What's the Deal With Dharma Names? 

It should be noted that the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives, Roshi-Kennett's lineage, does in fact, use Western sounding Dharma names, going back to the original meaning of the various Western names. Western names also have meanings, so they've gone that route. That was part of her move in that lineage to try and translate as much as possible to English and Western terms, specifically so that it *wouldn't* sound foreign and exotic. Her goal in my understanding was to try and help Buddhism fit into Western society and normalize it to Westerners as much as possible. This even includes the titles of chants and recitations, or ceremonies, where instead of saying "Oryoki" they call it "Mealtime Ceremonial". Where they would translate the title itself into the English translation and do that. Some Westerners don't like that, because the result is something *too* familiar to them, and many people are trying to get away from something like Christianity, which is a Western religion they may have grown up with, and so don't want something that seems similar. But for people who are drawn to that lineage, they seem to find that "non exotic" aspect helpful. This even goes to the name of their order, where instead of saying, "The Order of Zen Buddhists", they translate the word "Zen" as "Contemplatives", for "contemplation". For example, I know a monk from that order named "Leon". Well looking up the meaning of the name "Leon" it means "Lion", and so may have a Buddhist meaning of referring to the "lion's roar of the Buddha". And so on.

Primer for Selecting Dharma Names is indeed on Terebess.

You mentioned Sanbo Kyodan a couple of times. I've been attending a center in that tradition for a couple months now. It's kinda like Rinzai and Soto mix. They stress zazen and shikantaza as the main practice, but also do dokusan and koan practice. Everyone there including the 2 teachers go by their given first name. There is no one saying call me sensei or roshi. They do zazen Wed night, dharma talks Thursday nights and another zazen Sunday mornings. They also do samu Sundays where we do zazen then work around the center. Also they occasionally do day long hiking meditation with a dharma talk. I'm pretty into how they do things. No one talks about politics or "woke" stuff. It seems really dedicated to the way. But I'm curious about your take on Sanbo Kyodan. Maybe you could address it in one of your videos? Thanks Brad. Just bought and started "sit down and shut up " I'm really liking it so far.😊😊😊😊

Looks like i gotta find somebody to give me the precepts so i can have a cool name too. Back in my punk days i went by the name "Nobrains", pretty dharma if you think about it.

I am giving myself the dharma name of Rambo Rocky

Dibs on Turd Ferguson

Looking to your garden through your glasses is really psychedelic 😋 Thanx for this very interesting video. EDIT: By googling the name of "your" book, I found a free PDF on the Terebess website. So thanx again !

Very interesting. Thank you! I always enjoy seeing your collected books.

My new age name is Roadkill. BTW that’s true

Thank you, Brad

i never used it but ot os tru that is something the teacher gives you with his heart and is something related to the personal character and i think it helps in life and practice, but i never use it. Ive been also in sambo kyodan for some years and teacher was called roshi but using normal given names. very interesting topic, greetings from argentina.

My first Sangha stylized our Dharma names as a middle name like Daido and ZMM lineage. Those teachers were students of Daido so they kind of adopted the tradition. Fast forward to a different time, I received jukai and tokudo in a different lineage. We use our names with one another in the context of practice and Sangha. Years and years ago when I began practicing, using my Dharma name became a huge part of my identity as it did with so many others in the community. I have no interest in that anymore. What a stupid idiot I was.

I think Buddhism should adapt to every place it arrives to, it is how it was done historically and it is a great opportunity to develop our own unique form to deliver Dharma for people who maybe aren't interested in Asian culture and also to influence and impregnate western culture with Buddhist values, but I think it should be done by striping Buddhism from it's Japanese, Tibetan or Chinese specificity, we should stick to Sanskrit or Pali and maybe rethink how we translate other unique terms used in Tibetan, Chinese or Japanese Buddhism. I also think we should develop our own new forms or what in the future could become "Western Buddhist Traditional Art". I'm not a leftist or someone who is even concerned about "cultural appropriation", I just think, for example in Latin America, Buddhism should struggle to be perceived as something as local as Catholicism has become, our Native American and Spaniard ancestors weren't always Catholic, during the next 500 years we should work towards a West in which being a Buddhist isn't more weird than being Catholic, part of this is letting Buddhism be Buddhism, instead of a leftist mockery of itself or some Right Wing Himlerite bullshit esoteric ideology (yes, Alt Right Buddhism is becoming a thing).

they are super cool, thats what... Odo 😮

I would like my dharma name to be Ziggy

I prefer to go by my Blues name : Dyspeptic Cherry Biden (following the Physical infirmity, Fruit and president rule) - eg. Blind Lemon Johnson, Cripple Kiwi Washington etc

Steven Grey 👉 Adyashanti They nailed it! Sounds almost identical.

