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dgra bcom

Comment: Arhan/ arhant (dgra bcom pa) is translated as "Foe Destroyer" to accord with the usual Tibetan translation of the term and to assist in capturing the flavor of oral and written traditions that frequently refer to this etymology. Arhats have overcome the foe which is the afflictive emotions (nyon mongs, kleza), the chief of which is ignorance, the conception (according to the Consequence School) that persons and phenomena are established by way of their own character.\n The Indian and Tibetan translators were also aware of the etymology of arhant as "worthy one," as they translated the name of the "founder" of the Jaina system, Arhat, as mchod 'od "Worthy of Worship" (see Jam-y#ang-shay-b#a's Great Exposition of Tenets, ka, 62a.3). Also, they were aware of ChandrakIrti's gloss of the term as "Worthy One" in his Clear Words: "Because of being worthy of worship by the world of gods, humans, and demi-gods, they are called Arhats" (sadevamAnuøAsurAl lokAt pUnArhatvAd arhannityuchyate [Poussin, 486.5], lha dang mi dang lha ma yin du bcas pa'i 'jig rten gyis mchod par 'os pas dgra bcom pa zhes brjod la [P5260, vol. 98 75.2.2]). Also, they were aware of Haribhadra's twofold etymology in his Illumination of the Eight Thousand Stanza Perfection of Wisdom SUtra. In the context of the list of epithets qualifying the retinue of Buddha at the beginning of the sUtra (see Unrai Wogihara, ed., AbhisamayAla™kArAlokA PrajJA-pAramitA-vyAkhyA, The Work of Haribhadra [Tokyo: The Toyo Bunko, 1932-5; reprint ed., Tokyo: Sankibo Buddhist Book Store, 1973], 8.18), Haribhadra says, "They are called arhant [=Worthy One, from root arh 'to be worthy'] since they are worthy of worship, religious donations, and being assembled together in a group, etc." (W9.8-9: sarva evAtra pUjA-dakøi˜A-ga˜a-parikarøAdy-Arhatayar-han-taH; P5189, 67.5.7: 'dir thams cad kyang mchod pa dang // yon dang tshogs su 'dub la sogs par 'os pas na dgra bcom pa'o).\nAlso, "They are called arhant [= Foe Destroyer, arihan] because they have destroyed (hata) the foe (ari)."\n(W10.18: hatAritvAd arhantaH; P5189, 69.3.6. dgra rnams bcom pas na dgra bcom pa'o). Thus, this is a considered preference in the face of alternative etymologies—"Foe Destroyer" requiring a not unusual i infix to make ari-han, ari meaning enemy and han meaning to kill, and thus "Foe Destroyer." Unfortunately, one word in English cannot convey both this meaning and "Worthy of Worship"; thus, I have gone with what clearly has become the predominant meaning in Tibet. (For an excellent discussion of the two etymologies of "Arhat" in Buddhism and Jainism, see L.M. Joshi's "Facets of Jaina Religiousness in Comparative Light," L.D. Series 85, [Ahmedabad: L.D. Institute of Indology, May 1981], 53-58).

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