-SAT-tah
ໂພທິສັດ
Pāli
A being on the path to Buddhahood. In Theravāda, refers specifically to Siddhartha Gautama in his previous lives before his final birth and enlightenment. Contrast with the Mahāyāna Bodhisattva ideal — a being who delays personal liberation to serve all sentient beings.
See also: Arahant
Brahmavihāra
— BRAH-mah-vih-HAH-rah
ພຣະວິຫານ
Pāli
The four divine abodes; the four immeasurables. Four states of mind cultivated in meditation: Mettā (loving-kindness), Karuṇā (compassion), Muditā (sympathetic joy), and Upekkhā (equanimity). Together they represent the ideal relationship with all beings.
See also: Mettā, Karuṇā
C
Caṅkama
— CHAN-kah-mah
ຈົງກົລ
Pāli
Walking meditation. A formal meditation practice in which mindfulness is applied to slow, deliberate walking — observing the lifting, moving, and placing of each foot. Practiced in every Theravāda monastery and embodied by the Walk for Peace monks.
See also: Sati, Samādhi
D
Dāna
— DAH-nah
ທານ
Pāli
Generosity; giving; the first of the ten meritorious actions. The act of giving material support, teaching the Dhamma, or providing safety to others. Considered the entry point of the Buddhist path for laypeople and the foundation of the monk-lay relationship.
See also: Boun, Het Boun
Dhamma
— DHAM-mah
ພຣະທຳ
Pāli
The teaching of the Buddha; the truth of reality; the second of the Three Jewels. Has two meanings: (1) the recorded teachings of the Buddha as preserved in the Pāli Canon; (2) the actual nature of reality as it is, whether or not a Buddha has described it. Sanskrit equivalent: Dharma.
See also: Tipiṭaka, Tiratana
Dukkha
— DOOK-kah
ທຸກ
Pāli
Suffering; unsatisfactoriness; the first Noble Truth. The Pāli word that the Buddha used to describe the fundamental quality of unawakened experience. Includes obvious pain but also the subtler dissatisfaction that pervades even pleasant experiences because they are impermanent. Not pessimism — diagnosis.
See also: Anicca, Samudāya, Nirodha
J
Jhāna
— JAH-nah
ຈ່ານ
Pāli
Deep meditative absorption. A state of profound mental stillness and clarity developed through sustained concentration practice (Samatha). There are eight jhānas, progressively deeper. The Buddha used the jhānas as the basis for his own enlightenment.
See also: Samādhi, Samatha
K
Kamma
— KAM-mah
ກຳ
Pāli
Intentional action; the law of cause and effect in the moral sphere. Kamma (Sanskrit: Karma) refers specifically to actions rooted in volition — the intention behind body, speech, and mind. Wholesome intentions produce wellbeing; unwholesome intentions produce suffering. Not fate — a natural law.
See also: Vipāka, Rebirth
Karuṇā
— kah-ROO-nah
ກາລຸນາ
Pāli
Compassion; the wish that beings be free from suffering. The second of the four Brahmavihāras. Distinct from pity (which involves a sense of separation from the one who suffers) — compassion is the genuine feeling of another’s pain as one’s own.
See also: Mettā, Brahmavihāra
M
Magga
— MAG-gah
ມັກຄ
Pāli
Path; the Fourth Noble Truth. Specifically the Noble Eightfold Path (Ariya Aṭṭhaṅgika Magga) — the path to the cessation of suffering, comprising Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.
See also: Aṭṭhaṅgika Magga
Mettā
— MET-tah
ເມດຕາ
Pāli
Loving-kindness; boundless goodwill toward all beings. The first of the four Brahmavihāras and one of the most important meditation practices in Theravāda Buddhism. Cultivated by systematically extending the wish for happiness to oneself, loved ones, neutral persons, difficult persons, and all beings.
See also: Brahmavihāra, Karuṇā
N
Nibbāna
— nih-BAH-nah
ນິພພານ
Pāli
Liberation; the cessation of suffering; the supreme goal of Buddhist practice. Literally “extinguishing” — the complete uprooting of craving, hatred, and delusion. Not annihilation, but the end of the cycle of rebirth driven by craving. Sanskrit equivalent: Nirvāṇa.
See also: Saṃsāra, Dukkha
Nimitta
— nih-MIT-tah
ນິມິດ
Pāli
Sign; meditation object; mental image. In meditation, a nimitta is a mental sign or image that arises as concentration deepens — often a visual counterpart of the meditation object. Can indicate the approach of jhāna.
See also: Jhāna, Samādhi
P
Pāli
— PAH-lee
ພາສາ ບາລີ
Pāli
The sacred language of Theravāda Buddhism. A Middle Indo-Aryan language closely related to Sanskrit, believed to be close to the language the historical Buddha spoke. The entire Theravāda canon (Tipiṭaka) is preserved in Pāli. All Lao Buddhist ceremonies use Pāli chanting.
