A fully ordained disciple of the Buddha is called a bhikkhu."Mendicant monk" may be suggested as the closest equivalent for "Bhikkhu", literally it means "he who begs" but bhikkhus do not beg. They silently stand at the door for alms. They live on what is spontaneously given by the supporters. He is not a priest as he is no mediator between God and man. He has no vows for life, but he is bound by his rules which he takes of his own accord. He leads a life of voluntary poverty and celibacy. If he is unable to live the Holy Life, he can discard the robe at any time.
image (during concentration): s. nimitta, kasina, sama^dhi.
”woeful course” (of existence); s. gati.
Hsu Yun == 虛雲
a great Ch”an master in China. He died in 1959 at the age of 120.
Hua Tou == 話頭
Intense concentration on a question-word which defies any answer and allows no answer at all. Literally, it refers to the source of word before it is uttered. It is a method used in Ch”an Sect to arouse the doubt. The practitioner meditates on questions as who is reciting the Buddha”s name?. He does not rely on experience or reasoning. Sometimes, it is also known as Kung-an.
”compassion”, is one of the 4 sublime abodes (brahma-viha^ra, q.v.).
Kushala == 善業
Sanskrit word. It means good Karma.
”lightness”, or ”agility”, may be of 3 kinds: of corporeality (rúpassa lahuta^; s. khandha, I ), of mental factors (ka^ya-lahuta^), and of consciousness (citta-lahuta^). Cf. Tab. II.
one, the: gotrabhú (q.v.).
”altruistic (or sympathetic) joy”, is one of the 4 sublime abodes (brahma-viha^ra, q.v.).
(rúpa, ka^ya, citta): ”elasticity” (of corporeality, mental factors, consciousness); s. khandha (I) and Tab. II.
s. lahuta^.
lokiya (q.v.).
karmically: avya^kata (q.v.); n. feelings, s. vedana^.
”individual”, ”person”, as well as the synonyms: personality, individuality, being (satta), self (atta^), etc., in short all terms designating a personal entity, hence also: I, you, he, man, god, etc., all these, according to Buddhism, are mere names for certain combinations of material and mental processes, and apart from them they have no real existence. They are to be considered as mere ”conventional modes of expression” (voha^ra-vacana), and on that level they may be used, and are so used in the sutta texts, if taken "without misapprehending them" (s. quote from D. 9 under paramattha). With such tacit reservations, the term puggala occurs quite frequently in the suttas.
In the ultimate sense (paramattha, q.v.), however, there exist only ever-changing physical and mental phenomena, flashing up and dying every moment. - Kath., in its first section, discusses the question whether "in the absolute sense, any personality (puggala) can be found" (s. Guide, pp. 62ff). - See paramattha, anatta^.
merit, meritorious, is a popular term for karmically wholesome (kusala) action. Opposite terms: apun~n~a, ”demerit”; pa^pa, ”bad”, ”evil”, The value of meritorious action is often stressed, e.g., in the Treasure Store Sutta (s. Khp. Tr.), Dhp 18, 118, 122. - The Community of Holy Monks (ariya-sangha), the third Refuge (s. ti-sarana), is said to be "the incomparable field of merit in the world" (anuttaram pun~n~akkhettam lokassa); s. anussati 3. The Arahats, however, having transcended all life-affirming and rebirth-producing actions, are said to be "beyond merit and demerit"; see Sn. 520, 547, 636, 790. - See foll. 3 articles.
pi^ti (q.v.); further s. bojjhanga.
s. sacca.