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From: Christopher Fynn <cfynn@sahaja.demon.co.uk>
Newsgroups: talk.religion.buddhism,alt.magick.tyagi,alt.religion.buddhism.tibetan
Subject: Re: Monks and priests
Date: Tue, 28 Nov 95 03:04:45 GMT
Lines: 32
Message-ID: <817527885snz@sahaja.demon.co.uk>
References: ! <48t5pl$gfq@jobe.shell.portal.com> <494g2e$cj2@bmtlh10.bnr.ca> <30B8BE4D.101@cp.duluth.mn.us>
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In article <30B8BE4D.101@cp.duluth.mn.us>
           malthus@cp.duluth.mn.us "Joe verville" writes:

> There ARE-NO-PRIESTS-IN-THERAVADA-BUDDHISM.  I suggest you look in the 
> dictionary and read what it says a priest is.  Here it is:
> 
>         1)  A person of special rank who preforms religious rites in a temple 
> for the service of GOD or a god.  
>         2)  A clergyman ranking next below a Bishop
> 
> 
>         comes from the greek word  -presbys-
> 

Collins English Dictionary lists eight seperate meanings for
priest not all of them having something to do with God or god.

The word comes from the Old English preost related to presbyter
which is from 14 C Latin and apparently from the Greek presbuteros
an older man from presbus old man. 
 
> The whole idea of priests comes from the west and western religions.  It is 
> completly foreign to Buddhism.

The Buddhist usage of this word seems usually to be applied
to married teachers or officiants such as those found in several 
Japanese Buddhist sects. Any suggestions for a better English 
word? cleric?
 
-- 
Christopher J Fynn <cfynn@sahaja.demon.co.uk>