It is a kind of Buddhist version of the 'amen' in Abrahamic religions,[1] or the Svāhā in Yajna, which also served as a form of salutation.
[14] In classical Sanskrit, its related noun, sādhu refers to a virtuous or holy person who has renounced worldly life to attain a spiritual goal.
[15] This term is closely related with the renunciation ideals central to Indian religious traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
[16] The threefold repetition of sādhu is a common Buddhist ritual symbolizing the Three Jewels of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.
The reason Buddhists utter the fourth “Sādhu” in such a long manner may be honorific with respect to those who are most disciplined according to the Noble Eightfold Path.
When a Burmese monk U Tiloka admonished the villagers to refuse to pay land revenue and capitation taxes in order to obtain home rule against the British Empire, he usually concluded his speeches by asking all who accepted his preaching to say sādhu three times.