The opening of the fourth book of the Abhidhamma: six kinds of designation, and then the kinds of person set out in pairs.
- When chanted
- Chanted at a funeral, in the Suat Jaeng service, where the Vinaya, the Suttas and the seven books of the Abhidhamma are each represented in turn.
A note on this chant. The book prints this chant in Pali only, with no Thai translation. The English here is a working translation prepared for this edition — it is not the book's own, and has not yet been checked by a teacher.
Historical background
ปุคคะละบัญญัติ is the designation of persons, and the book is the odd one out among the seven for speaking of persons at all. The others deal in impersonal states; this one asks on what basis a person may be spoken of.
The book prints its own reference for the extract.
Meaning and purpose
It opens with six designations — of aggregates, sense bases, elements, truths, faculties, and persons — and then takes up only the last, asking to what extent there is a designation of persons at all.
The answer is a run of pairs, and what they have in common is worth noticing. One liberated on occasion and one not. One liable to fall away and one not. One subject to decline and one not. The ordinary person and one of the change of lineage. One fixed in destiny and one not. One practising the way and one established in the fruit. The Worthy One, and one practising for Worthiness.
Not one of these describes a personality, a history or a name. Every distinction is a position on the path and nothing else. At a funeral this is the book in the set that speaks about people, and it does so by declining every other way of describing them.
The chant
As the book prints it: page 40 →
ฉะ ปัญญัตติโย
cha paññattiyo
Six designations:
ขันธะปัญญัตติ,
khandhapaññatti,
the designation of aggregates,
อายะตะนะปัญญัตติ,
āyatanapaññatti,
the designation of sense bases,
ธาตุปัญญัตติ,
dhātupaññatti,
the designation of elements,
สัจจะปัญญัตติ,
saccapaññatti,
the designation of truths,
อินท๎ริยะปัญญัตติ,
indriyapaññatti,
the designation of faculties,
ปุคคะละปัญญัตติ,
puggalapaññatti,
the designation of persons.
กิตตาวะตา ปุคคะลานัง ปุคคะละปัญญัตติ,
kittāvatā puggalānaṃ puggalapaññatti,
To what extent is there a designation of persons?
สะมะยะวิมุตโต อะสะมะยะวิมุตโต,
samayavimutto asamayavimutto,
One liberated on occasion, one not liberated on occasion,
กุปปะธัมโม, อะกุปปะธัมโม,
kuppadhammo, akuppadhammo,
one liable to fall away, one not liable to fall away,
ปะริหานะธัมโม อะปะริหานะธัมโม,
parihānadhammo aparihānadhammo,
one subject to decline, one not subject to decline,
เจตะนาภัพโพ อะนุรักขะนาภัพโพ,
cetanābhabbo anurakkhaṇābhabbo,
one capable through volition, one capable through guarding,
ปุถุชชะโน โคต๎ระภู,
puthujjano gotrabhū,
the ordinary person, one of the change of lineage,
ภะยูปะระโต อะภะยูปะระโต.
bhayūparato abhayūparato.
one who abstains through fear, one who abstains not through fear.
ภัพพาคะมะโน อะภัพพาคะมะโน.
bhabbāgamano abhabbāgamano.
One capable of arriving, one incapable of arriving.
นิยะโต อะนิยะโต,
niyato aniyato,
One fixed in destiny, one not fixed in destiny,
ปะฏิปันนะโก ผะเลฏฐิโต,
paṭipannako phaleṭṭhito,
one practising the way, one established in the fruit,
อะระหา อะระหัตตายะ ปะฏิปันโน.
arahā arahattāya paṭipanno.
the Worthy One, and one practising for Worthiness.
จบพระปุคคะละบัญญัติ
jòp prá-púk-ká-lá-ban-yàt
Here ends the Puggalapaññatti.