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AN 7.67 fortress sutta: another case where Dhamma is Buddha Dharma, not "mental qualities"

You can compare his translation to mine in this section, but as further strong convincing proof he needs to leave Dhamma untranslated (rather than "mental qualities" or "qualities" which he does most of the time), this passage in AN 7.67 is a prime example. The 7 true Dharmas this sutta is talking about, is basically a slightly modified form of STED 5ind (indriya/faculties), where hiri and ottappa get added as 6th and 7th factors. 

Now the 5ind is on the same royal noble hierarchy as the 4 noble truths, 8aam noble eightfold path, 5 powers, 5 faculties. You don't refer to 5ind as "5 qualities", just as you don't refer to The Buddha as "that guy", and the four noble truths as "4 things". It's not "That guy who taught 4 things", it's the perfectly awakened Buddha who taught a Dharma that we have to safeguard and memorize with word for word fidelity. 

B. Thanissaro, clearly aware of this, translates sad-dhamma in this passage as "true-qualities [sa-Dhamma]". In other words, he is uncomfortable with referring to dhamma as just "qualities", so he adds "Dhamma" in parenthesis. 



evamevaį¹ƒ kho, bhikkhave,
“In the same way, monks,
yato ariyasāvako
when a disciple of the noble ones
sattahi sa-d-dhammehi samannāgato hoti,
is endowed with seven true-☸Dharmas
{…}
{then he easily obtains}

(STED 4j pleasurable-abiding)

(differs with STED: catunnaƱca jhānānaį¹ƒ)
catunnaį¹ƒ jhānānaį¹ƒ
four Jhānas {which are}
ābhi-cetasikānaį¹ƒ
heightened-mental-states,
diį¹­į¹­ha-dhamma--
(a) visible-Dharma-[truth] [here & now],
-sukha-vihārānaį¹ƒ
(a) pleasurable-dwelling,
ni-kāma-lābhī hoti
{obtainable} at-will {****},
a-kiccha-lābhī
{obtainable} without-difficulty,
a-kasira-lābhī
{obtainable} without-trouble,
ayaį¹ƒ vuccati, bhikkhave,
(he is) said to be
ariya-sāvako
a disciple of the noble ones
a-karaį¹‡Ä«yo mārassa
(who can’t be) un-done (by) Māra,
a-karaį¹‡Ä«yo pāpimato.
(can’t be) un-done (by the) Evil One.
katamehi sattahi saddhammehi samannāgato hoti?
“Now, with which seven true-☸Dharmas is he endowed?

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