KN Snp 1.8 Ajahn Sucitto with a wrong translation and interpretation of Metta Sutta where mother protects child

 

Ajahn Sucitto on... Buddha Nature – Human Nature

When we attend to our values, we might begin by reflecting on the Buddha’s exhortation: ‘Even as a mother protects with her life her child, her only child, so with a boundless heart should one cherish all living beings’. This is not just because kindness is universal & simple, but because it focuses us directly on the quality of heart that has enabled us to survive & grow. We are born as empathic beings – we’re hard-wired for it with mirror-neurons in our brains – and our success as a species has come from being able to operate as a collective. So a focus on goodwill brings us out of the divisions of nationality, social status, and political systems to connect more directly with a value that can include others. Development of that empathic sense is an aspect of Buddhist ‘mind-cultivation’, and its aim is to develop that sense in a widening field to include all other living beings. The more inclusive the cosmos, the greater its validity. And the awakening fact is that this cultivation is also deeply enjoyable….

cher·ish:  verb, protect and care for (someone) lovingly.

"he cared for me beyond measure and cherished me in his heart"

bhāvaye: opt. (+acc) should cultivate; should develop [√bhū + *aya + e] 

frankk comment:

From my website www.lucid24.org which contains a complete set of pāḷi + english translations derived from Sujato, I don't even give you the option to view the English sutta without the Buddha's original words in  pāḷi next to it. 

To minimize the possibility of mistranslations and misinterpretations proliferating. 

Mātā yathā niyaṁ puttam	Even as a mother would protect her own child,
Āyusā eka-puttam-anu-rakkhe;	her only child, at the risk of her own life,
Evam-pi sabba-bhūtesu,	so too towards all creatures [, for their safety and happiness, ]
Mānasaṁ bhāvaye aparimāṇaṁ.	[You] should develop [and protect your] unlimited heart.
Mettañca sabbalokasmi,	With Friendly-kindness for the whole world,
Mānasaṁ bhāvaye aparimāṇaṁ;	develop an unlimited heart.
Uddhaṁ adho ca tiriyañca,	Above, below, all round,
Asambādhaṁ a-veram-a-sapattaṁ.	unconstricted, without vengeful-animosity or hostility.

I'm not trying to pick on Ajahn Sucitto here. The main point is that suttas are terse and can be misinterpreted rather easily, even by famous and well regarded monks.  

This is why I made a point in my personal practice, to practice the same way the Buddha and his disciples in an oral tradition did it. You memorize the pāḷi (it's terse, short, and easy to remember once you embrace that lifestyle), you recite it frequently, you think about it and evaluate it frequently, so even if you have a wrong English translation and interpretation, having the pāḷi memorized by heart gives you the chance in the future to align and correct with the original source. If you memorize a wrong target translation, then you're screwed.