Śrāvaka (
Sanskrit) or
Sāvaka (
Pāli) means "a hearer" or, more generally, "disciple. This term is used in both Buddhist and Jain texts.
Buddhist references
In
Nikaya Buddhism,
sāvaka (
m.) or
sāvikā (
f.) is a disciple who accepts:
In Mahayana texts, śrāvakas (or arhats) are sometimes contrasted with bodhisattvas (Sanskrit; Pāli: bodhisatta).
Who's a "disciple"?
In the
Pali canon, the term "disciple" transcends monastic-lay divisions and can refer to anyone from the following "four assemblies":
- * monks (Pāli: bhikkhu)
- * nuns (Pāli: )
- * laymen (Pāli: upāsaka)
- * laywomen (Pāli: upāsikā)
Buddhist texts further mention three types of disciples based on spiritual accomplishment:
- Chief Disciple (Pāli: aggasāvaka; Sanskrit: agraśrāvaka):
- In the Pali canon, the Chief Disciples are Sāriputta (Pāli; Sanskrit: Śāriputra) and Mahāmoggallāna (Pāli; Sanskrit: Maudgalyāyana).
- Great Disciple (Pāli: mahāsāvaka; Sanskrit: mahā-śrāvaka):
- Examples of Great Disciples are Mahākassapa (Pāli; Sanskrit: Mahākāśyapa), Ānanda, Anuruddha and Mahākaccāna.
- Ordinary Disciple (Pāli: pakatisāvaka; Sanskrit: ):
- Ordinary disciples, who constitute the majority of disciples, while devoted to the Buddha and his teaching and while having planted seeds for future liberation, have not yet irreversibly entered the path to emancipation and are still subject to infinite rebirths.
"Noble disciple"
In the Pali Canon, the term "noble disciple" (Pāli: ariya-sāvaka) is used in two ways:
- broadly: any lay disciple (Pāli: upasaka, upasika) of the Buddha;
- narrowly: one who is at least on the path to enlightenment (Pāli: sotāpatti maggattha). In this sense, "ordinary disciple" (pakatisāvaka) can be contrasted with this narrow definition of "noble disciple" (ariya-sāvaka).
The canon occasionally references the "four pairs" and "eight types" of noble disciples. This refers to disciples (in the aforementioned narrow sense) who have achieved one of the four stages of enlightenment:
- * stream-enterer (Pāli: sotāpatti)
- * once-returner (Pāli: sakadāgāmitā)
- * non-returner (Pāli: anāgāmitā)
- * arahant (Pāli: arahatta)
For each of these stages, there is a "pair" of possible disciples: one who is on the stage's
path (Pāli:
magga); the other who has achieved its
fruit (Pāli:
phala). Thus, each stage represents a "pair" of individuals: the path traveler (Pāli:
maggattha) and the fruit achiever (Pāli:
phalattha). Hence, the community of disciples is said to be composed of four pairs or eight types of individuals (Pāli:
cattāri purisayugāni attha purisapuggalā).
In the Pali canon, the Buddha often contrasts the "instructed noble disciple" (Pāli: sutavā ariya-sāvaka) with the "uninstructed worlding" (Pāli: assutavā puthujjana). For instance, in the "Sabbasava Sutta," the Buddha states:
- The well-instructed disciple of the noble ones — who has regard for noble ones, is well-versed & disciplined in their Dhamma; who has regard for men of integrity, is well-versed & disciplined in their Dhamma — discerns what ideas are fit for attention and what ideas are unfit for attention.
"Foremost" disciples
In the "Etadaggavagga" ("These are the Foremost Chapter," AN 1.14), the Buddha identifies 80 different categories for his "foremost" (Pāli: agga) disciples: 47 categories for monks, 13 for nuns, ten for laymen and ten for laywomen. Some of these categories and the associated disciples are identified in the table below.
In addition, in SN 17.23, SN 17.24 and AN 4.18.6, the Buddha identifies four pairs of disciples "who have no compare" and who should thus be emulated. These four pairs are a subset of the 80 foremost disciples identified in the aforementioned sutta AN 1.14. These four pairs of disciples to be most emulated are:
"Community of disciples"
In Buddhism, there are two traditional communities (Pāli: sangha):
- The "community of monks" (Pāli: bhikkhu-sangha or sammati-sangha) refers to a community of four or more monks. (See the article on "Sangha" for more information.)
