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本願 (ほんがん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Meanings 1
noun
Amida Buddha's original vow ; long-cherished desire
Primarily a Buddhist term for Amida Buddha's vow to save all beings, but also used more broadly for a deeply held personal wish or lifelong aspiration.
彼かれ の 本ほん 願がん は 、 故こ 郷きょう に 学がっ 校こう を 建た てる こと だっ た 。
His long-cherished desire was to build a school in his hometown.
Similar words 誓せい 願がん 誓願 is a general term for a vow or oath, often religious, while 本願 specifically refers to the fundamental vow of a buddha or bodhisattva, especially Amida Buddha's.
悲ひ 願がん 悲願 is a compassionate wish or earnest desire, often for the benefit of others, and can overlap with the broader sense of 本願, but 本願 carries a stronger nuance of being one's original or fundamental aspiration.
Etymology From 本 (ほん, 'original, fundamental') + 願 (がん, 'vow, wish'). The Buddhist sense is a direct translation of the Sanskrit term pūrva-praṇidhāna.
