Dear Ven. Bodhi,
Until a few days ago, I understood the meaning of avagamana just as you do
and Cone & CPD but lately I have been mulling over the following:
1) If knowing or understanding is covered by the root-meanings of bodhana,
then why the need to have the root-meaning of avagamana as well?
2) I quote from Mmd-pṭ which has extensive commentary on the etymology and
meanings of 'buddho' which begins with:
|| tattha buddhanti yathā loke avagantā avagatoti vuccati | evaṃ bujjhitā
saccānīti buddho || —p. 2
The word 'loke' here is locative and the clause could be read as either
"just as in the world an avagantā is called an 'avagato', so . . ." or "just
as an avagantā in the world is called an 'avagato', so . . .". The first
interpretation is probably the correct one but if it were the latter it is
possible to read avagantā as one who has descended into the world (from the
Tusita heaven).
3) The Śabdakalpadruma Sanskrit dictionary (s.v. buddhaḥ) seems to be
defining the Buddha as the ninth of ten avatars:
bhagavadavatāraviśeṣaḥ . sa tu daśāvatārāntargata-
navamāvatāraḥ . yathā, --
So that's why I brought up the avatar matter in the first place which I have
never considered until now. Western interpretations of the Pali texts
doesn't always agree with the Asian tradition and we should never hesitate
to re-examine our assumptions. We may have it wrong.
Thanks for your Spk quote and translation of the lotus simile. Mmd-pṭ also
deals with vikasana and offers a paduma metaphor to illustrate the Buddha's
array of many qualities not shared by others.
|| vikasitatāya buddho | anaññasādhāraṇānekaguṇagaṇehi vikasanato pana
padumamiva vikasanaṭṭhena buddhoti vuttaṃ hoti || —Mmd-pṭ 2
Best wishes,
Jim
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bhikkhu Bodhi venbodhi@... [palistudy]"
<palistudy@yahoogroups.com>
To: <palistudy@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: December 4, 2014 8:11 AM
Subject: [palistudy] avagamana
Dear Jim,
The verb avagacchati and noun avagamana are not related to the idea of
the Buddha as an avatar. The verb means "to understand" and the noun
means "understanding." See Cone's Dictionary of Paali, Part I.
It is similar with the absolutive avecca (based on the verb aveti <--
ava + eti), used to describe the pasaada of a sotaapanna. This also
literally means "gone down," but signifies understanding via direct
experience. In fact, the English word itself, "understanding," does not
mean "to stand beneath," nor does "undergo" mean "to go down." Meanings
arise from implicit metaphors but they acquire a life of their own.
With metta,
Bhikkhu Bodhi