‹ Back to the text

kāyānupassino

kāyānupassī

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

1. observing the body; who watches the body

Built from

• kāya — root · body, form
  From √kāy (shape, form). Refers to the physical body as a field of meditative observation.
• anu — prefix · along, following
  Trailing behind, following in sequence. In compounds it marks sustained, step-by-step attention through a process.
• pass — root · see, perceive
  √pas (see, behold). Cognate with Latin passus (step, passage); seeing as passage through experience.
• ī — ending · agent (masc nom pl)
  Nominative plural masculine -ī marks the subject (the monks), those who are observers.

Analysis. kāya (body) + anupassī (one who observes); anupassī itself is anu- (following along) + passī (seeing), from √pas (see). The compound names a meditator who contemplates the body systematically, a central practice in the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta.

Etymology. kāya is from √kāy (shape, form), cognate with Greek khea (pour, flow into shape). anupassī: anu- (following, along) + √pas (see), where √pas is cognate with Latin passus (step, passage—seeing as a stepping forward through phenomena). The prefix anu- originally meant trailing behind or following a track; here it captures the sustained, sequential attention that characterizes mindfulness practice.

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

Lite mode — plain HTML for e-readers and old browsers. Full version