Tuesday, January 29, 2019

dsuj translations at lucid24.org, audtip.org, 4nt.org

dsuj  = derived from 2018-decem. edition of  Sujato, Bhikkhu translator, mostly unchanged, but  with some important terms substituted.


https://sites.google.com/a/audtip.org/wiki/wiki/file-naming-conventions

andj Anandajoti Bhikkhu translator
 bodh Bodhi, Bhikkhu translator
 bjt Buddha Jayanti Tipitaka
dsuj  derived from 2018-decem. edition of  Sujato, Bhikkhu translator, mostly unchanged, but  with some important terms substituted.
 flipt FLIPT: Fast Learning Intuitive Pali Translation
 irld Ireland, John D. translator
nypo Nyanaponika, Bhikkhu translator
nymo Ñāṇamoli, Bhikkhu translator
ntbb Ñāṇamoli, Bhikkhu; Bodhi, Bhikkhu translators
than Thanissaro, Ajahn translator
tanp Tan, Piya translator
piya Piyadassi, Bhikkhu translator
pts Pali Text Society
rhyc Rhys Davids, C.A.F. translator
 suj Sujato, Bhikkhu translator
vri Vipasana Research Institute (includes DPR)
wlsh Walshe, Maurice O'Connell translator
 upla Upalavanna, Sister translator
 tibl Tipitaka In Burmese Language


These are the terms I changed:

  "absorption", "jhāna",
  "bliss", "pleasure",
  "choice", "co-doing", #sankhara

"disillusionment", "disenchantment",
"disillusioned", "disenchanted",

     "immersion", "undistractible-lucidity",
"immersed", "undistractified-&-lucidified",
"immerse", "undistractify-&-lucidify",
  "keeping it connected", "evaluation", #first and 2nd jhana
#"loving", "friendly-kindly", # metta
  # "love", "friendly-kindness", # metta

"mendicant", "monk", # bhikkhu
  "mindfulness", "remembering", #sati
  "mindfully", "rememberfully",
  "mindful", "rememberful",
  "placing of the mind", "directed-thought", #first and 2nd jhana
  "placing the mind", "directing-thought",

  "personally experiencing the bliss", "personally experiencing pleasure with the flesh and blood physical body", #3rd jhana
  "extinguished", "nirvana'd",
  "extinguishment", "nirvana",
"situational awareness", "lucid-discerning", # sampajano
"tranquility", "pacification", #passadhi
  "tranquil", "pacified", #passadhi


Most of the changes to B. Sujato's translations are preference

I personally enjoy B. Sujato's English translations, they definitely have value for a certain audience. My changes are to address technical practice issues, so that special technical terms can be recognized as corresponding to their Pali counterpart. For example, 'pacification' and 'passadhi' may share common indo/euro root. So it makes good sense retain that connection. 

'Mendicant' is a good translation, and I think B. Sujato's intention was that it's a more gender neutral term than 'monk'. However, word web has:
That doesn't seem gender neutral to me. Buddhist 'monk', Shaolin 'monk', are pretty commonly understood terms in modern English, much more widely understood than 'mendicant' IMO, so I went with 'monk' for 'Bhikkhu', following Ven. Thanissaro.


saṅkhārā (fabrications) 

Ven. T renders sankhara as 'fabrications'. Bodhi has 'formations.' Sujato has 'choices', which works in some contexts but is doctrinally very  problematic. I was going to go with 'fabrications', but it sounds too 'physical' to me, so until I can settle on something better (likely never), I'm going with a literal 'co-doings', because that's a unique word that can be easily search-and-replaced in the future if needed. 'co-doings' sounds more like a non-physical activity, like an action, a verb.


4 Jhānas: Where insight 👁 happens

                V&V💭 vitakka & vicāra: thinking & evaluation

As of now,  2019-jan,  B. Sujato's rendering of V&V in first and second jhana, and kāya in third jhana is egregiously wrong. You can not do the four  jhanas  of the EBT properly by following his translation.  Detailed Pali+English audit with comments here:   V&V💭 vitakka & vicāra:


