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samudayadhammānupassī

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

1. seeing the arising of phenomena (in); (or) contemplating the nature of arising (in)

Built from

• sam — prefix · together, completely
  Brings things into one unified experience. Cognate with English same and Latin con-.
• ud — prefix · up, out
  Conveys upward and outward motion. Cognate with English out and German aus.
• aya — ending · state, action, condition
  Nominal suffix forming abstract nouns from verbal roots, here marking the action of arising.
• dhamma — root · phenomenon, element, law
  From √dhṛ (to hold, bear); cognate with Sanskrit dharma, English firm. A cardinal term in Buddhist doctrine for any conditioned or unconditioned thing.
• anu — prefix · along, following
  Traces a path behind or in the wake of something. Cognate with Greek ana- (along, up through).
• pas — root · see, perceive
  Root of visual perception and mental discernment; forms the noun-agent anupassī.
• ī — ending · feminine agent noun
  Masculine nominative singular form marking one who habitually does the action; here, one who observes.

Analysis. samudaya-dhamma-anupassī: samudaya (arising, origin) + dhamma (phenomenon, element of experience) + anupassī (one who observes, contemplates). A compound epithet for a practitioner who watches the conditioned arising of all mental and physical phenomena, central to the contemplation of dependent origination (paṭiccasamuppāda) in the path to liberation.

Etymology. samudaya from sam- (together) + ud- (up, out) + aya (action/going), literally 'coming together upward', hence 'origin, arising'; dhamma from √dhṛ (bear, hold), akin to English firm and Sanskrit dharma; anupassī from anu- (along, following) + √pas (see), 'one who sees along', hence 'observer, contemplator'. The whole phrase embodies the canonical emphasis on observing the three marks (anicca, dukkha, anattā) through direct discernment of how phenomena arise.

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

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