Sacca, Saccā: 11 definitions

Introduction:

Sacca means something in Buddhism, Pali, Marathi, Jainism, Prakrit, Hindi. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

Alternative spellings of this word include Sachchha.

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In Buddhism

Theravada (major branch of Buddhism)

Source: Pali Kanon: Pali Proper Names

A Licchavi maiden, daughter of a Nigantha and a Niganthi.

She was sister to Saccaka. She was a great disputant, and, one day she and her sisters, Patacara, Lola and Avavadaka, engaged in a dispute with Sariputta. Having been defeated, she joined the Order and became an arahant. J.iii.1f.

-- or --

. A Pacceka Buddha. M.iii.70; ApA.i.107.

Source: Dhamma Dana: Pali English Glossary

N Truth (which tunes with reality)

Source: Pali Kanon: Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines

'Truth'.

1. On the 'two truths', conventional and ultimate, see paramattha.

2. 'The Four Noble Truths' (ariya-sacca) are the briefest synthesis of the entire teachings of Buddhism, since all those manifold doctrines of the threefold canon are, without any exception, included therein.

They are:

  1. the truth of suffering,

  2. of the origin of suffering,

  3. of the extinction of suffering,

  4. and of the Eightfold Path leading to the extinction of suffering.

 

  • The 1st truth, briefly stated, teaches that all forms of existence whatsoever are unsatisfactory and subject to suffering (dukkha).

  • The 2nd truth teaches that all suffering, and all rebirth, is produced by craving (tanhā).

  • The 3rd truth teaches that extinction of craving necessarily results in extinction (nirodha) of rebirth and suffering, i.e. nibbāna.

  • The 4th truth of the Eightfold Path (magga) indicates the means by which this extinction is attained.

The stereotype text frequently recurring in the Sutta Pitaka, runs as follows:

  1. "But what, o monks, is the noble truth of suffering? Birth is suffering, decay is suffering, death is suffering; sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair are suffering; in short, the 5 groups of existence connected with clinging are suffering (cf. dukkha, dukkhata).

  2. ''But what, o monks, is the noble truth of the origin of suffering? It is that craving which gives rise to fresh rebirth and, bound up with lust and greed, now here, now there, finds ever fresh delight. It is the sensual craving (kāma-tanhā), the craving for existence (bhava-tanhā), the craving for non-existence or self-annihilation (vibhava-tanhā).

  3. "But what, o monks, is the noble truth of the extinction of suffering? It is the complete fading away and extinction of this craving, its forsaking and giving up, liberation and detachment from it.

  4. "But what, o monks, is the noble truth of the path leading to the extinction of suffering? It is the Noble Eightfold Path (ariya-atthangika-magga) that leads to the extinction of suffering, namely:

 

1. Right view (sammā-ditthi)

2. Right thought (sammā-sankappa)

III. Wisdom (paññā)

3. Right speech (sammā-vācā)

4. Right action (sammā-kammanta)

5. Right livelihood (sammd-djiva)

 

I. Morality (sīla)

6. Right effort (sammā-vāyāma)

7. Right mindfulness (sammā-sati)

8. Right concentration (sammā-samādhi)

 

II. Concentration (samādhi)

 

1. "What now, o monks, is right view (or right understanding)? It is the understanding of suffering, of the origin of suffering, of the extinction of suffering, and of the path leading to the extinction of suffering.

2. "What now, o monks, is right thought? It is a mind free from sensual lust, ill-will and cruelty.

3. "What now, o monks, is right speech? Abstaining from lying, tale-bearing, harsh words, and foolish babble (cf. tiracchānakathā).

4. "What now, o monks, is right action? Abstaining from injuring living beings, from stealing and from unlawful sexual intercourse (s. kāmesu micchācāra).

5. "What now, o monks, is right livelihood? If the noble disciple rejects a wrong living, and gains his living by means of right livelihood (s. magga, 5).

6. "What now, o monks, is right effort? If the disciple rouses his will to avoid the arising of evil, demeritorious things that have not yet arisen; ... if he rouses his will to overcome the evil, demeritorious things that have already arisen; ... if he rouses his will to produce meritorious things that have not yet arisen; ... if he rouses his will to maintain the meritorious things that have already arisen and not to let them disappear, but to bring them to growth, to maturity and to the full perfection of development; he thus makes effort, stirs up his energy, exerts his mind and strives (s. padhāna).

7. "What now, o monks is right mindfulness? If the disciple dwells in contemplation of corporeality ... of feeling ... of mind ... of the mind-objects, ardent, clearly conscious, and mindful after putting away worldly greed and grief (s. satipatthāna).

8. "What now, o monks, is right concentration? If the disciple is detached from sensual objects, detached from unwholesome things, and enters into the first absorption ... the second absorption ... the third absorption ... the fourth absorption" (s. jhāna).

In the Buddha's first sermon, the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, it is said that

  • the first truth (suffering) is to be fully understood;

  • the second truth (craving) to be abandoned;

  • the third truth (Nibbāna) to be realized;

  • the fourth truth (the path) to be cultivated.

