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vimokkhā

vimokkha

masc nom pl of vimokkha (noun); masc instr sg of vimokkha (noun); masc abl sg of vimokkha (noun); masc voc sg of vimokkha (noun); …

1. release; emancipation; deliverance; freedom; salvation (of)
2. meditation attainment
3. meditation attainment; lit. liberation

Built from

• vi — prefix · apart, asunder
  The prefix creates intensive clarity: not just loosening but complete separation and distinct freedom from all bonds.
• mokkha — root · release, loosing
  From √muc 'to loose, let go'. The root conveys the image of undoing a knot or letting something slip free from constraint.

Analysis. vi- (apart, asunder) + mokkha (release, from √muc 'to loose'). The prefix vi- intensifies and clarifies the sense of release: not mere loosening but a complete breaking free.

Etymology. √muc 'to loose, release' (cognate with English 'muck' in the sense of remove, Latin mutare 'to change'); vi- is the clarifying prefix meaning 'apart, asunder'. The compound emphasizes thorough liberation in Buddhist technical language, especially in the formula of the three kinds of vimokkha (suññatā-, animmitā-, appaṇihitā-vimokkha).

Meanings from the Digital Pāḷi Dictionary; morphology and etymology by Claude.

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