What was the dāruyanta?

Textual Scholarship
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From the Visuddhimagga

tasmā yathā dāruyantaṃ suññaṃ nijjīvaṃ nirīhakaṃ, atha ca pana dārurajjukasamāyogavasena gacchatipi tiṭṭhatipi. saīhakaṃ sabyāpāraṃ viya khāyati

Probably an Automaton, a mechanical toy doll or robot made of wood with internal levers, strings, gears etc?
Any ideas?

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For myself I believe this is a reference to an automaton. Automata were known in the ancient world. A machine that intended to give the impression of being self instigated, self determined.

Regardless, I think there is a perfect response to the ‘AI could be sentient’ crowd-

Na hevam, saīhakaṃ sabyāpāraṃ viya khāyati

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Here is the pali with translation by Nanamoli
Vis xv111

675.Tasmā yathā dāruyantaṃ suññaṃ nijjīvaṃ
nirīhakaṃ, atha ca pana dārurajjukasamāyogavasena
gacchatipi tiṭṭhatipi.
31.Therefore, just as a marionette is void, soulless
and without curiosity, and while it walks and stands
merely through the combination of strings and wood,
Saīhakaṃ sabyāpāraṃ viya khāyati, evamidaṃ
nāmarūpampi suññaṃ nijjīvaṃ nirīhakaṃ, atha ca
pana aññamaññasamāyogavasena gacchatipi
tiṭṭhatipi.
yet it seems as if it had curiosity and interestedness,
so too, this mentality- materiality is void, soulless and
without curiosity, and while it walks and stands merely
through the combination of the two together, yet it
seems as if it had curiosity and interestedness

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Thank you! (((This is just an investigation)))

I think that is partly correct. This is probably something in the form of a human. But a machine.

It’s basically the same simile as in the Maha Satipatthana Sutta commentary

Yantaṃ suttavaseneva,
cittasuttavasenidaṃ
Payuttaṃ kāyayantampi

‘Yanta’ means a Machine. ‘Sutta’ means engine of the machine (may be powered by a falling weight or springs etc)

Anyway it’s not that important. Puppet and strings can express the same meaning.

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I think it might be some larger device. Maybe like a wooden elephant that you are inside of.

Another similar word in the same passage

[ dārurajjukasamāyoga+vasa ] [Dārujjuka+samāyoga] (pu) CL=8 The combination of wooden robots (and) ropes or band connected to a pulley or some other mechanical contrivance.

I think we can imagine something like this but more archaic in nature.

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It’s very interesting. I hadn’t thought of something more sophisticated than a marionette until your post.

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