Attâ is âtman

The PTS’s Pali-English Dictionary, Childers’s Dictionary of the Pali Language and The Critical Pali Dictionary leave out the fact that the Prakrit from of âtman is attâ which is used in Pali.  Let me give you the entire passage from Kalatattvakosa: A Lexicon of Fundamental Concepts of the Indian Arts (2001).

“The Prakrit form of âtman is attâ, which is used in Pali.  Appâ is the Prakrit form of âtman in the sense of vyâpti (permeation); it is not used in Pali, whereas in Jaina Âgamas both attâ and appâ are used” (p. 52).

To be sure, attâ and âtman are cognate, this also includes appâ.  These terms are not pronouns which some Pali experts imagine attâ is, in the example of A.K. Warder in his book, Introduction to Pali on page 184.  Attâ coincides with the âtman of the Upanishads as Mrs. Rhys Davids insisted long ago.  

Attâ is not the lesser of âtman.  If in the Sutta-Nipata (514) it says “One who by the path made by the self (pajjena katena attanâ)” why not use the stronger “by the self” instead of the weaker, “by himself” (K.R. Norman)? The 'pro-nouning' of attâ is an attempt by some to deprive the Buddha’s words of their expressive, spiritual power.  Permit me to give an example.  The first passage is not so expressive:

“Just as if a man had a house with eleven doors and when that house caught on fire, he could flee to safety by any one of these eleven doors, so I can flee to safety by any one of these eleven doors to the Deathless” (trans. Bhikkhu Ñânamoli & Bhikkhu Bodhi).

This passage is more expressive:

It is as if there was for a man a house having eleven doors; if that house were on fire, he would be able to make himself safe (attânam sottim kâtum) by any of those doors.  In the same way I (aham) will be able to make the self safe (attânam sotthim kâtum) by anyone of those eleven doors that lead to the Undying (amatadvârânam)” (M. i. 353). 

The purport of this passage is that the self or attâ is saved by a door that leads to the Undying or amata.  This self is not a lesser self but the âtman which can also be a refuge like an island, protecting us from the flood of samsara.

 

Comments

[Johann]

Valued "Zen-it"s :-)

While trying to translate it into German language, I had to think on you.

It's really good stuff for the path in the case you don't like to waste your time with speculation and excessive pleasure and pain from papanca.

From heart, so don't just consume it: Selves & Not-self

[minx]

My master told me;

"When all things are of equal measure, of dispassionate sameness, of identical
value, one not higher or lower than the other, my Mind is finally reminded of
its true self and most wondrous nature. I speak of its pure nature; unsoiled,
unborn, uncaged; Free like a bird, finally let out of a cage, that never was."