nekkhamma

giving up the world leading a holy life, renunciation of, or emancipation from worldliness, freedom from lust, craving & desires, dispassionateness self-abnegation, Nibbāna. Vin.i.18 (˚e ānisaṁsa) DN.i.110 (identical), DN.iii.239, DN.iii.275, DN.iii.283 MN.iii.129 AN.i.147 (= khema, i.e. nibbāna); AN.iii.245; AN.iv.186 (ānisaṁsa), AN.iv.439 sq. Snp.424 (˚ṁ daṭṭhu khemato) Dhp.181 Pts.i.107 sq.; Pts.ii.169 sq. Cnd.370; Vism.116, Vism.325 Ja.i.19 Ja.i.137 Vv.8442 (= nibbāna Vv-a.348); Netti.53, Netti.87 Netti.106 sq. Mil.285 (˚ṁ abhinikkhanta) Dhp-a.iii.227 Thag-a.266

  • -ādhimutta bent on self-abnegation (enumerated with 5 other ideals of Arahantship: paviveka, avyāpajjha upādānakkhaya, taṇhakkhaya, asammoha) Vin.i.183; AN.iii.376;
  • -ābhirata fond of renunciation AN.iv.224 AN.v.175; Pts.ii.173;
  • -dhātu the sphere or element of dispassionateness SN.ii.152; Vb.86; Ne.97; Vism.487
  • -ninna merging into or bent on a holy life SN.iii.233
  • -vitakka a thought of self-abnegation SN.ii.152; AN.i.275 AN.ii.252; Iti.82;
  • -saṅkappa = prec. SN.ii.152; AN.iii.146 Vb.104, Vb.235;
  • -sita based or bent on a holy life (opp geha˚; q.v.) SN.iv.232;
  • -sukha the joy or happiness of Arahantship MN.iii.110; AN.i.80; Dhp.267, Dhp.272; Dhp-a.iii.400.

formally a derivation fr. nikkhamma (ger. of nikkhamati) = Sk. *naiṣkramya, as shown also by its semantic affinity to nikkhanta, in which the metaphorical sense has entirely superseded the literal one. On the other hand, it may be a bastard derivation fr. nikkāma = Sk. *naiṣkāmya, although the adj. nikkāma does not show the prevailing meaning & the wide range of nikkhanta, moreover formally we should expect nekkamma. In any case the connection with; kāma is pre-eminently felt in the connotation of n., as shown by var. passages where a play of word exists between n & kāma (cp. kāmānaṃ nissaraṇaṃ yad idaṃ nekkhammaṃ Iti.61, cp. Vin.i.104; AN.iii.245; also MN.i.115). The use of the similar term abhinikkhamana further warrants its derivation fr. nikkhamati