[Buddha-l] Lamas and such

[Erik Hoogcarspel]

Joy Vriens schreef:
> Hi John,
>   
>> I have never heard the term "zielenboer" before and google does not return 
>> any hits.
>>   
>>     
> Probably because it's a neologism.
> In fact agent particles like "ma", "pa", "ba", "mo" etc. are called 
> "ming mtha'" ("name ends") and can be added to a noun to design an agent 
> (professions etc.). E.g. the word "zhing" (field) followed by "pa" makes 
> zhing-pa, literally  a field-er, a farmer. "rta" is a horse and rta-pa a 
> horse rider. "yi ge " is a letter/syllable and yi-ge-pa a scribe or 
> copyist. So if you have "bla" (soul) and you use a nominalising "name 
> end", with its professional undertones, to express an agent, then you 
> could translate bla-ma as a "soul-er".
>
> I got the idea for "farmer" from the combination zhing-pa (field-er = 
> farmer). The Dutch -boer can be added to jobs that usually have a nice 
> ring to them in order to attenuate the nice ring. Like an "estate agent" 
> becomes a "huizenboer" (house farmer) and a stock broker an 
> "aandelenboer" (share farmer). Hence the "zielenboer" (soul farmer). If 
> the neologism "soul farmer" ever makes it as a standard translation for 
> lama, I would like this post to be included in etymological dictionaries.
>
>   
It wouldn't stand a chance, I'm afraid. 'Boer' refers to someone who cultivates (from boer < bouwer < bouwen < ... < bhū; see also Heidegger's text 'Bauen Wohnen Denken - Vorträge und Aufsätze 1951). So a 'zielenboer' or soulfarmer would be someone who grows, cultivates, produces, delivers souls. We have a fairly common word for the etymology you describe: 'zielszorger' or pastor, someone who takes care of souls.

Erik

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