Words are not only carriers of meaning; they are repositories of culture, history, and wisdom. Words are the crystallization of certain insights that become part of the shared knowledge of a specific culture. And some words have deep layers of signification that—like some jewels—remain hidden and must be unearthed. In ancient India, where language was thought to have an eternal origin, the science of etymology (nirukta) was considered one of the six limbs of knowledge (vedānga), and poetically known as “the ears of the Veda Puruṣa (the supreme being).” Following this tradition of etymological contemplation, at the Asian Legacy Library we wish to celebrate the hidden power and subtle beauty of some of the most important words than enliven classical languages like Sanskrit and Tibetan.
In this first installment of our series on some of the most profound words in ancient Asian traditions, we delve into four essential terms, each embodying the rich etymological and cultural layers found in Sanskrit and Tibetan.
Bhāvanā
The Sanskrit term bhāvanā, often translated as “meditation,” goes beyond simply calming the mind. Bhāvanā is a causative noun derived from the verb bhū, “to be,” or, “to become.” In Tibetan, the word chosen to translate bhāvanā is sgom pa སྒོམ་པ་, which indicates cultivation or familiarization. Meditation in the Buddhist context implies an intentional process of mental development and transformation. The goal of bhāvanā in Mahāyāna Buddhism is not to become something new but to actualize the nature of the mind itself, which is empty, luminous and pure. This process involves not only the calming and concentration of the mind (śamatha-bhāvanā) but also the cultivation of insight (vipasyanā-bhāvanā), which leads to wisdom (prajñā). Bhāvanā is the culmination of the three limbs that together elicit the attainment of wisdom within Buddhist learning: śrutamayī prajñā (wisdom from hearing), cintāmayī prajñā (wisdom from reflection), and bhāvanāmayī prajñā (wisdom from meditation).
Sangs rgyas
The Tibetan translation of the Sanskrit buddha is sangs rgyas, which beautifully captures the concept of enlightenment. Sangs signifies clearing or purification, while rgyas refers to unfolding or blossoming. This union reflects enlightenment as both a purification of negative qualities and an expansion of positive qualities like compassion.
Yoga
Although often associated with physical practice today and popularly defined as “union,” yoga has a wide range of meanings. The word is derived from the Sanskrit yuj, “to yoke,” “to connect,” or ” to apply.” In Buddhist philosophy, yoga encompasses meditation practices that bring about mental clarity and insight, such as śamatha (calming the mind) and vipaśyanā (seeing reality as it is). In the the Yogasūtra of Patañjali, “yoga” is defined as “the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind,” so that it can rest in pure consciousness. In the same way, Saṃkhya philosophy teaches that the goal of yoga is to separate (kaivalya) the eternal, still consciousness from the grasp of the changing, material world.
Śraddhā
Lastly, the word śraddhā, a cognate of the Latin verb credere, commonly translated as “faith,” literally means “placing the heart.” It embodies the idea of placing the deepest and purest form of attention—one that is like love— to something that is held as containing a transformative truth value. In Buddhist texts, śraddhā is described as the disposition of the mind that delights in the Three Jewels and Four Noble Truths. The importance of śraddhā is also highlighted by the Ratnagotravibhāga, one of the main sources for the notion of Buddhanature. As the text quotes the words of the Buddha: “O Śāriputra, the ultimate truth is reached by means of faith.”