AN 2.20

20
20
“Dveme, bhikkhave, dhammā saddhammassa sammosāya antaradhānāya saṃvattanti.
“These two things, monks, lead to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching.
Katame dve?
What two?
Dunnikkhittañca padabyañjanaṃ attho ca dunnīto.
The words and phrases are misplaced, and the meaning is misinterpreted.
Dunnikkhittassa, bhikkhave, padabyañjanassa atthopi dunnayo hoti.
When the words and phrases are misplaced, the meaning is misinterpreted.
Ime kho, bhikkhave, dve dhammā saddhammassa sammosāya antaradhānāya saṃvattantī”ti.
These two things lead to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching.
“Dveme, bhikkhave, dhammā saddhammassa ṭhitiyā asammosāya anantaradhānāya saṃvattanti.
These two things lead to the continuation, persistence, and enduring of the true teaching.
Katame dve?
What two?
Sunikkhittañca padabyañjanaṃ attho ca sunīto.
The words and phrases are well organized, and the meaning is correctly interpreted.
Sunikkhittassa, bhikkhave, padabyañjanassa atthopi sunayo hoti.
When the words and phrases are well organized, the meaning is correctly interpreted.
Ime kho, bhikkhave, dve dhammā saddhammassa ṭhitiyā asammosāya anantaradhānāya saṃvattantī”ti.
These two things lead to the continuation, persistence, and enduring of the true teaching.”


MN 14: kāya (physical body) is the term used to designate a meditator's "body", and speech ceases in first jhana

MN 20 excerpt
http://lucid24.org/mn/mn014/toc-addon/index.html

Taṃ kiṃ maññathāvuso nigaṇṭhā, pahoti rājā māgadho seniyo bimbisāro,
What do you think, reverends?
aniñjamāno kāyena, abhāsamāno vācaṃ, satta rattindivāni ekantasukhaṃ paṭisaṃvedī viharitun’ti?
Is King Bimbisāra capable of experiencing perfect happiness for seven days and nights without moving his body or speaking?’
‘No hidaṃ, āvuso’.
‘No he is not, reverend.’
‘Taṃ kiṃ maññathāvuso nigaṇṭhā, pahoti rājā māgadho seniyo bimbisāro,
‘What do you think, reverends?
aniñjamāno kāyena, abhāsamāno vācaṃ, cha rattindivāni … pe …
Is King Bimbisāra capable of experiencing perfect happiness for six days …
pañca rattindivāni …
five days …
cattāri rattindivāni …
four days …
tīṇi rattindivāni …
three days …
dve rattindivāni …
two days …
ekaṃ rattindivaṃ ekantasukhaṃ paṭisaṃvedī viharitun’ti?
one day?’
‘No hidaṃ, āvuso’.
‘No he is not, reverend.’
‘Ahaṃ kho, āvuso nigaṇṭhā, pahomi aniñjamāno kāyena, abhāsamāno vācaṃ, ekaṃ rattindivaṃ ekantasukhaṃ paṭisaṃvedī viharituṃ.
‘But I am capable of experiencing perfect happiness for one day and night without moving my body or speaking.
Ahaṃ kho, āvuso nigaṇṭhā, pahomi aniñjamāno kāyena, abhāsamāno vācaṃ, dve rattindivāni …
I am capable of experiencing perfect happiness for two days …
tīṇi rattindivāni …
three days …
cattāri rattindivāni …
four days …
pañca rattindivāni …
five days …
cha rattindivāni …
six days …
satta rattindivāni ekantasukhaṃ paṭisaṃvedī viharituṃ.
seven days.


It doesn't say which jhāna or samadhi the Buddha is in for 7 days, but not speaking would imply at least first jhana (SN 36.11 vāca /voice/vocalized speech ceases in first jhana).

Although the word sukha/pleasure is used, it probably should be taken in the relative sense, and not confined to being only the first 3 jhanas. 

B. Sujato has translated aniñjamāno   here as "not moving" the body, but likely this is referring to an imperturbable/anenja samadhi, which is an arupa/formless samadhi, or possibly 4th jhana.

Sitting for 7 days like that without moving, anecodatally, even advanced yogis living in recent times of different religious traditions can do that, usually means we're talking about at least 4th jhana or higher, where the breath has stopped. According to taoist scripture, the ability to do 4th jhana for long periods, gradually you build up the natural ability to sit for 7 days without moving, and not feel any need to eat or breathe.

But the important point to notice here is

when talking about deep samadhi, the Buddha refers to the meditator's physical body as "kāya",  and  a-bhāsamāno vācaṃ  means "not-saying vocalized-speech".

When VRJ (vism. redefinition of jhana) and Bhante Sujato's wrong translation of  kāya,  V&V (vitakka & vicara) in the jhānas, you end up with incoherent and nonsensical understanding of what speech and speaking out loud means in the pali language.




