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yathābhūte

yathābhūta

masc acc pl of yathābhūta (adj); nt acc pl of yathābhūta (adj); masc loc sg of yathābhūta (adj); nt loc sg of yathābhūta (adj); …

1. as it is; in reality; of such nature; lit. like become

Built from

• yathā — root · as, in the manner that
  Relative adverb from the demonstrative stem ta-. Frames the condition or manner of what follows.
• bhūta — stem · become, been
  Past participle of √bhū (to be, become). English cognates: be, been; Latin fui; Greek phuton (plant). Expresses the completed state of becoming or existing.

Analysis. yathā + bhūta: yathā 'in the manner that, as' (relative adverb) + bhūta 'become, been' (past participle of bhavati 'to be'). The compound means 'in the way that [something] has become', hence 'according to reality' or 'as it actually is'.

Etymology. bhū- is the root of bhavati (to be, become), cognate with English be, Latin fui (I was), Greek phuton (plant, what has grown); yathā is a relative adverb with no direct European cognate but related to the demonstrative ta- (that). The phrase embodies the Buddhist emphasis on seeing things as they truly are.

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

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