Pali Term: Anupassī

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Assaji
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Re: Pali Term: Anupassī

Post by Assaji »

My Russian friend continues to amaze me. This time he has found an explanation of this grammatical form in the Niruttidīpanī grammar by Ven. Ledi Sayadaw, chapter related to habitual (sīla), repeated (abhikkhañña) and certain to occur (avassaka) actions (794. Sīlābhikkhaññāvassakesu ṇī).

Some of the examples given in this chapter:

Akkhāyatīti akkhāyī, akkhāyanasīlo, akkhāyanadhammo, akkhāne sakkaccakāritā yuttoti attho. Kālattayepi sijjhati sāmaññavidhānattā.

Avassakaṃ pana anāgatameva, dhammakkhāyī-puriso, dhammakkhāyinī-itthī, dhammakkhāyi-kulaṃ, gītaṃ abhiṇhaṃ gāyatīti gītagāyī, kappaṃ avassaṃ ṭhāssatīti kappaṭṭhāyī, saṃvaṭṭamānaṃ asaṅkhyeyyaṃ ṭhāssatīti saṃvaṭṭaṭṭhāyī. Evaṃ vivaṭṭaṭṭhāyī.

Adinnaṃ ādadāti sīlenāti adinnādāyī. Tathā dinnameva ādadātīti dinnādāyī, annaṃ dadāti sīlenāti annadāyī.

- Niddāyanasīlo niddāyī - dormouse
- majjaṃ pivanasīlo majjapāyī - drunkard
- sīghaṃ yāyanasīlo sīghayāyī - "fast-walker"
- sasaṅkhārena sappayogena avassaṃ parinibbāyissatīti sasaṅkhāraparinibbāyī - one who will reach Nibbana in exactly this way (sasaṅkhārena sappayogena)

- Byāpanasīlo byāpī,
- kāmeti icchati sīlenāti kāmī,
- dhammakāmī, atthakāmī,
- karaṇasīlo kārī, pāpakārī, puññakārī.

Avassaṃ āgamissatīti āgāmī.
- sakiṃ avassaṃ āgamissatīti sakadāgāmī.
- Tathā na āgamissatīti anāgāmī.

- dhammaṃ carati sīlenāti dhammacārī
- brahmaṃ seṭṭhaṃ carati sīlenāti brahmacārī.
Sylvester
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Re: Pali Term: Anupassī

Post by Sylvester »

Heavy duty stuff. Thank you.

:anjali:
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Kumara
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Re: Pali Term: Anupassī

Post by Kumara »

I too prefer the more literal "body-contemplator". I've noticed that quite a few sutta puzzles can be solved by being literal. In this case, allow me to offer this radical yet grammatically indisputable translation for your consideration:
  • dwell in the body as a body-contemplator
  • dwell in feelings as a feeling-contemplator
  • dwell in the mind as a mind-contemplator
  • dwell in dhammas as a dhamma-contemplator
Sylvester
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Re: Pali Term: Anupassī

Post by Sylvester »

I would prefer to render the render the locative as a locative of reference. This makes such passages somewhat broader in its application, eg -
samuda­ya­dhammā­nu­passī vā kāyasmiṃ viharati

he dwells as a contemplator of the arising of dhamma with reference to the body
If the locative were rendered as a literal spatial locative, it might be a bit more difficult to account for the cemetery contemplations which uses the optative verb passeyya instead of passati. The optative suggests that there is no need for immediacy of the sights, so that it works on a conceptual level. If the kāye were a spatial locative to refer to "in" one's body, that makes a rather less comfy fit with the cemetery contemplations. Whereas, if kāye were a locative of reference "with respect to" one's body, I think the contemplations of decay would be not in the presence of decay in what is presently not dead, but with reference to the inevitable fate of one's sarīra (physical body) when Death comes.

This might account for the attested function of the locative as an adverb, such as the rather more unusual kāyasmiṃ viharati cited above. Which does suggest that some of the translations which render the text as "body in the body" might not be correct, since they are treating the kāye adnominally (ie as a noun, instead of an adverb).
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Kumara
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Re: Pali Term: Anupassī

Post by Kumara »

Sylvester wrote:If the locative were rendered as a literal spatial locative, it might be a bit more difficult to account for the cemetery contemplations which uses the optative verb passeyya instead of passati. The optative suggests that there is no need for immediacy of the sights, so that it works on a conceptual level. If the kāye were a spatial locative to refer to "in" one's body, that makes a rather less comfy fit with the cemetery contemplations. Whereas, if kāye were a locative of reference "with respect to" one's body, I think the contemplations of decay would be not in the presence of decay in what is presently not dead, but with reference to the inevitable fate of one's sarīra (physical body) when Death comes.
That's odd... Aren't you an avid follower of Aj Sujato, who wrote a whole book on how the Satipatthana Sutta is a patchwork? Besides his, there's also Dr Kuan Tze Fu's. Their arguments are solid enough, don't you think?
Sylvester
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Re: Pali Term: Anupassī

Post by Sylvester »

Err, does admiring Bhante Sujato require that I be a groupie who suspends all of my critical faculties in worshipful and unquestioning obedience to the Gospel of Sujato? Did either Venerable notice the optative issue which I raise? :stirthepot:

PS - can't recall now but aren't the cemetery contemplations pretty well represented in the Agama treatments of the 1st establishment?

PPS - just re-visited Bhante Sujato's GIST and realise why he does not put the cemetery contemplations as being one of the oldest features of the 1st establishment. Although found in the parallel suttas/sutras, it is missing from the Abhidharma/Abhidhamma and the Mahayana text.
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