See also: Tipiṭaka, Pātimokkha
Pātimokkha
— pah-tee-MOK-kah
ປາຕິໂມກຂ
Pāli
The 227 rules of monastic discipline for fully ordained monks. The core of the Vinaya — recited by the monastic community on Uposatha days (full and new moon). The oldest continuously observed legal code in the world.
See also: Vinaya, Bhikkhu
Paññā
— PAN-nyah
ປັນຍາ
Pāli
Wisdom; insight into the true nature of reality. The third of the three trainings (sīla, samādhi, paññā). The wisdom that sees the three characteristics — anicca, dukkha, anattā — directly in experience. The culmination of the Buddhist path.
See also: Sīla, Samādhi, Vipassanā
S
Sādhu
— SAH-doo
ສາທຸ
Pāli
“Well done!” “So be it!” “Excellent!” The universal Buddhist affirmation, said three times when merit is made or dedicated. By saying Sādhu, witnesses rejoice in the meritorious act and thereby accumulate merit themselves (anumodanā). Heard at every Lao Buddhist ceremony.
See also: Boun, Anumodanā
Samādhi
— sah-MAH-dee
ສະມາທິ
Pāli
Meditative concentration; mental unification. The third of the three trainings. The state of mind that is calm, unified, and focused — developed through sustained meditation practice. Forms the basis for both Samatha (calm) and Vipassanā (insight) practice.
See also: Jhāna, Samatha, Vipassanā
Samatha
— SAH-mah-tah
ສະມາຖະ
Pāli
Tranquility meditation; calm abiding. Meditation focused on developing deep stillness and concentration, culminating in the jhānas. The companion to Vipassanā — samatha calms the mind; vipassanā sees through it.
See also: Vipassanā, Jhāna, Samādhi
Saṃsāra
— sam-SAH-rah
ສົງສານ
Pāli
The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. The endless round of existence across the 31 planes of being, driven by craving and kamma. The condition from which Nibbāna offers liberation.
See also: Nibbāna, Kamma, Rebirth
Sangha
— SANG-hah
ພຣະສົງ
Pāli
The community of monks, nuns, and practitioners; the third of the Three Jewels. In its formal sense, the community of fully ordained monastics who preserve and transmit the Dhamma. In its broader sense, all sincere Buddhist practitioners.
See also: Tiratana, Bhikkhu
Sati
— SAH-tee
ສະຕິ
Pāli
Mindfulness; present-moment awareness. The seventh factor of the Noble Eightfold Path. Clear, non-reactive awareness of body, feelings, mind, and mental objects. The quality cultivated in all Theravāda meditation and now widely adopted in secular mindfulness practice.
See also: Ānāpānasati, Caṅkama
Sīla
— SEE-lah
ສີລ
Pāli
Ethical conduct; virtue; the first of the three trainings. The foundation of the Buddhist path — the Five Precepts for laypeople, the Ten Precepts for novices, the 227 Pātimokkha rules for fully ordained monks. Without sīla, samādhi and paññā cannot be developed.
See also: Pañcasīla, Samādhi, Paññā
T
Taṇhā
— TAN-hah
ຕັນຫາ
Pāli
Craving; thirst. The Second Noble Truth — the cause of suffering. Takes three forms: craving for sensory pleasure, craving for existence, and craving for non-existence. Rooted in avijjā (ignorance).
See also: Avijjā, Dukkha, Samudāya
Tipiṭaka
— TIP-ih-tah-kah
ພຣະໄຕປິດົກ
Pāli
The Three Baskets; the Pāli Canon. The complete scriptural canon of Theravāda Buddhism, comprising the Vinaya Piṭaka (monastic rules), Sutta Piṭaka (discourses), and Abhidhamma Piṭaka (philosophical analysis). The most complete early Buddhist canon in existence.
See also: Pāli, Vinaya, Sutta
Tiratana
— tee-RAH-tah-nah
ໄຕລະດັດ
Pāli
The Three Jewels; the Three Refuges. The Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha — the three objects of refuge recited at every Buddhist ceremony worldwide. “Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi…” Taking refuge in the Three Jewels is the universal mark of being Buddhist.
See also: Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha
V
Vinaya
— vih-NAY-yah
ວິໄນ
Pāli
The monastic code; the first basket of the Tipiṭaka. The complete body of rules governing the conduct of monks and nuns — 227 rules for fully ordained monks (Pātimokkha), plus procedural rules. The oldest continuously observed legal code in the world.
See also: Pātimokkha, Bhikkhu, Tipiṭaka
Vipassanā
— vih-PAS-sah-nah
ວິປັດສະນາ
Pāli
Insight meditation; clear seeing. Direct investigation of the three characteristics of experience — anicca, dukkha, anattā — as they arise moment to moment. The primary meditation practice of Theravāda Buddhism and the basis of modern secular mindfulness.
See also: Samatha, Anicca, Sati