[Buddha-l] Nirvana si, bodhi no! [was: liturgical languages]

[r.g.morrison]

Peter D. Junger:

: I am afraid that the villains are anglo speaking enthusiasts for
: the term that they invented to describe the Scottish "Enlightenment."

I think even we Scots would admit that the notion of the 'Enlightenment' 
extends beyond Scotland, and is in fact a translation of the German 
'Aufklärung', a term that is never used to translate 'bodhi' in German - 
which says a lot.  I believe that the term 'Enlightenment' was used to 
translate 'bodhi' as Buddhism (non-Mahayana) seemed so rational and sensible 
when contrasted with the Judeo-Christian tradition to English/Western 
translators of the early Buddhist texts.  I've met modern Indian Buddhists 
who put Betrand Russell next to the Buddha, so as to distinguish it from 
what they see as the irrational superstitions of Hindhuism.

Robert Morrison