Abhibhū¹

Chief disciple of Sikhī Buddha. DN.ii.9 In the Aruṇavatī Sutta it is said that he went with Sikhī to a Brahma-world and, at the Buddha’s request, preached a sermon to the accompa …

AbhiñjikaAbhijikaĀbhiñjika

A student of Anuruddha. On one occasion when the Buddha asks Mahā Kassapa to preach to the monks, the latter reports that it is impossible to talk to them because monks lik …

AjitakesakambalaKesakambalaAjita

Head of one of the six heretical sects mentioned in the Pitakas as being contemporaneous with the Buddha. He is described as a Titthaka (non-Buddhist teacher), leade …

AjātasattuVedehiputta

Son of Bimbisāra, King of Māgadha, and therefore half-brother to Abhayarājakumāra. He murdered his father to gain the throne, and conspired with Devadatta to kill the Buddha, b …

A brahmin village in Māgadha to the east of Rājagaha.

To the north of the village was the Vediyaka mountain, in which was the Indasālaguhā, where the Sakkapañha Sutta was preached. On the occasion of …

A grove to the south of Sāvatthī, one gāvuta away from the city. It was well guarded and monks and nuns used to resort there in search of solitude. The Bhikkhunī Saṃyutta contains stories of nuns wh …

A township in the Malla country to the east of Kapilavatthu. Large numbers of Sākiyan princes joined the Order there, including Bhaddiya, Anuruddha, Ānanda, Bhagu, Kimbila, Devadatta and their barber, …

First cousin of the Buddha and one of his most eminent disciples. He was the son of the Sākyan Amitodana and brother of Mahānāma. When members of other Sākyan families had joined the Order of their di …

A banker (seṭṭhi) of Sāvatthī who became famous because of his unparalleled generosity to the Buddha. His first meeting with the Buddha was during the first year after the Enlightenment, in Rājagaha …

One of the four great continents into which the earth is divided. According to the Aṅguttara Nikāya, AN.i.227 AN.v.59 each cakkavāla (world-system) has an Aparagoyāna.

5continent

The Bodhisatta, born as a brahmin teacher. In the Aṅguttara Nikāya AN.iv.136–138 we are told that among Araka’s pupils those who followed his teachings were born in the Brahma-world, while the others …

A brahmin teacher of a past age, given in a list of six teachers, who were purohitas. AN.iii.373 The others were Sunetta, Mūgapakkha, Kuddālaka, Hatthipāla and Jotipāla. In the Aṅguttara AN.iv.135f. …

One of the three daughters of Māra, the others being Taṇhā and Ragā. Seeing their father disconsolate after his repeated attempts to foil Gotama’s quest for Enlightenment, they offered to tempt the Bu …

Ariṭṭha¹

A monk. He had been subjected by the Saṅgha to the ukkhepanīyakamma for refusal to renounce a sinful doctrine, namely, that the states of mind declared by the Buddha to be stumb …

A headman (gāmani). He came to the Buddha in the Pārileyyaka Mango Grove in Nāḷandā and asked him various questions, recorded in the Saṃyutta Nikāya. SN.iv.312ff. One of these related to the custo …

Assaji¹

The fifth of the Pañcavaggiyā monks. When the Buddha preached the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, he was the last in whom dawned the eye of Truth, and the Buddha had to discourse to h …

The followers of Assaji and Punabbasu. They lived in Kīṭāgiri, between Sāvatthī and Ālavi, and were guilty of various evil practices. They used to grow flowers, make wreaths and garlands, and send the …

The country of Assaka is one of the sixteen Mahājanapadas mentioned in the Aṅguttara Nikāya.AN.i.213 AN.iv.252 AN.iv.256 AN.iv.260 It does not, however; occur in the list of twelve countries given in …

One of the four great monarchies in the time of the Buddha, the other three being Māgadha, Kosala and Vaṃsa (or Vatsa). Avanti is also mentioned among the sixteen Great Nations. AN.i.213 AN.iv.252 AN. …

King of Madhurā. He once went in royal state to visit Mahā Kaccāna who was staying in the Gundā Grove in Madhurā.

Their discussion is recorded in the Madhura Sutta. MN.ii.83–90

It is said that after …

Hell. Descriptions of it are to be found in several places in the four Nikāyas MN.iii.183 AN.i.141–142 It is a quadrangular space, one hundred leagues each way, four-doored, walled all round and abov …

One of the 16 Great Nations (Mahājanapadā), mentioned in the Pitakas. The countries mentioned are Aṅga, Māgadha, Kāsī, Kosala, Vajji, Mallā, Ceti, Vaṃsa, Kuru, Pañcāla, Macchā, Sūrasena, Assaka, Avant …

AṅgulimālaAhiṃsakaGaggaMantāniputta

A robber and murderer who was converted by the Buddha in the twentieth year of his ministry, and who later became an arahant. MN86

As a result of his deeds whole …

A country north of the river Mahī, evidently a part of Aṅga on the other side of that river .

