Ariya Ariya (adj.-n.) [Vedic ārya, of uncertain etym. The other Pāli forms are ayira & ayya] 1. (racial) Aryan D ii.87. — 2. (social) noble, distinguished, of high birth. — 3. (ethical) in accord with the customs and ideals of the Aryan clans, held in esteem by Aryans, generally approved. Hence: right, good, ideal. [The early Buddhists had no such ideas as we cover with the words Buddhist and Indian. Ariya does not exactly mean either. But it often comes very near to what they would have considered the best in each]. — (adj.): D i.70 = (˚ena sīlakkhandhena samannāgata fitted out with our standard morality); iii.64 (cakkavatti -- vatta), 246 (diṭṭhi); M i.139 (pannaddhaja); ii.103 (ariyāya jātiyā jāto, become of the Aryan lineage); S ii.273 (tuṇhībhāva); iv.250 (vaddhi), 287 (dhamma); v.82 (bojjhangā), 166 (satipaṭṭhānā), 222 (vimutti), 228 (ñāṇa), 255 (iddhipādā), 421 (maggo), 435 (saccāni), 467 (paññā -- cakkhu); A i.71 (parisā); ii.36 (ñāya); iii.451 (ñāṇa); iv.153 (tuṇhībhāva); v.206 (sīlakkhandha); It 35 (paññā), 47 (bhikkhu sammaddaso); Sn 177 (patha = aṭṭhangiko maggo SnA 216); Dh 236 (bhūmi), 270; Ps ii.212 (iddhi). -alamariya fully or thoroughly good D i.163 = iii.82 = A iv.363; nâlamariya not at all good, object, ignoble ibid. — (m.) Vin i.197 (na ramati pāpe); D i.37 = (yaŋ taŋ ariyā ācikkhanti upekkhako satimā etc.: see 3rd. jhāna), 245; iii.111 (˚ānaŋ anupavādaka one who defames the noble); M i.17, 280 (sottiyo ariyo arahaŋ); S i.225 (˚ānaŋ upavādaka); ii.123 (id.); iv.53 (˚assa vinayo), 95 (id.); A i.256 (˚ānaŋ upavādaka); iii.19, 252 (id.); iv.145 (dele! see arīhatatta); v.68, 145 sq., 200, 317; It 21, 108; Dh 22, 164, 207; J iii.354 = Miln 230; M i.7, i35 (ariyānaŋ adassāvin: "not recognising the Noble Ones") PvA 26, 146; DhA ii.99; Sdhp 444 (˚ānaŋ vaŋsa). — anariya (adj. & n.) not Ariyan, ignoble, undignified, low, common, uncultured A i.81; Sn 664 (= asappurisa SnA 479; DhsA 353); J ii.281 (= dussīla pāpadhamma C.); v.48 (˚rūpa shameless), 87; DhA iv.3. — See also ñāṇa, magga, sacca, sāvaka.
-âvakāsa appearing noble J v.87. — uposatha the ideal feast day (as one of 3) A i.205 sq., 212. — kanta loved by the Best D iii.227. — gaṇā (pl.) troops of worthies J vi.50 (= brāhmaṇa -- gaṇā, te kira tāda ariyâcārā ahesuŋ, tena te evam āha C.). — garahin casting blame on the righteous Sn 660. — citta a noble heart. — traja a true descendant of the Noble ones Dpvs v.92. — dasa having the ideal (or best) belief It 93 = 94. — dhana sublime treasure; always as sattavidha˚ sevenfold, viz. saddhā˚, sīla˚, hiri˚, ottappa˚, suta˚, cāga˚, paññā˚ "faith, a moral life, modesty, fear of evil, learning, self-denial, wisdom" ThA 240; VvA 113; DA ii.34. — dhamma the national customs of the Aryans (= ariyānaŋ eso dhammo Nd1 71, 72) M i.1, 7, 135; A ii.69; v.145 sq., 241, 274; Sn 783; Dhs 1003. — puggala an (ethically) model person, Ps i.167; Vin v.117; ThA 206. — magga the Aryan Path. — vaŋsa the (fourfold) noble family, i. e. of recluses content with the 4 requisites D iii.224 = A ii.27 = Ps i.84 = Nd2 141; cp. A iii.146. — vattin leading a noble life, of good conduct J iii.443. — vatā at Th 1, 334 should be read ˚vattā (nom. sg. of vattar, vac) "speaking noble words": — vāsa the most excellent state of mind, habitual disposition, constant practice. Ten such at D iii.269, 291 = A v.29 (Passage recommended to all Buddhists by Asoka in the Bhabra Edict). — vihāra the best practice S v.326. — vohāra noble or honorable practice. There are four, abstinence from lying, from slander, from harsh language, from frivolous talk. They are otherwise known as the 4 vacī -- kammantā & represent sīla nos. 4-7. See D iii.232; A ii.246; Vin v.125. — sangha the communion of the Nobles ones PvA 1. — sacca, a standard truth, an established fact, D i.189, ii.90, 304 sq.; iii 277; M i.62, 184; iii.248; S v.415 sq. = Vin i.10, 230. It 17; Sn 229, 230, 267; Dh 190; DhA iii.246; KhA 81, 151, 185, 187; ThA 178, 282, 291; VvA 73. — sāvaka a disciple of the noble ones (= ariyānaŋ santike sutattā a. SnA 166). M i.8, 46, 91, 181, 323; ii.262; iii.134, 228, 272; It 75; Sn 90; Miln 339; DhA i.5, (opp. putthujjana). — sīlin of unblemished conduct, practising virtue D i.115 (= sīlaŋ ariyaŋ uttamaŋ parisuddhaŋ DA i.286); M ii.167.
When the commentators, many centuries afterwards, began to write Pali in S. India & Ceylon, far from the ancient seat of the Aryan clans, the racial sense of the word ariya was scarcely, if at all, present to their minds. Dhammapāla especially was probably a non-Aryan, and certainly lived in a Dravidian environment. The then current similar popular etmologies of ariya and arahant (cp. next article) also assisted the confusion in their minds. They sometimes therefore erroneously identify the two words and explain Aryans as meaning Arahants (DhA i.230; SnA 537; PvA 60). In other ways also they misrepresented the old texts by ignoring the racial force of the word. Thus at J v.48 the text, speaking of a hunter belonging to one of the aboriginal tribes, calls him anariya -- rūpa. The C. explains this as "shameless", but what the text has, is simply that he looked like a non-Aryan. (cp ʻ frank ʼ in English).
