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Sravaka
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Sravaka or Shravaka (Sanskrit) or Savaka (Pali) means "a hearer" or, more generally, "disciple."
This term is used by both Buddhists and Jains. In Jainism, a shravaka is any lay Jain. Thus the term shravaka has been used ofor the jain community itself (for example see Sarak and Saraogi).
In Buddhism, the term is sometimes reserved for distinguished disciples of the Buddha.
a class="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m2877405",this)' onMouseout='hide("m2877405")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Nikaya_Buddhism">Nikaya Buddhism, savaka (m.) or savika (f.) is a disciple who accepts:
In Mahayana texts, sravakas (or arhats) are sometimes contrasted with bodhisattvas (Sanskrit; Pali: bodhisatta).
he Pali canon, the term "disciple" transcends monastic-lay divisions and can refer to anyone from the following "four assemblies":
Buddhist texts further mention three types of disciples based on spiritual accomplishment:
- In the Pali canon, the Chief Disciples are Sariputta (Pali; Sanskrit: Sariputra) and Mahamoggallana (Pali; Sanskrit: Maudgalyayana).
- Examples of Great Disciples are Mahakassapa (Pali; Sanskrit: Mahakasyapa), Ananda, Anuruddha and Mahakaccana.
- Ordinary disciples, who constitute the majority of disciples, while devoted to the Buddha and his teaching and while having planted seeds for future liberation, have not yet irreversibly entered the path to emancipation and are still subject to infinite rebirths.
broadly: any lay disciple (Pali: upasaka, upasika) of the Buddha;narrowly: one who is at least on the path to enlightenment (Pali: sotapatti maggattha).

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Encyclopedia
Sravaka or Shravaka (Sanskrit) or Savaka (Pali) means "a hearer" or, more generally, "disciple."
This term is used by both Buddhists and Jains. In Jainism, a shravaka is any lay Jain. Thus the term shravaka has been used ofor the jain community itself (for example see Sarak and Saraogi).
In Buddhism, the term is sometimes reserved for distinguished disciples of the Buddha.
Buddhist references
In Nikaya Buddhism, savaka (m.) or savika (f.) is a disciple who accepts:
- the Buddha as their teacher,
- the Buddha's teaching (the Dhamma),
- the Buddha's rules of conduct (Five Precepts for laypersons, Patimokkha for monastics).
In Mahayana texts, sravakas (or arhats) are sometimes contrasted with bodhisattvas (Sanskrit; Pali: bodhisatta).
Who's a "disciple"?
In the Pali canon, the term "disciple" transcends monastic-lay divisions and can refer to anyone from the following "four assemblies":
- monks (Pali: bhikkhu)
- nuns (Pali: )
- laymen (Pali: upasaka)
- laywomen (Pali: upasika)
Buddhist texts further mention three types of disciples based on spiritual accomplishment:
- Chief Disciple (Pali: aggasavaka; Sanskrit: agrasravaka):
- In the Pali canon, the Chief Disciples are Sariputta (Pali; Sanskrit: Sariputra) and Mahamoggallana (Pali; Sanskrit: Maudgalyayana).
- Great Disciple (Pali: mahasavaka; Sanskrit: maha-sravaka):
- Examples of Great Disciples are Mahakassapa (Pali; Sanskrit: Mahakasyapa), Ananda, Anuruddha and Mahakaccana.
- Ordinary Disciple (Pali: pakatisavaka; Sanskrit: ):
- Ordinary disciples, who constitute the majority of disciples, while devoted to the Buddha and his teaching and while having planted seeds for future liberation, have not yet irreversibly entered the path to emancipation and are still subject to infinite rebirths.
"Noble disciple" In the Pali Canon, the term "noble disciple" (Pali: ariya-savaka) is used in two ways:
- broadly: any lay disciple (Pali: upasaka, upasika) of the Buddha;
- narrowly: one who is at least on the path to enlightenment (Pali: sotapatti maggattha). In this sense, "ordinary disciple" (pakatisavaka) can be contrasted with this narrow definition of "noble disciple" (ariya-savaka).
The canon occasionally references the "four pairs" and "eight types" of noble disciples. This refers to disciples (in the aforementioned narrow sense) who have achieved one of the four stages of enlightenment:
For each of these stages, there is a "pair" of possible disciples: one who is on the stage's path (Pali: magga); the other who has achieved its fruit (Pali: phala). Thus, each stage represents a "pair" of individuals: the path traveler (Pali: maggattha) and the fruit achiever (Pali: phalattha). Hence, the community of disciples is said to be composed of four pairs or eight types of individuals (Pali: cattari purisayugani attha purisapuggala).
In the Pali canon, the Buddha often contrasts the "instructed noble disciple" (Pali: sutava ariya-savaka) with the "uninstructed worlding" (Pali: assutava puthujjana). For instance, in the "Sabbasava Sutta," the Buddha states:
- The well-instructed disciple of the noble ones — who has regard for noble ones, is well-versed & disciplined in their Dhamma; who has regard for men of integrity, is well-versed & disciplined in their Dhamma — discerns what ideas are fit for attention and what ideas are unfit for attention.
