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MN 139 Ven Sunyo and example of pāḷi grammar confirmation bias

MN 139 excerpt, translation here mostly Sujato

‘Sukhavinicchayaṃ jaññā;
‘Know how to distinguish different kinds of pleasure.
sukhavinicchayaṃ ñatvā ajjhattaṃ sukhamanuyuñjeyyā’ti—
Knowing this, pursue inner pleasure.’
iti kho panetaṃ vuttaṃ. Kiñcetaṃ paṭicca vuttaṃ?
That’s what I said, but why did I say it?
Pañcime, bhikkhave, kāmaguṇā.
There are these five kinds of sensual stimulation.
Katame pañca?
What five?
Cakkhuviññeyyā rūpā iṭṭhā kantā manāpā piyarūpā kāmūpasaṃhitā rajanīyā,
Sights known by the eye that are likable, desirable, agreeable, pleasant, sensual, and arousing.
sotaviññeyyā saddā …
Sounds known by the ear …
ghānaviññeyyā gandhā …
Smells known by the nose …
jivhāviññeyyā rasā …
Tastes known by the tongue …
kāyaviññeyyā phoṭṭhabbā iṭṭhā kantā manāpā piyarūpā kāmūpasaṃhitā rajanīyā—
Touches known by the body that are likable, desirable, agreeable, pleasant, sensual, and arousing.
ime kho, bhikkhave, pañca kāmaguṇā.
These are the five kinds of sensual stimulation.

(5kg sensuality-cords are to feared, don’t fear 4j🌕 four jhanas)

Yaṃ kho, bhikkhave, ime pañca kāmaguṇe paṭicca uppajjati sukhaṃ somanassaṃ idaṃ vuccati kāmasukhaṃ mīḷhasukhaṃ puthujjanasukhaṃ anariyasukhaṃ.
The pleasure and happiness that arise from these five kinds of sensual stimulation is called sensual pleasure—a filthy, common, ignoble pleasure.


B.Bodhi translates that part with sukha and somanassa like this:

Now the pleasure and joy that arise dependent on these five cords of sensual pleasure are called sensual pleasure—a filthy pleasure, a coarse pleasure,



Ven. Sunyo claims that:

https://discourse.suttacentral.net/t/if-jhana-is-total-absorption-without-physical-sensation-why-is-pain-only-abandoned-in-the-fourth-jhana/29410/319

No, here the two [sukha and somanassa]  are definitely synonymous. Notice that in uppajjati sukhaṁ somanassaṁ the verb uppajjati is singular, which means that one thing arises, not two separate ones. You can see a peculiarity in Sujato’s translation, where subject and verb don’t agree in number: “pleasure and happiness arises”. The word “and” isn’t there in Pali, that’s the thing. More literally it says: “[there] arises sukha, which is somanassa”. The two words are attributes to one another, not different things.


Frankk comment:

If both Sujato and B. Bodhi agree with the grammar supporting 'sukha' not synonymous with 'somanassa',
why should we doubt them? 
They've been translating far longer than Ven. Sunyo.
So it's pretty surprising Sunyo is so confident here.

He's not even saying, the grammar supports more than one way to interpret this, 
he's saying his interpretation is correct and theirs is wrong.

Conclusion

Until we get some pāḷi experts to settle this, 
my bet is on B. Bodhi and Sujato being right,
and Ven. Sunyo is very likely acting with confirmation bias.
He needs 'sukha' to be mental, not physical, so the grammar conveniently supports his agenda.






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