Translations of
Sādhu
Sanskritसाधु
(IAST: sādhu)
Palisādhu
Burmeseသာဓု
(MLCTS: sadhu)
Khmerសាធុ
(UNGEGN: sathŭ)
Shanသႃႇထူႉ
([sàa thṵ̂u])
Thaiสาธุ
(RTGS: sathu)
Glossary of Buddhism

Sādhu (from Sanskrit sādhu, "good, virtuous, pious") or Sathu (Thai: สาธุ) is a Pāli word of Sanskrit origin which is used as a formula of approbation in both religious and secular contexts in Southeast Asia. It is a kind of Buddhist version of the Amen in Abrahamic religions,[1] or the Svāhā in Vedic religions, which also served as a form of salutation.[2] Though it is an "untranslatable phrase",[3] it can be variously translated as "amen",[4] "good", "yes"[5] "thank you",[6] "I have received",[7] "well done",[8] "be it so"[9] or "all shall be well".[10]

Etymology

In Sanskrit, sādhu often describes a holy person or entity. However, in Pali, the word sādhu means good, excellent, or auspicious. This is used after someone has completed some task with excellence or fulfillment, often in a commitment to religious life. While the Sanskrit refers to a mystic, the Pāli refers to a moral attitude. When the term sādhu is directed to a person, it literally translates to “blessed one”. This refers to an enlightened being such as a Buddha, and a regular human being who strives for enlightenment.

Use

A concluding word

Sādhu is most often heard as a concluding word in a religious setting. It can be used by all Buddhists, such as monks, nuns, and lay practitioners.[11] It is said after receiving offerings, sermons (Dhamma talk), as well as in a profane context. The preacher usually ends his sermon by wishing for the attainment of Nirvana which is then followed by a concluding in unison of "sādhu, sādhu, sādhu". Buddhists say “sādhu sādhu sādhu” three times to answer a religious question or express their religious feelings if they find that the request is satisfactory.

When a Burmese monk U Tiloka admonished the villagers to refuse to pay land revenue and capitation taxes in order to obtain home rule against the British Empire, he usually concluded his speeches by asking all who accepted his preaching to say sādhu three times.[12]

In some Buddhist traditions like Vessantara Festival, the word sādhu is sometimes followed by the sound of conch[13] or to the sound of a gong to mark the end of each chapter of the recited Pāli stanzas.[14]

A good thing

"Sādhu" is also used to refer something good. In Dhammapada Verse 35, the Buddha said that it is sādhu to tame the mind.[15]

Hard to hold back, flighty, alighting where it will; it’s good (sādhu) to tame the mind; a tamed mind leads to bliss.

— Dhammapada 35

A shout for victory

Satho is a cry for joy in ancient Vedic stories and it is still used in Hindu culture as a general shout of approval in battle.[16] In the Thai version of a legend of the Bhagavad Gita translated by Eliakim Littell, the words sathu, sathu, are put in the mouth of the King:[17]

The King will cry: "Sathu, sathu! It is good, it is good!"

An exclamation

This word was used by the Buddha when devotees asked him about deep or hard issues. Sādhu is therefore occasionally used in the Tipiṭaka as an exclamation. In the Vinaya Piṭaka, to show his appreciation of something Sāriputta had said, the Buddha responded:

Sādhu, sādhu Sāriputta!

— Vin. I,56

An opener

Sādhu is also used as the opener in prayers to an image of the Buddha.[18] It is also widely used for non-Buddhist uses. For example, the word sādhu is used by soldiers offering obedience[19] to kings,[20] or by believers praying to deities such as Burmese nats[21] and devatas as the opener:

Sathu, sathu, we are so poor and suffering. May the great devata bestow a great blessing on us. May we be granted a child of our own.

— Lao Folktales[22]

Interpretation

Triple repetition: discipline

The threefold repetition of sādhu is very common in Southeast Asia. Sādhu repeated three times is interpreted as referring to the three aspects: a disciplined body, speech, and mind.

Fourth utterance: respect

Sādhu is sometimes repeated a fourth time in a longer and emphatic tone. The reason Buddhists utter the fourth “Sādhu” in such a long manner may be honorific with respect to those who are most disciplined according to the Noble Eightfold Path.[23]

Social networks

Sādhu, sādhu, sādhu associated with three folding hands emoticon has become a popular comment on social networks as sign of reverence and encouragement.

