DarwidHalim wrote:Thanks Bhante for the alternative.
By the way, what is the main issue or disagreement between the translation in the magazine and the one that you provide. Basically, I can't see the difference.
What is the complain or issue about this labeling "Original Mind"?
The problem that I see is the Western translators (who were probably not that well grounded in Theravada tradition themselves) tend to take things out of context in order to make certain teachings more palatable to an eclectic Western audience. Such concepts as "primordial purity" or "Original Mind" have their own place and history in other traditions, and I am sure Ajahn Chah was not familiar with all that, he would have used them within the context of standard Theravada teachings and related them to his own experience.
It is better to read more of his talks and put it into that context, for example here talking about the mind:
Contemplate this: whoever it is who knows is the one who has to take responsibility for your sīla. Bring that awareness to watch over your actions and speech. That knowing, that awareness is what you use to watch over your practice. To keep sīla, you use that part of the mind which directs your actions and which leads you to do good and bad. You catch the villain and transform him into a sheriff or a mayor. Take hold of the wayward mind and bring it to serve and take responsibility for all your actions and speech. Look at this and contemplate it. The Buddha taught us to take care with our actions. Who is it who does the taking care? The body doesn't know anything; it just stands, walks around and so on. The hands are the same; they don't know anything. Before they touch or take hold of anything, there has to be someone who gives them orders. As they pick things up and put them down there has to be someone telling them what to do. The hands themselves aren't aware of anything; there has to be someone giving them orders. The mouth is the same - whatever it says, whether it tells the truth or lies, is rude or divisive, there must be someone telling it what to say.
The practice involves establishing sati, mindfulness, within this 'one who knows.' The 'one who knows' is that intention of mind, which previously motivated us to kill living beings, steal other people's property, indulge in illicit sex, lie, slander, say foolish and frivolous things and engage in all the kinds of unrestrained behaviour. The 'one who knows' led us to speak. It exists within the mind. Focus your mindfulness or sati - that constant recollectedness - on this 'one who knows.' Let the knowing look after your practice.
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In another talk he says that we can't really trust this mind or the 'one who knows' because it knows wrongly, so it requires quite a lot of training to make it know things correctly. It is not just a matter of "dropping into primordial purity of our Buddha Nature".