sutta.stream

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sotena

sota

masc instr sg of sota (noun); nt instr sg of sota (noun)

  1. stream; river; current
  2. stream; river; current
  3. ear
  4. opening; aperture; channel; pathway; lit. stream
  5. faculty of hearing; lit. ear

Etymology. From Indo-European *sreu- 'to flow', seen in Latin serum 'whey', Greek rheein 'to flow', and English stream. The sense 'ear' developed metaphorically from the auditory canal as a 'channel' or 'opening' through which sound flows — the ear as the stream's receiving point. In the Suttas, sota often denotes the 'stream' of the Teaching (Dhamma) one enters at stream-entry (sotāpatti), with the ear as the sensory faculty receiving it.

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

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