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Thammajareea Dhamma notebook

Section 06 · Pali Glossary

Pali Glossary

Pali words explained in plain English: twenty terms every lay reader meets, plus a close look at sati, sampajanna and appamada.

Handwritten index cards with Pali words and short English notes spread across a wooden desk under a small reading lamp

Pali is not a credential, it is a convenience: the words carry precise meanings that English paraphrases blur. The guide to twenty Pali terms keeps definitions tied to the discourses where the words do their work, from sati to nivarana to yoniso manasikara, each with its reference.

The close reading of sati, sampajanna and appamada takes the three words that quietly shape the whole path: mindfulness, clear comprehension and diligence. If the glossary saves you one Commentary-shaped misunderstanding, it has done its job.

In this section

  1. Three river stones of different sizes standing upright in a row on a windowsill above a meditation cushion in clear morning light

    Sati, sampajanna, appamada: three shaping words

    If three Pali words decide the texture of a lay practice, these are they. What each one means literally, where the suttas put it to work, and how they hold together.

  2. Index cards spread across a wooden desk with a Pali word in careful handwriting on each and a small reading lamp warming the paper

    Twenty Pali terms a lay practitioner actually meets

    A small working vocabulary beats a big mystical one. Twenty terms, each tied to the discourse where it does its job, with the references left visible so you can check.

Two neighbouring doors extend the practice: Meditation Practice and Suttas Made Accessible.