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AN 5.151 Sujato translation errors, ekagga is not 'un-scattered', yoniso is much more than 'rational'

 

I keep a list of all the errors I've found here, since I don't have an account on suttacentral forum: 

tracking suttacentral english translation errors: B. Sujato translation errors


AN 5.151: Paṭhamasammattaniyāmasutta—Bhikkhu Sujato (suttacentral.net)


What five?Katamehi pañcahi?They disparage the talk, the speaker, or themselves. They listen with scattered and scattered mind. They apply the mind irrationally.Kathaṁ paribhoti, kathikaṁ paribhoti, attānaṁ paribhoti, vikkhittacitto dhammaṁ suṇāti, anekaggacitto ayoniso ca manasi karoti.


It should read: They listen to the Dhamma with a scattered and un-ekagga mind


My translation of same section


Pañcahi, bhikkhave, dhammehi samannāgato suṇanto saddhammaṃ bhabbo niyāmaṃ okkamituṃ kusalesu dhammesu sammattaṃ.
Someone with five dharmas is able to enter the sure path with regards to skillful Dharmas when listening to the true Dharma.
Katamehi pañcahi?
What five?
Na kathaṃ paribhoti,
1. They don’t disparage the talk,
na kathikaṃ paribhoti,
2. They don’t disparage the speaker,
na attānaṃ paribhoti,
3. They don’t disparage themselves.
a-vikkhitta-citto dhammaṃ suṇāti,
4. with an undistracted mind, they listen to The ☸Dharma .
ekagga-citto yoniso ca manasi karoti.
5. with a mind of singular-focus, they wisely pay attention.


By the way, ekagga citta is synonymous with samādhi and first jhāna

In an oral tradition, you listen to Dhamma in a communicable linguistic verbal language.

You think about the Dhamma in verbal mental talk, as vitakka and vicāra.

You can hear some give a Dhamma talk  in first jhāna, you can think in first jhāna, with mental verbal thoughts (AN 5.27).

You can speak in first jhāna (look up the word 'cetana', it means you have free will in all four jhānas, MN 111).

But if you speak, first jhāna ends. SN 36.11.

Vitakka doesn't suddenly change meaning to "placing the mind" in a jhāna context, as it came to be redefined by Vism. 500 years after the Buddha died.



Yoniso = rational?

sure, it's rational, but in the EBT, yoniso has a more technical and specific context of applying the Dharma appropriately.  

I would recommend avoiding the 

TITWOW Syndrome : TITWOW = Translators Irritatingly Translate With One Word Syndrome.

and going with a more specialized phrase instead of a single word. 

Or if you're going to use a single word, use something that's not disconnected from Dhamma.

For example, "wise attention" for "yoniso manasi kāra" retains a connection with pañña indriya, staying connected with the true Dharma (the theme of AN 5.151).

"rational attention" has no wisdom or ethical connotation that Dhamma does.





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