Pali Dictionaries - borrowed

Pali Dictionaries Online

Jan 30th, 2009 by Manuel Batsching

• The Pāli Text Society’s Pāli-English Dictionary. An unicode able search engine for the Pāli dictionary by Rhys-Davids and William Stede. This online version is part of the Digital Dictionaries of South Asia project.
• Critical Pāli Dictionary. A still proceeding project, which was once founded by Vilhelm Trenckner.
• Mettanet Dictionary Online (Pāli-English) (English-Pāli). This project provides a slightly extended html-edition of the concise Pāli dictionary by A.P. Buddhadatta Mahathera. The latter is also available as an offline useable dictionary tool, named Pali Lookup.
• Nyānatiloka’s Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrins (English) (German)
• Pāli Proper Names (English, Mirror) (Partly German). An abridged html-version of the very book by G. P. Malalasekera (Pāli Text Society).
• English<->Pāli Dictionary by the Free Dictionary Project. I don’t know what’s the background of this one. At least it looks fun, as it works similar to LEO.

There is also a Pāli-English dictionary for StarDict.

Footnotes

This is from Jan Nattier, via H-Buddhism:

There are many other uses of footnotes as well.  The following is a brief
selection, from a handout I prepared for graduate students at Indiana
University in 1998:


FUN THINGS TO DO WITH FOOTNOTES*

1.    Pre-emptive strike (self-defense)

   Here you use the footnote to guess what objections to your line of
argument the reader might bring up, and to refute or defuse them.  ("Yes, I
thought of that, but I don't think it holds up and here's why.")

2.    Information service (bibliography)

   Offer leads to the reader on what interesting and useful literature
exists concerning the subject you're discussing ("Here's an interesting item
you might want to read . . .").

   note:  this type of footnote also shows that you've read the relevant
literature yourself, and that your reasoning and line of argument is
therefore based on a solid awareness of what other people (and primary
sources) have to say on the subject.

3.    Sidelights for specialists

   Here you can put information that would not be of interest to your main
target audience (incidentally:  a key part of writing a good research paper
or book is to be sure who your audience is!), but would be of great interest
to certain readers.  It's better to put such material into a footnote than
in the main text, because it may be so specialized that it will confuse your
main readers, and may also disrupt the flow of the argument.

4.    Musings and expressions of uncertainty

   It's often best to put such statements as "It's difficult to determine .
. ." and "I have no idea why . . . " into footnotes.  It shows you've
thought about these difficult issues, found them intractable, and would be
interested to hear what other people come up with.  (If you put such
statements into the main text, it can have the subliminal effect of
weakening the power of your argument.)

5.    Requests for work by others

   For instance, you can point out that no critical edition of
such-and-such a text has been made, or that there is no useful study in any
western language of the life and times of so-and-so, etc.  Such comments can
even inspire someone to write a Ph.D. thesis on the subject!

6.    And finally, the standard one:  sources

   This one, quite simply, is to let the reader know where you got your
information (or quotation) on a specific point.  The format of the footnote
should make it as easy as possible for the reader to go and find the book or
article himself/herself.

Note:  there are different schools of thought about whether it is or is not
acceptable to put footnote numbers in mid-sentence (I think it's fine,
sometimes even essential; some scholars think it's irritating).  The basic
rule is:  make sure the footnote number is placed right next to the item to
which it refers.  Do not follow the practice (apparently advocated by copy
editors at some presses) of putting footnote numbers only at the end of a
paragraph, even if the note refers to the material in the first sentence!
____________

   * On the history of the genre see Anthony Grafton, *The Footnote: A
Curious History* (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1997).  For a
how-to-do-it guide see Frank A. Burkle-Young and Sandra R. Maley, *The Art
of the Footnote* (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1996).

One last comment:  as Richard Bowring has already mentioned, end-notes are
intensely irritating to specialists (and, in line with what I have already
written above, may not be appropriate even for more general readers).  For
my part, I avoid publishing with any press that is not willing to set the
notes at the bottom of the page.