Master Brad!!

It was the preceptor who chose a Dharma name for me. Mine is a Pali sounding name. Where I am, Buddhism is a minority religion. Some Buddhists here have many Buddhist names given by different monk-preceptors. A guy has more than 3 Buddhist names. He said he felt sorry everytime he saw a visudhi ceremony with too few followers so that he almost always joined the visudhi ceremony (again and again) in order to add himself to the number of people joining in the ceremony. (To make the number/ statistic look "brighter"). On every visudhi ceremony he partook he was given a Dharmic name. That's how he got more than 3 names!

I alway felt that my Dharma name was one part reflects who i am and one part who i inspire to be. Anyway that is how it was explained to me. Great info as always.

My dharma name is Fugen Inkan. It's supposed to mean Cosmic Eye Hidden Mirror. Odo was the name of the security chief on Deep Space 9.

If something was given intentionally it is absurd to say that it was appropriated. Cultural exchange is also a beautiful thing. That said there are some western Buddhists who seem to fetishize the "exoticness" of it Buddhism. Going beyond the vocabulary and culture related directly to practice and getting really into food, aesthetics, etc. I suppose it's mostly harmless but it is not necessary to eat gomasyo to practice the dharma.

'Our' Dharma names are given in Chinese and Pali. They have specific meanings and can be translated into English but are much more cumbersome. For example, my name 'Dhammajivaka' is given after 'Jivaka' the first physician of the Buddha and means 'good son' so the more litteral translation is 'Good son of the Dharma (way of truth or the doctrine). I use it in official corresppndence or during ceremonies and don't use it in daily life, but do feel hesitant because people do get uncomfortable with that kind of stuff.

I still use Hardcore Zen as my reference to all things Zen, and you don't need a new name, or funny hat, or robes to ''do Zen.'' You do need to sit Zazen regularly.

丹羽 (Niwa) means "red feather" and 廉芳 rempo seems to be something like "cheap perfume" :)

When I did jukai at Shasta Abbey, they just used my given name. Some of the monks thought their Japanese Dharma names were too hard for the locals to pronounce, so Shasta started using Old English names like Clarembald.

It's not cultural appropriation; it's cultural dissemination. I wish you'd learn the difference. But beyond that, ever read the Blue Cliff Record? Dharma names at that time clearly didn't adhere to the rules. It was more like they were the names of characters in a Stephen Chow movie. I swear, I forget which kōan it is, but there's a monk referenced with the name "Iron Head." I kid you not. Harada Rōshi has also done a bit similar; naming one student in the health care profession "Genki" for example. It is NOT without levity. (His given name was Brian.) Then again, my dharma name generally fits what you said. BTW, I love the fact that you're just winging this. PS: When we do sesshin, we all go by dharma names during that time. It's a way of adhering to a sangha identity.

Algodharma

[wonder if you have any thoughts on morihei ueshiba? i have his small book 'the art of peace' and am aware hes is founder of aikido, which seems like a 'buddhist-friendly' form of 'martial'-art..find his outlook interesting]

You’re right using the dharma name IS pretentious. Just like those who make New Age names for themselves.

Named, yet nameless. The only dharma name is the one that doesn't need to be named. Rest is all vanity of Maya.

In the centre I'm in, dharma names are in Sanskrit.

To add another viewpoint, it can't be cultural appropriation if you are part of the culture! If you are a practicing buddhist to the extent that you receive a dharma name, surely you have become of that culture, whatever your ancestry or origin might be. You have adopted, not appropriated, the culture.

😅When baptized, that is! Catholics also write the new name in the Book of the Elect, an actual large book.

Dennis. 😂😂😂

What's wrong with Dennis? Haha

I have to admit I was pleased to receive a dharma name but only use it in Buddhist contexts. As for cultural appropriation, something given freely isn't appropriated. Having been studying Japanese martial arts for a long time, wearing Japanese clothing is more or less second nature at this point, and I've never been accused of cultural appropriation. Usually it's the other way around, and Japanese people seem pleased to see people adopting and keeping their traditions.

I wonder why you do not use Odobena, your dharma name, is it your jukai name, did you get a priest name? Are you a priest? Maybe you even have an Inka name and are a Roshi? And you prefer not to wear your rakusu when sharing with us? or at other times? For sesshin maybe? Why is that?. I have had these questions for a while, so now I am asking. Nanda

Alot of women in Japan are called Fukami - awkard much.

Latin dharma names!