The Gospel of Buddha Part 48

Beal. London, 1875.

RhDB.--Buddhism, by T.W. Rhys Davids, in the Series of Non-Christian Religious Systems. London, 1890.

S42S.--Sutra of Forty-two Sections. Kyoto, j.a.pan.

SB.-Sacred Books of the East.

SN.--Sutta Nipata, translated from the Pali by V. Fausboll. Part II, Vol. X of the Sacred Books of the East. Oxford, 1881.

SS.--A Brief Account of Shin-Shiu by R. Akamatsu. Kyoto, j.a.pan, 1893.

SSP.--Sept Suttas Palis by M.P. Grimblot. Paris, 1876.

TPN.--Buddhistische Anthologie. Texte aus dem Pali-Kanon. By Dr. Karl Eugen Neumann. Leyden, 1892.

Ug.--Uttaradhyayana, translated by H. Jacobi. Vol. XLV of the Sacred Books of the East.

US.--The Udana by Major General D.M. Strong.

V.--Visuddhi-Magga in Warren's Buddhism in Translations.

W.--Buddhism in Translations by Henry Clarke Warren.

The original Pali texts are published in the Journal of the Pali Text Society, London, Henry Frowde.

GLOSSARY OF NAMES AND TERMS.

[In the text of the present booklet all unnecessary terms have been avoided. Whenever a good English equivalent could be found, the foreign expression has been dropped. Nevertheless, the introduction not only of many foreign-sounding names, but also of some of the original terms, was unavoidable.

Now we have to state that the Eastern people, at least those of Hindu culture during the golden age of Buddhism in India, adopted the habit of translating not only terms but also names. A German whose name is Schmied is not called Smith in English, but Buddhists, when translating from Pali into Sanskrit, change Siddhattha into Siddhartha. The reason of this strange custom lies in the fact that Buddhists originally employed the popular speech and did not adopt the use of Sanskrit until about five hundred years after Buddha. Since the most important names and terms, such as Nirvana, Karma and Dharma, have become familiar to us in their Sanskrit form, while their Pali equivalents, Nibbana, Kamma and Dhamma, are little used, it _appeared advisable to prefer for some terms the Sanskrit forms_, but there are instances in which the Pali, for some reason or other, has been preferred by English authors [e. g. Krisha Gautami is always called Kisagotami], we present here in the Glossary both the Sanskrit and the Pali forms.

Names which have been Anglicised, such as "Brahma, Brahman, Benares, Jain, and karma," have been preserved in their accepted form. If we adopt the rule of transferring Sanskrit and Pali words in their stem-form, as we do in most cases (e.g. Nirvana, atman), we ought to call Brahma "Brahman," and karma "karman." But us us est tyrannus. In a popular book it is not wise to swim against the stream.

Following the common English usage of saying "Christ," not "the Christ,"

we say in the t.i.tle "Buddha," not "the Buddha."]

Abni'nna, _p._, Abhi'jnna, _skt._, supernatural talent. There are six abhijnnas which Buddha acquired when attaining perfect enlightenment:--(i) the celestial eye, or an intuitive insight of the nature of any object in any universe; (2) the celestial ear, or the ability to understand any sound produced in any universe; (3) the power of a.s.suming any shape or form; (4) knowledge of all forms of pre-existence of one's self and others; (5) intuitive knowledge of the minds of all beings; and (6) knowledge of the finality of the stream of life.

Acira'vati, _p._ and _skt._, a river.

Agni, _p._ and _skt._, a G.o.d of the Brahmans, the G.o.d of fire.

Ajatasa'ttu, _p._, Ajatasa'tru, _skt._, the son of king Bimbisara and his successor to the throne of Magadha.

Ala'ra, _p._, Ara'da, _skt._, a prominent Brahman philosopher. His full name is Alara Kalama.

Ambapa'li, the courtesan, called "Lady Amra" in Fo-Sho-Hing-Tsan-King.

It is difficult for us to form a proper conception of the social position of courtesans at Buddha's time in India. This much is sure, that they were not common prost.i.tutes, but ladies of wealth, possessing great influence. Their education was similar to the hetairs in Greece, where Aspasia played so prominent a part. Their rank must sometimes have been like that of Madame Pompadour in France at the court of Louis XIV.

