Dharma name
This article should specify the language of its non-English content, using {{lang}}, {{transliteration}} for transliterated languages, and {{IPA}} for phonetic transcriptions, with an appropriate ISO 639 code. Wikipedia's multilingual support templates may also be used. (December 2021) |
Dharma name | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chinese name | |||||
Mongolian Cyrillic | номын нэр | ||||
Japanese name | |||||
Kanji | 戒名 | ||||
|
A Dharma name is a new name acquired during both lay and monastic
Most of the well-known Buddhist teachers are known to have had many different Dharma names in the course of their careers, and often each name represents a stage of their career. For example,
If the student does not have a relationship with the monastic teacher and the ceremony is a public one with a congregation present, their new name will tend to reflect the lineage/tradition rather than the individual person.[1] When it is given by a monastic who knows the disciple, however, the name is often tailor-made.[1]
Dharma names are generally given in the language of the particular
Naming practices by tradition
Burma (Myanmar)
In Burmese Buddhism, Dhamma names (bwe) are in
Sri Lanka
In Theravadan Buddhist tradition as practiced in Sri Lankan lineages the day of the week determines the first letter of the person’s Dharma name, when a traditional naming methodology is followed. This is the system used by
China
In China, ordained monks and nuns automatically revert to using the surname "Shì" (釋) as in Shijiamouni (釋迦牟尼), the Chinese transliteration of
In the
In some Chinese Pureland sects such as that of Master Renshan and Master Chin Kung it is traditional for persons who do not have the ability to acquire a Dharma name from a teacher to use the Dharma name “Miao-Yin”, until a teacher can give them a personally chosen name. It is common among Pureland sects for all lay members to have either the same last name, such as ‘Jia’[9] in the case of Master Renshan’s disciples, or the same first name, such as ‘Jing’[10] in the case of Shandao lineage practitioners.
There is a tradition in China for one to have a name used while alive, called the imina, and a name used after death, called the okurina.[11]
Japan
In Japan, other than the standard usage of dharma names for monastics and laity, it is also tradition for the deceased to receive a dharma name (戒名, kaimyō; lit. 'precept name') written in kanji from the priest. This name supposedly prevents the return of the deceased if his name is called. The length of the name depends also on either the virtue of the person's lifespan, or more commonly, the size of the donation of the relatives to the temple, which may range from a generally common name to the most elaborate names for 1 million yen or more. The high prices charged by the temples are a controversial issue in Japan, especially since some temples put pressure on families to buy a more expensive name.
Some Jōdo Shinshū sources draw a distinction between 戒名 (kaimyō, precept name) and 法名 (hōmyō, dharma name), preferring the latter for theological reasons.[12] Other sources consider these terms to be interchangeable.[11]
The composition of the dharma name varies, although generally it must be composed of characters found in the Buddhist sutras.
Tibet
In Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist tradition one is first given a Refuge name at the Triple Refuge ceremony, then a Bodhisattva name upon taking the vows of a Bodhisattva, then a secret Samaya name upon receiving certain Tantric rites.[14] People in the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism are often given the first name Karma, followed by a second name.[15] Those in the Drikung Kagyu sect often receive the first name Konchog, and then an additional name. This makes it easy to identify the person’s Dharma lineage. Khentrul Jamphel Lodrö Rinpoche generally uses the initial letter of a person’s birth name in selecting a Shambala lineage name for the practitioner.[16]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Dharma Names." Khandro Net. Khandro.Net, n.d. Web. 22 Jun 2010
- ^ "Becoming a Buddhist Nun, by Ani Rinchen". www.buddhanet.net. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
- ^ "Receiving the Dharma Name". Archived from the original on 10 February 2012.
- ISBN 9781496219107.
- ^ "Shinran | Japanese Buddhist philosopher".
- ^ "Hokusai | Japanese artist". 31 October 2023.
- ^ USA Shaolin Temple. "Shaolin Lineage". Retrieved 15 September 2010.
- ^ "少林寺史会 Shaolin Monastery Historical Society: Shaolin Generational Dharma Names". 12 November 2017.
- ^ https://www.pure-land-buddhism.com/
- ^ https://www.purelandbuddhism.org/plb/17
- ^ a b Primer for Selecting Dharma Names squarespace.com
- ^ Dharma Name Homyo sfvhbt.org March 2017
- ^ "What is the meaning of the Makura-gyo?".
- ^ "Dharma Names".
- ^ "Lama Kathy's Dharma Blog: Refuge Names". 30 September 2017.
- ^ "Dharma Names given by H.H. Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje". Archived from the original on 27 October 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2010.