Sila, the root of Buddhist Ethics

Sīla

See also here

Sīla (nt.) [cp. Sk. śīla. It is interesting to note that the Dhtp puts down a root sīl in meaning of samādhi (No. 268) and upadhāraṇa (615)] 1. nature, character, habit, behaviour; usually as -- ˚ in adj. function "being of such a nature," like, having the character of . . ., e. g. adāna˚ of stingy character, illiberal Sn 244; PvA 68 (+maccharin); kiŋ˚ of what behaviour? Pv ii.913; keḷi˚ tricky PvA 241; damana˚ one who conquers PvA 251; parisuddha˚ of excellent character A iii.124; pāpa˚ wicked Sn 246; bhaṇana˚ wont to speak DhA iv.93; vāda˚ quarrelsome Sn 381 sq. -- dussīla (of) bad character D iii.235; Dhs 1327; Pug 20, 53; Pv ii.82 (noun); ii.969 (adj.); DhA ii.252; iv.3; Sdhp 338; Miln 257; opp. susīla S i.141. -- 2. moral practice, good character, Buddhist ethics, code of morality. (a) The dasa -- sīla or 10 items of good character (not "commandments") are (1) pāṇâtipātā veramaṇī, i. e. abstinence from taking life; (2) adinn'ādānā (from) taking what is not given to one; (3) abrahmacariyā adultery (oṭherwise called kāmesu micchā -- cārā); (4) musāvādā telling lies; (5) pisuna -- vācāya slander; (6) pharusa -- vācāya harsh or impolite speech; (7) samphappalāpā frivolous and senseless talk; (8) abhijjhāya covetousness; (9) byāpādā malevolence; (10) micchādiṭṭhiyā heretic views. -- Of these 10 we sometimes find only the first 7 designated as "sīla" per se, or good character generally. See e. g. A i.269 (where called sīla -- sampadā); ii.83 sq. (not called "sīla"), & sampadā. -- (b) The pañca -- sīla or 5 items of good behaviour are Nos. 1 -- 4 of dasa -- sīla, and (5) abstaining from any state of indolence arising from (the use of) intoxicants, viz. surā -- meraya -- majjapamāda -- ṭṭhānā veramaṇī. These five also from the first half of the 10 sikkha -- padāni. They are a sort of preliminary condition to any higher development after conforming to the teaching of the Buddha (saraṇaŋgamana) and as such often mentioned when a new follower is "officially" installed, e. g. Bu ii.190: saraṇâgamane kañci nivesesi Tathāgato kañci pañcasu sīlesu sīle dasavidhe paraŋ. From Pv iv.176 sq. (as also fr. Kh ii. as following upon Kh i.) it is evident that the sikkhāpadāni are meant in this connection (either 5 or 10), and not the sīlaŋ, cp. also Pv iv.350 sq., although at the above passage of Bu and at J i.28 as well as at Mhvs 18, 10 the expression dasa -- sīla is used: evidently a later development of the term as regards dasa -- sīla (cp. Mhvs trsln 122, n. 3), which through the identity of the 5 sīlas & sikkhāpadas was transferred to the 10 sikkhāpadas. These 5 are often simply called pañca dhammā, e. g. at A iii.203 sq., 208 sq. Without a special title they are mentioned in connection with the "saraṇaŋ gata" formula e. g. at A iv.266. Similarly the 10 sīlas (as above a) are only called dhammā at A ii.253 sq.; v.260; nor are they designated as sīla at A ii.221. -- pañcasu sīlesu samādapeti to instruct in the 5 sīlas (alias sikkhāpadāni) Vin ii.162. -- (c) The only standard enumerations of the 5 or 10 sīlas are found at two places in the Saŋyutta and correspond with those given in the Niddesa. See on the 10 (as given under a) S iv.342 & Nd2 s. v. sīla; on the 5 (also as under b) S ii.68 & Nd2 s. v. The so -- called 10 sīlas (Childers) as found at Kh ii. (under the name of dasa -- sikkhāpada) are of late origin & served as memorial verses for the use of novices. Strictly speaking they should not be called dasa -- sīla. -- The eightfold sīla or the eight pledges which are recommended to the Buddhist layman (cp. Miln 333 mentioned below) are the sikkhāpadas Nos. 1 -- 8 (see sikkhāpada), which in the Canon however do

