(no subject)

[auntieda.livejournal.com]

Is it wrong that I like the name Mahayana??  I heard it in one of my Asian religion classes and I instantly fell in love with it.  I just may be crazy enough to one day use it.

Comments

[missamerican.livejournal.com]

I don't see any reason why it would be wrong. I like it. :)

[auntieda.livejournal.com]

I love it and the meaning of it.

[sayga.livejournal.com]

My Hyena? What?

No, I'm kidding. Do all of the As make the same vowel sound? If so, then I like it. I feel like there has to be a better way to spell it though.

[auntieda.livejournal.com]

Ma-ha-ya-na

That's the way it's spelled in the Buddhist texts.

[cuidate-mucho.livejournal.com]

Mahayana (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahayana) is a branch of Buddhism, I haven't heard of it being used as name...

When it comes to shortening it, Maha is a very common Arabic female name. The same goes for Yana, but in Russian and other Slavic languages ;)

[auntieda.livejournal.com]

A lot of religious words have become names.

[ewaeva.livejournal.com]

It's not a name. As the commenter above me said, it is a branch of Buddhism, which you must know since you took this class.

I am surprised you would even consider it, since you are learning about religions. Giving this to a child as a name would be incredibly disrespectful.

[missamerican.livejournal.com]

I don't see it as that disrespectful.. but that's just me.
I know a lot of kids named Christian. ;/

[cuidate-mucho.livejournal.com]

There are a lot of children called Islam, too...

I don't really see it as disrespectful but I would think that if you're going to name someone after a religion/religious branch, do it in honor of the religion and not just because it's a cute name!

[auntieda.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't name a child that in any form of disrespect.

[auntieda.livejournal.com]

Me too. I think it's beautiful. Different and unique.

[ewaeva.livejournal.com]

They're Christians.

[ewaeva.livejournal.com]

Or, their parents are, at least. I don't know any Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist families who use it.

[trissyd.livejournal.com]

I know a few people who aren't Christian's who still used the name for their children... I don't see the big deal?

[auntieda.livejournal.com]

I've taken a lot of Asian religion classes so I'm fully aware of the meaning.

I don't see it as disrespectful though. There's children named Jesus and no one takes offense to it. It's not a religion, but a branch that falls under the tree of Buddhism.

[ladyartemisa.livejournal.com]

i second this.

just because other people do it with other religions doesnt mean that it is right.

[auntieda.livejournal.com]

I love you icon!!!

[miss-tee.livejournal.com]

it's not wrong, I once liked the name Xian (pronounced Shawn-it's also Asian and not really a name) for quite some time.

[auntieda.livejournal.com]

I love it and the meaning of it. I'm sure that a lot of people would be unfamiliar with the origins.

[allyphoe.livejournal.com]

If you mean the Chinese Xian a) it's pronounced Shee-ahn, not Shawn and b) it's a large city, which is more than just "not a name" IMO.

Nothing ticks me off more than people misreading my kid's name Alexandria. I gave her a person name, not a place name, thank you.

[miss-tee.livejournal.com]

well the class I heard it in was grade 12 philosophy...that was about 8 years ago so I'm a little fuzzy on what the meaning was. But I am pretty sure it was philosophy term that meant something cool and not a place.

[hitzpink.livejournal.com]

I don't like it. I hate it when people take random words (especially ones from other cultures/languages) and decide to use it as a name.

[tigress-oils.livejournal.com]

I don't know, it would feel like naming my kid Presbyterian to me.

[ewaeva.livejournal.com]

Yes. Thank you!

[lostrocket.livejournal.com]

It makes me think of Maharajah, which makes it sort of weird to me, but I agree that it's pretty.

[auntieda.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

Cultural appropriation much?

[nymphaeales.livejournal.com]

Naming a kid after a religion (especially one that you don't practice) is seriously inappropriate.

[trissyd.livejournal.com]

I personally don't like it... but I also don't see any disrespect in it. Someone commented about people using the name "Christian" only when they follow that religion, that's not true. I know a few people who've used "Christian" as a name when they weren't in fact Christian believers. I don't see how it's offensive in any way to another culture if you use a word from their religious beliefs or any other part of their life as a name for your child. You're obviously saying that you like the sound or meaning of the word/name. Or perhaps it's just because I see it to be extremly racist when someone thinks it's wrong that a white baby is named a "black baby" or "asian baby" name.

[holly-megan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but at the same time, if someone posted saying that they liked the name "Jewish" or "Anglican" for their baby, what would we be saying about that?

[trissyd.livejournal.com]

It may sound dumb as a name, but I still don't find it offensive.

[sotypical42483.livejournal.com]

I don't even know how to pronounce that without stuttering. It doesn't roll off the tongue very well, I don't like it.

[sombras-azules.livejournal.com]

I'm well aware of the term and what it means, and that is why I find it so ridiculous. I would name a child something that has a great deal of significance to me, not because I heard it in some random X class and thought it sounded pretty.

Besides, it's too much of a handful. It's too long, and it's pretty much the same sound said 4 times outloud. If I encountered a child with this name, I'd think the parents were merely trying to out-unique all their friends, picked up the most random crop of sounds they could think of, and now the poor child has to pay the consequences.

I do like Maya, though.