It was here, in the village Āpaṇa, that the Buddha was staying when the Jaṭila Keṇiya came to see him; he …

Aṅgīrasi¹

A term of affection (Radiant One) used by Pañcasikha in addressing Suriyavaccasā. DN.ii.265

Aṅgīrasa²

One of the ten ancient seers who conducted great sacrifices and …

Aṭṭhaka¹

A celebrated sage, composer and reciter of sacred runes, mentioned together with nine others (Vāmaka, Vāmadeva, Vessāmitta, Yamataggi, Aṅgīrasa, Bhāradvāja, Vāseṭṭha and Bhagu), V …

Bhaddā¹

Wife of King Muṇḍa. At her death the king placed her body in a vessel of oil and mourned for her until his friend Piyaka took him to Nārada Thera at the Kukkuṭārāma, and there made …

Bhagu¹

A famous sage of old. Vin.i.245 DN.i.104 DN.i.238 DN.i.243 MN.ii.169 MN.ii.200 AN.iii.224 AN.iv.61

Bhagu²

He was born in a Sākiyan family, and having left the world wit …

A seaport in the country of Bharu. It is identical with Barygaza of Ptolemy and the Periplus of the Erythrean Sea. Bharukaccha is the modern Broach in Kathiawar. The people of Bharukaccha are called B …

BhaṇḍuBhaṇḍa

A colleague of Ānanda whom Kassapa reported to the Buddha at Veḷuvana for disputing with Abhiñjaka, colleague of Anuruddha. The Buddha sent for the disputants and rebuked them for their …

BojjhāBocchā

An eminent laywoman. The Aṅguttara Nikāya AN.iv.259 AN.iv.347 records a visit paid by her to the Buddha at Jetavana. The Buddha then preached to her on the uposatha and the advantages …

Bāhiya¹Dārucīriya

As an ascetic, he came himself to believe that he had attained arahantship, but a devatā, reading his thoughts and wishing him well, pointed out to him his error and ad …

Bālakaloṇakāra BākalonakārāgamaBālakalonakārāma

A locality near Kosambī.

When the monks of Kosambī started quarrelling, the Buddha left them and went to Bālakalonakārāma, where he visited Bhagu and …

BārānasīBenares

The capital of Kāsi-janapada. It was one of the four places of pilgrimage for the Buddhists - the others being Kapilavatthu, Buddhagayā and Kusināra - because it was at, the Migadā …

…Puṇṇaka, Mettagū, Dhotaka, Upasīva, Nanda, Hemaka, Todeyya, Kappa, Jatukaṇṇī, Bhadrāvudha, Udaya, Posāla, Mogharāja and…

A World ruler. The world itself means “Turner of the Wheel,” the Wheel (Cakka) being the well known Indian symbol of empire. More than one thousand sons are his; his dominions extend throughout the …

A city in India on the river of the same name; it was the capital of Aṅga and was celebrated for its beautiful lake, the Gaggarā-pokkharaṇī. On its banks was a grove of campaka-trees, well known for …

A great brahmin, contemporary of the Buddha, reputed for his great learning and highly esteemed in brahmin gatherings—e.g., at Icchānaṅgala Snp.p.115 and at Manasākaṭa. DN.i.235

He is mentioned toget …

A nun, well known for her quarrelsome propensities. She was a friend of Thullanandā, during whose absence the other nuns once expelled Caṇḍakālī from their midst. This act was greatly resented by Thul …

King of Avanti in the time of the Buddha. His name was Pajjota, the sobriquet being added on account of his violent temper.

Once, when ill with jaundice, he asked Bimbisāra to lend him the services o …

CetiyaCetiCetīCedi

One of the sixteen Great Nations, AN.i.213 probably identical with Cedi of the older documents. The people of Ceti settled near the Yamunā, to the east, in the neighbourhood of and …

A group of six monks, contemporary with the Buddha, frequently mentioned as being guilty of various Vinaya offences. Vin.i.84f. Vin.i.104 Vin.i.106 Vin.i.111 Vin.i.113 Vin.i.114 Vin.i.138 Vin.i.160 …

Channa¹

A Wanderer, classed among those who wore clothes. He is only mentioned once, in the Aṅguttara Nikāya, AN.iii.215 where we are told that he visited Ānanda at Sāvatthī and asked him …

Citta¹

A householder of Macchikāsaṇḍa, where he was Treasurer. He was later declared by the Buddha to be pre-eminent among laymen who preached the Doctrine. AN.i.26

When Mahānāma visited …

Cunda¹

A worker in metals living in Pāvā. When the Buddha reached Pāvā on his way to Kusinārā, he stayed in Cunda’s Mango grove. There Cunda visited him and invited him and the monks to a …

The inhabitants of the lowest deva world. his world derives its name from the Four Great Kings (Cattāro Mahārājāno) who dwell there as guardians of the four quarters: Dhataraṭṭha of the East, Virūḷh …

In the old Pāḷi literature the name Dakkhiṇāpatha would seem to indicate only a remote settlement or colony on the banks of the upper Godāvarī. Thus, we are told that Bāvarī had his hermitage in Dakkh …

A Sākiyan of Kapilavatthu. It is recorded MN.i.108 that Daṇḍapāṇi once met the Buddha in Kapilavatthu and questioned him on his teachings. The Buddha explained them to him, but he was not satisfied, a …

