Monday, May 25, 2020

AN 6.20 (un)intentional humor? "a centipede bite might kill me, that would be inconvenient"


AN 6.20 (un)intentional humor? "a centipede bite might kill me, that would be inconvenient"

Post by frank k » 

AN 6.20 (un)intentional humor? "a centipede bite might kill me, that would be inconvenient"

(pali + english formatted properly)
http://lucid24.org/an/an06/an06-0020/index.html


sata-padī vā maṃ ḍaṃseyya;
{or a} hundred-footed [centipede] ** I might-be-bitten (by),
tena me assa kāla-kiriyā,
because-of-that my **** time-of-death [would arrive],
so mamassa antarāyo.
that (for) me, (would be an) obstacle.


Two pali grammar related questions:
1) what exactly is the obstacle:
* death,
* the specific cause of that death,
* or the fact that one would have to die, be reborn, and for most beings that means they
- forget the Dhamma they've learned this life time and have to relearn it again,
- or not even get a chance to encounter Dhamma again?
2) was there any humor intended by the original pali construction? The way most English translators render the " that would be an obstacle for me", comes across as humor to many people.

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