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Glite Dictionary
💧 Nasal cleaning 🧘 Not this (philosophy) 🧑 A personal name
neti

neti

9.9
A Sanskrit word used to say what the highest reality is not
  • particle
  • /ˈnɛti/
  • Specialized
translation icon : neti
  • In Indian philosophy, the phrase neti neti is often used to denote the idea of 'not this, not that'.

So in like Buddhist expressions like neti neti, right, like not this, not that.

Examples

  • So in like Buddhist expressions like neti neti, right, like not this, not that.

    André Duqum

  • In discussions of spirituality, practitioners often employ neti as a method of negation.

  • The doctrine of neti illustrates the complex relationship between language and ultimate reality.

Surface Forms

neti main

Etymology

Neti is a Sanskrit word that literally means 'not this' and appears in the phrase neti neti used in Vedanta to reject any single description of the ultimate reality; so the word is a way of saying what something is not.