A monk, a close relative of the Buddha, who split the Sangha, and attempted to overthrow the Buddha and have him murdered. In one passage in the Vinaya, Vin.ii.189 Devadatta is spoken of as Godhiputta …

A pool near Kosambī. Close by was the Pilakkhaguhā and the Paribbājakārāma, where Ānanda once visited Sandaka and held a discussion with him. MN.i.513

25.321684,81.3180543lake

Dhammika

A monk whose Theragāthā verses speak of the good state that awaits one who practices righteousness. Thag.303–306 According to the Aṅguttara. AN.iii.366ff. Dhammika had to leave seven lodgi …

Dhaniya¹Dhanika

A herdsman living on the bank of the river Mahī. One day, while he was in this house, having finished his preparations for the approach of the rains, he sat meditating on h …

DīghītiDīghati

A king of Kosala. His kingdom was captured by Brahmadatta, king of Kāsi, and he and his wife fled to Benares, where they lived in disguise in the house of a potter. His wife bore a son …

Gagga¹

A monk. He became insane, and in this condition did many things unworthy of a monk. When his colleagues blamed him, the Buddha interceded on his behalf and suggested that he be give …

One of the three Kassapa brothers. They all lived at Gayāsīsa. When Uruvelā-Kassapa was converted, Gayā-Kassapa, with his followers, joined the Order, and at the conclusion of the Ādittapariyāya Sut …

A brahmin, probably of Pāṭaliputta. On coming to visit Benares, he saw Udena there in Khemiyambavana and had a conversation with him, recorded in the Ghoṭamukha Sutta. At the conclusion of the talk he …

A monk living in the wilds, who once came on some business to see the monks at the Kalandakanivāpa. It was on his account that the Gulissāni Sutta was preached. MN.i.469

GundāvanaKundāvanaGuṇḍāvanaKuṇḍāvana

A forest in Madhurā. Mahā Kaccāna stayed there and was visited by Avantiputta, king of Madhurā, to whom he preached the Madhurā Sutta, MN.ii.83f. and by the bra …

A Pacceka Buddha, whose name occurs in a nominal list. MN.iii.70

Guttā

A bhikkhunī to whom several Therīgāthā verses are addressed, encourageing her to overcome the defliments that have long kept her trapped in suffering. Thig.163–168

A Yakkha chief who should be invoked when unbelieving Yakkhas molest any follower of the Buddha. DN.iii.204

One of the hells. It is next to the Mahā Niraya, and is the habitation of needle-mouthed creatures who rip away the skin, flesh, tendons, etc., of the victim and then devour his marrow. MN.iii.185

5hell

HimavāHimācalaHimavantaHimālaya

The Himālaya mountains. In Himavā, are seven great lakes, each fifty leagues in length, breadth and depth—Anotattā, Kaṇṇamuṇḍā, Rathakāra, Chaddantā, Kuṇālā, Mandākinī …

A Pacceka Buddha. MN.iii.70

IccānaṅgalaIcchānaṅkala

A brahmin village in the Kosala country. It was while staying in the woodland thicket there that the Buddha preached the Ambaṭṭha Sutta. DN.i.87 From this sutta, the village w …

A town in the Kuru country. In the Kurudhamma Jataka J.ii.365f; also J.iii.400; J.iv.361; J.v.457; J.vi.255; Cyp.i.3, Cyp.v.1, Dhananjaya Koravya, is mentioned as its king and as the owner of Anjanava …

A cave on the Vediya mountain, to the north of Ambasaṇḍā, which was a brahmin village, east of Rājagaha. Once, when the Buddha was staying there, Sakka visited him and asked him the questions recorded …

IsigiliIsigilapassa

One of the five mountains round Rājagaha and one of the beauty-spots of the city. DN.ii.116 There was, on one side of it, a black stone called the Kāḷasilā. This was a favourite …

IsipatanaMigadayaDeer Park

An open space near Benares, the site of the famous Migadāya or Deer Park. It was eighteen leagues from Uruvelā, and when Gotama gave up his austere penances his friends, th …

Jotipāla¹

The Bodhisatta born as a brahmin of Vehaliṅga in the time of Kassapa Buddha. Ghaṭīkāra was his friend and invited Jotipāla to accompany him to the Buddha, but Jotipāla refused to …

JīvakaJīvakakomārabhacca

A celebrated physician, and the Buddha’s doctor. The Vinaya contains many stories of his skill in healing. Vin.i.268–281 Once when the Buddha was ill, Jīvaka found it necessa …

KammāsadhammaKammāsadammaKammasadammaKammasadhamma

A township of the Kurūs. The Buddha, during the course of his wanderings, stayed there several times; the exact place of his residence is, however, …

KandarāyanaKundarāyana

A brahmin. He visited Mahā Kaccāna at the Gundavana near Madhurā and accused him of not paying due respect to elderly brahmins, but when Mahā Kaccāna preached to him he express …

A city near the Himalaya, capital of the Sākiyan republic. The administration and judicial business of the city and all other matters of importance were discussed and decided in the Santhāgārasālā. DN …

KatamorakatissaKatamorakatissaka

One of the monks whom Devadatta incited to join him in stirring up discord among the Saṅgha, the others being Kokālika, Khaṇḍadevīputta and Samuddadatta Vin.ii.196 Vi …

