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amanasikārā

amanasikāra

masc nom pl of amanasikāra (noun); masc instr sg of amanasikāra (noun); masc abl sg of amanasikāra (noun); masc voc sg of amanasikāra (noun); …

1. non-attention (to); ignoring; lit. not making in mind
2. lack of attention; not paying heed (to); lit. not making in mind

Built from

• a — prefix · not, without
  Plain negation. Cognates: English un-, Greek a(n)-. Here negates mindful attention.
• manas — root · mind
  From Indo-European √men- 'think'. Cognates: Latin mens, English mind. The faculty that observes and thinks.
• i — ending · thematic vowel
  Binds the root to the derivational suffix.
• kāra — stem · action, making
  From √kṛ 'make, do' (cognate Latin creare, Greek krinein). Denotes the action or product of the verb.

Analysis. a + manasikāra: without (a-) mental attention or consideration (manasikāra, from manas 'mind' + kāra 'action, making'). The compound names the absence or neglect of mindful attention.

Etymology. The prefix a- (without, not) negates manasikāra, itself built from manas 'mind' (related to Latin mens, English mind via Indo-European √men- 'think') and kāra 'action, making' (from √kṛ 'make, do', cognate with Latin creare, Greek krinein). The whole term is doctrinal: amanasikāra is the failure to direct mental attention (manasikāra) to phenomena, a key obstacle to insight.

Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.

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