budh and vikasana

From: Bhikkhu Bodhi
Message: 4052
Date: 2014-12-03

Dear Bryan and Jim,

In regard to vikasana as a gloss on 'budh', there is support for this in Pali sources as well. The Samyutta Commentary (Ee II 21 VRI II 19), commenting on the word 'bodhisatta', says: Yathā vā udakato uggantvā ṭhitaṃ paripākagataṃ padumaṃ sūriyarasmisamphassena avassaṃ bujjhissatīti bujjhanakapadumanti vuccati, evaṃ buddhānaṃ santike byākaraṇassa laddhattā avassaṃ anantarāyena pāramiyo pūretvā bujjhissatīti bujjhanakasattotipi bodhisatto. ("Just as a lotus flower that has emerged from the water and reached maturity will necessarily blossom/expand (bujjhissati), and is thus called a 'blossoming/expanding lotus' (perhaps 'awakening lotus' will work here!), so one who has obtained the prediction in the presence of the Buddhas and without interruption has fulfilled the perfections will necessarily attain bodhi, and so is a 'bodhisatta', [in the sense of] a being in the process of being enlightened/awakening/expanding."). Thus the commentators were apparently familiar with this nuance of 'budh', which in relation to lotus flowers may have been a common expression of the time. The verb in Hindi, vikasit karana, means (among other things):

1. to develop gradually
2. to form by heating and hammering; beat into shape 
3. to bring out the capabilities or possibilities of; bring to a more advanced or effective state
4. to feed and protect
5. to construct (especially something complex) by assembling and joining parts or materials -
See more at: http://www.maxgyan.com/hindi/v/vikasita-karana-meaning-in-english.html#sthash.O1katmzY.dpuf

I don't know Hindi but out of curiosity looked it up on Google. These meanings, which indicate the verb is both transitive and intransitive, seem relevant to the meaning of 'bodhi'.

With metta,
Bhikkhu Bodhi

On 12/2/2014 9:55 PM, Bryan Levman bryan.levman@... [palistudy] wrote:
 
Dear Jim,

This is indeed fascinating. Sadd 1133 is defining the verb budh in terms of jānanaṃ, vikasanaṃ and niddakkhayo.

vikasanaṃ comes from the root vi + kas which means" to open, expand, blossom, bloom; to shīne, be bright, beam (with joy, etc.,), and to spread out, extend, increase."
In other words it seems to capture some of both wake (in the sense of "growth" as per my previous email) and enlightenment in the sense of "shine, be bright."

Now the Tibetan translation of Buddha finally makes sense to me. It is "sangs rgyas" whose etymology I have never understood. sangs means "purified" and rgyas means "expanded", that is vikasana. The Tibetans says the Buddha has purified himself and expanded all his good qualities to their limit. So the Tibetans must have interpreted budh to mean vi + kas, to expand, increase, spread out, as that is the exact definition of the Tibetan verb rgya pa of which rgyas is the past participle: "to grow in size or number, to flourish and hence become larger, greater, more extensive (TIbetan Illuminator dictionary).

Best wishes,

Bryan





From: "'Jim Anderson' jimanderson.on@... [palistudy]" <palistudy@yahoogroups.com>
To: palistudy@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, December 2, 2014 4:55 PM
Subject: Re: [palistudy] Meaning of "Buddha"?

 
Correction: the "pakasane" below should be "vikasane".

<< I've been looking into the Pali roots budha avagamane and budha bodhane
(and the same in Skt.). According to Sadd budha bodhane has three meanings
but I see that pakasane (one of the meanings) could be further divided into
two (shining and opening out, blossoming). I find it's best to start with
the root when studying a word but there are some problems to be resloved
with the root BUDH before one can go much further. >>

Jim




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