KaṇṭakāKaṇḍakā

A nun who was guilty of unchastity with the novice Kaṇṭaka. Vin.i.85

KimbilaKimilaKimmila

A Sākiyan of Kapilavatthu. He was converted with Bhaddiya and four other Sākyan nobles at Anupiya. Vin.ii.182 Kimbila seems to have maintained throughout his early friendship wit …

KorabyaKoravyaKorabba

Perhaps the generic name given to the king of the Kurūs. The Aṅguttara Nikāya AN.iii.369f. mentions a king Koravya who owned a large banyan tree named Suppatiṭṭha. According t …

The capital of the Vatsas or Vaṃsas. In the time of the Buddha its king was Parantapa, and after him reigned his son Udena. Kosambī was evidently a city of great importance at the time of the Buddha f …

One of the republican clans in the time of the Buddha. The Koḷiyā owned two chief settlements—one at Rāmagāma and the other at Devadaha.

Attached probably to the Koliyan central authorities, was a sp …

A park in Pāṭaliputta. It was evidently the residence of monks from very early times, probably, for some time, of the Buddha himself. The Mahāvagga Vin.i.300 mentions the names of several theras who l …

The capital of the Mallas and the scene of the Buddha’s death. At that time it was a small city, “a branch-township with wattle-and-daub houses in the midst of the jungle,” and Ānanda was, at first …

Slave of King Caṇḍapajjota. His father was non-human, and he himself could travel sixty leagues a day. When Pajjota discovered that Jīvaka had fled, after administering to him some medicine containin …

Kāliṅga¹

An inhabitant of Ñātika. While staying in Ñātika, at the Giñjakāvasatha, the Buddha tells Ānanda that Kālinga was reborn after death in the Suddhavāsā, and that there he would att …

A monk, evidently held in high esteem by his colleagues. He is mentioned as staying in Kosambī, in Ghosita Park, and as asking Ānanda certain questions, recorded in the Kāmabhū Sutta. SN.iv.165 Two ot …

A monk whose verses in the Theragāthā tell depict him encouraging the Buddha to return to his kinsmen. When the rains fell, covering the earth with the glory of leaves and flowers, Kāḷudāyī felt that …

A hall in the Mahāvana near Vesāli. The Buddha stayed there on several occasions, and in the books are found records of various eminent persons who visited him there and of his conversations with them …

MadhurāMathurā

The capital of Surasena, situated on the Yamunā. Its king, soon after the death of Bimbisāra, was Avantiputta, MN.ii.83 who, judging by his name, was probably related to the royal fami …

MaghaMaghavā

The name Sakka bore in a previous birth when he was born as a man in Macalagāma in Māgadha.

Magha took upon himself seven vows, which brought him birth as Sakka: to maintain his parents …

A novice, pupil of Upananda, who is mentioned as having been guilty of a sexual offence with Kaṇḍakā, another novice. Vin.i.70

MahākaccāyanaKaccāyanaMahākaccānaKaccāna

One of the most eminent disciples of the Buddha, considered chief among expounders in full of the brief saying of the Buddha. AN.i.23 Several suttas illustrat …

One of the most eminent disciples of the Buddha, considered foremost among those who taught the monks. AN.i.25 The Vinaya Vin.i.105 records that when Kappina was in the Deer Park at Maddakucchi he won …

MahākassapaKassapaPippali

One of the Buddha’s most eminent disciples, chief among those who upheld austere practices. AN.i.23 His personal name was Pippali, but he is usually known by his clan name K …

MahākoṭṭhitaMahākotthitaKoṭṭhitaKotthita

One of the foremost disciples of the Buddha, ranked foremost among masters of analytical knowledge. AN.i.24 His Theragāthā verse speaks of contentment and sha …

MahāmoggallānaMoggallānaKolita

The second of the Chief Disciples of the Buddha. He and Sāriputta went forth as disciples of Sañjaya. After some time, Sāriputta, wandering about in Rājagaha, met Assaj …

Mahānāma¹

A Sākiyan rājā, son of Amitodana; he was elder brother of Anuruddha and cousin of the Buddha. When the Sākiyan families of Kapilavatthu sent their representatives to join the Ord …

The name given to a Great Being, destined to become either a Cakkavatti or a Buddha. He carries on his person the following thirty two marks. DN.ii.17f. DN.iii.142ff. MN.ii.136f. .

1. he has fe …

A brahminee, mother of Aṅgulimāla; her husband was Gagga. MN.ii.102

The pupil of a “bamboo acrobat” of long ago. His master called to him one day and asked him to climb the bamboo and to stand on his shoulder. Then the master suggested that they should watch and look …

MedāḷupaMedatalumpa

A Sākyan village three leagues from Nagaraka. MN.ii.119 Pasenadi when staying there with Dīgha Kārāyana, heard that the Buddha was there and visited him. On this occasion was prea …

One of the sixteen disciples of Bāvarī who visited the Buddha. His question to the Buddha was as to how various ills originated in the world, and the Buddha’s answer, that it was through attachment. S …

A group of monks, followers of Mettiya and Bhummajaka forming part of the Chabbaggiyā (Group of Six Monks).

