Gatha | Sentence Translation | Sentence Structure
Vocabulary&Grammar | Commentary | Pronunciation

List of Abbreviations

# sabbe dhamma anatta ti yada pabbaya passati

# atha nibbindati dukkhe esa maggo visuddhiya

# (DhP 279)

Sentence Translation:

When one perceives with wisdom that all things are without a self,
then one turns away from suffering. This is the path of purification.

Sentence Structure:
List of Abbreviations

sabbe dhamma anatta ti yada pabbaya passati
| | | | | | |
Adj.m. N.m. Adj.m. part. Rel.Adv. N.f. V.act.in.
Nom.Pl. Nom.Pl. Nom.Pl. | | Ins.Sg. 3.Sg.pres.
|__________| | | | |_______|
|____________| | | |
|_____________| | |
|___________|___________|
|_____|
|______________________________________

List of Abbreviations

atha nibbindati dukkhe esa maggo visuddhiya
| | | | | |
Adv. V.act.in. N.m. Pron.m. N.m. N.f.
| 3.Sg.pres. Loc.Sg. Nom.Sg. Nom.Sg. Gen.Sg.
| |_______| | |________|
|___________| |___________|
_____|

Vocabulary and Grammar:
List of Abbreviations

sabbe: sabba-, Adj.: all, every. Nom.Pl.m. = sabbe.

dhamma: dhamma-, N.m.: here does not mean Buddha's teaching, but should be interpreted rather more generally as "thing". In this meaning a "dhamma" is truly everything. It includes conditioned things (savkhara) and unconditioned things (basically only Nirvana and space). Whereas impermanence and unsatisfactoriness are characteristic only of conditioned things, non-self is a characteristic of all things, even unconditioned ones. Nom.Pl. = dhamma. 109

anatta: anatta-, Adj.: non-self, without a permanent entity, without a soul. It is the word attan-, N.m.: self, soul, negated by the negative prefix an-. Nom.Pl.m. = anatta.

ti, part.: a particle, symbolizing the end of direct speech. In English this is expressed by quotation marks. Sometimes it is written as iti.

yada, Rel.Adv.: when.

List of Abbreviations

pabbaya: pabba-, N.f.: wisdom. Ins.Sg. = pabbaya.

passati: sees. The verb root is dis- (to see). 3.Sg.act.in.pres. = passati.

atha, Adv.: then.

nibbindati, V.: turns away from, has enough of. The verb root is vid- (to know, to find) with the prefix ni- (out, away). 3.Sg.act.in.pres. = nibbindati.

dukkhe: dukkha-, N.m.: suffering. Loc.Sg. = dukkhe.

esa: Pron. etad-, this. Nom.Sg.m: esa.

maggo: magga-, N.m.: road, path. Nom.Sg. = maggo.

visuddhiya: visuddhi-, N.f.: brightness, purification, purity. Gen.Sg. = visuddhiya.

List of Abbreviations

This verse consists of two syntactically separate sentences. They are:
1) sabbe dhamma anatta ti yada pabbaya passati atha nibbindati dukkhe (when one perceives with wisdom that all things are without a self, then one turns away from suffering). This can be further analysed into two sentences a) and b):
a) sabbe dhamma anatta ti yada pabbaya passati (when one perceives with wisdom that all things are without a self). This sentence contains the main sentence II) and the direct speech I):
I) sabbe dhamma anatta ti (that all things are without a self). The subject is the noun dhamma (things, nominative plural). It has an attribute, the adjective sabbe (all, nominative plural). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the adjective anatta (without a self, nominative plural). The particle ti (end of the direct speech) connects this clause to the main sentence.
II) yada pabbaya passati (when one perceives with wisdom). The subject is omitted; the verb implies the third person singular pronoun. The verb is passati (sees, 3rd person, singular, active, indicative, present tense). It has an attribute, the noun pabbaya (with wisdom, instrumental singular). The relative adverb yada (when) connects this sentence to the following one.
b) atha nibbindati dukkhe (then one turns away from suffering). The subject is omitted; the verb implies the third person singular pronoun. The verb is nibbindati (turns away from, 3rd person, singular, active, indicative, present tense). The object is the noun dukkhe (from suffering, locative singular). The adverb atha (then) connects this sentence to the previous one.
2) esa maggo visuddhiya (this is the path of purification). The subject is the pronoun esa (this, nominative singular). The verb is omitted, implying the verb "to be". The object is the noun maggo (path, nominative singular). It has an attribute, the noun visuddhiya (of purification, genitive singular).

Commentary:

Once a group of monks obtained a subject of meditation from the Buddha. They went to the forest and practiced meditation. However, they made a little progress. Therefore they returned to the Buddha and asked him for another subject of meditation. The Buddha reflected that due to their past lives they were ready to perceive that all things are without a self. He told them this verse and advised them to meditate on its meaning.

Sentence pronunciation:

Sentence pronunciation

Word pronunciation:

sabbe
dhamma
anatta
ti
yada
pabbaya
passati
atha
nibbindati
dukkhe
esa
maggo
visuddhiya