Paññatti/ Sammuti and paramattha

In relation to reality

Paññatti vs paramattha (Mostly of reality of linguistic usage) Sammuti vs paramattha (Mostly of reality of truth)

The connection between Truth and Summuti

1) Dve saccāni akkhāsi- sambuddho vadataṃvaro

Sammutiṃ paramatthañca, tatiyaṃ nopalabbhatī (Abhidhammāvatāra)

(The Buddha, the greatest of those who speaking has revealed two truths as conventional truth (sammuti) and ultimate truth, and there is no a third one.)

2) Yathāhi aṅga sambhārā- hoti saddo ratho iti

eveṃ khandesu- sandetu- hoti satto’ti sammuti

(In so far as the parts are combined, there arises the convention called the chariot; in the like manner as the aggregates come into aggregation, there arises the convention ‘being’.

The connection between Logistic usages and paññatti Mahanidana Sutta “O” Ananada if in accordance whatever gender, whatever causes whatever definitions, the mental body is designated….. Yehi, ānanda, ākārehi yehi liṅgehi yehi nimittehi yehi uddesehi nāmakāyassa paññatti hoti….. DN Poṭṭhapāda-sutta (In relation to the occurrence of dialectical variations for the bowl) These citta are names, expressions, turns of speech and designations in common use in the world. And of these the Tathagata makes the use indeed, but is not led astray by them. (Imā kho citta, lokasamaññā lokaniruttiyo lokavohārā lokapaññattiyo, yāhi tathāgato voharati aparāmasa’’nti)

SN Niruttipatha-sutta

The connecting the experience of rūpa etc. to the past, present and future is the three pathways of expression (niruttipathā), designation (adhivacana-pathā) and concepts (paññatti-pathā)

…………………..

Yepi te, bhikkhave, ahesuṃ ukkalā vassabhaññā ahetukavādā akiriyavādā natthikavādā, tepime tayo niruttipathe adhivacanapathe paññattipathe na garahitabbaṃ nappaṭikkositabbaṃ amaññiṃsu. Taṃ kissa hetu? Nindāghaṭṭanabyārosaupārambhabhayā’’ti

Dhammasaṅgiṇī

That which is an enumeration, designation, expression, a current term, a name, a denomination, the assigning of a name, an interpretation, a distinctive mark of discourse on this or that dhamma.

(Yā tesaṃ tesaṃ dhammānaṃ saṅkhā samaññā paññatti vohāro nāmaṃ nāmakammaṃ nāmadheyyaṃ nirutti byañjanaṃ abhilāpo – ime dhammā adhivacanā. Sabbeva dhammā adhivacanapathā)

Dhammasaṅgaṇīaṭṭhakathā

Paññatti is what is predicated/ expressed (vohāra) in contradiction with what really exist.

What is that is predicated? I, mine, another, another’s, a person, a state, an individual, a man, a youth, Tissa, Datta, a conch, a chair, a mat, a pillow, a monastery, a cell, a door, a window. These are the various ways of predicating.

(Ahanti mamanti paroti parassāti sattoti bhāvoti posoti puggaloti naroti māṇavoti tissoti dattoti, ‘mañco pīṭhaṃ bhisi bimbohanaṃ’ ‘vihāro pariveṇaṃ dvāraṃ vātapāna’nti – DhsA)

Name is an old alternative for paññatti. Signaificance of Name as given in the SN:

Saṃyuttanikāya, Nāmasutta

Name has weighed down everything; Nothing is more extensive than name; Name is the one that has all under its control.

Nāmaṃ sabbaṃ addhabhavi, nāmā bhiyyo na vijjati

Nāmassa ekadhammassa, sabbeva vasamanvagū’ti

Paññatti has two aspects Saddapaññatti/ nāmapaññatti- Concepts as terms, Names

Atthapaññatti- Concepts as meanings

Difference between saddapaññatti and atthaapaññatti

saddapaññatti atthapaññatti

Mode of recognizing (Saññākāramatta) Established by worldly usage (Lokavohārasidda)

Kappanā (interpretative and synthasizing function of the mind)

That which makes known (Paññāpanato paññatti) What is conceived (Paññāpiyamāna)

That which is made known (Paññāpiyattāpaññatti) Parikappiyamāna

Saddassa atthehi sambandho Atthassa saddehi sambandho

That which expresses (vācaka) Which is expressed (vacanīya)

Verities of atthapaññattis • Concepts of continuity (santānapaññatti)- objects of nature

such as rivers, mountains etc.

• Collective concepts- (samūhapaññatti)- house, chariot etc.

• Concepts of quarters- (disāpaññatti)- North, south etc.

• Concepts of time- (kālapaññatti)- Year, month, morning etc.

• Concepts of space- (ākāsapaññatti)- cave, land etc.

• Concepts of signs- (nimittapaññatti)- signs such as learning sign (uggaha-nimitta)

Upanidhā-paññatti (Oppositional Concept): Mutual reference (aññṃ aññm upanidhā) or juxtaposition (sannivesa)

Second as against first, Long against short, higher, lower

Abhāva-paññatti (Concepts of non-existence): While non-existence has no objective reality, Vaiśeṣika philosophy considered non-existence as an independent category. For Buddhists non-existence is not a real entity; but a mere notion dependent on bhāva (abhāvo bhāvaṃ nissāya pavattati).

Abhinivesa-paññatti (Concepts by adherence to wrong views): Taking ultimately what is not existing in reality is because of the overstepping the bounds of paññatti (paññattiṃ atidhāvitvā gaṇhanti paramatthato).

Sinhala Sanne to Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha:

Collective concept is overstepped by the notion of association (saṃyoga), limb or part (avayava), body or whole (avayavī).

