Dear Ardavarz and Richard,
Thanks for your contribution.
Op 10-apr-2010, om 22:09 heeft Ardavarz het volgende geschreven:

> I just would like to share a thought that occurs to me - could we
> translate anatta in a sense with "inanimate"?
> Etymologically it is more or less equivalent - both anima in Latin
> and atta in Pali mean "soul", but I am not fully aware of all
> possible connotations of the word "inanimate" in English. Still I
> think if one say: "The psyche (or mind) is inanimate", the shock
> from this seemingly paradoxical (for the common sense) statement
> could be quite insightful.

-------
N: Ardavarz, You are probably thinking of the Pali nijjhiiva,
literally: no life. I understand the difficulty to find an English
equivalent.
It is actually absence of a living being.
I quote from my "Meaning of dhamma: < The following meaning of dhamma
explained in the Dhammapada-Atthakata, is dhamma as an entity without
a living soul (nissatta, nijjiva):
<"Tasmi.m khopana samaye dhammaa honti, khandhaa hontii"ti (dha. sa.
121)
Then, at that time dhammas occur, khandhas occur.

aya.mnissattadhammo naama, nijjiivadhammotipi eso eva.
this is dhamma without living being (non-substantial), it is also
merely dhamma without life.
Tesu imasmi.m .thaane nissattanijjiivadhammo adhippeto.
As to these, dhamma devoid of a living soul is meant in this case. >

-------
The word inanimate can be used for ruupa, materiality. We also take
ruupa for self, but also ruupa is anattaa.
-------
Nina.




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]