Affiliation Character
In place of a biological generation, the character could be used as an indicator of seniority and peer groups in religious lineages. Thus, in the lay Buddhist circles of Song and Yuan times, it could be Dào (道 ‘Dharma’), Zhì (智 ‘wisdom’), Yuán (圆 ‘Complete/All-embracing’), Pǔ (普 ‘universal’), Jué (觉 ‘Enlightenment’), Shàn (善 ‘Skilful/Virtuous’). The characters demonstrated belonging to a devotionalist group with a social status close to the family one. The affiliation character Miào (妙 ‘Profound/Marvellous’) usually was used by women, relating them to Guanyin, as Miàoshàn (妙善) was her name at birth.
In a same way, taking the monastic vows meant the break with the family lineage, which was shown by application of the surname Shì (释, Thích in Vietnam) in one's Dharma name, the first character of the Shakyamuni Buddha's name in Chinese, Shìjiāmóuní (释迦牟尼).
Read more about this topic: Generation Name
Famous quotes containing the words affiliation and/or character:
“Women will not advance except by joining together in cooperative action.... Unlike other groups, women do not need to set affiliation and strength in opposition one against the other. We can readily integrate the two, search for more and better ways to use affiliation to enhance strength—and strength to enhance affiliation.”
—Jean Baker Miller (20th century)
“We now demand the light artillery of the intellect; we need the curt, the condensed, the pointed, the readily diffused—in place of the verbose, the detailed, the voluminous, the inaccessible. On the other hand, the lightness of the artillery should not degenerate into pop-gunnery—by which term we may designate the character of the greater portion of the newspaper press—their sole legitimate object being the discussion of ephemeral matters in an ephemeral manner.”
—Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1845)