Twice they brought an unfounded charge of breach of morality against Dabba Mallaputta, who …

A very rich householder of Bhaddiyanagara in Aṅga. It is said Vin.i.240f. that when he went to his granaries after his ceremonial bath, as he stood at the door, showers of grain would fall from heav …

MigalandikaMigaladdhika

An undesirable monk. When the Buddha had once been preaching to the monks in Mahāvana in Vesāli regarding the defilement and filth of the body, and had retired into solitude, …

MilakkhāMilakkhukā

The name given to the people of non-Ariyan origin, the Mlecchas. DN.iii.264 AN.i.35 Their language is called Milakkhabhāsā.

MoḷiyaPhagguna

He was always friendly with the nuns and stood up for them in discussions with the monks. This was reported to the Buddha, who sent for him and preached the Kakacūpama Sutta. MN.i.122* …

A Paribbājaka. He once visited the Buddha at Veḷuvana and questioned him regarding predestination. The Buddha explains to him that suffering arises from various causes—bile, phlegm, wind, bodily humou …

A king of Māgadha, great grandson of Ajātasattu and son of Anuruddha. It is probably this same king who is referred to in the Aṅguttara Nikāya. AN.iii.57ff. His wife Bhaddā died, and Muṇḍa gave hims …

Māgaṇḍiya¹

The Sutta Nipāta contains a dialogue between Māgaṇḍiya and the Buddha. Snp.1011–1023 The Buddha starts with an emphatic rejection of an offer of a sexual nature, which sparks a …

MāluṅkyāputtaMāluṅkyaputtaMālukyaputta

The Theragāthā contains two sets of verses attributed to him. One set speaks of the dangers of craving and encourages effort. Thag.399–404 The second set speaks …

MāraNamuciKaṇhaAdhipatiAntakaPamattabandhuPāpimā

Generally regarded as the personification of Death, the Evil One, the Tempter. Sometimes known as the Dark One (Kaṇha). Snp.355 MN.i.377 DN.ii.262 T …

Nanda¹Vaccha

Mentioned in a list of well known leaders of the Ajivakas, the others being Kisa Saṅkicca and Makkhali Gosāla. MN.i.524 They were declared by Purāṇa Kassapa, in his classifica …

Nandaka¹

Once, at the Buddha’s request, he preached a sermon to the nuns; on the first day they became sotāpannas, and, on the second, five hundred of them attained arahantship. MN.iii.270 …

Nigrodha¹

A wanderer. Once, when he was staying with a large number of colleagues at the Udumbarikārāma near Rājagaha, Sandhāna, on his way to see the Buddha, stopped him and entered into …

Nikata¹

An upāsaka of Ñātikā. After death he was born in the Suddhāvāsā, there to pass away. SN.v.358f. DN.ii.91f.

Nikata²

One of several eminent theras mentioned as stayi …

…Snp.p.126

The Devadūta Sutta MN.iii.185 of the Majjhima Nikāya contains another list: Gūtha, Kukkuḷa, Simbalivana, Asipattavana and…

One of King Eḷeyya’s guards. He was a follower of Rāmaputta. AN.ii.180

One of the most distinguished lay women, followers of the Buddha. AN.iv.347 She was the wife of Meṇḍaka and her full name was Candapadumā

Wanderer. The name given to some of the ascetics and recluses of the Buddha’s time. They were not exclusively brahmin. Their presence seems to have been recognized and respected from earlier times. Ge …

A monk, friend of Kapila, who lived in a village near Kosambī. He was found guilty of having taken what did not belong to him and also of unchastity. Vin.iii.67

A monk. In the Saṃyutta Nikāya SN.iv.52 he is represented as asking the Buddha if it were possible, by means of any of the senses, to recognize and proclaim the past Buddhas. The Buddha replies in the …

A cave near Kosambī. The wanderer Sandaka is said to have stayed there. Nearby was the Devakatasobbha. MN.i.513

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PilindavacchaPilindivacchaPilindiyavacchaPilindaPilindiPilindiya

A monk whose enigmatic Theragāthā verse speaks of what has come and not departed. Thag.9 Certain devas who had been born in the deva w …

PippaliguhāPipphaligūhā

A cave near Rājagaha, evidently a favourite haunt of Mahā Kassapa. Once when he lay there grievously ill, the Buddha…

A brahmin of Vesāli. The Aṅguttara Nikāya records a conversation between him and Kāraṇapālī. The latter meets Piṅgiyānī and, on learning that he was returning from a visit to the Buddha, asks him abou …

A householder of Āpaṇa. Meeting the Buddha in a wood outside the town, he greeted him, and was addressed by the Buddha as “householder,” at which he was very angry, for he had, so he said, handed over …

A young monk whom the Buddha met at the house of Bhaggava, the potter, in Rājagaha. Pukkusāti was already occupying the guest room of the house, and the Buddha asked to be allowed to share it, to whic …

Puṇṇā¹

A bhikkhunī whose Therīgāthā verse speaks of being full with good qualities, like the full moon. Thig.3

Puṇṇā²Puṇṇikā

A bhikkhunī whose Therīgāthā verses argue that bat …

Pārāyana

The fifth and last division of the Sutta Nipāta. Snp.976ff. It consists of sixteen suttas preceded by an introduction. The introduction describes how Bāvarī first heard of the coming of th …