"Foremost" disciples In the "Etadaggavagga" ("These are the Foremost Chapter," AN 1.14), the Buddha identifies 80 different categories for his "foremost" (Pali: agga) disciples: 47 categories for monks, 13 for nuns, ten for laymen and ten for laywomen. Some of these categories and the associated disciples are identified in the table below.
In addition, in SN 17.23, SN 17.24 and AN 4.18.6, the Buddha identifies four pairs of disciples "who have no compare" and who should thus be emulated. These four pairs are a subset of the 80 foremost disciples identified in the aforementioned sutta AN 1.14. These four pairs of disciples to be most emulated are:
"Community of disciples" In Buddhism, there are two traditional communities (Pali: sangha):
- The "community of monks" (Pali:
bhikkhu-sangha or sammati-sangha) refers to a community of four or more monks. (See the article on "Sangha" for more information.) The "community of disciples" (Pali: savaka-sangha or ariya-sangha) refers to the community of monks, nuns, and male and female layfollowers, especially those who are on the path to enlightenment.
For an example of a traditional stock reference to the savaka-sangha in the Pali canon, in "The Crest of the Standard" discourse (SN 11.3), the Buddha advises his monks that, if they experience fear, they can recollect the Buddha or the Dhamma or the Sangha; and, in recollecting the Sangha they should recall:
- 'The Sangha of the Blessed One's disciples [
savaka-sangha] is practising the good way, practising the straight way, practising the true way, practising the proper way; that is, the four pairs of persons, the eight types of individuals....'
A similar phrase can also be found in the lay disciple's daily chant, "Sangha Vandana" ("Salutation to the Sangha").
Mahayana view According to Je Tsongkhapa (founder of the Tibetan Gelug School):
"The Sutra on the Ten Levels says that those who have cultivated these ten [virtuous practices, i.e. not killing, not stealing, not lying etc.] through fear of cyclic existence and without [great] compassion, but following the words of others, will achieve the fruit of a Sravaka."
Jain references
Sravaka in Jainism is a lay Jain. He is the hearer of Jinavani i.e. discourses of Jain muni]s and scholars.
The Jain chaturvidha sangha includes monks, nuns, lay men and women.
See also
Bibliography
- Acharya, Kala (2002). : A Glossary of Buddhist Terms. Mumbai, New Delhi:Somaiya Publications. ISBN 81-7039-246-2. Available on-line at: http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/DBLM/resource/ebooks/102946/102946.htm.
- Bodhi, Bhikkhu (trans.) (2000). The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya. Boston: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0-86171-331-1.
- Bodhi, Bhikkhu (ed.) (2005). In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon.Boston: Wisdom Pubs. ISBN 0-86171-491-1.
- Buddhaghosa, Bhadantacariya & (trans.) (1999). The Path of Purification: Visuddhimagga. Seattle, WA: BPS Pariyatti Editions. ISBN 1-928706-00-2.
- Indaratana Maha Thera, Elgiriye (2002). Vandana: The Album of Pali Devotional Chanting and Hymns. Penang, Malaysia:Mahindarama Dhamma Publication. Available on-line at: http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/vandana02.pdf.
- Nyanaponika Thera, Hellmuth Hecker & Bhikkhu Bodhi (ed.) (2003). Great Disciples of the Buddha: Their lives, their works, their legacy. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 0-86171-381-8.
- Nyanatiloka Mahathera (4th ed., 1980). Buddhist Dictionary: Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines. Kandy, Sri Lanka:Buddhist Publication Society. ISBN 955-24-0019-8. Available on-line at: http://www.budsas.org/ebud/bud-dict/dic_idx.htm.
- Pali Text Society (PTS) (1921-1925). The Pali Text Society's Pali-English dictionary. London: Chipstead. Available on-line at: http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/.
- Prayudh Payutto (1986). Sangha: The Ideal World Community. A lecture delivered in January 2529/1986 at the Fourth International Congress of the World Buddhist Sangha Council, held at Buddha's Light Vihara, Bangkok. Available on-line at: http://www.saigon.com/~anson/ebud/ebdha062.htm.
- Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans., 2006a). Metta Sutta: Good Will (1)" (AN 4.125). Available on-line at: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.125.than.html.
- Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans., 2006b). Metta Sutta: Good Will (2)" (AN 4.126). Available on-line at: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.126.than.html.
- Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans., 1997). Sabbasava Sutta: All the Fermentations (MN 2). Available on-line at: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.002.than.html.
- Uppalavanna, Sister (trans.) (n.d.-a). Aayacanasuttam: Wishing (AN 4.18.6). Retrieved from "MettaNet" at http://www.mettanet.org/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/4Anguttara-Nikaya/Anguttara2/4-catukkanipata/018-sacetaniyavaggo-e.html.
- Uppalavanna, Sister (trans.) (n.d.-b). Etadaggavagga: These are the foremost (AN 1.14). Retrieved from "MettaNet" at http://www.mettanet.org/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/4Anguttara-Nikaya/Anguttara1/1-ekanipata/014-Etadaggapali-e.html. A Romanized Pali version of this chapter is available from this same site at http://www.mettanet.org/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/4Anguttara-Nikaya/Anguttara1/1-ekanipata/014-Etadaggapali-p.html.
- Webu Sayadaw & Roger Bischoff (trans.) (1995). "A Happiness that Ever Grows" in The Essential Practice (Part II). Available on-line at: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/webu/wheel384.html#happy.
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