What titles apply to non-monastic/lay Buddhists? (upasaka/upasika savaka/sravaka)
score:1
So to answer my own question, with Theravada emphasis, there are two main categories that apply to non-monastics:
TODO: Add "uninstructed worldling" as an option for fun. Research "Bhauddhaya"
Upāsaka (masculine) or Upāsikā (feminine)
- Translates to "attendant" and means "devout follower". (Wikipedia link)
- Specifically refers to people who are not part of a monastic order.
Śrāvaka (Sanskrit) / Sāvaka (Pali) : Masculine or Śrāvikā (Sanskrit) / Sāvikā (Pali) : Feminine
- Translates to "hearer" and means "disciple" (Wikipedia link)
- Transcends monastic-lay divisions and can refer to anyone from the following "four assemblies":
- bhikkhus ("monks")
- bhikkuṇīs ("nuns")
- upāsakas and upāsikā (laypersons)
- Does not describe Mahāyāna Buddhists: As noted in the "Mahāyāna view" section of the Savaka wikipedia article, the word "śrāvakas" has a very precise connotation when used in the Mahāyāna context, which implies that "śrāvaka" means someone "set on their own liberation, and cultivating detachment in order to attain liberation". I.e. Theravada Buddhists seeking nibbana, in contrast to Mahāyāna Buddhists following the Bodhisattva path to "liberation of all beings".
Saddhānusārī
- Translates to "faith follower"
- Mentioned in Cakkhu Sutta: The Eye (Pali)
Monks, the eye is inconstant, changeable, alterable. The ear... The nose... The tongue... The body... The mind is inconstant, changeable, alterable.
"One who has conviction & belief that these phenomena are this way is called a faith-follower: one who has entered the orderliness of rightness, entered the plane of people of integrity, transcended the plane of the run-of-the-mill. He is incapable of doing any deed by which he might be reborn in hell, in the animal womb, or in the realm of hungry shades. He is incapable of passing away until he has realized the fruit of stream-entry."
- Based on this, it seems to imply a very high minimum level of attainment to qualify, as you would have to be very precisely a sotapanna-magga (on the path to stream entry) with a guarantee of becomming sotapanna-phala (accomplishing stream entry) within your current lifetime.
- Strikes me as a title that few would ever want to apply to themselves, and essentially equivalent to sotapanna-magga, though I am not clear yet on whether sotapanna-magga explicitly means you will accomplish stream entry in the current life or not.
Conclusion: Savaka describes all Theravada Buddhists
So it seems, the best, most generic term that applies to any non-Mahāyāna Buddhist, regardless of gender or role is Savaka, a disciple of Buddha with unspecified gender but also unspecified role as monastic or lay person.
If you have male or female gender, you would be both a Savaka and a Upāsaka or Upāsikā.
If you are part of a monastic order then you are also a Bhikkhu or Bhikkuṇī
If you can lay claim to any spiritual attainments then you can also use a variety of words to describe these achievements. These include Saddhānusārī, and of course the Four stages of enlightenment, for example the most accessible stage, Sotapanna.
Upvote:3
There's Saddhānusārī translated "faith follower".
And Dhammānusārī translated "follower of the law".
According to SN 25.1 these appear to be on the road to stream entry.
Upvote:4
you might get a few answers but here is my thought:
Śrāvaka (Sanskrit) or Sāvaka (Pali) means "hearer" or, more generally, or"disciple", or "one who sits near", "one who lend ears"
Gender neutral and describes all level of achievements.
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