Music

Saathukaan (Thai: สาธุการ[24]) is the traditional melody used by Thai musicians for eulogy and oblation in honour of the Triple Gem, while as special Saathukaan played only by drums is an invitatory for great teachers.[25] Thai pop singer Boom Boom Cash produced a song entitled Sathu (Thai: สาธุ) in May 2018. Contemporary worship music in Thailand also translates the Christian blessing as sathu, as in the translation of Blessed be your Name (Thai: เพลง สาธุการพระนาม).[26]

Look up សាធុ in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

  1. ↑ Pym, Christopher (1959). The Road to Angkor. R. Hale. p. 113.
  2. ↑ Lal, Kishori Saran (1969). Studies in Asian History: Proceedings of the Asian History Congress, 1961. [Published for the] Indian Council for Cultural Relations [by] Asia Publishing House. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-210-22748-0.
  3. ↑ Byles, Marie Beuzeville (1962). Journey Into Burmese Silence. Allen & Unwin. p. 124. ISBN 978-90-70012-79-3.
  4. ↑ Pezet, Edmond (1975). "L'office quotidien dans les monastères theravada". Studua Missionalia: Vol. 24 (in French). Gregorian University. p. 149.
  5. ↑ Collins, Steven (1998-05-13). Nirvana and Other Buddhist Felicities. Cambridge University Press. p. 252. ISBN 978-0-521-57054-1.
  6. ↑ U Pandita. "45. Alive and strong". One Life's Journey. Panditãrãma.
  7. ↑ "Traditional festivals of Cambodia". Traditional Festivals of ASEAN. ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information. 2003. p. 42.
  8. ↑ U, Khin Zaw (2006). Myanmar Culture. Today Publishing House. p. 38.
  9. ↑ Nākhō̜nthap, Thapanī; Chāt, Thailand Samnakngān Khana Kammakān Watthanatham hǣng (1992). Essays on Cultural Thailand. Office of the National Culture Commission, Ministry of Education, Thailand. p. 128. ISBN 978-974-7903-25-6.
  10. ↑ Velder, Christian; Velder, Katrin A. (2003). The Rice Birds: Folktales from Thailand. White Lotus Press. p. 106. ISBN 978-974-480-029-9.
  11. ↑ Collins, Steven (1998-05-13). Nirvana and Other Buddhist Felicities. Cambridge University Press. p. 547. ISBN 978-0-521-57054-1.
  12. ↑ Smith, Donald Eugene (2015-12-08). Religion and Politics in Burma. Princeton University Press. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-4008-7879-6.
  13. ↑ Burma Dept of Information and Broadcasting (1956). Burma: The Anniversary. Director of Information, Union of Burma. p. 2.
  14. ↑ Bowie, Katherine A. (2017-02-21). Of Beggars and Buddhas: The Politics of Humor in the Vessantara Jataka in Thailand. University of Wisconsin Pres. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-299-30950-3.
  15. ↑ Sujato, Bhikkhu (2021). "Cittavagga Dhammapada English Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato". SuttaCentral. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  16. ↑ Hopkins, E. Washburn (1931). "Hindu Salutations". Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University of London. 6 (2): 383. ISSN 1356-1898. JSTOR 607665.
  17. ↑ Littell, Eliakim; Littell, Robert S. (1873). "Buddhist preaching". Littell's Living Age. Vol. 116. T. H. Carter & Company. p. 255.
  18. ↑ Kingshill, Konrad (1991). Ku Dæng -- Thirty Years Later: A Village Study in Northern Thailand, 1954-1984. Northern Illinois University, Center for Southeast Asian Studies. p. 196. ISBN 978-1-877979-76-7.
  19. ↑ Ruth, Richard A. (2010-09-16). In Buddha's Company: Thai Soldiers in the Vietnam War. University of Hawaii Press. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-8248-6085-1.
  20. ↑ Phya Khankhaak, the Toad King: A Translation of an Isan Fertility Myth in Verse. Bucknell University Press. 1996. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-8387-5306-4.
  21. ↑ Mackenzie, Donald Alexander (1929). Burmese Wonder Tales. Blackie & Son. p. 172.
  22. ↑ Thotsa, Wayuphā; Nēttavong, Kongdư̄an (2008). Lao Folktales. Libraries Unlimited. p. 138. ISBN 978-1-59158-345-5.
  23. ↑ "Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu (Sadu Sadu Sadu)". The Budding Buddhist. 2021-08-07. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
  24. ↑ "สาธุ" [Sathu]. www.thai-language.com. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
  25. ↑ Wong, Deborah; Wong, Professor Deborah (2001-08-15). Sounding the Center: History and Aesthetics in Thai Buddhist Performance. University of Chicago Press. p. 269. ISBN 978-0-226-90585-3.
  26. ↑ "สาธุการพระนาม". www.thaiworship.com. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
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