  
  
  
  
                                GLOSSARY
  
  
                        Part I:  Personal Titles
                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
  People in Thailand are rarely referred to simply by name.  Usually the 
  name is prefaced by a term that can indicate either the person's 
  formal rank, his/her relationship to the speaker, or the speaker's 
  feelings about him/her at that particular moment.  A number of these 
  terms, as used in this book, are explained below.
  
    In the days of the absolute monarchy, high-ranking civil servants 
  were given ranks and titles of conferred nobility.  The ranks given to 
  commoners, in ascending order, were Khun, Luang, Phra, Phraya and Chao 
  Phraya.  The wife of a Khun, a Luang or a Phra was called Khun Nai. 
  The wife of a Phraya or a Chao Phraya was called Khun Ying. Other 
  ranks and titles were conferred on members of the royal family in 
  government service, but none of these are mentioned in this book.
  
    A similar system of conferred ranks and titles was, and still is, 
  bestowed on monks. The two basic ranks, in ascending order, are Phra 
  Khru and Chao Khun, although each rank has several grades.  The 
  highest grade of Chao Khun is Somdet.  The recipient of any of these 
  ranks is also given a new name that is supposed to be in keeping with 
  his status and position.  This was especially important back in the 
  days when people might be named "Dog," "Grub"  or "Pig" at birth.  The 
  conferred names are recyclable.  For instance, the Somdet at Wat 
  Boromnivasa mentioned in this book was named Uan (Fatty) at birth.  
  When he was given the rank of Somdet, his official name was 
  Mahawirawong (in Pali, Mahaviravamsa -- "In the Line of the Great 
  Hero').  After his death, the rank and title Somdet Mahawirawong went 
  to the abbot of Wat Makut Kasatriyaram, whose original name was Juan 
  (Almost).  Officially, the two are differentiated as Somdet Phra 
  Mahawirawong (Uan) and Somdet Phra Mahawirawong (Juan).
  
  
  
  Other titles used in this book:
  
  
  //Chao Jawm//:  A king's concubine.
  
  //Khun//:  A polite term placed before the name of a man or woman 
     with no particular rank.  This "khun" and the "khun" that is the 
     lowest rank of conferred nobility (usually given to district 
     officials and lower-ranking military officers) are spelled 
     differently in Thai and pronounced with different tones.  
     Unfortunately, there is no way to indicate this in English 
     without special tonal markers, but the reader should have no 
     trouble telling which is which from the context.
  
  //Luang Phaw//:  Venerable father.  1) A prefix to the name of a 
     senior monk, indicating respect and affection.  2) A prefix to 
     the name of a Buddha image.
  
  //Luang Ta//:  Venerable Maternal Grandfather.  A prefix to the name 
     of an aged monk, indicating somewhat less respect and more 
     affection than Luang Phaw.  Usually, but not exclusively, given 
     to monks ordained late in life.
  
  //Mae//:  Mother.  Also a prefix to the name of a woman or a girl, 
     indicating friendship and respect.
  
  //Maha//:  A prefix to the name of a monk who has passed the third 
     level of Pali exams.  The prefix sticks even if the monk 
     disrobes, but if he remains a monk and is given an ecclesiastical 
     title, the prefix is dropped.
  
  //Nai//:  Mister.  Used before the name of a boy or a man of no 
     particular rank.
  
  //Nang//:  Mrs.
  
  //Phra//:  Venerable.  Used as a prefix to the name of a monk, a 
     Chao Khun or a nobleman (see the note on conferred nobility, 
     above).  Again, there should be no trouble telling which is which 
     by the context.
  
  //Thao//:  A title of rank for lady attendants in the Royal 
     Household.
  
  //Than//:  Reverend, venerable.
  
  //Than Phaw//:  Reverend Father.  The Chanthaburi equivalent of 
     Luang Phaw (see above).
  
  
  
                            Part II:  Terms
                            ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
  //Abhidhamma//:  Part of the Buddhist Canon, seven treatises dealing 
     with the analysis of categories, terms and their relationships.
  
  //Ajaan//:  Teacher; mentor.
  
  //Asalha Puja//:  A Buddhist holy day, on the full moon in July, 
     commemorating the Buddha's first sermon and the events 
     surrounding it.
  
  //Bhikkhu//:  A Buddhist monk.
  
  //Chedi//:  A spired monument, containing relics of the Buddha, 
     objects related to the Buddha, or copies of Buddhist scriptures.
  
  //Dhamma//:  The teachings of the Buddha; the practice of those 
     teachings;  the truth of things as they are.
  
  //Dhutanga//:  1) Ascetic practice, such as going for alms, eating 
     only one meal a day, etc.  2) Wandering monk.
  
  //Gatha//:  A verse or short passage in the Pali language.
  
  //Jhana//:  Meditative absorption in a single sensation or mental 
     notion.
  
  //Karma (kamma)//:  Intentional act, in thought, word or deed,  
     holding consequences for the doer of the act.
  
  //Kathina//:  A gift of cloth to a group of monks who have observed 
     the Rains Retreat together in one place.
  
  //Khanom tom//:  A Thai boiled sweet made of a flour paste formed 
     into balls around a sweetened coconut stuffing and rolled in 
     grated coconut.
  
  //Magha Puja//:  A Buddhist holy day,  on the full moon in February 
     or early March, commemorating the Buddha's sermon called the 
     Ovada Patimokkha, a summary of the basic tenets of his teaching, 
     given on the afternoon of that day to an assembly of 1,250 
     arahant (fully Awakened) disciples.
  
  //Naga//:  A deity in the form of a large serpent, gifted with 
     magical powers and great strength.
  
  //Nibbana//:  Liberation.  The extinguishing of passion, aversion 
     and delusion in the mind, resulting in complete freedom from 
     suffering.
  
  //Parinibbana//:  Total liberation; the passing away of the Buddha 
     and his arahant disciples.
  
  //Phaa paa//:  A gift of cloth and other requisites placed on  small 
     tree and presented to a monk.  This is a remnant of an old 
     tradition -- from the days when monks were not allowed to accept 
     gifts of cloth, and could make their robes only from thrown-away 
     cloth -- in which donors who wanted to give new cloth to monks 
     would "throw it away" by placing it on the branch of a tree near 
     a path where the monk was sure to pass.
  
  //Sala//: 1) A public meeting hall.  2) An open pavilion where 
     travelers may rest.
  
  //Samadhi//:  Concentration.  Centering the mind in a single 
     preoccupation.
  
  //Tripitaka//:  The Buddhist Canon, consisting of three "baskets':  
     Vinaya (disciplinary rules), Suttas (discourses) and Abhidhamma 
     (abstract analysis of categories and terms).
  
  //Vinaya//:   The disciplinary rules for Buddhist monks.
  
  //Visakha Puja//:  A Buddhist holy day, on the full moon in May or 
     early June, commemorating the Buddha's birth, Awakening and 
     parinibbana (see above).
  
  //Wai//:  A gesture of respect in which the hands are put 
     palm-to-palm over one's heart, in front of one's face or, in 
     extreme cases, over one's head.
  
  //Wat//:  Temple; monastery.
  
  
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