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InIndian religions and society, anacharya (Sanskrit: आचार्य,IAST:ācārya;Pali:ācariya) is a religious teacher in Hinduism and Buddhism and a spiritual guide to Hindus and Buddhists.[1][2] The designation has different meanings inHinduism,Buddhism and secular contexts.
Acharya is sometimes used to address an expert teacher or a scholar in any discipline, e.g.:Bhaskaracharya, the expert mathematician.
The Sanskrit phraseācāraṁ grahāyati ācāraṁ dadāti iti vā meansAcharya (or teacher) is the one who teaches good conduct to one's students.[3][4] A female teacher is called anachāryā, and a male teacher's wife is called anachāryāni[5]
The term'Acharya' has numerous definitions.Hinduism frequently uses the terms "acharya" and "guru" interchangeably. According to theDharma Shastras,acharya is the one who imparts knowledge of the entireVeda to a student and performsupanayana sanskar.[4]
According toNirukta, an ancillary discipline associated with the Vedas, an acharya is an individual who imparts knowledge to a student, collects wealth from the student, and helps pupils understand behaviour based on moral norms.[4]
According toManusmriti, the individual who, having initiated a pupil, teaches him the Veda along with the ritualistic and esoteric treatises—him they call, ‘Ācārya,’ ‘Preceptor’—(140).[6]
Other authors' definitions:[6]
In Buddhism, an ācārya (Pali:ācariya) is a senior teacher or master. InTheravada it is sometimes used as a title of address for Buddhist monks who have passed tenvassas. In Thai, the term isajahn.
InVajrayana Buddhism, tantric masters are known asvajrācāryas (Tibetan:dorje lopön;Chinese: 金剛阿闍梨, pinyin:jīngāng āshélí,romanji.kongō ajari). In Chinese Buddhism, this term is also sometimes alternatively translated asjingang shangshi (Chinese: 金剛上師;pinyin:JīngāngShàngshī, lit: "Vajra Superior Master") in the context of certain rituals.
InJainism, anacharya is the highest leader of a Jain order.Acharya is one of thePañca-Parameṣṭhi (five supreme beings) and thus worthy of worship. They are the final authority in the monastic order and have the authority to ordain new monks and nuns. They also have the authority to consecrate new idols, though they occasionally appoint scholars to carry out this duty.
An acharya, like any other Jain monk, is expected to wander except for theChaturmas.Bhaṭṭārakas, who head institutions, are technically junior monks, and thus permitted to stay in the same place.
In Sanskrit institutions, acharya is a post-graduate degree equivalent toMaster of Arts in the Anglophone world. The equivalent of aPhD isvidyāvāridhi.[11]
The role of Guru or Acharya was also very significant in this traditional education system. The word 'Acharya' can be derived as 'Acharam Grahayati Acharam Dadati Iti Va'. It means- Acharya or teacher is that who teaches good behavior to his pupils
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