glossary of terms used by frithjof schuon - Sophia Perennis
glossary of terms used by frithjof schuon - Sophia Perennis
glossary of terms used by frithjof schuon - Sophia Perennis
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In matters <strong>of</strong> doctrine, the bhakta has nothing to resolve <strong>by</strong> means <strong>of</strong> the intelligence<br />
alone, it is the entire religion that “thinks” for him, <strong>by</strong> means <strong>of</strong> all the symbols –<br />
scriptural or other – it possesses. [EH, Modes <strong>of</strong> Spiritual Realization]<br />
Bhuta: The Sanskrit word for ‘matter’, bhuta, includes a meaning <strong>of</strong> ‘substance’ or <strong>of</strong><br />
‘subsistence’; matter derives from substance, it is a reflection <strong>of</strong> it on the plane <strong>of</strong> ‘gross’<br />
coagulation, and is connected, through substance, with Being. [GDW, Seeing God<br />
Everywhere]<br />
Bodhisattvayana: The starting point <strong>of</strong> the path – the Bodhisattvayana is in fact the birth<br />
<strong>of</strong> an awareness that all things are “void”; it is not a matter <strong>of</strong> a merely moral option. The<br />
ego <strong>of</strong> the aspirant starts <strong>of</strong>f <strong>by</strong> identifying itself with the whole <strong>of</strong> samsara; it is through<br />
understanding the nature <strong>of</strong> the latter that the soul disengages itself from its congenital<br />
error and lays itself open to the realization <strong>of</strong> the Universal Body <strong>of</strong> the Buddha. [TB,<br />
Synthesis <strong>of</strong> the Paramitas]<br />
Brahmana / Kshatriya / Vaishya / Shudra: Let us recall that the brahmana represents<br />
the contemplative and sacerdotal mentality, the kshatriya, the active, combative,<br />
dynamic, noble, heroic mentality; the vaishya, the mercantile or artisanal mentality – or<br />
again that <strong>of</strong> the peasant according to the case, the vaishya mentality being “horizontal”<br />
in a certain sense. As for the shudra, he is a materialist <strong>by</strong> his nature; his virtue is<br />
obedience. [SVQ, Human Premises <strong>of</strong> a Religious Dilemma]<br />
Buddha (Pratyeka / Samyaksam): To this difference between “light” and “radiation”<br />
corresponds the distinction between the Pratyeka-Buddha and the Samyaksam-Buddha,<br />
the first being enlightened “for himself” and the second having the function <strong>of</strong><br />
enlightening others through preaching the Dharma, which makes one think <strong>of</strong> the<br />
respective roles <strong>of</strong> the Jivan-Mukta and the Avatara or – in Islamic <strong>terms</strong> – <strong>of</strong> the Wali<br />
and the Rasul. [TB, Treasures <strong>of</strong> Buddhism]<br />
Buddha (Samyaksam / Bodhisattva): It is appropriate not to confuse the Samyaksam-<br />
Buddha with the Bodhisattva who has not attained Nirvana and whose cosmic movement<br />
is “spiroidal” and not “vertical,” in conformity with his particular vocation. The<br />
Bodhisattva is, in his human aspect, a karma-yogi completely dedicated to charity<br />
towards all creatures, and in his celestial aspect, an “angel” or more precisely an “angelic<br />
state,” whence his function <strong>of</strong> rescuer and “guardian angel.” [TB, Treasures <strong>of</strong><br />
Buddhism]<br />
Buddha (three “hypostases”): Let us recall here the doctrine <strong>of</strong> the three “hypostases”<br />
<strong>of</strong> the Blessed One: the Dharmakaya (the “universal body”) is the Essence, Beyond-<br />
Being; the Sambhogakaya (the “body <strong>of</strong> felicity”) is the “heavenly Form,” the “divine<br />
Personification”; the Nirmanakaya (the “body <strong>of</strong> metamorphosis”) is the human<br />
manifestation <strong>of</strong> the Buddha. [TB, Dharmakara’s Vow]<br />
Buddha Image: The image <strong>of</strong> the Buddha is like the sound <strong>of</strong> that celestial music which<br />
could charm a rose tree into flowering amid the snow; such was Shakyamuni – for it is<br />
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