"The truth of suffering is to be compared with a disease, the truth of the origin of suffering with the cause of the disease, the truth of extinction of suffering with the cure of the disease, the truth of the path with the medicine" (Vis.M. XVI).

In the ultimate sense, all these 4 truths are to be considered as empty of a self, since there is no feeling agent, no doer, no liberated one. no one who follows along the path. Therefore it is said:

'Mere suffering exists, no sufferer is found. The deed is, but no doer of the deed is there. Nibbāna is, but not the man that enters it. The path is, but no traveller on it is seen.

 

'The first truth and the second truth are empty Of permanency, joy, of self and beauty; The Deathless Realm is empty of an ego, And free from permanency, joy and self, the path.'

(Vis.M. XVI)

 

It must be pointed out that the first truth does not merely refer to actual suffering, i.e. to suffering as feeling, but that it shows that, in consequence of the universal law of impermanency, all the phenomena of existence whatsoever, even the sublimest states of existence, are subject to change and dissolution, and hence are miserable and unsatisfactory; and that thus, without exception, they all contain in themselves the germ of suffering. Cf. Guide, p. 101f.

Regarding the true nature of the path, s. magga.

Literature:
  • Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (in WHEEL 17 and BODHI LEAVES);

  • M.141; Sacca-Samyutta

  • (S. LVI); Sacca Vibhanga;

  • W. of B.; Vis.M. XVI:

  • The Four Noble Truths by Francis Story (WHEEL 34/35);

  • The Significance of the 4 Noble Truths by V. F. Gunaratna (WHEEL 123)

Source: Pali Kanon: A manual of Abhidhamma

Pali for 'truths';

context information

Theravāda is a major branch of Buddhism having the the Pali canon (tipitaka) as their canonical literature, which includes the vinaya-pitaka (monastic rules), the sutta-pitaka (Buddhist sermons) and the abhidhamma-pitaka (philosophy and psychology).

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Languages of India and abroad

Pali-English dictionary

Source: BuddhaSasana: Concise Pali-English Dictionary

sacca : (nt.) truth. adj. true; real.

Source: Sutta: The Pali Text Society's Pali-English Dictionary

Sacca, (adj.) (cp. Sk. satya) real, true D. I, 182; M. II, 169; III, 207; Dh. 408; nt. saccaṃ truly, verily, certainly Miln. 120; saccaṃ kira is it really true? D. I, 113; Vin. I, 45, 60; J. I, 107; saccato truly S. III, 112.—(nt. as noun) saccaṃ the truth A. II, 25, 115 (parama°); Dh. 393; also: a solemn asseveration Mhvs 25, 18. Sacce patiṭṭhāya keeping to fact, M. I, 376.—pl. (cattāri) saccāni the (four) truths M. II, 199; A. II, 41, 176; Sn. 883 sq.; Dhs. 358.—The 4 ariya-saccāni are the truth about dukkha, dukkhasamudaya, dukkha-nirodha, and dukkha-nirodha-gāminipaṭipadā. Thus e.g. at Vin. I, 230; D. II, 304 sq.; III, 277; A. I, 175 sq.; Vism. 494 sq.; VbhA. 116 sq. , 141 sq. A shortened statement as dukkha, samudaya, nirodha, magga is frequent found, e.g. Vin. I, 16; see under dukkha B. 1.—See also ariyasacca & asacca. — iminā saccena in consequence of this truth, i.e. if this be true J. I, 294.

Pali book cover
context information

Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.

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Marathi-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: The Molesworth Marathi and English Dictionary

saccā (सच्चा).—a ( H) Veracious, true, sincere, honest.

Source: DDSA: The Aryabhusan school dictionary, Marathi-English

saccā (सच्चा).—a Veracious, true, sincere.

context information

Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.

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Hindi dictionary

Source: DDSA: A practical Hindi-English dictionary

Saccā (सच्चा) [Also spelled sachchha]:—(a) true; truthful; genuine; sincere; loyal; faithful; real; ~[pana] truth, truthfulness; reality.

context information

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Prakrit-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: Paia-sadda-mahannavo; a comprehensive Prakrit Hindi dictionary

1) Sacca (सच्च) in the Prakrit language is related to the Sanskrit word: Satya.

2) Saccā (सच्चा) also relates to the Sanskrit word: Satyā.

context information

Prakrit is an ancient language closely associated with both Pali and Sanskrit. Jain literature is often composed in this language or sub-dialects, such as the Agamas and their commentaries which are written in Ardhamagadhi and Maharashtri Prakrit. The earliest extant texts can be dated to as early as the 4th century BCE although core portions might be older.

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Nepali dictionary

Source: unoes: Nepali-English Dictionary

Saccā (सच्चा):—adj. 1. true; 2. genuine; real; pure; 3. truthful; 4. honest; sincere; faithful; trustworthy; loyal;

context information

Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.

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