Dear larry,
i hope it helps you.
As a verb, 'assa' is either similar to 'hoti' or it is in optative.
E.g. 378 dakkho goghaatako nisinno assa
As either sixth or fourth:
375. âAtthi kaayoâti vaa panassa sati paccupa.t.thitaa hoti yaavadeva ~naa.namattaaya pa.tissatimattaaya
it is consturcted in this manner:
375. vaa pana âatthi (eva) kaayoâ iti assa sati yaavadeva ~naa.namattaaya pa.tissatimattaaya paccupa.t.thitaa hoti.
- Here, 'assa' can be both fourth and sixth. I think it should be sixth in this case, as constructed above. It is preferred by most of the learned monks. If 'assa' is considered as fourth, then 'sati' will be impersonal, nobody's sati. This sounds interesting, closer to 'anatta doctrine', and is preferred by many other scholars.
- assa ('bhikkhuno' or 'yogino')sati: again, assa can either be 'that' or 'this'.
- Note that although panassa is a sandhi word, pana actually goes with vaa. Many learned monks place 'vaa pana' at the front in the sense of 'moreover' or 'besides' 'in addition to...' or 'not only this..but also' - in other way, apart from the above mentioned.
- Atthi has different meaning in different contexts. And it can be either avyaya or verb. It can mean 'is' or 'exists'. Here, I think it is 'is'.
- 'eva' comes from the commentary.
Good luck &
may you be happy
--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Nina van Gorkom <vangorko@...> wrote:
>
> Dear Larry,
> Op 24-jan-2011, om 2:50 heeft Larry Rosenfeld het volgende geschreven:
>
> > Atthi kÄyoti [/or /vedanÄti /or /cittanti /or /dhammÄti] vÄ
> > panassa sati paccupaá¹á¹hitÄ hoti ....
> >
> > What is the best way to translate "panassa"? For instant, is it a
> > dative or genitive form of (what I thought was the indeclinable)
> > "pana,"
> > or a compound of "pana" and "assa," or something else?
> --------
> N: Panassa: for him mindfulness is established, or: his mindfulness
> is established.
> Soma Thera (the Way of MIndfulness) renders the commentary (at end of
> mindfulness of breathing):
> <Atthi kayoti va panassa sati paccupatthita hoti = "Or, indeed, his
> mindfulness is established, with the thought: 'The body exists.'"
> Mindfulness is established for the yogi through careful scrutiny. He
> thinks: There is the body, but there is no being, no person, no
> woman, no man, no soul, nothing pertaining to a soul, no "I," nothing
> that is mine, no one, and nothing belonging to anyone [kayoti ca
> attli, na satto, na puggalo, na itthi, na puriso, na atta, na
> attaniyam naham, na mama, na koci, na kassaciti evam assa sati
> paccupatthita hoti].
>
> Yavadeva = "To the extent necessary." It denotes purpose.
>
> This is said: The mindfulness established is not for another purpose.
> What is the purpose for which it is established?
>
> Nanamattaya patissatimattaya = "For just knowledge and remembrance."
> That is just for the sake of a wider and wider, or further and
> further measure of knowledge and of mindfulness [aparaparam
> uttaruttari ñanapamanatthaya ceva satipamanattha-yaca]. For the
> increase of mindfulness and clear comprehension is the meaning.
>
> For the purpose of reaching the knowledge of body-contemplation to
> the highest extent [kayanupassana ñanam param pamanam papanatthaya]
> is the meaning of: To the extent necessary for just knowledge
> [yavadeva ñanamattaya].
> ---------
> Nina.
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>