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satthusāsane

satthusāsana

nt acc pl of satthusāsana (noun); nt loc sg of satthusāsana (noun)

1. teacher's instruction; master's teaching; lit. message of the teacher

Built from

• satthu — stem · of teacher
  Genitive singular of satthar (√sthā + -ar 'one who stands/establishes'). Sanskrit cognate: sthātar-. Genitive compounds in Pali often express possession or source.
• ā — prefix · toward
  Marks the object as drawing toward the speaker or as complete. Here, within āsana, it marks the act of sitting-and-receiving as moving toward the listener.
• s — root · sit
  Root √ās 'sit, preside, be seated in authority'. Cognates: English sit, German sitzen, Sanskrit āsana. The concrete image: one who sits is one who teaches authoritatively.
• ana — ending · act or state
  Nominalizing suffix forming neuter nouns from roots. Here it names the sitting-and-teaching, hence the teaching or doctrine itself.

Analysis. satthusāsana is a compound of satthu (gen sg of satthar, 'teacher') + āsana (from √ās 'sit, preside, teach'). The genitive first member (satthu) is common in Pali compounds denoting 'of the teacher'. Thus 'the teaching [that comes from] sitting [with] the teacher'; in canonical usage, the Buddha's instruction and the dispensation he established.

Etymology. satthar is from√sthā (stand, establish; cf. Sanskrit sthitá-, English stand, German stehen) with the agent suffix -ar. āsana derives from √ās (sit, preside; cf. Sanskrit āsana, English sit, German sitzen) and means both the act of sitting (hence presiding, teaching authoritatively) and the doctrine that flows from that seat of authority. Together the compound denotes the living transmission of the teacher's word.

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

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