Ah Q (ah cue) A foolish character in a Chinese novel.

Arhat Enlightened being with Fruit Status in the Buddha School and one who is beyond the "Three Realms."

Assistant Spirit Secondary soul(s); Assistant Consciousness.

asura "Malevolent spirits" (from Sanskrit).

baihui (buy-hway) An acupuncture point located at the crown of one’s head.

benti (bun-tee) One’s physical body and the bodies in other dimensions.

Bian Que (b’yen-chueh) A well-known doctor of Chinese medicine in history.

Big Lotus Flower Hand Sign A hand posture for consecration.

bigu (bee-goo) "Avoidance of grains"; an ancient term for abstinence from food and water.

Bodhisattva Enlightened being with Fruit Status in the Buddha School, and one who is higher than an Arhat but lower than a Tathagata.

Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara Known for her compassion, she is one of the two senior Bodhisattvas in the Paradise of Ultimate Bliss.

Book of Changes an ancient Chinese book of divination dating from the Zhou dynasty (1100 B.C.-221 B.C.).

Caocao (tsaow-tsaow) Emperor of one of the Three Kingdoms (220 A.D.-265 A.D.).

Celestial Eye Also known as the "third eye."

Changchun (chahng-choon) Capital city of Jilin Province.

Chongqing (chong-ching) The most populated city in Southwestern China.

Da Ji (dah jee) A wicked concubine of the last emperor in the Shang Dynasty (1765 B.C.-1122 B.C.). She is believed to have been possessed by a fox spirit and to have caused the fall of the Shang Dynasty.

Dafa (dah-fah) "Great law," "Great Way"; principles.

dan (dahn) Energy cluster in a cultivator’s body, collected from other dimensions.

Dan Jing (dahn jing) A classic Chinese text of cultivation practice.

dantian (dahn tien) "Field of dan"; the lower abdominal area.

de (duh) "Virtue," "merit"; a precious white substance.

Dharma Buddha Sakyamuni’s teachings.

Dharma-ending Period According to Buddha Sakyamuni, Dharma-ending Period begins five hundred years after he passed away, and his Dharma could no longer save people thereafter.

Diamond Sutra An ancient scripture in Buddhism.

digging into a bull’s horn A Chinese expression for going down a dead end.

ding (ding) A state of empty, yet conscious mind.

the Eight Deities Well-known Taos in Chinese history.

Eight Triagrams From the Book of Changes, a prehistoric diagram thought to disclose the changes of the course of nature.

energy channels In Chinese medicine, they are said to be conduits of qi which comprise an intricate network for energy circulation.

Fa (fah) Law and principles in the Buddha School.

fashen (fah-shun) "Law body"; a body made of gong and Fa.

fengshui (fung-shway) Chinese geomancy, a practice of reading landscapes.

Five Elements Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Fruit Status One’s level of attainment in the Buddha School, e.g. Arhat, Bodhisattva, Tathagata, etc.

Great Cultural Revolution A communist political movement that denounced traditional values and culture (1966-1976).

gong (gong) 1. Cultivation energy; 2. A practice that cultivates such energy.

gongshen (gong-shuhn) A body made of gong.

Great Jade Emperor In Chinese mythology, the deity that supervises the Three Realms.

guanding (gwan-ding) Pouring energy into the top of one’s head; initiation ritual.

Guangdong (gwang-dong) A province in Southern China.

Guangxi (gwang-shee) A province in Southern China.

Guanyin (gwan-yeen) sect A cult named after Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the "Goddess of Mercy."

Guiyang (gway-yahng) Capital of Guizhou Province.

Guizhou (gway-jhoe) A province in Southwestern China.

Han (hahn) The majority ethnicity of Chinese people.

Han Xin (hahn-sheen) A leading general for Liu Bang in the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-23 A.D.).

heche (huh-chuh) "River vehicle."

hegu (huh-goo) An acupuncture point on the back of the hand, between the thumb and the index finger.

