gandharva A heavenly musician, one of the eight kinds of nonhuman beings who protect Buddhism.
garuda (garuḍa) In Indian mythology, a giant bird that is said to feed on dragons. One of the eight kinds of nonhuman beings who protect Buddhism.
gatha (gāthā) In Buddhist scriptures, a verse stating a Buddhist teaching or praising a buddha or bodhisattva. Some sutras are made up entirely of such verses, while others have extensive verse sections that often restate the meaning of a preceding prose section.
Gaya (Gayā) City in present-day Bihar. In Shakyamuni’s time it was a city of the state of Magadha. Some seven miles south of the city is the site where Shakyamuni sat beneath the bodhi tree and gained enlightenment, at the place called Buddhagaya. Buddhagaya is sometimes referred to in Buddhist scriptures by the name Gaya.
Gaya Kashyapa (Gayā Kāśyapa) A disciple of Shakyamuni, a younger brother of Uruvilva Kashyapa and Nadi Kashyapa. When his two brothers converted to Shakyamuni’s teachings, he also converted along with his two hundred disciples.
Great Katyayana (Kātyāyana) See Mahakatyayana.
Great Maudgalyayana (Maudgalyāyana) See Maudgalyayana.
great vehicle See Mahayana.
Gridhrakuta (Gṛdhrakūṭa) Mountain northeast of the city of Rajagriha where Shakyamuni is said to have preached the Lotus Sutra and other teachings. The name is often translated in English as Vulture Peak, but because Kumarajiva in his Chinese translation of the Lotus Sutra calls it Holy Eagle Peak, that translation has been adopted here.