無間等

Reading

Eng. direct realization, Skt. abhisamaya, P. abhisamaya

Discussion

This term occurs throughout the Saṃyukta Āgama and other translations by Guṇabhadra. It seems to be an etymological translation interpreting abhi- as "immediately" 無間 and samaya as "complete" 等. 無間 here means "nothing between," and 等 is a common Chinese translation for sam-/sama in compounds meaning "complete" or "fully." The usage of 無間等 in SĀ is the same as in Pali and Sanskrit sources, and it's glossed as "knowing and seeing" in Chinese Abhidharma texts (e.g. T1551.849c), so the identification of this term as a translation of Skt. abhisamaya seems clear.

This term shouldn't be confused with the translation of Skt. avīci as 無間, which should be read as meaning "without interruption" rather than "immediate."