This paper discusses the phrase attānam adhigaccha as it occurs in the Therīgāthā, ver. 51. Buddhist scriptures contain many examples of attan used in a negative sense. We also find, however, attan used with a positive meaning, and this is one semantic range which I explore in this article. In section 1, I survey the meaning of adhigacchati. This has led me to conclude that attan in attānam adhigaccha is used in a positive sense, i.e. something which is to be aimed at. Section 2 deals with the basic spheres underlying attan in Buddhist texts. One is the ‘everyday self’, the other is attan that attaches itself to the mind and objects, a proclivity which Buddhism rejects. This paper focuses upon the positive aspect of the former meaning. 3. At Dhp ver. 160 and ver. 380, we see attan used in a positive sense, attan as an objective to be attained. This objective is attan as a master of oneself, attan that has been brought under control. 4. However, these general semantic features cannot explain the precise meaning of attan in attānam adhigaccha in the context of Thī. Here, the Buddha utters these words in order to help Ubbirī overcome her grief at her daughter’s death. Admonished by the Exalted One, Ubbirī’s grief vanishes. This is expressed by means of the metaphor of an arrow extracted from a wound. The arrow is often used in early Buddhist literature as a metaphor for defilement (kilesa) or craving (taṇhā). My conclusion is that the phrase attānam adhigaccha should be construed as ‘attain oneself [i.e., a self that is free from attachment]’ or ‘awake to oneself [i.e., a self that has been freed from attachment]’. A relevant usage can actually be found at Sn ver. 592. The nuance of ‘self that has been freed from attachment’ in attānam adhigaccha is in the same positive semantic range as attan with the meanings of ‘self as a master of oneself’ and ‘self that has been brought under control’