The Buddha visited Pātaligāma shortly before his death. Although it later became the capital of Magadha, it was then a mere village. At that time Ajātasattu’s ministers, Sunīdha and Vassakāra, were en …

The name given to a set of rules to be observed by members of the Buddhist Order. The rules regulate the behaviour of the members of the Order towards one another in respect of clothes, dwellings, fur …

RāhulaRāhulabhadda

Only son of Gotama Buddha. When the Buddha visited Kapilavatthu for the first time after his Enlightenment and accepted Suddhodana’s invitation, Rāhula’s mother sent the boy to the …

RāhulamātāBimbāBhaddakaccāYasodharāBhaddakaccānāBimbāsundarīBimbādevīSubhaddakā

The name, generally given in the texts, of Rāhula’s mother Vin.i.82 and Gotama’s wife.

On the seventh day of the Buddh …

A city, the capital of Māgadha.

The place was called Giribbaja (mountain stronghold) because it was surrounded by five hills—Paṇḍava, Gijjhakūṭa, Vebhāra, Isigili and Vepulla. It is said MN.iii.68 th …

SahajātiSahajātāSahañcanika

A township where Yasa Kākandakaputta met Soreyya Revata, whom he wished to consult regarding the Ten Points raised by the Vajjiputtakas. Revata had gone there from Soreyya …

Samiddhi

Once, while he was at Silāvati musing on his good fortune as a monk, Māra tried to terrify him. Samiddhi told the Buddha of this, but the Buddha asked him to stay on where he was. He obeyed, …

A monk whose Theragāthā verse speaks of experiencing the suffering caused by kamma in the past. Thag.81

A householder of Rājagaha. He was a follower of the Buddha, and it was his conversation with the Paribbājaka Nigrodha that led to the preaching of the Udumbarika Sīhanāda Sutta.

In the Aṅguttara he i …

A cave in Rājagaha, on the slope of Mount Vebhāra. Once, when the Buddha was staying there, he gave to Ānanda the opportunity of asking him to live for an eon, but Ānanda, because of his un-mindfulne …

In the Aṅguttara AN.i.118f. he is represented as saying, in the course of a conversation between him, Sāriputta and Koṭṭhita, that he preferred the person who obtains relief by faith, to one who tes …

Sañjaya¹

A monk whose Theragāthā verse says that since going forth he has not had any hate. Thag.48

Sañjaya²

In the Kaṇṇakatthala Sutta Viḍūḍabha tells the Buddha that it was …

A very learned brahmin of Candalakappa. One day he saw Dhānañjānī trip up, and heard her exclaim three times, “Glory to the Buddha, the arahant, the all enlightened.” He blamed her for thus extolling …

A city, thirty leagues from Sāvatthī. During the Vajjiputta controversy, Revata Thera, on his way from Soreyya to Sahājāti, went through Saṅkassa. The road he took passed through Saṅkassa, Kaṇṇakujja, …

A brahmin of Aṅguttarāpa. He was a great friend of Keṇiya, the Jaṭila, and visited him when Keṇiya was making preparations to entertain the Buddha. Having heard the word “Buddha” from Keṇiya, Sela was …

A bhikkhunī who was enjoying her meditation in the Andhavana under a tree when Māra, in the guise of a stranger, approached her and tried to tempt her. But she refuted his statements regarding the att …

SetabyāSetavyā

A town in Kosala, DN.ii.316 near which was Ukkaṭṭha.

The Aṅguttara Nikāya AN.ii.37 records a conversation between the Buddha and the brahmin Doṇa, whom the Buddha met on the road from …

A monk of Sāvatthī who was found guilty of various Vinaya offences, and was therefore subjected to the Nissayakamma. Udāyī (Lāludāyi) was his friend and his evil genius. Vin.iii.110f.

SikhīArindama

A Buddha of a past age.DN.ii.7 DN.iii.195f. SN.ii.9

• He was born in the Nisabha pleasance in Aruṇavatī.
• His father was the khattiya Aruṇa and his mother Pabhāvatī.
• His wife wa …

A village of the Sākyans. Once, when the Buddha was there with a large number of monks, Mira tempted them in the guise of a jatanduva-brahmin. SN.i.117

A story is also told of the temptation by Māra …

SineruMahāneruMeruSumeruHemameru

A mountain, forming the center of the world. MN.i.338 DN.iii.199 It is eighty thousand leagues broad. AN.iv.100

Sineru is often used in similes, its chief characteri …

A country mentioned in the Mahāgovinda Sutta. DN.ii.235

In the time of King Reṇu, Bharata was king of Sovīra, and Roruka was its capital.