Monday, January 28, 2019

👉👄🐍



Varaṃ te, mogha-purisa,
It would be better, foolish-man,
āsivisassa ghoravisassa mukhe aṅgajātaṃ pakkhittaṃ,
for your penis to enter the mouth of a terrible and poisonous snake
na tveva mātugāmassa aṅgajāte aṅgajātaṃ pakkhittaṃ.
rather than {inserting your penis into a} woman’s vagina.
Varaṃ te, mogha-purisa,
It would be better, foolish-man,
kaṇhasappassa mukhe aṅgajātaṃ pakkhittaṃ,
for your penis to enter the mouth of a black snake
na tveva mātugāmassa aṅgajāte aṅgajātaṃ pakkhittaṃ.
rather than {inserting your penis into a} woman’s vagina.


Ever wonder what that snake bite would look like?
Here you go:


https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMicm1410237

Sunday, January 27, 2019

AN 5.194x go with the best, forget the rest


“Handa kuto nu bhavaṃ piṅgiyānī āgacchati divā divassā”ti?
“So, Piṅgiyānī, where are you coming from in the middle of the day?”
“Itohaṃ, bho, āgacchāmi samaṇassa gotamassa santikā”ti.
“I’m coming, my good man, from the presence of the ascetic Gotama.”
“Taṃ kiṃ maññati bhavaṃ piṅgiyānī samaṇassa gotamassa paññāveyyattiyaṃ? Paṇḍito maññe”ti?
“What do you think of the ascetic Gotama’s proficiency in wisdom? Do you think he’s astute?”
“Ko cāhaṃ, bho, ko ca samaṇassa gotamassa paññāveyyattiyaṃ jānissāmi.
“My good man, who am I to judge the ascetic Gotama’s proficiency in wisdom?
Sopi nūnassa tādisova yo samaṇassa gotamassa paññāveyyattiyaṃ jāneyyā”ti.
You’d really have to be on the same level to judge his proficiency in wisdom.”
“Uḷārāya khalu bhavaṃ piṅgiyānī samaṇaṃ gotamaṃ pasaṃsāya pasaṃsatī”ti.
“Master Piṅgiyānī praises the ascetic Gotama with magnificent praise indeed.”
“Ko cāhaṃ, bho, ko ca samaṇaṃ gotamaṃ pasaṃsissāmi.
“Who am I to praise the ascetic Gotama?
Pasatthappasatthova so bhavaṃ gotamo seṭṭho devamanussānan”ti.
He is praised by the praised as the best of gods and humans.”
“Kiṃ pana bhavaṃ piṅgiyānī atthavasaṃ sampassamāno samaṇe gotame evaṃ abhippasanno”ti?
“But for what reason are you so devoted to the ascetic Gotama?”
“Seyyathāpi, bho, puriso aggarasaparititto na aññesaṃ hīnānaṃ rasānaṃ piheti;
“Suppose a person was completely satisfied by the best tasting food. They wouldn’t be attracted to anything that tasted inferior.
evamevaṃ kho, bho, yato yato tassa bhoto gotamassa dhammaṃ suṇāti—
In the same way, when you hear the ascetic Gotama’s teaching—
yadi suttaso, yadi geyyaso, yadi veyyākaraṇaso, yadi abbhutadhammaso—
whatever it may be, whether statements, songs, discussions, or amazing stories—
tato tato na aññesaṃ puthusamaṇabrāhmaṇappavādānaṃ piheti.
then you’re not attracted to the doctrines of the various ascetics and brahmins.

Saturday, January 26, 2019

AN 5.51 being free of 5niv (hindrances) is an uttari manussa dhamma (superior human state)


sutta exercpt from AN 5.51:
http://lucid24.org/an/an05/an05-0051/toc-addon/index.html

“so vata, bhikkhave, bhikkhu
"[when] the ****, ***********, monk,
ime pañca āvaraṇe nīvaraṇe
his five obstacles (and) hindrances
cetaso ajjhāruhe
(that the) mind (is) overcome (by),
paññāya dubbalīkaraṇe
(that his) wisdom (is) weakened (by)
ap-pahāya,
(are) not-abandoned,
a-balāya paññāya dubbalāya
(when he is) without-power (and) wisdom weak,
att'-atthaṃ vā ñassati
(that he) {understands} (what is for) his-own-benefit,
par'-atthaṃ vā ñassati
(that he) {understands} (what is for) other's-benefit,
ubhay'-atthaṃ vā ñassati
(that he) {understands} (what is for) both-[parties']-benefit,
uttari vā manussa-dhammā
(for a) superior ** human-state,
alam-ariya-ñāṇa-dassana-visesaṃ
(a) truly-noble-knowledge-(and)-vision-distinction,
sacchi-karissatīti
[that he] would-realize (this),
n'etaṃ ṭhānaṃ vijjati.
[there is] no'[way]-this condition happens.