-- 713 --

not occur under the name of sīla nor sikkhāpada, but as aṭṭhanga -- samannāgata uposatha (or aṭṭhangika u.) "the fast -- day with its 8 constituents." They are discussed in detail at A iv.248 sq., with a poetical setting of the eight at A iv.254=Sn 400, 401 -- (d) Three special tracts on morality are found in the Canon. The Cullasīla (D i.3 sq.) consists first of the items (dasa) sīla 1-7; then follow specific injunctions as to practices of daily living & special conduct, of which the first 5 (omitting the introductory item of bījagāma -- bhūtagāma -- samārambha) form the second 5 sikkhāpadāni. Upon the Culla˚ follows the Majjhima˚ (D i.5 sq.) & then the Mahāsīla D i.9 sq. The whole of these 3 sīlas is called sīlakkhandha and is (in the Sāmaññaphala sutta e. g.) grouped with samādhi -- and paññākkhandha: D i.206 sq.; at A v.205, 206 sīla -- kkhandha refers to the Culla -- sīla only. The three (s., samādhi & paññā) are often mentioned together, e. g. D ii.81, 84; It 51; DA i.57. -- The characteristic of a kalyāṇa -- mitta is endowment with saddhā, sīla, cāga, paññā A iv.282. These four are counted as constituents of future bliss A iv.282, and form the 4 sampadās ibid. 322. In another connection at M iii.99; Vism 19. They are, with suta (foll. after sīla) characteristic of the merit of the devatās A i.210 sq. (under devat'ânussati). -- At Miln 333 sīla is classed as: saraṇa˚, pañca˚, aṭṭhanga˚, dasanga˚, pātimokkhasaŋvara˚, all of which expressions refer to the sikkhāpadas and not to the sīlas. -- At Miln 336 sq. sīla functions as one of the 7 ratanas (the 5 as given under sampadā up to vimuttiñāṇadassana; plus paṭisambhidā and bojjhanga). -- cattāro sīlakkhandhā "4 sections of morality" Miln 243; Vism 15 & DhsA 168 (here as pātimokkha -- saŋvara, indriya -- saŋvara, ājīvapārisuddhi, paccaya -- sannissita. The same with ref. to catubbidha sīla at J iii.195). See also under cpds. <-> At Ps i.46 sq. we find the fivefold grouping as (1) pāṇâtipatassa pahānaŋ, (2) veramaṇī, (3) cetanā, (4) saŋvara, (5) avītikkama, which is commented on at Vism 49. -- A fourfold sīla (referring to the sikkhāpada) is given at Vism 15 as bhikkhu˚, bhikkhunī˚, anupasampanna˚ gahaṭṭha˚. -- On sīla and adhisīla see e. g. A i.229 sq.; VbhA 413 sq. -- The division of sīla at J iii.195 is a distinction of a simple sīla as "saŋvara," of twofold sīla as "caritta -- vāritta," threefold as "kāyika, vācasika, mānasika," and fourfold as above under cattāro sīlakkhandhā. -- See further generally: Ps i.42 sq.; Vism 3 sq.; Tikp 154, 165 sq., 269, 277; Nd1 14, 188 (expld as "pātimokkha -- saŋvara"); Nd2 p. 277; VbhA 143.
-- anga constituent of morality (applied to the pañcasikkhāpadaŋ) VbhA 381. -- ācāra practice of morality J i.187; ii.3. -- kathā exposition of the duties of morality Vin i.15; A i.125; J i.188. -- kkhandha all that belongs to moral practices, body of morality as forming the first constituent of the 5 khandhas or groups (+samādhi˚, paññā˚, vimutti˚, ñāṇadassana -- kkhandha), which make up the 5 sampadās or whole range of religious development; see e. g. Nd1 21, 39; Nd2 p. 277. -- Vin. 162 sq.; iii.164; A i.124, 291; ii.20; S i.99 sq.; It 51, 107; Nett 90 sq., 128; Miln 243; DhA iii.417. -- gandha the fragrance of good works Dh 55; Vism 58. -- caraṇa moral life J iv.328, 332. -- tittha having good behaviour as its banks S i.169, 183 (trsln Mrs. Rh. D. "with virtue's strand for bathing"). -- bbata [=vata2] good works and ceremonial observances Dh 271; A i.225; S iv.118; Ud 71; Sn 231, etc.; sīlavata the same Sn 212, 782, 790, 797, 803, 899; It 79 sq.; ˚ -- parāmāsa the contagion of mere rule and ritual, the infatuation of good works, the delusion that they suffice Vin i.184; M i.433; Dhs 1005; A iii.377; iv.144 sq.; Nd1 98; Dukp 245, 282 sq.; DhsA 348; see also expln at Cpd. 171, n. 4. <-> sīlabbatupādāna grasping after works and rites D ii.58; Dhs 1005, 1216; Vism 569; VbhA 181 sq. -- The old form sīlavata still preserves the original good sense, as much as "observing the rules of good conduct," "being of virtuous behaviour." Thus at Th 1, 12; Sn 212, 782 (expld in detail at Nd1 66), 790, 797, 803; It 79; J vi.491 (ariya˚). -- bheda a breach of morality J i.296. -- mattaka a matter of mere morality D i.3; DA i.55. -- maya consisting in morality It 51; VvA 10 (see maya, defn 6). -- vatta morality, virtue S i.143; cp. J iii.360. -- vipatti moral transgression Vin i.171 sq.; D ii.85; A i.95; 268 sq.; iii.252; Pug 21; Vism 54, 57. -- vipanna trespassing D ii.85; Pug 21; Vin i.227. -- vīmaŋsaka testing one's reputation J i.369; ii.429; iii.100, 193. -- saŋvara self -- restraint in conduct D i.69; Dhs 1342; DA i.182. -- saŋvuta living under moral self -- restraint Dh 281. -- sampatti accomplishment or attainment by moral living Vism 57. -- sampadā practice of morality Vin i.227; D ii.86; M i.194, 201 sq.; A i.95, 269 sq., ii.66; Pug. 25, 54. -- sampanna practising morality, virtuous Vin i.228; D i.63; ii.86; M i.354; Th 2, 196; ThA 168; DA i.182.

