Sikkhā
/ˈsɪk.kʰaː/noun
A Buddhist training or discipline, especially ethical conduct, mental concentration, and wisdom.
Did you know?In early Buddhism, sikkhā is commonly organized into the “three trainings”: higher ethical conduct, higher mind, and higher wisdom.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sekʷ-
“To follow or accompany; a proposed deeper root associated with the Sanskrit verbal family behind śikṣā”
Vedic Sanskrit
Sanskrit
śikṣā
“Training, instruction, learning, or phonetics”
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
śikṣā
“Instruction, study, discipline, and one of the auxiliary sciences of Vedic recitation”
Early Buddhist Period
Pali
sikkhā
“Training or disciplined practice, especially the path of ethical conduct, concentration, and wisdom”
19th Century
English
sikkhā
“A transliterated Buddhist term used in English-language Buddhist scholarship”
Modern English
English
sikkhā
“Buddhist training or discipline directed toward liberation”
Explore more surprising origins