neuter
- stretch, extent, reach, compass, region; sphere, locus, place, spot; position, occasion (corresponding to Bdhgh’s definition at DN-a.i.124 as “samosaraṇa”) DN.iii.241, DN.iii.279 (vimutti˚); SN.ii.41, SN.ii.269; SN.iv.217 SN.v.119 sq., SN.v.318. sq.; AN.iii.141 (ariya˚); AN.v.61 (abhibh˚ q.v.) Snp.406 (rajass˚ “haunt of passion” = rāgādi-rajassa uppatti-deso Snp-a.381); Ja.i.80 (raj˚). Freq. in phrase araññ˚; a lonely spot, a spot in the forest Ja.i.173; Vv-a.301; Pv-a.42, Pv-a.54.
- exertion, doing, working, practice, performance (comprising Bdhgh’s definition at DN-a.i.124 as paññatti), usually -˚, viz. kamm˚; Mnd.505; Vb.324 Vb.353; kasiṇ˚; AN.v.46 sq., AN.v.60; Pts.i.28; titth˚; AN.i.173 AN.i.175; Vb.145, Vb.367; sipp˚; (art, craft) DN.i.51; Cnd.505 Vb.324, Vb.353; cp. an˚; non-exertion, indolence, sluggishness Ja.v.121.
- sphere of perception or sense in general, object of thought, sense-organ & object; relation order
■ Cpd. p. 183 says rightly: “āyatana cannot be rendered by a single English word to cover both sense-organs (the mind being regarded as 6th sense) and sense objects”
■ These āyatanāni (relations, functions reciprocalities) are thus divided into two groups, inner (ajjhattikāni) and outer (bāhirāni), and comprise the foll.:- ajjhatt˚: 1. cakkhu eye, 2. sota ear, 3. ghāna nose, 4. jivhā tongue, 5. kāya body, 6. mano mind
- bāh˚: 1. rūpa visible object, 2. sadda sound, 3 gandha odour, 4. rasa taste, 5. phoṭṭhabba tangible object, 6. dhamma cognizable object
■ For details as regards connotation & application see Dhs trsl. introduction li sq. Cpd. 90 n. 2; 254 sq
■ Approximately covering this meaning (3) is Bdhgh’s definition of āyatana at DN-a.i.124 as sañjāti and as kāraṇa (origin & cause i.e. mutually occasioning & conditioning relations or adaptations). See also Cnd under rūpa for further classifications.
■ For the above mentioned 12 āyatanāni see the foll. passages: DN.ii.302 sq.; DN.iii.102, DN.iii.243; AN.iii.400 AN.v.52; Snp.373 (cp.