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Grammatical Analysis

Cetiya: [nt.] Shrine; memorial; sacred place; object of veneration. Derived from root ci (to heap up, collect, build).

Orthodox Definition

While Thūpa specifically refers to the architectural dome housing bone relics, Cetiya is a broader term encompassing any object or place worthy of religious veneration. All thūpas are cetiyas, but not all cetiyas are thūpas.

The Theravāda tradition formally classifies Cetiyas into three categories of sacredness:

  1. Sārīrikacetiya: Shrines containing physical body relics of the Buddha (e.g., bone fragments, hair, the Sacred Tooth).
  2. Pāribhogikacetiya: Shrines or objects used by the Buddha during his lifetime (e.g., his alms bowl, his robes, and most importantly, the Bodhi Tree).
  3. Dhammaacetiya: Shrines of Dhamma.

These shrines provide the laity and monastics with physical anchors to develop faith and concentrate the mind on the virtues of the Triple Gem.

Quote

paribhogacetiyato sārīrikacetiyaṃ garutaranti katvā ‘‘cetiyaṃ vanditvā’’ti pubbakālakiriyāya vasena vuttaṃ.
“Having paid homage to the cetiya” is said using the perfect participle because a physical cetiya is more revered than a cetiya of use.

paribhogacetiyaṭṭhānanti ettha paribhuttūpakaraṇāni nidahitvā kataṃ cetiyaṃ paribhogacetiyanti daṭṭhabbaṃ.
“Paribhogacetiyaṭṭhāna” (place of a cetiya of use) here should be understood as a cetiya made by enshrining articles of use.

— Sīlakkhandhavagga-abhinavaṭīkā (du)

tividhañhi cetiyaṃ vadanti paribhogacetiyaṃ dhātucetiyaṃ dhammacetiyanti.
Indeed, they speak of three kinds of cetiyas: a cetiya of use (paribhogacetiya), a relic cetiya (dhātucetiya), and a Dhamma cetiya (dhammacetiya).

tattha paribhogacetiyaṃ vuttanayameva.
Therein, the cetiya of use is just as described.

— Sāratthadīpanīṭīkā (pa)

Textual References

  • Canonical: Jātaka (Kāliṅgabodhi Jātaka, No. 479) – The narrative where Venerable Ānanda asks the Buddha about the proper objects of veneration, leading to the formal classification of the three types of cetiyas.
  • Sutta: Mahāparinibbāna Sutta (DN 16) – Mentioning various pre-Buddhist tree shrines (cetiyas) that the Buddha rested at, which were later repurposed for Buddhist veneration.
  • Sub-commentary: Sīlakkhandhavagga-abhinavaṭīkā (du) – Explaining the relative reverence between a physical relic cetiya (sārīrikacetiya) and a cetiya of use (pāribhogikacetiya).
  • Sub-commentary: Sāratthadīpanīṭīkā (pa) – Classifying and detailing the three kinds of cetiyas.

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