The Gospel of Buddha Part 51

Pabba'jja, _p._, pravra'jya, _skt._, the act of leaving the world for receiving admittance to the Order. The first step of the Buddhist ordination. (See Upasa'mpada.)

Paja'pati, _p._, Praja'pati or Maha-Praja'pati, _skt._, the sister of Maya-devi, second wife of Suddhodana, aunt and fostermother of Buddha.

She is also called by her husband's family name Gotami (feminine form of Gotama).

Pajjo'ta, _p._, Pradyo'ta, _skt._, name of a king of Ujjeni.

(Pakati, _p._) Pra'kriti, _skt._, name of a girl of low caste.

Paramita', _p._ and _skt._, perfection, or virtue. The six paramitas are: almsgiving, morality, patience, zeal or energy, meditation, and wisdom.

Paribba'jaka, _p._, Parivra'jaka, _skt._, a sect belonging to the Tirthika school.

Pase'nadi, _p._, (Prase'najit, _skt._, also called Pasenit) king of Kosala, residing at Savatthi.

Patalipu'tra, _skt._, Patalipu'tta, _p._, also called Pataligama, a city on the Ganges north of Rajagaha and belonging to the kingdom of Magadha, the frontier station against the Vriji (Vajji), the present Patna.

Buddha is reported to have predicted the future greatness of the place, which is an important pa.s.sage for determining the time in which the account of Buddha's sojourn in Pataliputra was written. It is still uncertain, however, when Patna became the important centre which it is now. It was the capital of the country when Megasthenes, the amba.s.sador of Seleucus Nicator, at the end of the third century B.C., visited India. He gave in his book a detailed description of the city; Pataliputra, three dangers hang over.

Patimo'kkha, _p._, Pratimo'ksha, _skt._, (usually spelt Pratimoksha in Buddhistic Sanskrit,) literally "disburdenment." It is the Buddhist confession. Rhys Davids says "that it almost certainly dates from the fifth century B.C. Since that time--during a period that is of nearly two thousand and three hundred years--it has been regularly repeated, twice in each month, in formal meetings of the stricter members of the Order. It occupies, therefore, a unique position in the literary history of the world; and no rules for moral conduct have been for so long a time as these in constant practical use, except only those laid down in the Old Testament and in the works of Confucius" (p. 163).

Pa'va, _p._ and _skt._, a village where Buddha took his last meal.

Pokkharasa'ti, _p._, Paushkarasa'ti, _skt._, a Brahman philosopher.

Pubbara'ma, _p._, Purvara'ma, _skt._, the Eastern garden.

Pu'kkusa, _p._, Pu'kkasha or Pu'kkasa, _skt._, name of a low caste.

Punn'aji, _p._, Pu'nyajit, _skt._, a friend of Yasa.

Raga, pleasure, desire or l.u.s.t; a synonym of _rati_. The name of one of Mara's daughters.

Rahula, _p._ and _skt._, the son of Buddha, was admitted to the fraternity while still a boy. Buddha gave him a lesson in truthfulness [see Chapter LVI]. He is always named among the prominent disciples of Buddha and is revered as the patron saint of novices.

Rainy season (see Va.s.sa).

Ra'ja, _p._ and _skt._, nominative form of the stem rajan, a king (in composition raja).

Rajaga'ha, _p._, Rajagri'ha, _skt._, the capital of Magadha and residence of king Bimbisara.

Ra'tana, _p._, ra'tna, _skt._, "jewel."

Rati, love, liking; a synonym of _raga_. The name of one of Mara's daughters.

Saha'mpati, occurs only in the phrase "Brahma Sahampati," a name frequently used in Buddhist scriptures the meaning of which is obscure.

Burnouf renders it _Seigneur des etres patients_; Eitel, Lord of the inhabitable parts of all universes; H. Kern [in _S.B._, XXI, p. 5]

maintains that it is synonymous with Sikhin, which is a common term for Agni.

Sa'kka, _p._, Sa'kra, _skt._, Lord; a cognomen of Indra.

Sa'kya, Sakya, _skt._, the name of a royal race in the northern frontiers of Magadha.

Sakyamuni, _p._, Sakyamuni, _skt._, the Sakya sage; a cognomen of Buddha.

Sa'la, _p._, Sa'la, _skt._, a tree, _vatica robusta_; sala-grove; sala-trees.

Sama'dhi, _p._ and _skt._, trance, abstraction, self-control. Rhys Davids says (_B._ _p._ 177): "Buddhism has not been able to escape from the natural results of the wonder with which abnormal nervous states have always been regarded during the infancy of science.... But it must be added, to its credit, that the most ancient Buddhism despises dreams and visions; and that the doctrine of Samadhi is of small practical importance compared with the doctrine of the n.o.ble eightfold Path."

