niddasa 1 · niddasa 2
Niddasa see niddesa. [BD]: tenless. From bodhi, ND, 7.20: SED sv nirdaṣa gives "more than ten days old, happened more than ten days ago." The expression itself, howevr, has no necessary connection with days and could also be explained by taking ni to be a privative prefix and thus meaning "without ten." Thus as used here it might just as well mean "without ten years." Mp accepts the reading as given and offers an explanation, which I translate just below. It could be that the original meaning of the expression is irretrievably lost and in interpreting it we have nothing to relative on but conjecture. There are no identified Chinese parallels to this sutta or to ND: 42-43 below to serve as a check. Here is Mp: The question ["How is one tenless?"] is said to have arisen among the outside sectarians. For they call a Nigaṇṭha niddaso ("ten-less") who has died at the time he is ten years of age [ dasavassakāle; or: "at the time he has ten years' seniority" (as an ascetic)?] For, it is said, he does not become ten years of age again. And not only doesn't he become ten years of age again, [he doesn't become] nine years or age or even one year of age. In this way, they call a Nigaṇṭha who is dead at the age of twenty years, and so on, nibbīso (twenty-less), nittiṃso ('thirty-less'), niccattālīso ('forty-less'), nippaññāso ('fifty-less'). When Ānanda was wandering in the village, he heard this discussion and reported it to the Blessed One. The Blessed One said: 'This is not a designation for the sectarians, Ānanda, bur for the taint-destoyer [Arahant] in my teaching.' For if the taint-destroyer attains final Nibbāna when he is ten years of age [or: has ten years' seniority?], he does not become one of ten years again. Not only one of ten years, he doesn't become one of nine years ... of a single year. Not only one of a single year, he doesn't become one of eleven months ... nor even one of a single moment. Why? Because he never again takes rebirth. The same method for one who is 'twenty-less' and so on. Thus the Blessed One begins this teaching to show the causes for becoming one who is 'ten-less.'" I take this term to also signify a form of rebirth wherein without transitioning through death and rebirth the mind of an individual reverts back to a previous point in what appears to be this same life and starts over from there (Groundhog Day). Hence being 10-less would mean that his accomplishments to the point where he reverts are such that he has no need to go further back than his 11th year, and so forth. The Arahant would be the case where there is no need to revert at all.
(adj, adj, from dasa) mature; fulfilled [lit.] not (another) ten; not ten (again) Construction: nir + dasa
(masc, masc, from dasa) maturity; fulfillment [lit.] not (another) ten; not ten (again) Construction: nir + dasa