"Word Of The Buddha" - Ajahn Brahm's Updated Translation Is Done.

The "Word Of The Buddha" is an anthology of the Sutta Pitaka using excerpts from the suttas to describe the Buddha's teachings minus the repetition and preamble you will find in the Sutta Pitaka. It weighs in at a slim 100 pages. It was published in 1906 and written by the German Theravada monk Venerable Nyanatiloka Mahathera.

Ajahn Brahm (a native English speaker) has completely finished updating "Word Of The Buddha" to use contemporary English translations.

"Word Of The Buddha" is a great way to get a quicker overview of the Buddha's teachings "in his own words".

I've hyperlinked both the old and new versions in this post, both weighing in at about 100 pages.

frankk comment:

I took a quick look at the first jhāna sections from Ven. Nyanatiloka's original version,
compared to Ajahn Brahm's version.
While Nyanatiloka's is based on Vism. redefinition of jhāna,
his first jhāna formula translation diverges from Vism. with vitakka,
treating it as verbal thought, in line with Abhidhamma Vibhanga, but contradicted by Vism.

Ajahn Brahm's version is heresy,
in his translation and interpretation of the four jhānas,
with respect to the EBT (early buddhist teachings).

Details of where Vism. and Brahm contradict EBT here:

EBT Jhāna Vs. VRJ👻🥶 (V)isuddhi-magga (Re)-definition of (J)hana

and Ajahn Brahm's BRJ👻🥶

"Word of the Buddha"?

More like "Word of a corrupt Bhikkhu redefining and violently assaulting the words of the Buddha."

Correction:

I recognize some of the work in there from Ajahn Brahmali's corrupt and criminal translations of jhāna and samādhi related terms (from Brahmali's Vinaya translation - which I've audited and detailed his crimes in other posts).

As well as work probably influenced by B. Sujato as well.

So the correction:

"~~Word of a corrupt Bhikkhu~~ redefining and violently assaulting the words of the Buddha."

The book should properly be titled:

"Words of some corrupt Bhikkhus redefining and violently assaulting the words of the Buddha."

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Ajahn Brahm's "translation" of "Word Of The Buddha"