The purpose of the present work is to be a handy, ready-to-use aid to those who practice Zen Buddhism rather than a detailed scholarly work destined for „Buddhologists“. To compile an exhaustive dictionary of Zen Buddhist terms in English, Pali, Sanskrit, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese is beyond the capability of an individual. Hence, what is offered for daily use of the practitioners is a basic and indispensable „pocket“ glossary of Zen Buddhist terminology, of words encountered in temples and monasteries as well as in some basic literature. The author has received Buddhist precepts in the ceremony of lay ordination on 4. 9. 1989 in Kyoto, Japan. He is also a former professor of Indian studies at the universities of Prague, Heidelberg, Chicago, Utrecht and the College de France. Every single entry in the glossary was sent off for criticism and approval to Daitsu Tom Wright, a Zen Buddhist monk and professor at the university in Kyoto, who offered wise advice and critical approval. Needless to say that the author, Dosho K. V. Zvelebil, is most grateful for his cooperation, while being fully responsible for any errors, omissions and inadequacies found in the text.
