1. 'Road', 'path'; for instance in dukkhanirodha-gāminī-patipadā, 'the road leading to the extinction of suffering' (= 4th Noble Truth); majjhima-patipadā, 'the Middle Way'.

2. 'Progress' (see also the foll. article). There are 4 modes of progress to deliverance: (1) painful progress with slow comprehension (dukkhā patipadā dandhābhiññā), (2) painful progress with quick comprehension, (3) pleasant progress with slow comprehension, (4) pleasant progress with quick comprehension. In A. IV, 162 it is said:

(1) "Some person possesses by nature excessive greed, excessive hate, excessive delusion, and thereby he often feels pain and sorrow; and also the 5 mental faculties, as faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom (s. indriya 15-19) are dull in him; and by reason thereof he reaches only slowly the immediacy (ānantariya, q.v) to the cessation of all cankers.

(2) Some person possesses by nature excessive greed, etc., but the 5 mental faculties are sharp in him and by reason thereof he reaches quickly the immediacy to the cessation of all cankers ....

(3) "Some person possesses by nature no excessive greed, etc., but the 5 mental faculties are dull in him, and by reason thereof he reaches slowly the immediacy to the cessation of all cankers ....

(4) 'Some person possessess by nature no excessive greed, etc., and the mental faculties are sharp in him, and by reason thereof he reaches quickly the immediacy to the cessation of all cankers ....

See A. IV, 162, 163, 166-169; Dhs. 176ff; Atthasālini Tr. I, 243; 11, 291, 317.