Meaning of 'sukhita'

[JackV]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone can clear something up for me.

sabbe sattā sukhi hontu - May all beings be well.

I have just seen this written in a thai chanting book as, 'sabbe sattā sukhita hontu' with the same meaning.

Now as far as I am aware sukhi means well or happy but on further research (which when using the internet actually brought me to some old posts from this site) sukhita also seems to mean the same.

Can anyone explain to me the significance of the word Sukhita in the phrase sabbe sattā sukhi hontu? Is it just a change due to local vernacular or something similar, or does it have a greater significance?

Thanks

Jack

[David N. Snyder]

Now as far as I am aware sukhi means well or happy but on further research (which when using the internet actually brought me to some old posts from this site) sukhita also seems to mean the same.

cool.

Happy, glad, well, seem to be the correct meanings.

[JackV]

Now as far as I am aware sukhi means well or happy but on further research (which when using the internet actually brought me to some old posts from this site) sukhita also seems to mean the same.

cool.

Happy, glad, well, seem to be the correct meanings.

Is there a reason that both words have the same meaning? Can they be used interchangebly or do they depend on context to be used correctly?
I am going to be getting this written by a calligraphy artist for display and so want to ensure that it isn't written incorrectly and that all the necessary diacritic marks are accurate.

Jack

[David N. Snyder]

Yes, I believe it is based on the context. But I'm not a Pali expert (especially on grammar) to answer that definitively. I'm still working on the words and phrases.

[JackV]

Thanks very much anyway.

Language is such an odd thing, especially for something which is essentially innate and necessary. You would imagine it would be much simpler.

Jack

[Phra Chuntawongso]

Thanks very much anyway.

Language is such an odd thing, especially for something which is essentially innate and necessary. You would imagine it would be much simpler.

Jack

Hi there. Perhaps you could contact Bhante Yuttadhammo at www.yuttadhammo.sirimangalo.org as he is fairly knowledgable in these things.
With metta

[Kare]

Sukhi (with a long final 'i') is an adjective which means 'happy". As an adjective, it describes 'a state'.

But language is a flexible thing. You can change an adjective into a verb, which then means something like 'being in a state'. And in Pali, the verbs can be made causative, which then mean 'causing to be in a state'.

Sukhi (adjective), meaning 'happy', can thus be transformed (by a grammatical ending) into sukheti, a causative verb meaning 'causing to be happy'. This again can be changed into a perfect participle, with the ending '-ita' instead of '-eti'. So 'sukhita' then means 'be caused to be happy', which of course is the same as 'happy'.

But if you go for nuances, one could say that 'sukhita' - 'be caused to be happy' or 'be made happy', implies a more active attitude, a wish not only for others to be happy, but an active encouragement for us to help make others happy. On the other hand, in 'sabbe satta sukhi hontu', there is also the same active element of encouragement in the verb 'hontu' - 'may they be', so the difference is quite small.

[JackV]

Wowzers.

Perfect. Thank you both.

I feel sort of bad because I am always being helped by people on this site and I dont seem to have any particularly useful knowledge to give back.

Oh well, maybe in the future.

Cheers guys!

[daverupa]

I feel sort of bad because I am always being helped by people on this site and I dont seem to have any particularly useful knowledge to give back.

You might consider your contribution to be one of asking questions others haven't thought to ask, and thereby pulling even more out of the forums than would have been there otherwise. For those who don't post very often, if at all, it is a very useful role. On behalf of lurkers, in particular, thanks to you and others for keeping the forum fresh and relevant by asking a wide variety of questions.

[Phra Chuntawongso]

I feel sort of bad because I am always being helped by people on this site and I dont seem to have any particularly useful knowledge to give back.

You might consider your contribution to be one of asking questions others haven't thought to ask, and thereby pulling even more out of the forums than would have been there otherwise. For those who don't post very often, if at all, it is a very useful role. On behalf of lurkers, in particular, thanks to you and others for keeping the forum fresh and relevant by asking a wide variety of questions.

Well said my friend. How many times do we think " I wish I'd thought of that" after someone says or does something.
With metta