People from the VRJ (vism. redefinition of jhana) camp, including Ajahn Brahm's redefinition of jhana, often like to say because it's a disrobable offense if a monastic falsely claims a superhuman power (uttari manussa dhamma), and since first jhana is uttari manussa dhamma, therefore, first jhana must be some superhuman extraordinarily difficult samadhi to attain.

So they use that rationale to say even first jhana, the mind must be divorced from the body, meaning you are not capable of hearing sounds, not capable of feeling 100 swarming mosquitoes stabbing you, not even capable of having intention or thought. \

But look at this passage quoted above. It's suggesting that overcoming 5niv already qualifies as a superhuman state. Think about it. Someone who has even temporarily supressed 5niv, while in that state, they are incapable of harming themself and/or others intentionally.

Whereas someone who is a powerful meditator can enter a samadhi where the body disappears at will, history is filled with examples of people who could do this, did not have to be free of 5niv. They could be downright evil and use their superpowers to kill and harm other beings.

Being able to levitate, use the divine eye, enter formless samadhis is superhuman and impressive, but far more impressive is someone who can, whenever they want, think the thoughts they want to think, not think the thoughts they don't want to think, and abide with 5niv (hindrances) supressed, on a moments notice, even if they can't levitate or read minds.

If you carefully look at all the EBT passages on first jhana,  and I have looked at every single occurence, and logged a record of it here:
http://lucid24.org/sted/8aam/8samadhi/smd1/index.html

You'll find that first jhana is simply about pacifying (passadhi) the body and mind, and having 5niv supressed.

Don't believe 🤥lies from late Theravada, look in the EBT 🕵️ and trust in the suttas.





Friday, January 25, 2019

AN 4.191 This is why the oral tradition is the way to go (recite suttas everyday)


191. Sotānugatasutta
191. Followed by Ear
“Sotānugatānaṃ, bhikkhave, dhammānaṃ, vacasā paricitānaṃ, manasānupekkhitānaṃ, diṭṭhiyā suppaṭividdhānaṃ cattāro ānisaṃsā pāṭikaṅkhā.
“monks, you can expect four benefits when the teachings have been followed by ear, reinforced by recitation, examined by the mind, and well comprehended theoretically.
Katame cattāro?
What four?
Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu dhammaṃ pariyāpuṇāti—
Take a monk who memorizes the teaching—
suttaṃ, geyyaṃ, veyyākaraṇaṃ, gāthaṃ, udānaṃ, itivuttakaṃ, jātakaṃ, abbhutadhammaṃ, vedallaṃ.
statements, songs, discussions, verses, inspired sayings, legends, stories of past lives, amazing stories, and analyses.
Tassa te dhammā sotānugatā honti, vacasā paricitā, manasānupekkhitā, diṭṭhiyā suppaṭividdhā.
They’ve followed those teachings by ear, reinforced them by recitation, examined them by the mind, and well comprehended them theoretically.
So muṭṭhassati kālaṃ kurumāno aññataraṃ devanikāyaṃ upapajjati.
But they die unrememberful and are reborn in one of the orders of gods.
Tassa tattha sukhino dhammapadā plavanti.
Being happy there, passages of the teaching come back to them.
Dandho, bhikkhave, satuppādo;
Memory comes up slowly,
atha so satto khippaṃyeva visesagāmī hoti.
but then that being quickly reaches distinction.
Sotānugatānaṃ, bhikkhave, dhammānaṃ, vacasā paricitānaṃ, manasānupekkhitānaṃ, diṭṭhiyā suppaṭividdhānaṃ ayaṃ paṭhamo ānisaṃso pāṭikaṅkho.
This is the first benefit you can expect when the teachings have been followed by ear, reinforced by recitation, examined by the mind, and well comprehended theoretically.
Puna caparaṃ, bhikkhave, bhikkhu dhammaṃ pariyāpuṇāti—
Take another monk who memorizes the teaching—
suttaṃ, geyyaṃ, veyyākaraṇaṃ, gāthaṃ, udānaṃ, itivuttakaṃ, jātakaṃ, abbhutadhammaṃ, vedallaṃ.
statements, songs, discussions, verses, inspired sayings, legends, stories of past lives, amazing stories, and analyses.
Tassa te dhammā sotānugatā honti, vacasā paricitā, manasānupekkhitā, diṭṭhiyā suppaṭividdhā.
They’ve followed those teachings by ear, reinforced them by recitation, examined them by the mind, and well comprehended them theoretically.
So muṭṭhassati kālaṃ kurumāno aññataraṃ devanikāyaṃ upapajjati.
But they die unrememberful and are reborn in one of the orders of gods.
Tassa tattha na heva kho sukhino dhammapadā plavanti;
Though they’re happy there, passages of the teaching don’t come back to them.
api ca kho bhikkhu iddhimā cetovasippatto devaparisāyaṃ dhammaṃ deseti.
However, a monk with psychic powers, who has achieved mastery of the mind, teaches Dhamma to the assembly of gods.
Tassa evaṃ hoti:
They think:
‘ayaṃ vā so dhammavinayo, yatthāhaṃ pubbe brahmacariyaṃ acarin’ti.
‘I used to live the spiritual life in this same teaching and training.’
Dandho, bhikkhave, satuppādo;
Memory comes up slowly,
atha so satto khippameva visesagāmī hoti.
but then that being quickly reaches distinction.
Seyyathāpi, bhikkhave, puriso kusalo bherisaddassa.
Suppose a person was an expert in the sound of drums.
So addhānamaggappaṭipanno bherisaddaṃ suṇeyya.
While traveling along a road they hear the sound of drums.
Tassa na heva kho assa kaṅkhā vā vimati vā:
They wouldn’t have any doubts or uncertainties about whether
‘bherisaddo nu kho, na nu kho bherisaddo’ti.
that was the sound of drums or not.
Atha kho bherisaddotveva niṭṭhaṃ gaccheyya.
They’d just conclude, ‘That’s the sound of drums.’
Evamevaṃ kho, bhikkhave, bhikkhu dhammaṃ pariyāpuṇāti—
In the same way, take another monk who memorizes the teaching …






