The Gospel of Buddha, Compiled from Ancient Records

[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 Pāli 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 Nirvāna, Karma and Dharma, have become familiar to us in their Sanskrit form, while their Pali equivalents, Nibbāna, Kamma and Dhamma, are little used, it appeared advisable to prefer for some terms the Sanskrit forms, but there are instances in which the Pāli, for some reason or other, has been preferred by English authors [e. g. Krishā Gautamī is always called Kisāgotamī], we present here in the Glossary both the Sanskrit and the Pāli forms.

Names which have been Anglicised, such as "Brahmā, 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. Nirvāna, ātman), we ought to call Brahmā "Brahman," and karma "karman." But us us est tyrannus. In a popular book it is not wise to swim against the stream.

Abni'ññā, p., Abhi'jññā, skt., supernatural talent. There are six abhijññās 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 assuming 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.—175, 176.

Ambapā'lī, 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 prostitutes, 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 Mahāvagga [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 lust, but, often women of distinction and repute, worldly, but not disrespectable.—227, 228, 231, 232.

Amitā'bha, p. and skt., endowed with boundless light, from amita, infinite, immeasurable, and ābbā, ray of light, splendor, the bliss of enlightenment. It is a term of later Buddhism and has been personified as Amitābha Buddha, or Amita. The invocation of the all-saving name of Amitābha Buddha is a favorite tenet of the Lotus or Pure Land sect, so popular in China and Japan. Their poetical conception of a paradise in the West is referred to in Chapter LX. Southern Buddhism knows nothing of a personified Amitābha, and the Chinese travellers Fa-hien and Hiuen-tsang do not mention it. The oldest allusion to Amita is found in the Amitāyus Sūtra, translated A.D. 148-170. [See Eitel, Handbook, pp. 7-9.]—172, 173, 174, 175.

Anāthapi'ndika, p. and skt., (also called Anāthapi'ndada in skt.) literally "One who gives alms (pinda) to the unprotected or needy (anātha)." Eitel's etymology "one who gives without keeping (anātha) a mouthful (pinda) for himself" is not tenable. A wealthy lay devotee famous for his liberality and donor of the Jetavana vihāra.—72, 75, 76, 77, 81, 168.

Ā'tman, skt., Atta, p., breath as the principle of life, the soul, self, the ego. To some of the old Brahman schools the ātman constitutes 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 ātman in this sense.—29, 30, 32, 33, 154, 158.

Bhā'vanā, p. and skt., meditation. There are five principal meditations: metta-bhavana, on love; karunā-bhāvanā, on pity; mudita-bhavana, on joy; asubha-bhāvanā, on impurity; and upekhā-bhāvanā, on serenity. [See Rhys Davids's Buddhism, pp. 170-171.]—174, 175.

Bhi'kkhu, p., bhi'kshu, skt., mendicant, monk, friar; the five bhikkhus, 34, 35, 47, 49, 55, 56, 88, 90, 91, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 108, 120, 170, 171, 172, 177, 183, 209, 234; bhikkhus doffed their robes, 95; bhikkhus rebuked, 109; bhikkhus prospered, 221; the sick bhikkhu, 213.

Bodhisa'tta, p., Bodhisa'ttva, skt., he whose essence (sattva) is becoming enlightenment (bodhi). The term denotes (1) one who is about to become a Buddha, but has not as yet attained Nirvāna; (2) a class of saints who have only once more to be born again to enter into Nirvāna; (3) in later Buddhism any preacher or religious teacher.—9, 21, 25, 86, 118, 192, 194, 214-216; appearance of, 25; Bodhisattas, 130.

Bra'hman, the priestly caste of the Indians. Anglicised form of Brahmana (p. and skt.). Priests were selected from the Brahman caste, but Brahmans were not necessarily priests; they were farmers, merchants, and often high officials in the service of kings. Brahmans, the two—139.

Buddha, p. and skt., the Awakened One, the Enlightened One—. Buddha is also called Sakyamuni (the Sakya sage), Sakyasimha (the Sakya Lion), Sugata (the Happy One), Satthar, nom. Satthâ, p.; Shāstar, skt., (the Teacher), Jina (the Conqueror), Bhagavat (the Blessed One), Lokanātha (the Lord of the World), Sarvajña (the Omniscient One), Dharmarāja (the King of Truth), Tathāgata, etc. [See Rh. Davids's B. p. 28.] B., faith in the, 226; B., I am not the first, 245; B. not Gotama, 160; B., refuge in the, 42, 60, 61, 68, 71, 150, 160, 168, 202, 206, 211, 247, 257; B. remains, Gotama is gone, 247; B. replies to the deva, 168; B., the sower, 194; B., the teacher, 177; B., the three personalities of, 252; B., the truth, 2, 161, 254; B., truly thou art, 45, 150; B. will arise, another, 245; B.'s birth, 8; B.'s death, 249; B.'s farewell address, 249; consolidation of B.'s religion, 89; Buddhas, the praise of all the, 258; Buddhas, the religion of all the, 68; Buddhas, the words of immutable, 20, 22.