kāyānupassī

masc nom sg of kāyānupassī (adj); masc nom pl of kāyānupassī (adj); fem nom sg of kāyānupassī (adj); nt nom pl of kāyānupassī (adj); …

observing the body; who watches the body

Built from

kāya — root · body
From √kam (move, form). The body as material form shaped and moved.
anu — prefix · along, following
Trailing behind, tracking closely. Related to Greek ana- (along, through). Here: watching in sequence, observing moment by moment.
pass — root · see, observe
From √pas (see); cognate with English 'pass' (move along, passing by with the eyes) and Latin patēre (lie open). Vision that unfolds as you move through it.
ī — ending · agent
Feminine singular nominative suffix for agent nouns; creates an adjective meaning 'one who observes.' In canonical usage, denotes a meditator practising body-contemplation.

Analysis. kāya (body) + anupassī (observing); a practitioner who contemplates the body as one of the four foundations of mindfulness (Satipaṭṭhāna).

Etymology. Compound of kāya (body, from √kam 'move, form') and anupassī (from anu- 'along, following' + √pas 'see'); the prefix anu- suggests following or tracking something closely, here the body in meditation.

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

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