Eder, Gujarat?3region

Soṇa¹

A Thera, declared chief of those possessing clear utterance. AN.i.24 He lived in Avantī, where he met Mahākaccāna and was later ordained by him, after much difficulty assembling the …

A rich brahmin of Campā, very learned in the Vedas; he lived in a royal domain, given to him as royal fief by King Bimbisāra. When the Buddha was in Campā, on the banks of the Gaggarā-lake, Soṇadaṇḍa …

SudinnaKalandakaputta

A monk who, after being ordained, returned to his former wife and had relations with her, thus becoming guilty of the first Pārājika offence. When there was a famine in the Vajj …

Sumana¹

A monk whose Theragāthā verses speak of having accomplished all that he was aksed to do. Thag.330–334

Sumana²Cūḷasumana

A monk whose Theragāthā verses speak of ordaini …

A Licchavi prince of Vesāli. He was, at one time, a member of the Order and the personal attendant of the Buddha, but was later converted to the views of Korakkhattiya and went about defaming the Budd …

Sundarī¹

A bhikkhunī whose Therīgāthā verses consist of a dialogue, firstly between her father Sujāta and a bhikkhunī, Vāsiṭṭhī, Thig.313–324 and later between Sundarī and her mother. Thig …

Sundarīnandā¹

Younger sister of Thullanandā; she had two other sisters, Nandā and Nandavatī. Sāḷha Migāranattā seduced her, and she was proclaimed guilty of a Pārājika offence. Vin.iv.21 …

A nigrodha tree belonging to king Koravya. The king and his court ate the first portion of the fruit as big as pipkins and sweet; the army had the second portion, the town and country people the thi …

Suppiya¹

A Paribbājaka. He was the teacher of Brahmadatta. It was the discussion between these two, in the Ambalaṭṭhikā park, regarding the virtues of the Buddha, his Dhamma and his Order, …

A town in Kosala. It was regarded in the Buddha’s time as one of the six great cities of India, the others being Campā, Rājagaha, Sāvatthī, Kosambī and Benares. DN.ii.146 In the Vinaya Vin.i.253 howev …

A tribe in North India, to which the Buddha belonged. Their capital was Kapilavatthu. Mention is also made of other Sākyan settlements - e.g., Cātumā, Khomadussa, Sāmagāma, Devadaha, Sīlavatī, Nagara …

He was a fisherman’s son and held the false view that, according to the Buddha’s teaching, a man’s consciousness runs on and continues without break of identity. Sāti’s colleagues did their best to ch …

The capital city of Kosala in India and one of the six great Indian cities during the lifetime of the Buddha. DN.ii.147 It was six leagues from Sāketa. Vin.i.253 It was on the banks of the Aciravatī.V …

Sāḷha¹Migāranattā

He once visited Nandaka Thera with Pekkhuniya’s grandson, Rohana. AN.i.193f. He built a vihāra for the nuns and Sundarīndā was appointed to supervise the work. As a r …

Sīha¹

A Licchavi general of Vesāli. He was a follower of the Nigaṇṭhas. When the Buddha visited Vesāli, Sīha, having heard reports of his greatness, wished to see him, but Nigaṇṭha Nāṭaput …

A large lake below the Vebhāra mountain, outside Rājagaha. The lake was cool, but the stream flowing from it, also called Tapodā, Vin.iii.108 Vin.iv.116f. was hot. Around it was the Tapodārāma.

Mon …

A nun, one of four sisters who all joined the Order, the others being Nandā, Nandavatī and Sundarinandā.

Thulla-Nandā appears to have had charge of a large company of nuns, all of whom followed her …

TissametteyyaTissaMetteyya

A disciple of Bāvarī. He visited the Buddha with his colleagues and when the Buddha answered his questions, he, and his thousand pupils became arahants. Tissa was his perso …

Todeyya¹

A Mahāsāla brahmin, mentioned in a list of eminent brahmins gathered together at Icchanankala and Manasākaṭa. DN.i.235 Snp.p.115

There was in Caṇḍalakappa a mango grove belonging …

UddakaRāmaputta

One of the teachers under whom Gotama, after leaving the world and before he became the Buddha, received instruction. Uddaka taught him the doctrine which had been realised and procla …

Udāyī¹LāludāyīPaṇḍita Udāyī

There were at least two monks called Udāyī, and it is not always possible to be sure which one is meant. When the Buddha preached the Nāgopama Sutta, AN.iii.344 …

He once visited the Buddha and told him how he rivalled in power and wealth the seṭṭhi Migāra, grandson of Rohana. He was worth one hundred thousand in gold alone, to say nothing of silver. The Buddha …

Son of Upacālā and nephew of Sāriputta and Khadiravaniya-Revata. He was ordained by Revata. Thag.43 He is mentioned in the Aṅguttara Nikāya AN.v.133 in a list of very eminent disciples, together with …

Upaka¹

An Ājivaka whom the Buddha met on his way between Gayā and the Bodhi Tree, after he set out from Isipatana for the preaching of the First Sermon. Upaka questioned the Buddha on his …

Upananda¹

A monk, belonging to the Sākyan clan, who was known for his greed in procuring requisites. Several incidents connected with him are mentioned in the Vinaya. Once he promised to s …

UpasenaVaṅgantaputta

When his ordination was but one year old, he ordained another bhikkhu, to increase the number of holy ones, and went with him to wait upon the Buddha. The Buddha roundly rebuked …

One of the disciples of Bāvarī. Snp.1007 The questions he asked the Buddha, when he visited him in the company of his colleagues, are recorded in the Upasīva-māṇavaa-pucchā. Snp.1069–1076