Concept of direction or time is mistaken as direction-substance (disā- dravya) and time-substance (kāla-dravya).

Varieties of saddapaññattis

Vijjamāna- Reals- cakkhu

Avijjamāna- Unreal/ concepts- bowl (patta)

Vijjamānena-avijjamāna- unreal by real- my compassion (mama karuṇā)

Avijjamānena-vijjamāna- Real by unreal- woman’s voice

Vijjamānena-Vijjamāna- real by real- eye-contact (cakkhu-samphassa)

Avijjamānena-Avijjamāna- unreal by unreal- son of the warrior (khattiya-putta)

paññatti vs aramattha

paññatti Reason nāmarūpavimutta Cannot be included within nāmarūpa

Kālavimutta Arising, exitance and cessations is not related

apaccayaṭṭhitika Not brought about by conditions

paññatti

Reason Merely conceptualized. Exist dependent on the operation of mind (Parikappasiddha) or synthesizing function of mind based on various appearances of the real dhammas in a particular position (avatthā-vasena).

Asabhāvadhamma It does not have its own nature in the sense that it does not have its own function

Bhūmi-vimutta Cannot be assigned to any place in the four planes.

Paramattha What is paramattha?

What is not Paññatti is paramattha: They are dhammas, quite opposite factors of Paññattis

They are Sabhāvadhammā, parinipphannadhammā, nāmarūpadhammā etc.

Ultimate Realities Aviparitattha/ aviparita-bhāva (Irreversibility: Non-alterable, non-

transferable

They objectively exist (paramatthato vijjamānatā), Cognizability in ultimate sense (paramatthato upalabhamānatā).

Constituents of empirical existence.

The terms used to resolve the experience of the world are: Dhamma, bhāva (being), sabhāva/ sakabhāva (own being, own nature), salakkhana (own characteristic), paramattha (ultimate), paccatta-lakkhaṇa (individuating characteristics), saccikaṭṭha (true existent) bhūtattha (actual being)

The names given to dhammas are also Paññattis, that is saddapaññattis.

Prof. Y. Karunadasa says:

“The names given to dhammas don't have corresponding concepts as meanings (atthaPaññattis) (Karunadasa: 55) because unlike concepts, dhammas’ nature is profound (gambhīra).

This means what we are doing is just an act of naming. But ordinary individual cannot realize the true corresponding ultimate realities. This act of naming on behalf of ultimate realities is naming by real (vijjamāna-paññatti).

For the ordinary person, only paññatti is possible. So therefore the names given to dhammas also do not have corresponding objective realities until one transcends the conceptual level (paññatti-samatikkamana). This means only the trained mind can know the true nature of things.

The problem of being impossible for the ordinary person to realize the true nature of realities is that the change of mind and matter are so rapid. The ultimate realities are profound to realize through momentary elements.

Visuddhimagga Mahāṭīkā

Gambhīre hi ārammaṇe gambhīre udake patitanāvā viya samathabhāvanā patiṭṭhaṃ na labhati, ‘‘gambhīratāyā’’ti ca iminā sabhāvadhammatāpi saṅgahitā. Sabhāvadhammo hi gambhīro na paññatti. Nanu ca tajjāpaññattivasena sabhāvadhammo gayhatīti? Saccaṃ gayhati pubbabhāge, bhāvanāya pana vaḍḍhamānāya paññattiṃ samatikkamitvā sabhāveyeva cittaṃ tiṭṭhati.

When we concentrate on the dhammas either in ordinary perception or in meditation our perception is still based on concepts. As the focus is on a dhammas this must be included in the concepts of actualities or realities (vijjamāna-paññatti). In the meditation, due to the acuteness of the concentration of the characteristics or own nature of the dhammas, the process of perception is identified with a technical term tajjā-paññatti (a concept born out of it, dhamma)

Yā taṃ taṃ dhammasabhāvaṃ apekkhitvā pathavī, tejo, kakkhaḷatā, uṇhatātiādikā paññāpanā, ayaṃ tajjāpaññatti nāma

Etāsu pana tajjāpaññatti vijjamānapaññattiyeva. (Pancappakaranatthakatha).

____________

It is correct to say according to following passage, that until Paṇṇattisamatikkamana one cannot apprehend sabhāva, the own nature.

Visuddhimagga Mahāṭīkā

(Paṇṇattisamatikkamanatoti ‘‘yā ayaṃ pathavīdhātū’’tiādikā paṇṇatti, taṃ atikkamitvā lakkhaṇesu eva cittaṃ ṭhapetabbaṃ.

Evaṃ paṇṇattiṃ vijahitvā kakkhaḷalakkhaṇādīsu eva manasikāraṃ pavattentassa lakkhaṇāni supākaṭāni suvibhūtāni hutvā upaṭṭhahanti. Tassevaṃ punappunaṃ manasikāravasena cittaṃ āsevanaṃ labhati. Sabbo rūpakāyo dhātumattato upaṭṭhāti suñño nissatto nijjīvo yantaṃ viya yantasuttena aparāparaṃ parivattamāno. )

Because of the conceptual construction, even the teaching of the Buddha can be misinterpreted.

Abhidhamma-mūlaṭīkā says if Three characteristics of phenomena is considered as separate abstractions independent of other dhammas, that is also of the nature of conceptual construction (paññatti-gatika).

The Kathāvatthu reveals how Four Noble truths and Dependent Co-arising were considered by some Buddhist traditions (According to the commentary Pubbaseliyas) as unconditioned realities for the reason that they were regarded as separate from conditioned dhammas which are dependent on other dhammas.

All concepts exists independent of the operation of mind (parikappasiddha)

whereas all the reals exist without the operation of the mind (sabhāvasiddha).