Glossary of Zen Names and Terms

great path: the path of liberation towards which a practitioner strives, or the path tread by a bodhisattva.

hapchang the gesture of placing the hands palm to palm before the chest to indicate respect, gratitude, and humility.

hara see center

HIT: the sound of a palm or stick hitting a table or floor; used to cut off discriminative thinking.

inka "public seal;" certification of a student's completion of, or breakthrough in, kong-an practice.

interview: a formal, private meeting between a Zen teacher and a student in which kong-ans are used to test and stimulate the student's practice; may also occasion informal questions and instruction.

Ji Do Poep Sa Nim (JDPSN) "dharma master"; a student who has been authorized to teach kong-an practice and lead retreats. The title is "Ji Do Poep Sa" for teachers who are monks or nuns.

Joju (778-897 CE) his Chinese name is from the town in northern China where he lived and taught for the last forty years of his life; one of the most famous Zen Masters in history; prominent during the golden age of Zen in T'ang Dynasty China (618-907 CE).

kalpa an eon; the time period during which the physical universe is formed and destroyed. An unimaginably long period of time.