Hetu (huh-too) As a prehistoric diagram, it discloses the changes of the course of nature.

Hinayana "The Small Vehicle Buddhism."

Huatuo (hwa-twoah) A well-known doctor of Chinese medicine in history.

huiyin (hway-yeen) An acupuncture point in the center of the perineum (the area between one’s anus and genitals).

hun (huhn) Food that is forbidden in Buddhism.

In-Triple-World-Fa Buddhism holds that one must go through samsara (the cycle of reincarnation) if one has not reached Beyond-Triple-World-Fa cultivation or the Three Realms.

Investiture of the Gods A classic work of Chinese fiction.

Iron Sand Palm, Cinnabar Palm, Vajra Leg, Arhat Foot Types of Chinese martial arts techniques.

Jiang Ziya (jyang dzz-yah) A character in Investiture of the Gods.

Jigong (jee-gong) A well-known Buddhist monk in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127 A.D.-1279 A.D.).

Jinan (jee-nahn) Capital of Shandong Province.

kalpa A period lasting for two billion years; here the term is used as a number.

karma A black substance resulted from previous wrongdoing.

Lady Queen Mother In Chinese mythology, the highest-level female deity within the Three Realms.

Lao Zi (laow-dzz) Founder of the Tao School and author of the Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching), thought to have lived and taught in China around the 5th or 4th century B.C.

laogong (laow-gong) An acupuncture point at the center of the palm.

Last Havoc The community of cultivators holds that the universe has three phases of evolution (The Beginning Havoc, The Middle Havoc, The Last Havoc), and that now is the The Last Havoc’s final period.

Lei Feng (lay-fung) Chinese moral exemplar in the 1960’s.

li (lee) A Chinese unit for distance (=0.5 km). In Chinese, "108 thousand li" is a common expression to describe a very far distance.

Li Shizhen (lee shr-jhun) A well-known doctor of Chinese medicine in history.

Lianhuase (l’yen-hwa-suh) One of ten major female disciples of Buddha Sakyamuni.

Liu Bang (leo bahng) Emperor and founder of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-23 A.D.).

Lu Dongbin (lyu dong-bin) One of the Eight Deities in the Tao School.

Luoshu (luo-shew) As a prehistoric diagram, it discloses the changes of the course of nature.

Mah Jong A traditional Chinese game played by four people.

Mahayana "The Great Vehicle Buddhism."

maoyou (maow-yo) The borderline between the yin and yang sides of the body.

Milky-White Body A purified body without qi.

Ming Dynasty Period between 1368 A.D. and 1644 A.D. in Chinese history.

mingmen (ming-muhn) "Gate of life"; an acupuncture point located at the middle of the lower back.

mo ding (muh ding) As claimed by some qigong masters, touching the top of one’s head to give energy.

Mujianlian (moo-j’yen-l’yen) One of ten major male disciples of Buddha Sakyamuni.

Nanjing (nahn-jing) Capital of Jiangsu Province.

nirvana (From Sanskrit) departing the human world without this physical body, the method of completing cultivation in Buddha Sakyamuni’s School.

niwan palace A Taoist term for the pineal body.

Primordial Spirit This is sub-divided into the Main Spirit (zhu yuanshen) and the Assistant Spirit (fu yuanshen). In traditional Chinese thought, it is believed that many spirits exist in the body, governing certain functions and processes (e.g., many believed that a spirit resides in the liver and governs it’s functions).

Pure-White Body A transparent body at the highest level of Shi-Jian-Fa cultivation.

qi (chee) In Chinese culture, it is believed to be "vital energy"; but compared with gong, it is a lower form of energy .

qiankun (chyen-kuhn) "Heaven and earth."

Qianmen (chyen-mun) One of the major shopping districts in Beijing.

qigong (chee-gong) A form of traditional Chinese exercise which cultivates qi or "vital energy."

qiji (chee-jee) "Energy mechanisms."

