Upavāsa

upavāsa (T. bsnyen gnas; C. jinzhu 近住). A term used to refer to the abstention practiced by lay disciples during the fortnightly upoṣadha observance, or to "abstention" practices more generally.

In the context of upoṣadha observance, this term is synonymous with the eight precepts of an upāsaka, and is translated as "one day precepts", "one-day fast", etc.

More generally, the term is translated as "fasting", "one who fasts", etc.

The 84000 glossary states:

As expressed in the Sanskrit and translated literally into Tibetan, the term means “to dwell near.” The term comes from the older Vedic traditions in which during full moon and new moon sacrifices, householders would practice abstinence in various forms such as fasting and refraining from sexual activity. These holy days were called upavasatha days because it was said that the gods that were the recipients of these sacrifices would “dwell” (√vas) “near” (upa) the practitioners of these sacrifices. While sacrificial practices were discarded by Buddhists, the framework of practicing fortnightly abstinence evolved into the poṣadha observance, and in fact the term poṣadha is etymologically related to the term upavasatha. (See Dutt (1962), p. 73.)

Sources

• Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University 

External links

• Fasting in Buddhism, Wikipedia