Re: vi prefix

Dear members -- I'm pleased to announce that Gayan has just joined our
group. Welcome to psg, Gayan!

Dear Nina,

>Translation of Saddaniti's list of vi meanings:
>They are ending on e, is this the locative? to be translated as: as?

Yes, all those 'e' endings belong to the singular locative. Personally, I'd
translate this relation as 'with reference to' or 'in'.

>1:visese, as distinction or attainment: vimutto, freed, visi.t.tho,
>distinguished.

I made a mistake in giving 'vimutto' instead of the 'vimutti' given by the
Saddaniti, but the meaning of the 'vi' is still the same.

>2: vividhe, as being diverse: vimati, doubt and vicitra.m, variegated.
>Vimati: is it this or that, diverse possibilities for doubt. Correct?

Not sure. Perhaps the following from the Abhidhanappadipika might
help: vividhenaakaarena ma~n~nati yasmaa, saa vimati (abh-t 171)
It is 'vimati' because it thinks in a diversified way.

>3. viruddhe, as opposed, hostile: vivaado, dispute.
>4. vigate, as without, gone away: vimala.m, unstained, without stains.
>5. aadikamme, in the beginning: vippakata.m, left unfinished. Meaning: when
>you begin you are not finished?

CPD: "commencement (of an action)". The prefixes 'aa' and 'pa' also include
this meaning. It refers to an action that has begun but is not yet finished.

>6. viruupatthe, deformed, ugly: viruupo, ugly. Thus, a negative meaning.
>7. viyoge, as separation: vippayutto, separated. Thus, away from something.
>
>What about the vi in vipassanaa? Under 2: diverse: seeing (passati) all
>kinds of realities as they are? Seeing clearly, was the Bodhisatta vipassii
>not so called because he had very clear sight?

The Patisambhidhamagga com. gives the following interpretation of
'vipassanaa': "Aniccataadivasena vividhehi aakaarehi dhamme passatii ti
vipassanaa." -- p.125
'It sees realities in various aspects by way of impermanence and so on.'

The Buddhava.msa com. gives the following etymologies for the Buddha
Vipassii: visuddha.m passati; viva.tehi vaa akkhiihi passati; viceyya
viceyya passati. Horner translates: he sees what is pure . . . and he sees
with broad [I think this should be 'open'] eyes . . . constantly
investigating he sees. -- p.337

Understanding how the prefixes function in words can be difficult and that
kind of information is often not easy to find in the commentaries and
dictionaries (regarding specific words). I don't know of any textbook or
treatise that deals with them in a comprehensive way.

> I am trying to write about ignorance and the aasava of ignorance
>conditioning each other, but I got stuck with the word aparaapara, again
>and again? or, previous? Papa`ncasudanii, co to MN 9, Sammaadi.t.thi
>sutta, 64,65, it is explained : saa aparaaparuppannaaya avijjaaya
upanissayapaccaya
>hoti. I compared with a translation by Ven Soma, <ignorance born before
>should be understood as the canker of ignorance. It becomes the decisive
>support condiiton of ignorance born after. Only if you have time, thank
>you. Nina.

The full text for Soma's translation is:

Pubbuppannaa c'ettha avijjaa avijjaasavo ti veditabbo. saa
aparaaparuppannaaya avijjaaya upanissayapaccayo hoti. -- MA i 223-4

pubbuppannaa is 'born before' and aparaaparupannaa is 'born after'. For the
latter the CPD gives: 'subsequently arisen' and says that it is the opposite
of pubbuppanna. Under 'aparaapara' it gives: 'another and another; various;
ever; following'. For the indeclinable 'aparaapara.m' it gives for 3):
subsequently, gradually, by and by, indirectly.

I don't quite understand the reason for having a double 'apara' before
'uppanna' while there is only one 'pubba' before 'uppanna'. DAT states
something similar for dit.t.hi: purimuppannaa di.t.thiyo
aparaaparuppannaana.m di.t.thiina.m apassayaa hontii ti di.t.thiyo va
di.t.thinissayaa ti vutta.m. -- DAT iii 124 ad DA 916 (pts).

Best wishes,
Jim



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