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A Sinhala thero from the YT channel Authentic Dhamma says in this video, that riya means “vehicle or movement or journey” and ariya means the opposite or “someone who has stopped the samsaric journey”. I cannot find the word riya in the dictionary.
Ariya is there:
ariya : [adj.] noble; distinguished. (m.), a noble man; one who has attained higher knowledge.
Also, the term Bhikkhu would contain bhava + khaya
But I cannot identify that in bhi+ku (?).
Is the Thero right?
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Yes. The usage of “riya” in Ariya is explained the same way in #13 of “Nibbāna – Is it Difficult to Understand?“
The word “bhikkhu” comes from “bhava” + “khaya.” It could also be explained as “bhaya” + “khaya.”
- “Bhaya” means “danger” or “afraid”. “Khaya” is to remove.
- Thus, a bhikkhu striving to remove “bhava” (that gives rise to jati) is striving to attain Nibbana (end the rebirth process filled with suffering).
- In the same way, one who is working to remove the sansaric bhaya or the danger associated with the rebirth process can be called a “bhikkhu.”
- As we have seen, many Pali words (anicca, anatta, etc.) have many different but related meanings.
Also, see “Bhikkhu Sutta (AN 7.85),” which explains a bhikkhu somewhat differently but with a similar meaning.
- It makes no sense to translate bhikkhu as a “mendicant,” meaning a “beggar,” as in the English translation in the above link.
- That is disrespectful!
It is best not to try to translate words like bhikkhu, anicca, and anatta to English, but to use the Pali words and understand the meanings.
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