--- Ong Yong Peng <pali.smith@...> skrev:

> And the name Virupa Arya is
> (honestly) I don't
> know, it looks Pali.

I think "arya" must be Sanskrit; the Pali form would
be "ariya", wouldn't it?

"Thera", on the other hand, is a form I have only seen
in Pali (I don't know if it is to be found in other
Prakrits). Sanskrit is "sthavira". In Dostoyevsky's
"Brothers Karamasov" there is written above some
Russian Orthodox priests, exceptionally holy, who are
called "staryets", which I suppose is the same
etymology ("star" is Russian for "old", I think).

> So, I totally agree with what Gunnar wrote in his
> messages. However, I
> like to note that, as an ethnic Chinese myself, we
> are not against
> Virupa using any title or name. Chinese people are
> used to it.

Well, I don't know anything about US law, but I doubt
the title "thera" is legally protected. (The title
"doctor" is not; you can by it, without any studies at
all. I have got several offers through the net.)

It is historically interesting, though, to notice when
a Pali term is used in a Mahayana-Taoist connection -
I haven't heard about such use before.

And in any case I have to confess his use of the title
"Thera" made me mistake him for a Theravada bhikkhu.
Words are just conventions, true, but rather practical
ones; and if you call your tooth-brush a "machine gun"
when passing the Kennedy Airport, you may get some
problems...

> It is
> not that we don't care, but there is just no big
> deal about it. I just
> hope Virupa is aware of possible error in his
> selection of words, as he
> can be teased at in Chinese communities. Otherwise,
> I can assure no
> harm in any form will come to him. ;-)

Not from us, at least. But I take no responsibility if
he ever dares to cross a street in Bangkok. (I have
dared, and I still can't quite believe I survived.)

Gunnar