Glossary
Key terms for understanding the path. Plain language, no jargon.
A
Anattā (Anatta)
Pali: अनत्ता
"Not-self" or "non-self." The recognition that there is no permanent, unchanging self or soul. Not a belief to adopt, but something to see directly in experience. One of the three marks of existence.
Arahant
Pali: अरहन्त
A fully awakened being who has broken all ten fetters. The fourth and final stage of awakening. Sometimes spelled "Arhat."
Avijjā
Pali: अविज्जा
"Ignorance" — the tenth and final fetter. Not intellectual ignorance, but the most subtle not-seeing of the nature of reality.
D
Dark Night of the Soul
A difficult phase that some practitioners experience during intensive practice. Characterized by challenging emotions, perceptual changes, or existential distress. Named after the poem by St. John of the Cross. See safety resources.
Direct Experience
What is actually present in the five senses plus the arising of thought — as opposed to concepts, labels, and interpretations layered on top. The foundation of self-inquiry practice.
Dukkha
Pali: दुक्ख
Often translated as "suffering," but more accurately: unsatisfactoriness, stress, or the sense that something is off. One of the three marks of existence. The first Noble Truth.
E
Emptiness (Suññatā)
Not nihilistic emptiness, but the recognition that things lack inherent, fixed essence. A "cup" is empty of cup-ness — it's just color, shape, and the label "cup." The self is similarly empty.
F
Fetters (Saṃyojana)
Pali: संयोजन
Ten mental "chains" that bind beings to suffering. When seen through, they lead to progressive stages of awakening. See the full list.
I
Insight (Vipassanā)
Pali: विपस्सना
Direct seeing into the nature of experience. Not intellectual understanding, but experiential recognition. "Vipassana meditation" is a practice designed to cultivate insight.
J
Jhāna
Pali: झान
States of deep meditative absorption. There are four "form jhanas" and four "formless jhanas." Useful for calming the mind, but not required for insight.
M
Māna
Pali: मान
"Conceit" — the eighth fetter. Not arrogance, but the subtle sense of "I am" that persists even after significant awakening.
Mettā
Pali: मेत्ता
"Loving-kindness." A practice of cultivating goodwill toward self and others. Often used as a grounding practice when things feel intense.
N
Nibbāna (Nirvana)
Pali: निब्बान
Literally "blowing out" — the extinguishing of craving, aversion, and delusion. Not a place or state to achieve, but the recognition of what remains when illusion falls away.
No-Self
See Anattā. The recognition that the "self" you assume exists can't be found in direct experience.
S
Sakkāya-diṭṭhi
Pali: सक्कायदिट्ठि
"Self-view" or "personality belief" — the first fetter. The assumption that there's a separate experiencer behind experience. When seen through, leads to Stream Entry.
Self-Inquiry
The practice of looking directly at experience to see what's actually there. Not philosophizing about the self, but looking for it. The core method used in this app.
Sotāpanna
Pali: सोतापन्न
"Stream-enterer" — one who has broken the first three fetters (self-view, doubt, rites & rituals). The first stage of awakening. Also called "Stream Entry."
Stream Entry
The first stage of awakening. Breaking through the illusion of self-view. Called "stream entry" because once you've entered the stream of liberation, there's no going back. See Sotāpanna.
T
V
Vicikicchā
Pali: विचिकिच्छा
"Doubt" — the second fetter. Uncertainty about the path and whether liberation is possible. Falls automatically when self-view is seen through.
Vipassanā
See Insight.
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Terms are useful, but looking is what matters. The Fetters app guides you through direct inquiry.
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