B. Analayo's translation of 3rd jhana simile in MA 81 has overly interpretive translation

You can compare his original translation from his book "perspectives on satipatthana" containing a full translation of MA 81.

Based on his translation, I matched it up with the original Chinese, and could not understand how he came to the conclusion that the sukha from 3rd jhana was based on pleasure from abandoning piti (based on the Chinese).

So I checked with Chinese Agama Sutra and Chinese Language expert, Dr. Chu for his professional opinion. What follows is our email exchange.

to William :

(my translation based on B. Analayo and your translation)

Is B. Analyao taking liberties when he says the sukha is born of the absence of piti. Standard pali jhana formula just literally says "with sukha that has piti removed". Bodhi translates that as "happiness divested of pleasure." Analayo's translation, makes it seem like sukha arises BECAUSE piti was removed. 

(7. Third jhana simile)

「復 次，比丘修習念身，比丘者	“Again, monks, {a monk} practices body-immersed-mindfulness like this:

(implicit 3rd jhana body work, labeled ‘samadhi’ later in refrain)

無喜生樂，	without rapture (pīti) with pleasure (sukha),
漬身 潤澤，	completely drenches and pervades his body with pleasure born of the absence of rapture [experienced in the third absorption],
普遍充滿於此身中，	so that there is no part within his body that is not pervaded
無喜生樂無處 不遍。	by pleasure born of the absence of rapture.

(3rd jhana simile of lotus pond)

猶青蓮華，紅、赤、白蓮，	“It is just as a blue, red, or white lotus,
水生水長，在於 水底，	being born in the water and having come to growth in the water, remains submerged in water,
根莖華葉，悉漬潤澤，	with every part of its roots, stem, flower, and leaves completely drenched and pervaded [by water],
普遍充滿無處不 周。	so that there is no part that is not pervaded by it.

(repeat implicit 3rd jhana body work)

如是比丘	“In the same way a monk
無喜生樂，	without rapture (pīti) with pleasure (sukha),
漬身潤澤，	completely drenches and pervades his body with pleasure born of the absence of rapture [experienced in the third absorption],
普遍充 滿於此身中，	so that there is no part within his body that is not pervaded
無喜生樂無處不遍。	by pleasure born of the absence of rapture.
...

(refrain: exercise is to be done with samādhi of 4 jhānas quality)

彼若如是在遠離獨住，	"If he abides in seclusion by himself in such a manner--
心無放 逸，	his mind doesn't give in to heedlessness,
修行精勤，	and he assiduously cultivates it;
斷心諸患而得定心，	he eradicates all the defects of the mind so that he attains a composed/samādhi mind--
得定心 已，	having attained samādhi mind,
則知上如真。	then he would be able to know as it is the aforementioned [念身 exercise].
是謂比丘修習念身。	This is called a bhikshu practicing the remembrance (sati) of the body."

William Chu

Jan 5, 2020, 11:11 AM (11 days ago)

to me

Your first question:

漬身 潤澤: lit. "saturate body, nourish and moisten/pervasive it." A possible polished translation: "[pleasure] saturates [his] body, nourishing and permeating it." Your second question: Yes, Analayo is taking liberty. 無 is just a passive negation. There's no implied sense of an active removal.

Conclusion

B. Analayo is not translating properly, in the highlighted yellow line (in comparison with Dr. Chu's green highlighted line). He's inserting his own interpretation, perhaps from his understanding of the pali parallel. The Chinese grammar can not support that interpretation and translation.