More Chinese Philosophy

Thanks to Amod's blog, I just found this from Manyul Im, a Chinese Philosopher.

I also have a new post at my main blog, American Buddhist Philosopher, on Buddhist Ethics and Kant. My apologies for the schizophrenic nature of my posts in Buddhist Ethics; some day I will merge my personalities of Buddhist Ethics and American Buddhist Philosopher (maybe).

Filial Piety and the Sigalovaada Sutta in China

In preparation for my upcoming trip to China I'm boning up on Chinese Buddhism - an area where I am woefully ignorant.

As we know, Buddhism has changed to accommodate the particular cultures it has encountered through time. I am currently reading "The Chinese Transformation of Buddhism" by Kenneth Ch'en. In his chapter on Ethics he states that one of the greatest challenges Buddhism hit in China was the cultural propensity toward filial piety, Hsiao.

At first the Buddhists in China simply countered each claim that they were anti-hsiao, pointing to Chinese history to support the righteousness of their practices, such as shaving the head. Eventually though, a more 'positive' stance was taken, meaning that the Buddhists began reaching into their own scriptures and emphasizing those that supported filial piety. Chief among these is the Sigalovaada Sutta, which was translated numerous times by Chinese Buddhists (see p.19).

Several other texts were found as well, including Jataka tails, the lives of Saama (Pali, Shan-tzu in Chinese and Shyaama in Sanskrit) and Moggallaana (Pali, Mu-lien in Chinese and Maudgalyaayana in Sanskrit).

Only at page 50 do we move past the discussion of filial piety and on to Ancestor Worship, a closely related topic. Here we find the following:

1. There are no known notices of (Buddhist?) clerical participation in memorial services prior to the T'ang Dynasty (618-907 C.E.).
2. The first likely occurred in 628 CE.
3. The Chinese Buddhists subscribed to the same post-mortem description as the Tibetans; (the Sarvastivadin, I believe) wherein the 'soul' enteres an intermediate state where it may remain for seven days or seven times seven / 49 days. Buddhists in China turned the Confucian idea of memorials to celebrate gratitude for the departed into necessary merit-generating events to get the 'soul' of the dead to a good location.

