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examples of benefits in not translating 'dhamma' into its various nuances

 In the next few years, I'm going to go through all the suttas in the canon and complete an entire collection of English suttas with the term 'dhamma' untranslated. 


The main reason for this, is because when English translators give 'dhamma' various fine nuanced differing translations for the many contexts (more than 10), it makes the individual sutta more comprehendible when viewed in isolation, but it makes it difficult for the reader to connect the dots between the various suttas, because there are over 10 different nuanced meanings translated from pali 'dhamma' into English (teaching, principle, phenomena, mental quality, thing...) depending on context, but the English reader doesn't know that english translation maps back into the original pali 'dhamma'.


The thing is, 'Dhamma' is an overloaded term with many meanings, often straddling multiple meanings simultaneously. So if you translate just one nuance, you miss the others, and then you can't connect the dots and connect the meaning from the suttas and put together the whole picture of the Buddha's teaching.


'Dhamma' is a highly ambiguous term, and the Buddha knew it and took advantage of it. He expected the listener to disambiguate the term according to the context.  English translators do you no favor in translating 'dhamma' into the many nuances according to context. Not only do they not do you favors, it makes it almost impossible to really put all the suttas together into one coherent whole if you rely solely on their english translations with no original pali source cross referencing.


If it really was that hard to disambiguate 'dhamma' according to the context, don't you think the Buddha would have chosen his words differently? Another way to look at it is, if you don't work on the skill of disambiguating the word 'dhamma' on your own, there's no way you're going to develop dhamma-vicaya, vimamsa, dhamma anupassa (from 4 satipatthana)  and analytical skills to understand the Dhamma teachings and connect all the dots. 


18 Saṅghabheda sutta
Schism in the Saṅgha
Vuttañhetaṁ bhagavatā vuttamarahatāti me sutaṁ:
This was said by the Buddha, the Perfected One: that is what I heard.
“Ekadhammo, bhikkhave, loke uppajjamāno uppajjati bahujanāhitāya bahujanāsukhāya bahuno janassa anatthāya ahitāya dukkhāya devamanussānaṁ.
“One 😈Dharma, monks, arises in the world for the hurt and unhappiness of the people, for the harm, hurt, and suffering of gods and humans.
Katamo ekadhammo?
What one 😈Dharma?
Saṅghabhedo.
Schism in the Saṅgha.
Saṅghe kho pana, bhikkhave, bhinne aññamaññaṁ bhaṇḍanāni ceva honti, aññamaññaṁ paribhāsā ca honti, aññamaññaṁ parikkhepā ca honti, aññamaññaṁ pariccajanā ca honti.
When the Saṅgha is split, they argue, insult, block, and reject each other.
Tattha appasannā ceva nappasīdanti, pasannānañca ekaccānaṁ aññathattaṁ hotī”ti.
This doesn’t inspire confidence in those without it, and it causes some with confidence to change their minds.”
Etamatthaṁ bhagavā avoca. Tatthetaṁ iti vuccati:
That is what the Buddha said. On this it is said:

(verse)

“Āpāyiko nerayiko,
“A schismatic remains for the eon
Kappaṭṭho saṅghabhedako;
in a place of loss, in hell.
Vaggārāmo adhammaṭṭho,
Taking a stand against the ☸Dharma,
Yogakkhemā padhaṁsati;
favoring factions, they destroy their sanctuary.
Saṅghaṁ samaggaṁ bhetvāna,
After causing schism in a harmonious Saṅgha,
Kappaṁ nirayamhi paccatī”ti.
they burn in hell for an eon.”
Ayampi attho vutto bhagavatā, iti me sutanti.
This too was spoken by the Blessed One: that is what I heard.


Here's a great example of dhamma straddling multiple meanings. The first verse of Dhammapada, I'll show one version hinting more at the 'dhamma' = 'mental data input' or 'phenomena' that arises in the mind billions of times per second.


KN Dhp 1:

♦ 1.
♦ mano-pubbaṅgamā dhammā,
Mind-precedes (all) phenomena.
mano-seṭṭhā mano-mayā.
Mind-(is their)-chief; (they are all) mind-made.
♦ manasā ce pa-duṭṭhena,
(the) mind, if, with-impurity,
bhāsati vā karoti vā.
speaks or acts **,
♦ tato naṃ dukkham-anveti,
then *** suffering-follows (him),
cakkaṃva vahato padaṃ.
(like the) wheel that-follows (the) foot (of the ox).

