- Buddhist Dictionary
- Manual of Buddhist Terms
and Doctrines
by NYANATILOKA MAHATHERA
- ©1980 by Buddhist Publication Society
- ISBN - 955 - 24 - 0019 - 8
From The Preface To
The First Edition
As a first attempt of an authentic
dictionary of Buddhist doctrinal terms, used in the Páli Canon and its Commentaries, this
present manual will fill a real gap felt by many students of Buddhism. It provides the
reader not with a mere superficial enumeration of important Páli terms and their English
equivalents, but offers him precise and authentic definitions and explanations of
canonical and post-canonical terms and doctrines, based on Sutta, Abhidhamma and
Commentaries, and illustrated by numerous quotations taken from these sources, so that, if
anyone wishes, he could, by intelligently joining together the different articles, produce
without difficulty a complete exposition of the entire teachings of Buddhism.
As already pointed out by the author in
the preface to his Guide through the Abhidhamma-Pitaka (Colombo 1938), there are found in
the Abhidhamma Canon numerous technical terms not met with in the Sutta Canon; and again
other terms are found only in the Commentaries and not in Sutta and Abhidhamma. The author
therefore has made a first attempt - without, however, laying any claim to absolute
reliability or completeness in this by no means easy undertaking - to indicate in the
Appendix all the terms that in the oldest Sutta texts are either not found at all, or at
least not in the same form or meaning, and to set forth how far these are deviations from
the older texts, or further developments.
In this connection, the author wishes to
state that the often quoted Patisambhidá-Magga, as well as Niddesa, Buddhavamsa and
Cariyapitaka, though included in the Khuddaka Nikáya of the Sutta Pitaka, nevertheless
bear throughout the character of Commentaries, and though apparently older than the Sutta
Commentaries handed down to us in Buddhaghosa's version, must doubtless belong to a later
period of origin than the Abhidhamma Canon.
In rendering the terms into English, I
often had to differ considerably from the interpretation of Western scholars, and to
introduce quite new words. A great number of such earlier translations must be considered
partly as totally incorrect, partly as misleading, or at the very least ambiguous.
Incorrect are, for instance, the English renderings of náma-rúpa by 'name and
form'; javana (impulsion, i.e. the karmic impulsive moments) by 'apperception',
etc.
The expositions concerning the true nature
of the 8-fold Path, the 4 Noble Truths, the paticca-samuppáda and the 5 groups of
existence - doctrines which, with regard to their true nature, have been often
misunderstood by Western authors - are sure to come to many as a revelation.
On the doctrine of anattá, or
'egolessness', i.e. the impersonality and emptiness of all phenomena of existence, the
author repeatedly felt the necessity of throwing light from every possible point of view,
for it is exactly this doctrine which, together with the doctrine of the conditionality of
all phenomena of existence, constitutes the very essence of the whole Teaching of the
Buddha without which it will be by no means possible to understand it in its true light.
Thus the doctrine of impersonality runs like a red thread right through the whole book.
May this little manual provide an
ever-helpful companion and vade mecum to all earnest students in their study of the
original Buddhist scriptures, and also give to Buddhist authors and lecturers the
opportunity of supplementing and deepening their knowledge of the profound teachings of
the Buddha!
Should it, for a better understanding,
prove necessary to give to certain subjects a more detailed treatment, the carrying out of
this task may be reserved for a later edition of this work.
- NYANATILOKA
Central Internment Camp
Dehra-Dun, India
28-8-1946
Editor's Preface
To The Third Edition
The present revised and enlarged Third
Edition was intended to be issued in commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the
venerable author's passing away on 28th May 1957. But due to unavoidable circumstances the
publication had to be delayed.
It was the venerable author's wish to
enlarge the first edition of this work, but when a second edition became necessary, he was
prevented from expanding it by the illness to which he later succumbed. It rested,
therefore, with his pupil, the present editor, to make, within the original scope and
character of the work, such additions and revisions as seemed useful.
Over seventy articles have been expanded
and partly rewritten; others were slightly revised; more source references were included,
and information on literature for further study of the respective subjects was added to
some of the articles. But only very few new words have been added (e.g. anupassaná,
ánupubbi-kathá, etc.). This restriction was observed because the venerable author
himself thought only of 'a more detailed treatment' of existing articles (see Preface to
the 1st ed.) as he obviously wished to preserve the original form and character of the
book. It was also considered that the adding of more words such as those coined in later
commentarial and abhidhammic literature, would be superfluous as in the English language
such terms will generally be found only in a few scholarly books and translations which
themselves give the explanations needed.
This book is chiefly intended for those
who study the Buddhist teachings through the medium of the English language, but wish to
familiarize themselves with some of the original Páli terms of doctrinal import. They are
in the same position as a student of philosophy or science who has to know the terminology
of his field, which for common parlance is mostly not less 'unfamiliar' than are the words
of the Páli language found in the Dictionary.
Such acquaintance with the Páli terms of
the original texts will also be useful to the student for the purpose of identifying the
various renderings of them favored by different translators. It is deplorable that there
is a considerable multiplication of new English coining for the same doctrinal term. This
great variety of renderings has proved to be confusing to those students of Buddhism who
are not familiar with the Páli language. Even at this late stage when many translations
of Páli texts are in print, it will be desirable if, for the sake of uniformity,
translators forgo their preference for their own coining, even if they think them better
than others. In any case, doctrinal terms have to be known by definition, just as in the
case of philosophical and technical terms in a Western language.
As a small help in the situation
described, a number of alternative renderings used by other translators have been included
in some articles of this edition. In a very few cases, unacceptable though familiar
renderings have been bracketed. The Venerable Nyanatiloka's own preferences have been
placed in inverted commas. Generally it may be said that his renderings, based on his
comprehensive knowledge of texts and doctrine, are very sound and adequate. Only in a very
few cases has the editor changed the author's preferred rendering e.g. 'canker' for ásava
(instead of 'bias'), 'right view' for sammá-ditthi (instead of 'right
understanding'). The latter change was made for the sake of economizing with the few
English equivalents for the numerous Páli synonyms for 'knowing', etc.; and also to avoid
having to render the opposite term, micchá-ditthi, by 'wrong understanding'.
This Dictionary appeared also in the
author's own German version (published by Verlag Christiani, Konstanz, Germany) and in a
French translation made by the late Mme Suzanne Karpeles (published by 'Adyar', Paris,
1961).
- NYANAPONIKA
Kandy, Ceylon
February 1970
Only few and minor revisions have been
made to the text of the Fourth Edition which is now issued by the Buddhist Publication
Society.
- NYANAPONIKA
Kandy, Sri Lanka
March 1980
- Fourth Revised Edition, edited by Nyanaponika Mahathera
- Buddhist Publication Society
- P. O. Box 61
- 54, Sangharaja Mawatha
- Kandy, Sri Lanka
- * * *
- First Edition 1952
- Second Revised Edition 1956
- Third Revised & Enlarged Edition 1972
- (Pub. by Frewin & Co., Ltd., Colombo)
- Fourth Revised Edition 1980
- (Buddhist Publication Society)
- Reprinted 1988
-