A monk who was occasionally the attendant of the Buddha, and who features in a number of discourses. Once when the Buddha was attacked by cramp, Upavāna, with the help of his lay-friend Devahita, obt …

Upāli ¹

One of the most eminent of the Buddha’s immediate disciples. He belonged to a barber’s family in Kapilavatthu and entered the service of the Sākiyan princes. When Anuruddha and his …

UruvelāSenānigamaUruvelapattana

A locality on the banks of the Nerañjara, in the neighbourhood of the Bodhi-tree at Buddhagayā. MN.i.166 The place chosen by the Bodhisatta for his penances was calle …

Uruññā UjuññāUguññāUdaññaUjjuññā

A district and a town in Kosala. Once when the Buddha was staying at the Deer Park in Kaṇṇakatthala in the neighbourhood of the city, Pasenadi, who happened to be at …

Uttarā¹

A bhikkhunī whose Therīgāthā verses tell of her awakening. Thig.15

Uttarā²

The Therīgāthā contains seven verses uttered by her after becoming an arahant, the result of …

The name given to the region to the north of the river Mahī. See also Aṅguttarāpa.

???3region

Uttiya¹

A monk whose Theragāthā verse tells of how when ill, he aroused mindfulness. Thag.30

In the Saṃyutta Nikāya SN.v.22 the Buddha explains to him, in answer to his question, the char …

A wanderer who later became an arahant Thera. Several conversations he had with the Buddha are mentioned in the books. For details see the Tevijja Vacchagotta-, Aggi Vacchagotta-, Mahā Vacchagotta- …

VaggumudāVattumudā

A river in the Vajji country. On its banks lived Yasoja and his five hundred companions. Ud.iii.3

Vajjī3river

A householder of Campā, a devout and skilled follower of the Buddha. Once, when on his way to see the Buddha at Gaggarā Lake, he found he had arrived too early and went into the Paribbājakārāma near b …

The name of a country and of its people. It was one of the sixteen Great Nations. The inhabitants appear to have consisted of several confederate clans of whom the Licchavī and the Videhā were the chi …

A brahmin, chief minister of Ajātasattu. He and Sunidha were in charge of the fortifications of Pāṭaligāma, built against the Vajjī. Vin.i.228 Ud.viii.6 DN.ii.72ff.

At Ajātasattu’s suggestion, Vass …

A monk who was declared foremost in the gift of spontaneous poetic expression. AN.i.24

The Theragāthā contains numerous verses spoken by him on various occasions Thag.1208–1279 SN.i.183ff. Some of …

One of the five hills surrounding Rājagaha. MN.iii.68 In this hill was the Sattapaṇṇiguhā, where the first Convocation was held. Vin.ii.76 The river Tapodā rose in a lake at the foot of Vebhāra.

25.0 …

VediyakaVediya

A mountain to the north of Ambasaṇḍā, in which was the Indasālaguhā, where the Buddha stayed. The mountain was bathed in radiance when Sakka visited the Buddha on the occasion of the p …

A town in which the Buddha once spent the rainy season at the invitation of the brahmin Verañja. Verañja visits the Buddha at the foot of the Naḷerupucimanda, where he is staying, and asks him a serie …

VeḷukaṇṭakīVeḷukaṇḍakīVeḷukaṇḍakiyāVeḷukaṇṭakiyā

A lady of Veḷukaṇṭa. She is mentioned as an exemplary lay woman.AN.i.88 AN.ii.164 AN.i.26 SN.ii.236 She founded, for the Order headed by Sāriputta and …

Veḷuvana¹Veṇuvana

A park near Rājagaha, the pleasure garden of Bimbisāra. When the Buddha first visited Rājagaha, after his Enlightenment, he stayed at the Latthivanuyyāna. Vin.i.35 The da …

A class of non human beings generally described as non-human. They are mentioned with Devas, Rakkhasas, Dānavas, Gandhabbas, Kinnaras, and Mahoragas (? Nāgas).

Elsewhere AN.ii.38 they rank, in progr …

While journeying in the company of Sabhiya, he came to Sāvatthī, where he was present at the discussion between Sabhiya and the Buddha. It was his purpose to try and discover flaws in the Buddha’s arg …

YasojaYasojoti

The Udāna mentions Ud.iii.3 how Yasoja and five hundred of his companions went to see the Buddha at Jetavana. There they stood talking to the monks who lived there and made a great upr …

A generic name for devas distinguished for their brilliance, such as the Parittābhā and the Appamāṇābhā. MN.iii.102

A Brahma-world where live radiant devas from whose bodies rays of light are emitted, like lightning. It belongs to the Rūpaloka and is in the plane of second jhāna The devas living there subsist on …

One of the principal disciples of the Buddha. He was a first cousin of the Buddha and was deeply attached to him. Ānanda entered the Order in the second year of the Buddha’s ministry, together with ot …

A city in the Aṅguttarāpa country, probably its capital. The Buddha once visited the city with 1,250 monks and the whole company was entertained by the Jaṭila Keṇiya. Vin.i.245ff. From Āpaṇa the Bud …

A town that lay between Kusinārā and Sāvatthī. Once the Buddha, with a large company of bhikkhus, visited the town. At that time there dwelt in it a monk who had been ordained late in life and had for …