 (the remaining two cases are similar, with varying degree of remembering)


AN 4.147 kāya and citta, body and mind, implausibility of kāya vism. redefinition as 🚷 "body of mental factors"

157. Rogasutta
157. Illness
“Dveme, bhikkhave, rogā.
“monks, there are two kinds of illness.
Katame dve?
What two?
Kāyiko ca rogo cetasiko ca rogo.
Mental and physical.
Dissanti, bhikkhave, sattā kāyikena rogena ekampi vassaṃ ārogyaṃ paṭijānamānā, dvepi vassāni ārogyaṃ paṭijānamānā, tīṇipi vassāni ārogyaṃ paṭijānamānā, cattāripi vassāni ārogyaṃ paṭijānamānā, pañcapi vassāni ārogyaṃ paṭijānamānā, dasapi vassāni ārogyaṃ paṭijānamānā, vīsatipi vassāni ārogyaṃ paṭijānamānā, tiṃsampi vassāni ārogyaṃ paṭijānamānā, cattārīsampi vassāni ārogyaṃ paṭijānamānā, paññāsampi vassāni ārogyaṃ paṭijānamānā, vassasatampi, bhiyyopi ārogyaṃ paṭijānamānā.
Some sentient beings are seen who can claim to be free of physical illness for a year, or two, or three years … even up to a hundred years or more.
Te, bhikkhave, sattā sudullabhā lokasmiṃ ye cetasikena rogena muhuttampi ārogyaṃ paṭijānanti, aññatra khīṇāsavehi.
But it’s very hard to find any sentient beings in the world who can claim to be free of mental illness even for a moment, apart from those who have ended the defilements.


✅Kāya in the EBT meditation context almost always means physical body, especially when it's constantly being contrasted with citta (mind) or mano (mind faculty).

Even the Abhidhamma literature frequently pairs up those two words to make that contrast between body and mind to explain things.

🚷So for late Theravada to claim that EBT usage of "kāya" refers to  🚷 "body of mental factors devoid of physical" is absolute insanity.

Yet, they do it because they want to claim VRJ (vism. redefinition of jhana) and EBT jhana are describing the same meditation technique. This is outright Dhamma crime, and most Theravada Buddhists accept it because they don't understand they're being lied to.




Thursday, January 24, 2019

AN 4.30, appamāda (assiduity) definition


A-byāpanno sadā sato,
One who has non-ill-will, ever rememberful,
ajjhattaṃ su-samāhito;
internally, thoroughly  undistractable-&-lucid,
Abhijjhā-vinaye sikkhaṃ,
avarice-removal, training in that, 
appamattoti vuccatī”ti.
is called ‘an assiduous one’.”