Eitel says (_Handbook_, p. 140): "The term Samadhi is sometimes used ethically, when it designates moral self-deliverance from pa.s.sion and vice."

Sa'mana, _p._, Sra'mana, _skt._, an ascetic; one who lives under the vow; the Samana Gotama, the vision of a samana.

Sambho'ga-Ka'ya, _skt._, the body of Bliss.

Sammappadha'na, _p._, Samyakpradha'na, _skt._, right effort, exertion, struggle. There are four great efforts to overcome sin, which are: (1) Mastery over the pa.s.sions so as to prevent bad qualities from rising; (2) suppression of sinful thoughts to put away bad qualities which have arisen; (3) meditation on the seven kinds of wisdom (Bojjhanga) in order to produce goodness not previously existing, and (4) fixed attention or the exertion of preventing the mind from wandering, so as to increase the goodness which exists. [See the Mahapadhana-Sutta in the _Digha-Nikaya_. Compare _B.B. St._, p. 89, and Rh. Davids's _Buddhism_, pp. 172-173.]

Samsa'ra, _p._ and _skt._, the ocean of birth and death, transiency, worldliness, the restlessness of a worldly life, the agitation of selfishness, the vanity fair of life.

Sa'ngha, _p._ and _skt._, the brotherhood of Buddha's disciples, the Buddhist church. An a.s.sembly of at least four has the power to hear confession, to grant absolution, to admit persons to the priesthood, etc. The sangha forms the third const.i.tuent of the Tiratana or three jewels in which refuge is taken (the S. B. of the E. spell Sawgha); sangha maybe expected to prosper.

Sa'njaya, _p._ and _skt._, a wandering ascetic and chief of that sect to which Sariputta and Moggallana belonged before their conversion.

Sankha'ra, _p._, Samska'ra, _skt._, confection, conformation, disposition. It is the formative element in the karma as it has taken shape in bodily existence.

Saripu'tta, _p._, Saripu'tra, _skt._, one of the princ.i.p.al disciples of Buddha; the Buddhistic St. Peter; Sariputta's faith.

Sa'vaka, _p._, Sra'vaka, _skt._, he who has heard the voice (viz. of Buddha), a pupil, a beginner. The name is used to designate (1) all personal disciples of Buddha, the foremost among whom are called Maha-savakas, and (2) an elementary degree of saintship. A savaka is he who is superficial yet in practice and comprehension, being compared to a hare crossing the stream of Samsara by swimming on the surface. [See Eitel _Handbook_, p. 157.]

Sati-pattha'na, _p._, Smrityupastha'na, _skt._, meditation; explained as "fixing the attention." The four objects of earnest meditation are: (1) the impurity of the body, (2) the evils arising from sensation, (3) ideas or the impermanence of existence, and (4) reason and character, or the permanency of the dharma. (Rh. D.B., p. 172.) The term is different from "bhavana," although translated by the same English word. (_S.B._ of the _E._ XI, p. 62.--211).

Sava'tthi, _p._, Srava'sti, _skt._, capital of Northern Kosala. It has been identified by General Cunningham with the ruins of Sahet-Mahet in Oudh and was situated on the river Rapri, northwest of Magadha.

Se'niya, _p._, Sai'nya, _skt._, military, warlike, an honorary t.i.tle given to Bimbisara the king of Magadha.

Siddha'ttha, _p._, Siddha'rtha, _skt._, Buddha's proper name. Etymology, "He who has reached his goal."

Siga'la, _p._, Sriga'la, _skt._, literally, "jackal"; name of a Brahman converted by Buddha.

Si'mha, _skt._, Si'ha, _p._, literally, "lion." Name of a general, an adherent of the n.i.g.g.antha sect, converted by Buddha; Simha, a soldier; Simha's question concerning annihilation.

So'ma, _p._ and _skt._, derived from the root _su_, to press in a winepress; not as, according to Eitel, Chinese scholars propose from "exhilarate (_su_) and mind (_mana_)." Name of a plant and of its juice, which is intoxicating and is used at Brahmanical festivals; the Soma drink is identified with the moon and personified as a deity.

Suba'hu, _p._ and _skt._, a friend of Yasa.

Subha'dda, _p._, Subha'dra, _skt._, name of a samana. Subha'dda, Buddha's last convert, must not be confounded with another man of the same name who caused dissension soon after Buddha's death.

Suddho'dana, _p._, Suddho'dana, _skt._, Buddha's father. The word means "possessing pure rice." Buddhists always represent him as a king, but Oldenberg declares that this does not appear in the oldest records, and speaks of him as "a great and wealthy land-owner." (See his _Buddha_, English version, pp. 99 and 416--417).

Su'mana, _p._ and _skt._, name of a householder.