Dear Friends,

> > But would anyone, compiling these notes later, actually take this
> > seriously as an etymology?
> I assume you mean this as a rhetorical question -- Buddhist
> exegetical literature is full of these "folk etymologies"
> which may have hermeneutical value but are nonsensical in
> philological terms. Just consider what is done with "arhat".

I think it's funny to hear these words, like "folk etymologies", "fanciful
etymologies", etc. It brings to mind an image of Buddhaghosa and Dhammapala
sitting around in the barn one night trying on women's clothing and saying
"hey y'all, let's go on down to the monastery and think up some more of 'em
fanciful etymologies!"

Earlier there was some discussion about how the Lord Buddha adapted many
words to fit with the reality that he had discovered. I think it would be
more on track to say that the etymologies used were pedigogical rather than
historical (and certainly not "fanciful" or "folk"). For instance the word
ariya is said to mean = "far from the enemies (kilesa)" because that is what
it means to a Buddhist. But for modern Westerners, the word is associated
with Nazis. The word svastika of course is similar. Try telling my Jewish
grandmother that it is actually a bringer of well-being...

Washington may not historically have been named because of all the
laundromats there, but imagine there were a petition started by the
Washington laundromats to stop the government from changing the name of the
city: "No, you can't change the name, we'll lose lots of business!" So the
government consents to continue using the same name, but now it has a new
meaning. Buddhist etymologies could find a parallel here... same words, new
meaning, so different etymologies. Would you want etymologies like dhamma =
"the duty of one's social class"?

Also, addressing the following ideas:

> >My impression so far is that Buddhaghosa and those who follow his
>tradition (mostly the modern Sinhalese monks)are basically "scholar
>monks" lacking meditation experience.
>
> I'm inclined to agree with you, Piya. I believe you must have read
>some rather "odd" interpretations in the commentaries such as that of
>Satipatthana Sutta.
>
>very often too they tend to make us wonder if the monks who came up
>with them have so much time in their hand that they have nothing to do
>but... to write commentaries.

It's a shame that we don't get any answers on "where the satipatthana sutta
commentary
departs from the Buddha's teaching"...

At any rate, it is funny again to hear that Buddhaghosa lacked meditation
experience, considering that he wrote the most lucid, in-depth meditation
manual ever written (sorry, those of you who have written your own
meditation manuals...) Edward Conze, author of Buddhist Meditation, says
this about the Visuddhimagga: "Buddhaghosa has composed one of the great
spiritual classics of mankind. If I had just one book to take with me on a
desert island, the Visuddhimagga would be my choice." Hey, he must also be
lacking meditation experience!

The translator, Bhikkhu Nyanamoli says in his introduction: "The
Visuddhimagga is probably best regarded as a detailed manual for meditation
masters..." Well, that's just because he was a scholar monk himself! And
of course, scholar monks never meditate! Just look at Sariputta, it took
him twice as long as Moggalana to become an Arahant! He must have practiced
"scholarly meditation", no?

I can only express sympathy... there is such delicate exposition in the
Visuddhimagga, and it certainly accords with the Buddha's teaching most
perfectly :)

I think the problem is that people write books that say things like
"meditation means sitting down and closing your eyes. Watch the tip of your
nose and slowly, slowly, just like getting Alzheimer's, you will become
enlightened." And of course these kind of teachings more or less fits with
the suttas, but they have the rest of us perplexed as to how one could pass
this simpleton's fare off as Buddhism, which of course is so incredibly
intricate. I wonder if there is someone out there in the modern world who
could write a meditation manual that does as much justice to the Buddha's
teaching as Buddhaghosa's Visuddhimagga? Doubt it... maybe if they
meditated more? :)

With maybe a small twist of irony,

Yuttadhammo