Basically, being appamada means assiduously, continuously, practicing 4NT & (☸ 8aam)  
all the time, nonstop. The quote from AN 4.30 above, hits the major items: samadhi, sati, samma sankappo, samma ditthi.

Other translators render appamada/pamada as:

b.thanissaro:  heedful/heedless
b.sujato: diligent/negligent


One thing B. Thanissaro said that doesn't make sense to me, he disagreed with someone who rendered appamada as "careless", and said, "no, not careless, heedless." I looked up both words in the dictionary, they're pretty synonymous. I think this is a case where B. Thanissaro has a very specific EBT meaning assigned to 'appamada' in his own mind, but its impractical because other people are using more standard dictionaries. 


I go with assiduity because:

appamada = assiduity (both words start with 'a' and two consonants),
assiduity = ass + sit + do + it + ee

you 'sit' your 'ass' down until you can 'do it'


Wednesday, January 23, 2019

broken telephone: why Buddhists should study EBT, memorize and recite passages daily

from wikipedia:
Chinese whispers (Commonwealth English) or the telephone game (American English) [1] is an internationally popular children's game [2] in which players form a line, and the first player comes up with a message and whispers it to the ear of the second person in the line. The second player repeats the message to the third player, and so on. When the last player is reached, they announce the message they heard to the entire group. The first person then compares the original message with the final version. Although the objective is to pass around the message without it becoming garbled along the way, part of the enjoyment is that, regardless, this usually ends up happening. Errors typically accumulate in the retellings, so the statement announced by the last player differs significantly from that of the first player, usually with amusing or humorous effect. Reasons for changes include anxiousness or impatience, erroneous corrections, the difficult-to-understand mechanism of whispering, and that some players may deliberately alter what is being said to guarantee a changed message by the end of the line.
The game is often played by children as a party game or on the playground. It is often invoked as a metaphor for cumulative error, especially the inaccuracies as rumours or gossip spread,[1] or, more generally, for the unreliability of human recollection or even oral traditions.




Related



Relevant forum threads




Re: Aṭṭhakathā and Visuddhimagga disagree?



