Dear Nina,

PTS does suggest viññāṇam is participial in the sense that it should be conceived more as "minding" than as "mind", but it doesn't suggest that the actual form is participial. The present participle of vijānāti is vijānanto and vijānaŋ in the active and viñāyamāna in the passive, so I don't see how this can be a participal. Do you know where I can find a copy of Suan Lu Zaw's post?


>Suppose, there would be a basic
subjectivity, is it conditioned or unconditioned? Nibbaana is the unconditioned element. Other phenomena, apart from >nibbaana are conditioned. This means, they are dependent on other realities for their arising. Nobody can make them arise at willl, whenever one wishes.
>Understanding this must lead to detachment. 
>If
one takes awareness for self, the "I" will grow bigger and bigger and it will lead one away from the truth of <all dhammas are anattaa>.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Are you saying that if there is a basic subjectivity then it is still conditioned? The phenomenologists assert that it is irreducible, I believe ("pure subjectivity" some call it) and innate. If it is conditioned then it ceases when one realizes nibbāna, correct?

Mettā,

Bryan

 

From: Nina van Gorkom <vangorko@...>
To: Pali@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, September 5, 2013 9:39:40 AM
Subject: Re: [Pali] Re: Buddha and the present moment.

 
Dear Bryan,
This was discussed in dhammastudygroup and Pali expert Suan Lu Zaw helped us with this difficult passage about  viññāṇaṃ. 
We would think it means consciousness, but here it is different. It is participal and refers to nibbaana which is different from consciousness. 
Vijaanaati: to cognize. passive: vi~n~naayati. PTS also suggests it is participal. 
Suggested meaning: it is not evident, endless. 
Nina. 
Op 4 sep 2013, om 20:21 heeft Bryan Levman het volgende geschreven:

viññāṇaṃ anidassanaṃ, anantaṃ sabbatopabhaṃ.
ettha āpo ca pathavī tejo vāyo na gādhati,
ettha dīghañ ca rassañ ca aṇuṃ thūlaṃ subhāsubhaṃ?
ettha nāmañ ca rūpañ ca asesaṃ uparujjhati,
viññaṇassa nirodhena etth’ etaṃ uparujjhatī ti. 


"Where consciousness is non-manifesting, endless, shining everywhere, there earth, water, fire and wind, ...with the cessation of consciousness all this ceases."
Presumably the first viññāṇaṃ is a supramundance consciousness and the second (which ceases) is the fourth aggregate (or at least that's how Walshe interprets it on page 558 of Long Discourses),