Where do westerners get their "Buddhist" names?

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Where do westerners get their “Buddhist” names?

In the Theravada tradition a novice receives a new name in Pali when a senior monk accepts his/her request to become Preceptor.

For more information see "Ordination Procedure in the Theravada Tradition".

Upvote:1

What amazes me is that people's "Buddhist" names all seem to be Asian. :-)

People 'get' their name from a guru, which is a form of initiation into that particular tradition, and so the new name is almost always related to the root culture from which that tradition sprung. The new name is a psychological device to provide a sense of belonging to that tradition, and pride is encouraged around it, since you have to meet approval to receive it.

There is really no reason your "buddhist name" needs to be from a particular culture. unless it is useful to you as a tool to walk The Path. If you need that sense of belonging, then its a wonderful thing.

But "naming" isn't a "Buddhist" thing. It is a traditional cultural thing that was brought along for the ride as a useful tool.

Upvote:2

The same is true for Mahayana traditions (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma_name) allthough exceptions are possible. So for example the German Mr. Nölke, since many years abbot Muhô in Antaiji, Japan, got the freedom by his predecessor to choose his own dharma name, which he then officially "received". Justification: as one could not choose its own name at birth, at least the choosing of the dharma name should or can be in our own hands.

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