KN Dhp 2:

♦ 2.
♦ mano-pubbaṅgamā dhammā,
Mind-precedes (all) phenomena.
mano-seṭṭhā mano-mayā.
Mind-(is their)-chief; (they are all) mind-made.
♦ manasā ce pasannena,
(the) mind, if, with-purity,
bhāsati vā karoti vā.
speaks or acts **,
♦ tato naṃ sukham-anveti,
then *** pleasure-follows (him),
chāyāva an-apāyinī VAR.
(like his) shadow never-departing.


In this second translation, I write 'dharma' in such a way to more emphasize the Buddha's teaching on Dharma that leads to good rebirth and nirvana.


KN Dhp 1:

♦ 1.
♦ mano-pubbaṅgamā dhammā,
Mind-precedes (all) ☸Dharmas.
mano-seṭṭhā mano-mayā.
Mind-(is their)-chief; (they are all) mind-made.
♦ manasā ce pa-duṭṭhena,
(the) mind, if, with-impurity,
bhāsati vā karoti vā.
speaks or acts **,
♦ tato naṃ dukkham-anveti,
then *** suffering-follows (him),
cakkaṃva vahato padaṃ.
(like the) wheel that-follows (the) foot (of the ox).

KN Dhp 2:

♦ 2.
♦ mano-pubbaṅgamā dhammā,
Mind-precedes (all) ☸Dharmas.
mano-seṭṭhā mano-mayā.
Mind-(is their)-chief; (they are all) mind-made.
♦ manasā ce pasannena,
(the) mind, if, with-purity,
bhāsati vā karoti vā.
speaks or acts **,
♦ tato naṃ sukham-anveti,
then *** pleasure-follows (him),
chāyāva an-apāyinī VAR.
(like his) shadow never-departing.


In this third version, my preferred version, it's left completely open and ambiguous, forcing the reader to think through the many options, which by the way, was how the Buddha did it and his students turned out just fine.


KN Dhp 1:

♦ 1.
♦ mano-pubbaṅgamā dhammā,
Mind-precedes (all) dharmas.
mano-seṭṭhā mano-mayā.
Mind-(is their)-chief; (they are all) mind-made.
♦ manasā ce pa-duṭṭhena,
(the) mind, if, with-impurity,
bhāsati vā karoti vā.
speaks or acts **,
♦ tato naṃ dukkham-anveti,
then *** suffering-follows (him),
cakkaṃva vahato padaṃ.
(like the) wheel that-follows (the) foot (of the ox).

KN Dhp 2:

♦ 2.
♦ mano-pubbaṅgamā dhammā,
Mind-precedes (all) dharmas.
mano-seṭṭhā mano-mayā.
Mind-(is their)-chief; (they are all) mind-made.
♦ manasā ce pasannena,
(the) mind, if, with-purity,
bhāsati vā karoti vā.
speaks or acts **,
♦ tato naṃ sukham-anveti,
then *** pleasure-follows (him),
chāyāva an-apāyinī VAR.
(like his) shadow never-departing.


The best way to translate 'dhamma' term, is don't translate it.

But occasionally add parenthetical comment to suggest the most likely fit. Even so, in this example, the 'dhamma [phenomena]', could be internal (5 aggregates of the meditator), or external, or just mental input data that could be a reflection of either internal or external. 

(verse)

“Yataṁ care yataṁ tiṭṭhe,
 “Carefully walking, carefully standing,
yataṁ acche yataṁ saye;
 carefully sitting, carefully lying;
Yataṁ samiñjaye bhikkhu,
 a monk carefully bends their limbs,
yatamenaṁ pasāraye.
 and carefully extends them.
Uddhaṁ tiriyaṁ apācīnaṁ,
 Above, below, all round,
yāvatājagatogati;
 as far as the earth extends;
Samavekkhitā ca dhammānaṁ,
 they scrutinize the rise and fall
khandhānaṁ udayabbayaṁ.
 of dharma [phenomena] such as the aggregates.
Evaṁ vihārim-ātāpiṁ,
 Meditating ardently like this,
santavuttimanuddhataṁ;
 peaceful and stable,
Cetosamathasāmīciṁ,
 training in what leads to serenity of heart,
sikkhamānaṁ sadā sataṁ;
 always staying rememberful;
Satataṁ pahitattoti,
 they call such a monk
āhu bhikkhuṁ tathāvidhan”ti.
 ‘always determined’.”    



You see the problem if the translator commits to one interpretation of 'dhamma' and translates it into English for that verse? The english reader doesn't know the word the Buddha used was 'dhamma', and it straddles multiple meanings here. 


All of those interpretations for this dhp verse, mental qualities, Buddha's Dhamma teaching, Dharmic principles of goodness, thing, phenomena, all work here.





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