basis of mastership or superiority’; abhibhāyatanāni or the
(eight) bases of superiority are the (eight) mental accom-
plishments or superior powers of a man who by having
internally the idea of form, perceives externally 1 limited or
2 illimited forms, either with agreeable or disagreeable colours,
by having internally the idea of absence of form perceives
externally 3 limited or 4 illimited forms, either, too, with
agreeable or disagreeable colours, and by having internally
the idea of absence of form perceives externally 5 dark-blue
forms with dark-blue colours, aspect or appearance, 6 yellow
forms with yellow colours, aspect or appearance, 7 red forms
with red colours, aspect or appearance, and 8 white forms
with white colours, aspect or appearance. See Burnouf's Lo-
tus de la bonne loi; append. XV. E. abhibhā 2. and āyatana;
(Burnouf 1. c. considers the word as a Pāli form represent-
ing the Sanskṛt abhibhvāyatana, i. e. abhibhu or abhibhū and
āyatana, and renders it accordingly ‘the place or region
of the conqueror’; but as abhibhā = abhibhūti or abhibhava
may also have the active meaning, it seems better to adopt
the given E. and to take the word as a pure Sanskṛt
compound, meaning ‘that on which victory rests’, and
similar in formation to the Buddh. rūpāyatana or ākāśā-
nantyāyatana).