They rose to prominence, not by birth, but by beauty, education, refinement, and other purely personal accomplishments, and many of them were installed by royal favor. The first paragraphs of Khandhaka VIII of the Mahavagga [S. _B_., Vol. XVII, pp. 171--172] gives a fair idea of the important role of courtesans in those days. They were not necessarily venal daughters of l.u.s.t, but, often women of distinction and repute, worldly, but not disrespectable.

Amita'bha, _p._ and _skt._, endowed with boundless light, from _amita_, infinite, immeasurable, and _abba_, ray of light, splendor, the bliss of enlightenment. It is a term of later Buddhism and has been personified as Amitabha Buddha, or Amita. The invocation of the all-saving name of Amitabha Buddha is a favorite tenet of the Lotus or Pure Land sect, so popular in China and j.a.pan. Their poetical conception of a paradise in the West is referred to in Chapter LX. Southern Buddhism knows nothing of a personified Amitabha, and the Chinese travellers Fa-hien and Hiuen-tsang do not mention it. The oldest allusion to Amita is found in the Amitayus Sutra, translated A.D. 148--170. [See Eitel, _Handbook_, pp. 7--9.]

Ana'nda, _p._ and _skt._, Buddha's cousin and his favorite disciple. The Buddhistic St. John (Johannes).

Anathapi'ndika, _p._ and _skt._, (also called Anathapi'ndada in _skt._) literally "One who gives alms (pinda) to the unprotected or needy (anatha)." Eitel's etymology "one who gives without keeping (anatha) a mouthful (pinda) for himself" is not tenable. A wealthy lay devotee famous for his liberality and donor of the Jetavana vihara.

Annabha'ra, _p._ and _skt._, literally "he who brings food"; name of Sumana's slave.

Anna'ta, _p._, ajna'ta, _skt._, literally "knowing", a cognomen of Kondanna, the first disciple of Buddha.

Anuru'ddha, a prominent disciple of Buddha, known as the great master of Buddhist metaphysics. He was a cousin of Buddha, being the second son of Amritodana, a brother of Suddhodana.

A'rahat, _p._, Ar'hant, _skt._, a saint. (See also Saint in Index.)

Arati, dislike, hatred. The opposite of _rati_. The name of one of Mara's daughters.

A'sita, _p._ and _skt._, a prophet.

A'ssaji, _p._, Asvajit, _skt._, one of Buddha's disciples by whose dignified demeanor Sariputta is converted.

A'tman, _skt._, Atta, _p._, breath as the principle of life, the soul, self, the ego. To some of the old Brahman schools the atman const.i.tutes a metaphysical being in man, which is the thinker of his thoughts, the perceiver of his sensations, and the doer of his doings. Buddha denies the existence of an atman in this sense.

Bala'ni, or panca-balani, _p._ and _skt._, (the singular is bala, power), the five moral powers (also called panca-indriyani), which are: Faith, energy, memory or recollection, meditation or contemplation, and wisdom or intuition.

Beluva, a village near Vesali.

Benares, the well-known city in India; Anglicised form of Varanasi, _skt._, and Baranasi, _p._ (See Kasi.)

Bha'gavat, _p._, Bha'gavant, _skt._, the man of merit, worshipful, the Blessed One. A t.i.tle of honor given to Buddha.

Bha'llika, _p._ and _skt._, a merchant.

Bharadva'ja, _p._ and _skt._, name of a Brahman.

Bha'vana, _p._ and _skt._, meditation. There are five princ.i.p.al meditations: metta-bhavana, on love; karuna-bhavana, on pity; mudita-bhavana, on joy; asubha-bhavana, on impurity; and upekha-bhavana, on serenity. [See Rhys Davids's _Buddhism_, pp. 170-171.]

Bhi'kkhu, _p._, bhi'kshu, _skt._, mendicant, monk, friar; the five bhikkhus; bhikkhus doffed their robes; bhikkhus rebuked; bhikkhus prospered; the sick bhikkhu.

Bhi'kkhuni, _p._, bhi'kshuni, _skt._, nun.

Bimbisa'ra, _p._ and _skt._, the king of Magadha; often honored with the cognomen "Sai'nya," _skt._, or "Se'niya," i. e. "the warlike or military."