Monday, January 21, 2019

DN 21 Buddha hears sounds while in undistractable lucidity of samadhi

http://lucid24.org/dn/dn21/toc-addon/index.html
2. Sakkūpasaṅkama
2. The Approach of Sakka
Atha kho sakkassa devānamindassa etadahosi:
Then Sakka, lord of gods, thought:
“paṭisammodati pañcasikho gandhabbadevaputto bhagavatā, bhagavā ca pañcasikhenā”ti.
“Pañcasikha is exchanging pleasantries with the Buddha.”
Atha kho sakko devānamindo pañcasikhaṃ gandhabbadevaputtaṃ āmantesi:
So he addressed Pañcasikha:
“abhivādehi me tvaṃ, tāta pañcasikha, bhagavantaṃ:
“My dear Pañcasikha, please bow to the Buddha for me, saying:
‘sakko, bhante, devānamindo sāmacco saparijano bhagavato pāde sirasā vandatī’”ti.
‘Sir, Sakka, lord of gods, with his ministers and retinue, bows with his head at your feet.’”
“Evaṃ, bhaddantavā”ti kho pañcasikho gandhabbadevaputto sakkassa devānamindassa paṭissutvā bhagavantaṃ abhivādeti:
“Yes, lord,” replied Pañcasikha. He bowed to the Buddha and said:
“sakko, bhante, devānamindo sāmacco saparijano bhagavato pāde sirasā vandatī”ti.
“Sir, Sakka, lord of gods, with his ministers and retinue, bows with his head at your feet.”
“Evaṃ sukhī hotu, pañcasikha, sakko devānamindo sāmacco saparijano;
“So may Sakka with his ministers and retinue be happy, Pañcasikha,” said the Buddha,
sukhakāmā hi devā manussā asurā nāgā gandhabbā ye caññe santi puthukāyā”ti.
“for all want to be happy—whether gods, humans, demons, dragons, fairies, or any of the other diverse creatures there may be.”
Evañca pana tathāgatā evarūpe mahesakkhe yakkhe abhivadanti.
For that is how the Realized Ones salute such illustrious spirits.
Abhivadito sakko devānamindo bhagavato indasālaguhaṃ pavisitvā bhagavantaṃ abhivādetvā ekamantaṃ aṭṭhāsi.
And being saluted by the Buddha, Sakka entered the Indasāla cave, bowed to the Buddha, and stood to one side.
Devāpi tāvatiṃsā indasālaguhaṃ pavisitvā bhagavantaṃ abhivādetvā ekamantaṃ aṭṭhaṃsu.
And the gods of the Thirty-Three did likewise,
Pañcasikhopi gandhabbadevaputto indasālaguhaṃ pavisitvā bhagavantaṃ abhivādetvā ekamantaṃ aṭṭhāsi.
as did Pañcasikha.
Tena kho pana samayena indasālaguhā visamā santī samā samapādi, sambādhā santī urundā samapādi, andhakāro guhāyaṃ antaradhāyi, āloko udapādi yathā taṃ devānaṃ devānubhāvena.
And at that time the uneven places were evened out, the cramped places were opened up, the darkness vanished and light appeared, as happens through the glory of the gods.
Atha kho bhagavā sakkaṃ devānamindaṃ etadavoca:
Then the Buddha said to Sakka:
“acchariyamidaṃ āyasmato kosiyassa, abbhutamidaṃ āyasmato kosiyassa tāva bahukiccassa bahukaraṇīyassa yadidaṃ idhāgamanan”ti.
“It’s incredible and amazing that you, the venerable Kosiya, who has so many duties and so much to do, should come here.”
“Cirapaṭikāhaṃ, bhante, bhagavantaṃ dassanāya upasaṅkamitukāmo; api ca devānaṃ tāvatiṃsānaṃ kehici kehici kiccakaraṇīyehi byāvaṭo; evāhaṃ nāsakkhiṃ bhagavantaṃ dassanāya upasaṅkamituṃ.
“For a long time I’ve wanted to go and see the Buddha, but I wasn’t able, being prevented by my many duties and responsibilities for the gods of the Thirty-Three.
Ekamidaṃ, bhante, samayaṃ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṃ viharati salaḷāgārake.
This one time, sir, the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in the frankincense-tree hut.
Atha khvāhaṃ, bhante, sāvatthiṃ agamāsiṃ bhagavantaṃ dassanāya.
Then I went to Sāvatthī to see the Buddha.
Tena kho pana, bhante, samayena bhagavā aññatarena samādhinā nisinno hoti, bhūjati ca nāma vessavaṇassa mahārājassa paricārikā bhagavantaṃ paccupaṭṭhitā hoti, pañjalikā namassamānā tiṭṭhati.
But at that time the Buddha was sitting immersed in some kind of meditation. And a divine maiden of Great King Vessavaṇa named Bhūjati was attending on the Buddha, standing there paying homage to him with joined palms.
Atha khvāhaṃ, bhante, bhūjatiṃ etadavocaṃ:
So I said to her:
‘abhivādehi me tvaṃ, bhagini, bhagavantaṃ:
‘Sister, please bow to the Buddha for me, saying:
“sakko, bhante, devānamindo sāmacco saparijano bhagavato pāde sirasā vandatī”’ti.
“Sir, Sakka, lord of gods, with his ministers and retinue, bows with his head at your feet.”’
Evaṃ vutte, bhante, sā bhūjati maṃ etadavoca:
When I said this, she said to me:
‘akālo kho, mārisa, bhagavantaṃ dassanāya;
‘It’s the wrong time to see the Buddha,
paṭisallīno bhagavā’ti.
as he’s in retreat.’
‘Tena hi, bhagini, yadā bhagavā tamhā samādhimhā vuṭṭhito hoti, atha mama vacanena bhagavantaṃ abhivādehi:
‘Well then, sister, please convey my message when the Buddha emerges from that undistractible-lucidity.’
“sakko, bhante, devānamindo sāmacco saparijano bhagavato pāde sirasā vandatī”’ti.
Kacci me sā, bhante, bhaginī bhagavantaṃ abhivādesi?
I hope that sister bowed to you?
Sarati bhagavā tassā bhaginiyā vacanan”ti?
Do you remember what she said?”
“Abhivādesi maṃ sā, devānaminda, bhaginī, sarāmahaṃ tassā bhaginiyā vacanaṃ.
“She did bow, lord of gods, and I remember what she said.
Api cāhaṃ āyasmato nemisaddena tamhā samādhimhā vuṭṭhito”ti.
I also remember that it was the sound of your chariot wheels that pulled me out of that undistractible-lucidity.”
“Ye te, bhante, devā amhehi paṭhamataraṃ tāvatiṃsakāyaṃ upapannā, tesaṃ me sammukhā sutaṃ sammukhā paṭiggahitaṃ:
“Sir, I have heard and learned this in the presence of the gods who were reborn in the host of the Thirty-Three before me:
‘yadā tathāgatā loke uppajjanti arahanto sammāsambuddhā, dibbā kāyā paripūrenti, hāyanti asurakāyā’ti.
‘When a Realized One arises in the world, perfected and fully awakened, the heavenly hosts swell, while the demon hosts dwindle.’
Taṃ me idaṃ, bhante, sakkhidiṭṭhaṃ yato tathāgato loke uppanno arahaṃ sammāsambuddho, dibbā kāyā paripūrenti, hāyanti asurakāyāti.
And I have seen this with my own eyes.