Qimen (chee-mun) School "Unconventional School".

Qin Hui (chin hway) A wicked official of the royal court in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127 A.D.-1279 A.D.).

Qingdao (ching-dow) A seaport city in Shandong Province.

Qiqihar (chee-chee-har) A city in Northeastern China.

Ren Endurance, forbearance, tolerance.

Right Fruit Attainment of Fruit Status in the Buddha School.

Sakyamuni The historical Buddha, Guatama Siddhartha.

samadhi In Buddhism, "meditation in trance."

samsara The six paths of reincarnation in Buddhism. (One may become a human being, an animal, a plant, or other forms of matter through reincarnation.)

setting up a bodily crucible and furnace to make dan using gathered

medicinal herbs A Taoist metaphor for internal alchemy.

Shan (shahn) Kindness, benevolence, compassion.

shangen (shahn-guhn) An acupuncture point located between one’s eyebrows.

Shen Gongbao (shun gong-baow) A jealous character in Investiture of the Gods.

Shenxiu (shuhn-shyo) Founder of the Northern School of Zen Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty.

shichen (shr-chuhn) A Chinese unit of time for two hours.

shishen (shr-shuhn) A Taoist term for one’s Main Spirit.

Sun Simiao (sun szz-meow) A well-known doctor of Chinese medicine in history.

Sun Wukong Also known as "Monkey King", a character in the classic work of Chinese fiction, Journey to the West.

srivatsa "Wheel of light" from Sanskrit, the symbol dates back over 2,500 years and has been unearthed in cultural relics in Greece, Peru, India, and China. For centuries it has connoted good fortune, represented the sun, and been held in positive regard.

Taiji (tie-jee) The symbol of the Tao School, popularly known in the West as the "yin-yang symbol."

Taiyuan (tie-yu-en) Capital city of Shanxi Province.

Tang (tahng) Dynasty One of the most prosperous periods in Chinese history (618 A.D.-907 A.D.).

Tangshan (tahng-shahn) A city in Hebei Province.

Tantrism An esoteric cultivation way in Buddhism.

tanzhong (tahn-jong) An acupuncture point located at approximately the center of the chest.

Tao (daow) 1. Also known as "Dao," a Taoist term for "the Way of nature and the universe"; 2. enlightened being who has achieved this Tao.

Tao Zang (daow-zang) A classic Chinese text of cultivation practice.

Tathagata An enlightened being with Fruit Status in the Buddha School who is above the levels of Bodhisattva and Arhat.

the world of ten directions A Buddhist conception of the universe.

tian (tyen) "Field."

Tiananmen The Gate of Heavenly Peace in front of the Forbidden City in Beijing.

tianzi zhuang (tyen-dzz jwahng) A form of standing qigong exercise in the Tao School.

Wuhan (woo-hahn) Capital of Hubei Province.

wuwei (woo-way) "Non-action," "inaction"; "without intention."

Xinjiang (sheen-jyang) A province in Northwestern China.

Xingming Guizhi (shing-ming gwee-jhr) A classic Chinese text for cultivation practice.

xinxing (shin-shing) Mind or heart nature; moral character.

yin (yeen) and yang (yahng) The Tao School believes that everything contains opposite forces of yin and yang which are mutually exclusive, yet interdependent, e.g. female (yin) vs. male (yang).

yuan (yu-en) A unit of Chinese currency (approx. = USD$0.12).

yuzhen (yu-jhun) An acupuncture point located at the lower rear side of one’s head.

Zhang Guolao (jahng gwo-laow) One of the Eight Deities in the Tao School.

Zhen (jhun) Truth, truthfulness.

Zhen-Shan-Ren Truthfulness-benevolence-forbearance.

Main Spirit One’s main soul; Main Consciousness.

zhuyou ke (jew-yo kuh) The practice of supplication.

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