Page 55 begins the discussion of the 5 precepts and the Chinese Buddhist attempt to harmonise these with the 5 Norms of Confucian thought:

1. human-heartedness
2. righteousness
3. propriety
4. knowledge
5. trust

Usually the 5 precepts were paired directly with these, but in some cases the 2nd precept (not to steal) is paired with the fourth Norm (knowledge), the 3rd (not to commit adultry) is paired with the 2nd Norm (righteousness), and the 4th precept (not to lie) is paired with the 3rd Norm.

The chapter concludes that Buddhism's wide acceptance in China is demonstrably due to its flexibility and creative assimilation of the existing norms (quite literally).

The next chapter is on Politics... ohh, ahh. More on that hopefully before I fly...

Is all Indian philosophy "ethics"?

An excellent book review that sets up this question, which has been answered in various ways over the years, is here (ND reviews).

The issue usually rests on the meaning of Dharma - as it is accepted that all (Classical/pre-Classical) Indian philosophies are "Dharmic" in nature; that is, they have Dharma as an explicit Ultimate or Absolute. In Buddhism it may be a process-Absolute instead of a substantial one, but it is an absolute nonetheless. It is absolute in the sense that nothing is greater than or beyond it...

This review does a great job of arguing that we deeply question the ethical nature of Dharma, as it is a term that seems to be used in what we would today call ontological or phenomenological ways. And it would be meaningless question-begging to say that, "oh, that all is ethics too!"

Any thoughts?

Prudence

From Philosoph-L, a summary of worthy contemporary and recent work on the concept of Prudence. Kant and Aristotle were mentioned a few times so I figured it's worth posting.

Literature on Prudence:

Aubenque, ‘La Prudence chez Kant’, Revue de Metaphysique et de Morale, 1975
Bloomfeld, P. (ed.) Morality and Self-Interest.
Beiner, R., Political Judgement (Chicago 1983)
Borma, F.J. and C. Schroeder (eds.), Abwaegende Vernunft (de Gruyter 2004)
Bricker, P., ‘Prudence’. Journal of Philosophy 1980 (7)
Churchman, C.W., ‘Kant – a decision theorist?’ Theory and Decision 1, 1970
Davie, W.E., ‘Being prudent and acting prudently’ American Phil. Quarterly
10 (1), 1973
Fleischacker, S., A Third Concept of Liberty: Judgement and Freedom in
Kant and A. Smith (Princeton 1999)
Garver, E. Machiavelli and the History of Prudence (1987)
Grice, Aspects of Reason.
Hariman, R. (ed.), Prudence: Classical Virtue, Postmodern Practice
(Pennsylvania State U. Press 2003).
Hirschman, A., The Passions and the Interests: Arguments for Capitalism
before its Triumph (Princeton 1977)
Luckner, A., Klugheit (de Gruyter 2005)
Mabbot, J.D., ‘Prudence’, Proceedings of the Aristot. Society, suppl. Vol.
XXXVI, 6, (1962)
Mabbot, J.D., ‘Reason and Desire’. Philosophy 28 (1953)
Nagel, T. The Possibility of Altruism (1978).
Nussbaum, M., Liberty of Conscience (2008)
Parellada, R., ‘Moral Judgement in States of Equilibrium’, Revista de
Filosofia 31 (2006).
Parrelada, R., ‘Aristotle’s Theory of Practical Wisdom’, Modern Schoolman:
A Quarterly Journal of Philosophy 83 (2005).
Pieper, J., Cardinal Virtues.
Rotenstreich, N., ‘Prudence and Folly’, American Phil. Quart. 22 (2), 1985
Scmidtz, D., ‘Self-Interest: what’s in it for me? Soc. Phil. & Pol. 14
(1), 1997
Steinberger, P. The Concept of Political Judgement (Chicago 1993)
Sturm, T. Kant und die Wissenschaften vom Menschen (Paderborn: Mentis 2009)
Wieland, W., Kants Rechslehre der Urteilskraft