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Published on November 18, 2007

    A revised edition to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of venerable author and edited by his pupil, Nyanaponika, “Buddhist Dictionary” offers accessible explanations of Pali Buddhist terms found in the scripts of the Theravada school.
    It’s important to note that the book was written from the perspective of a practising monk. Nyanatiloka was the first continental European to become a Buddhist monk, and one of the leading exponents of Theravada Buddhism in the 20th century. He was ordained in 1903 and established the Island Hermitage in Sri Lanka as a monastery for Western practitioners.
    Pali Buddhist terms are explained with crossreferences in English and source references. Both common and the more difficult Pali terms and doctrines that are central to the study of Theravada Buddhism are explored, including such subjects as anatta (nonself), anicca (impermanence), tanha (craving), samathavipassana (tranquility and insight) and sacca (truth).
Along with these are new words like anupassana (contemplation) and anupubbikatha (gradual instruction).
    While simple terms are given a few lines of explanation, the harder ones are examined through more than 70 indepth articles, ultimately making this book a definitive reference source and an authoritative guide to Buddhism.
    Even if chiefly written for students of Buddhism, it will appeal to anyone wishing to have a better understanding of core concepts of the Buddha’s teachings. – Manote Tripathi