1.1 – Synopsis
2 – Why do they do this?
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Examples of TIT WOW Syndrome
Upekkha is not (only) equanimity
upekkha = upa + ikkhati. Ikkhati means looking at. Upekkha does include an important quality of 'equanimity', but it's not a passive attitude.
Ikkhati, looking at, has vipassana capability, the same as passana "seeing" and diṭṭhi "view" can do vipassana and insight.
Upekkha in 4th jhāna, as a brahma-vihara, as the 7th awakening factor, is the factor that does vipassana that leads to full awakening. It's not just an attitude of 'equanimity'.
Upekkha = equanimous-observation.
Peanut-butter and jelly sandwich
If you were to translate that into "peanut butter sandwich", or "jelly sandwich",
it would be incorrect.
It's not a PBJ unless it has both peanut butter and jelly in a sandwich.
Mudita (as one of 4 brahma-vihara)
Bodhi translates as: altruistic joy (agreeing with an earlier old PTS translator)
Thanissaro has: empathetic joy
Sujato has: rejoicing
Sujato isn't necessarily guilty of TITWOW here. It depends on how he interprets 'mudita' in the suttas. If he think mudita is vague in the suttas, then he's correct in keeping the english translation and interpretation vague.
I'm of the opinion, and many EBT passages and Vimuttimagga supports me on this, that the joy of mudita is not vague, is specific in that it is the joy that comes from appreciating oneself or others doing virtuous, skillful wholesome actions of the body, speech, or mind. Thanissaro and Bodhi seem to agree it's not just any kind of joy, there's a specific quality that must be met to qualify as mudita.
To be continued
...More egregious examples from the pāḷi translation world to be added
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