Monday, January 14, 2019

translating 🚫🔥 / nibbāna

For English sutta translations, why not translate nibbāna as "nirvana"? It's a well understood English word.
B. Thanissaro has "unbinding".
b. Sujato has "extinguishment".

I'm going with 'nirvana'.
Here is the common English dictionary understanding of 'nirvana'.


Noun: nirvana |nir'vaa-nu|
the beatitude that transcends the cycle of reincarnation; characterized by the extinction of desire and suffering and individual consciousness
=
enlightenment
~
beatification, beatitude, blessedness
Any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
=
Eden, Shangri-la, heaven, paradise, promised land
~
part, region

Monday, January 7, 2019

SN 40.9 a-nimitta samadhi, difference between perceptions (sañña) and viññana/consciousness

I noticed something interesting about a-nimitta samadhi, which sheds some light on the difference between perceptions (sañña) and viññana/consciousness. In the first suttas of SN 40, Moggallana is working on mastering the 8 samadhi attainments, and the impure verison of each attainment, the words used are paying attention (manasi karoti) to the perceptions (sañña) of the impurity of that attainment. For animitta samadhi however, instead of perception, he uses consciousness (viññana).


From SN 40.9:
‘idha bhikkhu
'Here (a) monk,
sabba-nimittānaṃ a-manasi-kārā
(regarding) all-signs, no-attention-(is)-given (to them).
a-nimittaṃ ceto-samādhiṃ upasampajja viharati.
Sign-less concentration-of-mind (he) enters (and) dwells.
ayaṃ vuccati a-nimitto ceto-samādhī’ti.
This (is) called Sign-less concentration-of-mind.'"
so khvāhaṃ, āvuso,
"** Then-****, friends,
sabba-nimittānaṃ a-manasi-kārā
(regarding) all-signs (having) non-attention-given (to them),
a-nimittaṃ ceto-samādhiṃ upasampajja viharāmi.
(the) sign-less concentration-of-mind (I) entered (and) dwelled (in).
tassa mayhaṃ, āvuso,
While I, *****,
iminā vihārena viharato
***** dwelt (in that) dwelling,
nimitt-ānusāri viññāṇaṃ hoti.
signs-(were)-followed (by my) consciousness ****.


āraddha-vīriyo (aroused-vigor) has a specific meaning

āraddha-vīriyo (aroused-vigor) has a specific meaning

from SN 21.3

“Idhāhaṃ, āvuso, bhagavantaṃ etadavocaṃ:
“Well, reverend, I said to the Buddha:
‘āraddhavīriyo āraddhavīriyoti, bhante, vuccati.
‘Sir, they speak of one who is energetic.
Kittāvatā nu kho, bhante, āraddhavīriyo hotī’ti?
How is an energetic person defined?’
Evaṃ vutte, maṃ, āvuso, bhagavā etadavoca:
When I said this, the Buddha said:
‘idha, moggallāna, bhikkhu āraddhavīriyo viharati—
‘Moggallāna, it’s when a mendicant lives with energy roused up:
kāmaṃ taco ca nhāru ca aṭṭhi ca avasissatu, sarīre upassussatu maṃsalohitaṃ, yaṃ taṃ purisathāmena purisavīriyena purisaparakkamena pattabbaṃ na taṃ apāpuṇitvā vīriyassa saṇṭhānaṃ bhavissatīti.
“Gladly, let only skin, sinews, and bones remain! Let the flesh and blood waste away in my body! I will not stop trying until I have achieved what is possible by manly strength, energy, and vigor.”
Evaṃ kho, moggallāna, āraddhavīriyo hotī’ti.
That’s how a person is energetic.’
Evaṃ kho me, āvuso, bhagavatā saddhiṃ ahosi dhammī kathā”ti.
That’s the Dhamma talk I had together with the Buddha.”


those two words appear in the formula for 4pd (4 right exertions), samma vayamo (right effort), viriya-sam-bojjhanga (vigor awakening factor),  5ind (viriya-indriya), 5bal (viriya-bala).


Sometimes people think they're working hard and putting enough effort into their spiritual practice, but are you really? Compared to the Buddha's instruction?