Dear Scott,

I hope the following points help:

1. AN1.6 refers to a vagga, which is a collection of suttas. In AN1,
the suttas are only one stanza-long, if you like it. If you go
through the entire nipata, you will find that it does make sense.
Every sutta is simply one stanza, because it addresses the point. We
can call it the "sufficiency test", if you like. Because of their
lengths, the compilers did not give these suttas names, but collect
them under various named vaggas instead.

2. 'ari~ncamaana' is the negation of the present participle of
ri~ncati, meaning "not abandoning", i.e. persevering or remaining
(as in staying behind). In fact, 'ari~ncamaana' is synonymous
to 'aritta', which is the past participle form of the same verb.
Therefore, 'aritta' literally means persevered or remained. However,
the usage of 'aritta' in the texts takes the meaning of empty, free,
as in rittahattha (empty handed) and rittamu.t.thi (empty fist).

The commentarial interpretation is: arittajjhaanoti atucchajjhaano
apariccattajjhaano vaa. => aritta jhaana is atuccha (not
empty/deserted) jhaana or apariccatta (not given up/abandoned)
jhaana. So, it seems like 'aritta' can take more than one meaning.

Probably Nina and other members like to relook at this:
arittajjhaana = persevered in jhaana?

3. The termination/case-ending 'o' in 'jhaano' means the
noun 'jhaana' is in the nominative case. In English grammar, it
means 'jhaana' is the subject of the sentence. The nominative case
is usually discussed in the early chapters of a Pali grammar book.

4. Jhaana is 'dhyaana' in Sanskrit, 'chan' in Chinese, 'seon' in
Korean, and 'zen' in Japanese. The focus on jhaana had at one time
become so important that an entire lineage/tradition of Buddhism is
founded upon the practice, hence we have the proto-dhyaana school in
India, and the chan, seon and zen schools in East Asia. There are
even rumours that Ven Ajahn Chah's teachings, which some say
emphasises on jhaana, is the Thai version of Zen.

The PTS translates 'jhaana' as 'musing', which is probably the
influence of Zen? ;-) (Btw, my pocket dictionary shows that "to
muse" is "to ponder, reflect, meditate".)


metta,
Yong Peng.

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Scott Duncan wrote:

There is a phrase, repeated in many of the stanzas of this sutta,
which reads:

"...arittajjhaano viharati..."

So far I've come up with "ani~ncamaana" for the first part of the
initial compound ("pursue earnestly," among other
things). "Viharati" is "to stay, abide, dwell, sojourn."

I need help with the -jjhaano- part of the compound. I think it is
related, of course, to "jhaana" somehow. I'm aware that the term
refers to "absorption" and a high state of concentration, also to
burning away.

May I please have some help? In particular, where can I look to
learn about the suffix "o?"