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Ānanda
Ānanda. One of the Buddha's chief disciples and his first cousin, his father being a brother of Śuddhodana, the Buddha's father. It appears that he entered the Order (Saṃgha) in the second year of the Buddha's ministry and was ordained by the Buddha himself. According to the Pāli accounts, after twenty years in which he did not have the same personal attendant all the time, the Buddha made known his wish for a permanent one. All the great disciples offered their services, but Ānanda, not initially seeking the position, was eventually selected by the Buddha. He agreed to serve the teacher, provided a series of conditions were fulfilled. On one hand Ānanda requested not to receive any extra benefits as a result of his position, such as choice clothes or food, separate lodgings, or the inclusion in the invitations accepted by the Buddha. On the other hand, he asked to be allowed to accept invitations on behalf of the Buddha, to bring to the Buddha those who came to see him from afar, to place before the Buddha all his perplexities, while the Buddha was to repeat to him any doctrine taught in his absence.
Ānanda was highly regarded by his colleagues who often consulted him and it is said that sometimes the monks, having heard a sermon from the Buddha, would ask Ānanda to give them a more detailed exposition since he had a reputation of being able to explain the doctrine clearly. Ānanda's championship of the cause of women is also well known. In particular, he is especially recognized for his role in the establishment of an order of nuns. Ānanda was also revered for his powerful memory. For this reason, when the First Council was called in Rājagṛha (see Council of Rājagṛha), following the Buddha's death, he was chosen by Mahākāśyapa, president of the Council, to recite all of the sermons preached by the Buddha, thus establishing the canonical record known as the Sūtra Piṭaka, or ‘Basket of Discourses’. Ānanda lived to be very old, spending his last years teaching and preaching. The details of his death are not reported in the Pāli Canon. |
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DAMIEN KEOWN. "Ānanda." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. DAMIEN KEOWN. "Ānanda." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-nanda.html DAMIEN KEOWN. "Ānanda." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-nanda.html |
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Nanda
Nanda. Half-brother of the Buddha, being the son of Śuddhodana and Mahāprajāpatī. Renowned for his good looks, Nanda was married to the beautiful Janapadakalyāṇī, and on the day of the wedding the Buddha asked him to become a monk. Nanda reluctantly agreed but was later tormented by longing for his wife and became depressed and unwell. The Buddha then took him to the heaven of the 33 gods where they were attended by heavenly nymphs from the retinue of Śakra, king of the gods. The Buddha promised him one of the nymphs if he devoted himself to the monastic life, and Nanda agreed. Exerting himself he soon became an Arhat and abandoned all thoughts of lust and desire.
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Cite this article
DAMIEN KEOWN. "Nanda." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. DAMIEN KEOWN. "Nanda." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Nanda.html DAMIEN KEOWN. "Nanda." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-Nanda.html |
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Ānanda
Ānanda (Skt.).
1. A chief disciple and first cousin of the Buddha. Though not an intellectual, Ānanda could explain the 60,000 words of the Buddha and was known as the Dhammabhaṇḍāgārika, ‘treasurer of the Teachings’. 2. Initially a qualitative attribute of Brahmā, it became, especially in Vedānta, the consciousness that is free from all entanglements in samādhi. It is usually found in association with sat and cit, hence in the fused form, Satchidānanda, Being, Consciousness, Bliss. A saṃnyāsin in the Śankara tradition is given the word ānanda as part of his name—e.g. Vivekānanda. |
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JOHN BOWKER. "Ānanda." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Ānanda." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-nanda.html JOHN BOWKER. "Ānanda." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-nanda.html |
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Nanda
Nanda ♀ In origin a short form of Italian Ferdinanda or Spanish Hernanda, which are the vernacular feminine equivalents of Ferdinand. It is now in occasional use in the English-speaking world as an independent first name, perhaps in part as an elaboration of Nan by association with names such as Glenda and Linda.
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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Nanda." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Nanda." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Nanda.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Nanda." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Nanda.html |
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Nanda
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Cite this article
PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Nanda." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Nanda." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Nanda1.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Nanda." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Nanda1.html |
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