- The "community of disciples" (Pāli: sāvaka-sangha or ariya-sangha) refers to the community of monks, nuns, and male and female layfollowers, especially those who are on the path to enlightenment.
For an example of a traditional stock reference to the sāvaka-sangha in the Pali canon, in "The Crest of the Standard" discourse (SN 11.3), the Buddha advises his monks that, if they experience fear, they can recollect the Buddha or the Dhamma or the Sangha; and, in recollecting the Sangha they should recall:
- 'The Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples [sāvaka-sangha] is practising the good way, practising the straight way, practising the true way, practising the proper way; that is, the four pairs of persons, the eight types of individuals....'
A similar phrase can also be found in the lay disciple's daily chant, "Sangha Vandanā" ("Salutation to the Sangha").
Jain references
Sravaka (श्रावक) in Jainism is a lay Jain. He is the hearer of Jinavani i.e. discourses of Jain Munis (Jain monks) and scholars.
The Jain chaturvidha sangha includes monks, nuns, lay men and women.
See also
Notes
Bibliography
- Acharya, Kala (2002). : A Glossary of Buddhist Terms. Mumbai, New Delhi:Somaiya Publications. ISBN 81-7039-246-2. Available on-line at: http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/DBLM/resource/ebooks/102946/102946.htm.
- Bodhi, Bhikkhu (trans.) (2000). The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya. Boston: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0-86171-331-1.
- Bodhi, Bhikkhu (ed.) (2005). In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pāli Canon.Boston: Wisdom Pubs. ISBN 0-86171-491-1.
- Buddhaghosa, Bhadantācariya & (trans.) (1999). The Path of Purification: Visuddhimagga. Seattle, WA: BPS Pariyatti Editions. ISBN 1-928706-00-2.
- Indaratana Maha Thera, Elgiriye (2002). Vandana: The Album of Pali Devotional Chanting and Hymns. Penang, Malaysia:Mahindarama Dhamma Publication. Available on-line at: http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/vandana02.pdf.
- Nyanaponika Thera, Hellmuth Hecker & Bhikkhu Bodhi (ed.) (2003). Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their lives, their works, their legacy. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0-86171-381-8.
- Nyanatiloka Mahathera (4th ed., 1980). Buddhist Dictionary: Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines. Kandy, Sri Lanka:Buddhist Publication Society. ISBN 955-24-0019-8. Available on-line at: http://www.budsas.org/ebud/bud-dict/dic_idx.htm.
- Pali Text Society (PTS) (1921-1925). The Pali Text Society's Pali-English dictionary. London: Chipstead. Available on-line at: http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/.
- Prayudh Payutto (1986). Sangha: The Ideal World Community. A lecture delivered in January 2529/1986 at the Fourth International Congress of the World Buddhist Sangha Council, held at Buddha's Light Vihara, Bangkok. Available on-line at: http://www.saigon.com/~anson/ebud/ebdha062.htm.
- Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans., 2006a). Metta Sutta: Good Will (1)" (AN 4.125). Available on-line at: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.125.than.html.
- Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans., 2006b). ''Metta Sutta: Good Will (2)" (AN 4.126). Available on-line at: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.126.than.html.
- Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans., 1997). Sabbasava Sutta: All the Fermentations (MN 2). Available on-line at: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.002.than.html.
- Uppalavanna, Sister (trans.) (n.d.-a). Aayācanāsuttam: Wishing (AN 4.18.6). Retrieved from "MettaNet" at http://www.mettanet.org/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/4Anguttara-Nikaya/Anguttara2/4-catukkanipata/018-sacetaniyavaggo-e.html.
- Uppalavanna, Sister (trans.) (n.d.-b). Etadaggavagga: These are the foremost (AN 1.14). Retrieved from "MettaNet" at http://www.mettanet.org/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/4Anguttara-Nikaya/Anguttara1/1-ekanipata/014-Etadaggapali-e.html. A Romanized Pali version of this chapter is available from this same site at http://www.mettanet.org/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/4Anguttara-Nikaya/Anguttara1/1-ekanipata/014-Etadaggapali-p.html.
- Webu Sayadaw & Roger Bischoff (trans.) (1995). "A Happiness that Ever Grows" in The Essential Practice (Part II). Available on-line at: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/webu/wheel384.html#happy.
External links
