<p>Yes, it is, if the sentient beings means dukkha-khandha (being) which still cycle-processing (sentient;paṭiccasamuppāda).</p>

<p>The being of asañña-satta is in the cycle processing, but asañña-satta has not nāma-paṭiccasamuppāda, so "sentient" shouldn't means sentiency. See Sutta. Aṅ. (4): sattaka-aṭṭhaka-navakanipātā <a href="http://www.84000.org/tipitaka/read/v.php?B=23&amp;A=8534&amp;Z=8558&amp;eng=suttacentral" rel="nofollow noreferrer">sattāvāsasutta</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>There are sentient beings that are non-percipient and do not experience anything, such as the gods who are non-percipient beings.</p>
  
  <p>Santi, bhikkhave, sattā asaññino appaṭisaṃvedino, seyyathāpi devā asaññasattā. </p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-05-19T05:46:52.440Z
2018-05-19T05:46:52.440Z
Bonn
<p>The new Sutta Central translations have translated the Pali word "sattā" as "sentient beings", as follows: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p><em>And what is rebirth? Katamā ca, bhikkhave, jāti?</em></p>
  
  <p><em>The rebirth, inception, conception, <strong>reincarnation</strong>, manifestation of the aggregates, and acquisition of the sense fields of the various
  <strong>sentient beings</strong> in the various orders of <strong>sentient beings</strong>.</em></p>
  
  <p><em>Yā tesaṃ tesaṃ <strong>sattā</strong>naṃ tamhi tamhi <strong>satta</strong>nikāye jāti sañjāti okkanti <strong>abhinibbatti</strong> khandhānaṃ pātubhāvo āyatanānaṃ paṭilābho.</em></p>
  
  <p><a href="https://suttacentral.net/sn12.2/en/sujato" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>SN 12.2</em></a></p>
</blockquote>

<p>What evidence is there in the Pali suttas that the word "sattā" means "sentient beings"? </p>

<pali-canon>
Does the Pali word "sattā" mean "sentient beings"?
# Does the Pali word "sattā" mean "sentient beings"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-05-19)

The new Sutta Central translations have translated the Pali word "sattā" as "sentient beings", as follows:

> *And what is rebirth? Katamā ca, bhikkhave, jāti?*
>
> *The rebirth, inception, conception, **reincarnation**, manifestation of the aggregates, and acquisition of the sense fields of the various
> **sentient beings** in the various orders of **sentient beings**.*
>
> *Yā tesaṃ tesaṃ **sattā**naṃ tamhi tamhi **satta**nikāye jāti sañjāti okkanti **abhinibbatti** khandhānaṃ pātubhāvo āyatanānaṃ paṭilābho.*
>
> [*SN 12.2*](https://suttacentral.net/sn12.2/en/sujato)

What evidence is there in the Pali suttas that the word "sattā" means "sentient beings"?

**Tags:** pali-canon


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2018-05-19. Score: 2

Yes, it is, if the sentient beings means dukkha-khandha (being) which still cycle-processing (sentient;paṭiccasamuppāda).

The being of asañña-satta is in the cycle processing, but asañña-satta has not nāma-paṭiccasamuppāda, so "sentient" shouldn't means sentiency. See Sutta. Aṅ. (4): sattaka-aṭṭhaka-navakanipātā [sattāvāsasutta](http://www.84000.org/tipitaka/read/v.php?B=23&A=8534&Z=8558&eng=suttacentral):

> There are sentient beings that are non-percipient and do not experience anything, such as the gods who are non-percipient beings.
>
> Santi, bhikkhave, sattā asaññino appaṭisaṃvedino, seyyathāpi devā asaññasattā.


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