Hello, I would like to know if the compound visuddhakaruṇāñāṇa, attested in the Abhidhammatthavibhāvinīṭīkā (visuddhakaruṇāñāṇaṃ, buddhaṃ sambuddhapūjitaṃ), should be translated as ‘pure compassion and knowledge’ or in another way. Thank you!
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The compound could be analysed in a variety of ways, but most translators will render it as “one of purified compassion and knowledge”, or words to this effect, based on the explanation given in the Atthayojanā to the text.
If you read Pali in Thai script you’ll find it in the pdf linked to below, starting at the last paragraph on page 2 and going on for 12 pages.
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First of all, thank you for your response! Unfortunately, I am unable to read Thai characters. I have seen that the Abhidhammatthavibhāvinīṭīkā has been translated into English by Gethin and Wijeratne. Do you have this translation in order to see how they translate the compound? Do you think the translation I proposed, ‘pure compassion and knowledge’, is incorrect?
What is Atthayojanā?
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Certainly! Here it is:
“Having bowed to the Awakened One who is possessed of the purest compassion and wisdom, to the Dhamma honoured by the Fully Awakened Ones, and to the Community that is born of the Good Dhamma and free from stain.”
I believe Gethin likely consulted the atthayojanā while revising Wijeratne’s translation. A friend of mine, the Aussie Abhidhamma student Jonathan Abbot, sent him a copy from Bangkok.
Yes, I do.
While the compound could be translated “pure compassion and knowledge”, when considered in isolation, it doesn’t seem to fit the present context. The resulting clause would not make sense.
The Abhidhammatthavibhāvinī Atthayojanā is a commentary on the Abhidhammatthavibhāvinī. It’s very extensive and takes two to twenty pages to explain virtually every word. The commentary was composed by the Chiang Mai monk Ñāṇakitti Thera and completed in 1502.
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Thank you again for your response, which resolves my grammatical doubt! As for the Atthayojanā, I did a Google search but it seems that it is not easy to find in Europe. Before you mentioned it, I was completely unaware of its existence. Perhaps it is better known and more easily available in Southeast Asia.
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