ez reader: sensible paragraph formatting standard for digital books

To demonstrate its virtues, I compare the traditional paragraph formatting here using Chapter 6 of Thanissaro's new book: 

https://www.dhammatalks.org/books/FourNobleTruths/Section0009.html

with what I propose as a much more readable paragraph standard here (click on links to see full chapter section)

4nt-than2023 ⁶ The Second Noble Truth

    4nt-than2023 ^6.1 Craving for sensuality:

    4nt-than2023 ^6.2 Craving for becoming:

    4nt-than2023 ^6.3 Craving for non-becoming:

Comparing just a small piece of text from the chapter:

original traditional formatting:

These becomings can exist on any of three levels: the level of sensuality, the level of form, and the level of formlessness. A becoming on the level of sensuality would include the experience of pleasures or pains of the five physical senses. A becoming on the level of form would include the experience of the form of the body as felt from within. A becoming on the formless level would include the experience of such formless dimensions as infinite space or infinite consciousness.

my improved "ez reader paragraph" formatting:

These becomings can exist on any of three levels:the level of sensuality, the level of form, and the level of formlessness.A becoming on the level of sensuality would include the experience of pleasures or pains of the five physical senses.A becoming on the level of form would include the experience of the form of the body as felt from within.A becoming on the formless level would include the experience of such formless dimensions as infinite space or infinite consciousness.

Which style of formatting is easier to read, easier to re-read to find something specific?

Why doesn't everyone do it the 'ez way'? 

Back in the days of the printing press, you cut down trees, made paper, printed text on paper. 

So to save on costs, you tried to jam as much ink and word count into a single page as you possibly can.

Newsflash. 

Most people don't read things on physical paper anymore. 

On digital ink, you won't waste trees and physical paper by arranging your digital text in an organized, readable manner. 

What's easier to read, and find what you're looking for.

Sujato's version:

“Mendicants, an unethical person, who lacks ethics, has destroyed a vital condition for having no regrets. When there are regrets, one who has regrets has destroyed a vital condition for joy. When there is no joy, one who lacks joy has destroyed a vital condition for rapture. When there is no rapture, one who lacks rapture has destroyed a vital condition for tranquility. When there is no tranquility, one who lacks tranquility has destroyed a vital condition for bliss. When there is no bliss, one who lacks bliss has destroyed a vital condition for right immersion. When there is no right immersion, one who lacks right immersion has destroyed a vital condition for true knowledge and vision. When there is no true knowledge and vision, one who lacks true knowledge and vision has destroyed a vital condition for disillusionment and dispassion. When there is no disillusionment and dispassion, one who lacks disillusionment and dispassion has destroyed a vital condition for knowledge and vision of freedom.

Bodhi's version (he jams everything into 1 paragraph also, but at least he numbers the items): 

“Bhikkhus, (1) for an immoral person, for one deficient in virtuous behavior, (2) non-regret lacks its proximate cause. When there is no non-regret, for one deficient in non-regret, (3) joy lacks its proximate cause. When there is no joy, for one deficient in joy, (4) rapture lacks its proximate cause. When there is no rapture, for one deficient in rapture, (5) tranquility lacks its proximate cause. When there is no tranquility, for one deficient in tranquility, (6) pleasure lacks its proximate cause. When there is no pleasure, for one deficient in pleasure, (7) right concentration lacks its proximate cause. When there is no right concentration, for one deficient in right concentration, (8) the knowledge and vision of things as they really are lacks its proximate cause. When there is no knowledge and vision of things as they really are, for one deficient in the knowledge and vision of things as they really are, (9) disenchantment and dispassion lack their proximate cause. When there is no disenchantment and dispassion, for one deficient in disenchantment and dispassion, (10) the knowledge and vision of liberation lacks its proximate cause.

Or Frank's EZ-reader formatting?

AN 10.3 Paṭhama-upanisa [Sīla] -sutta

AN 10.3 Paṭhama-upanisa [Sīla] -sutta	AN 10.3 first-proximate-cause [Virtuous Behavior] discourse
1. “Dus-sīlassa, bhikkhave, sīla-vipannassa	1. (for an) im-moral [person], **********, (for one of) moral-deficiency,
hat-ūpaniso hoti a-vippaṭisāro;	destroyed-(is the)-proximate-cause (for) **** non-regret.
2. a-vippaṭisāre a-sati a-vippaṭisāra-vipannassa	2. (When) non-regret (is) not-there, (for one with) non-regret-deficiency,
hat-ūpanisaṃ hoti pāmojjaṃ;	destroyed-(is the)-proximate-cause (for) **** mirth.
3. pāmojje a-sati pāmojja-vipannassa	3. (When) mirth (is) not-there, (for one with) mirth-deficiency,
hat-ūpanisā hoti pīti;	destroyed-(is the)-proximate-cause (for) **** rapture.
4 pītiyā asati pīti-vipannassa	4. (When) rapture (is) not-there, (for one with) rapture-deficiency,
hat-ūpanisā hoti passaddhi;	destroyed-(is the)-proximate-cause (for) pacification.
5. passaddhiyā a-sati passaddhi-vipannassa	5. (when) pacification (is) not-there, (for one with) pacification-deficiency,
hat-ūpanisaṃ hoti sukhaṃ;	destroyed-(is the)-proximate-cause (for) pleasure.
6. sukhe a-sati sukha-vipannassa	6. (when) pleasure (is) not-there, (for one with) pleasure-deficiency,
hat-ūpaniso hoti sammā-samādhi;	destroyed-(is the)-proximate-cause (for) righteous - undistractable-lucidity.
7. sammā-samādhimhi a-sati sammā-samādhi-vipannassa	7. (when) righteous - undistractable-lucidity (is) not-there, (for one with) righteous - undistractable-lucidity -deficiency,
hat-ūpanisaṃ hoti yathā-bhūta-ñāṇa-dassanaṃ;	destroyed-(is the)-proximate-cause (for) knowledge & vision of things as they really are.
8. yathā-bhūta-ñāṇa-dassane a-sati yathā-bhūta-ñāṇa-dassana-vipannassa	8. When there is no knowledge and vision of things as they really are, for one deficient in the knowledge and vision of things as they really are,
hat-ūpaniso hoti nibbidā-virāgo;	destroyed-(is the)-proximate-cause (for) disenchantment and dispassion.
9. nibbidā-virāge a-sati nibbidā-virāga-vipannassa	9. When there is no disenchantment and dispassion, for one deficient in disenchantment and dispassion,
10. hat-ūpanisaṃ hoti vimutti-ñāṇa-dassanaṃ.	10. destroyed-(is the)-proximate-cause (for) the knowledge and vision of liberation.

Come on people. 

It's 2023.

Stop being so stingy with the carriage returns.

And try using numbers in lists, it really makes it easier to find things.

Related

also see: 🔗📚 free Dhamma book makers, please make EPUB versions: PDF's are a horrendous nuisance to read

Forum discussion

https://www.reddit.com/r/theravada/comments/103arvr/comment/j2zjd64/?context=3
AlexCoventry·18 hr. ago


The main thing I would want in a revised format is more anchors so I can link to the specific relevant text.




level 2

lucid24-frankkOP·just now



great point. all my newer sutta translations and long articles have massive amounts of anchors.

For example, MN 125

https://lucid24.org/mn/mn125/index.html#tophead

every numbered item in there is an anchor.

want to go to section 3.11.1 ?

just add 3.11.1 to the end of

https://lucid24.org/mn/mn125/index.html#