[Buddha-l] The Toulmiin link [Prebyters}

[Richard Hayes]

On Aug 11, 2009, at 8:54 AM, Joanna Kirkpatrick wrote:

> ===============
> I don't know if you are kidding about what Ajahn Chah said, or
> not.

No, I'm not kidding. (Only a nanny goat can kid.) I am reporting what  
a disciple of Ajahn Chah reported to me. I did once read in one of  
Ajahn Chah's books that he found the eight-fold path too much to  
remember. So instead of trying to remember all the limbs of the eight- 
limbed path, he tried to learn as much dharma as he could from his own  
personal eight guides: his two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, tongue  
and body.

> As I recall, in Hindi 'abhi' means 'right now'--so I like to
> think of abhidharma as meaning 'dharma here and now'--- and
> 'adhi' means 'half'.  So  I was hinting that on Buddha-L we get
> half-dharma most of the time.

In Sanskrit "abhi" means "to, toward" and also "superior." So  
abhidharma is often explained as that which guides one toward the  
Dharma to which Buddhists go for refuge, which is nirvana. What leads  
toward nirvana, of course, is wisdom, so "abhdharma" can be explained  
as being a synonym of prajñā. Alternatively, "abhidharma" can mean  
the highest thing that can be experienced, which again is nirvana.  
"Adhi" means "superior" or "higher." And the Sanskrit word for "half"  
is "ardha." Those Hindu speakers can't seem to get anything right.  
Hindi must be some kind of ardhasaṃskṛta. I would avoid it if I  
were you.

> But then the usual hilarity
> relieves us of our pedantic tendencies, which is probably a good
> thing.

Unlike most subscribers to buddha-l, I don't have any pedantic  
tendencies whatsoever. Every time I say something serious, people seem  
to think I'm trying to be hilarious. It's most disconcerting, even to  
an honorary nanny goat.

Ardhamati