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Have they translated the entire Tipitaka into English?

Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 1:20 am
by Dugu
I have some of Bhikkhu Bodhi's translations, but it isn't complete and I hear he has retired. :( So I am wondering are there other translations in English of the entire Tipitaka?

Re: Have they translated the entire Tipitaka into English?

Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:17 am
by Paññāsikhara
Dugu wrote:I have some of Bhikkhu Bodhi's translations, but it isn't complete and I hear he has retired. :( So I am wondering are there other translations in English of the entire Tipitaka?
Yes. Except for one or two books of the Abhidhamma-pitaka, I think.
The Pali Text Society publications are the most complete, but nowadays are starting to age.
Bhante Bodhi's translation of the Anguttara Nikaya should be out in a year or so.

Re: Have they translated the entire Tipitaka into English?

Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:35 am
by DNS
Paññāsikhara wrote:
Dugu wrote:I have some of Bhikkhu Bodhi's translations, but it isn't complete and I hear he has retired. :( So I am wondering are there other translations in English of the entire Tipitaka?
Yes. Except for one or two books of the Abhidhamma-pitaka, I think.
The Pali Text Society publications are the most complete, but nowadays are starting to age.
Bhante Bodhi's translation of the Anguttara Nikaya should be out in a year or so.
Yes, the Pali Text Society has pretty much the entire Tipitaka, with the exception of just the Nidessa and Apadana of the Khuddaka Nikaya and the Yamaka from the Abhidhamma. Of the roughly 40 volumes, that is all but the equivalent of one or two volumes of the Tipitaka that you cannot read in English.

Re: Have they translated the entire Tipitaka into English?

Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:47 am
by Dugu
Cool. Since I already have portions of the Tipitaka, I wonder if they would let me order specific volumes to complete my collection. But it really is sad that Bhikkhu Bodhi retired, I like his works and the layouts. I hope someone will continue where he left off and finish the remaining books.

Re: Have they translated the entire Tipitaka into English?

Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 2:49 am
by DNS
Dugu wrote:Cool. Since I already have portions of the Tipitaka, I wonder if they would let me order specific volumes to complete my collection.
Sure, you can contact them here:

http://www.palitext.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Make sure you get the English translations, because they do sell and ship a lot of Pali language, Roman script editions. :tongue:

Re: Have they translated the entire Tipitaka into English?

Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 3:26 am
by Dugu
Is there a reason why they are retranslated by Bhikkhu Bodhi since they already have it in English... ?

Re: Have they translated the entire Tipitaka into English?

Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 3:30 am
by retrofuturist
Greetings Dugu,
Dugu wrote:Is there a reason why they are retranslated by Bhikkhu Bodhi since they already have it in English... ?
Generally speaking his translations are better than the old ones because they use modern English and draw upon the extensive research that has been done in relation to the Pali Canon in recent decades. It is good this has been done, because the material he has translated is arguably the most important and edifying material from the Pali Canon (e.g. the Samyutta, Majjhima & Anguttara Nikayas, plus selected texts from the Digha Nikaya).

:reading:

Metta,
Retro. :)

Re: Have they translated the entire Tipitaka into English?

Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 3:43 am
by Dugu
retrofuturist wrote:Greetings Dugu,
Dugu wrote:Is there a reason why they are retranslated by Bhikkhu Bodhi since they already have it in English... ?
Generally speaking his translations are better than the old ones because they use modern English and draw upon the extensive research that has been done in relation to the Pali Canon in recent decades. It is good this has been done, because the material he has translated is arguably the most important and edifying material from the Pali Canon (e.g. the Samyutta, Majjhima & Angattura Nikayas, plus selected texts from the Digha Nikaya).

:reading:

Metta,
Retro. :)
That's why I am so sad to hear he retired. :cry:

Re: Have they translated the entire Tipitaka into English?

Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 3:54 am
by Dugu
Paññāsikhara wrote: Bhante Bodhi's translation of the Anguttara Nikaya should be out in a year or so.
Did he actually complete the translation? I was worried he left it unfinished.

Re: Have they translated the entire Tipitaka into English?

Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2009 10:46 am
by Kare
retrofuturist wrote:Greetings Dugu,
Dugu wrote:Is there a reason why they are retranslated by Bhikkhu Bodhi since they already have it in English... ?
Generally speaking his translations are better than the old ones because they use modern English and draw upon the extensive research that has been done in relation to the Pali Canon in recent decades. It is good this has been done, because the material he has translated is arguably the most important and edifying material from the Pali Canon (e.g. the Samyutta, Majjhima & Anguttara Nikayas, plus selected texts from the Digha Nikaya).
Every translation is dependent on the translator's understanding of the texts, and his ability to reformulate this understanding into his own language. An updated language and newer research can be of good help - but still it all hinges upon the translator himself.

Generally speaking newer translations are better - yes. But not always. When I translate Pali texts into Norwegian, I sometimes compare different translations. I find that often the newer translations are better. But I also find that the older PTS translations some times are clearer and more precise than the newer ones. In fact the question of which translation is the best one, has different answers from text to text, or even from paragraph to paragraph. So the PTS translations should not be discarded just because newer versions are published.

Re: Have they translated the entire Tipitaka into English?

Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 2:47 am
by Paññāsikhara
Dugu wrote:
Paññāsikhara wrote: Bhante Bodhi's translation of the Anguttara Nikaya should be out in a year or so.
Did he actually complete the translation? I was worried he left it unfinished.
My (reliable) sources tell me that the whole thing is presently with the publishers.
In January 2009, it was said that it would be out in "about 18 months".

Re: Have they translated the entire Tipitaka into English?

Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 6:53 am
by BlackBird
What is Mr. Maurice Walshe up to these days? Think we can convince him to have a crack at the Khuddaka Nikaya?

:anjali:

Re: Have they translated the entire Tipitaka into English?

Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 6:57 am
by Paññāsikhara
BlackBird wrote:What is Mr. Maurice Walshe up to these days? Think we can convince him to have a crack at the Khuddaka Nikaya?

:anjali:
Sorry to break the news to you, but the good Mr Walshe passed away in 1998.
Born in 1911, he was already 86 years old at the time.

http://www.amaravati.org/fsn/html/45/walshe.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?tit ... ell_Walshe" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Re: Have they translated the entire Tipitaka into English?

Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 6:59 am
by tiltbillings
BlackBird wrote:What is Mr. Maurice Walshe up to these days? Think we can convince him to have a crack at the Khuddaka Nikaya?

:anjali:
I got to meet him years ago. Lovely man, very funny, and very helpful. As far as what he is up to these days? He is quite dead (1998), though likely reborn in a good situation and and when old enough maybe more translations.

Re: Have they translated the entire Tipitaka into English?

Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 7:21 am
by mikenz66
There are various translations of the books of the Khuddaka Nikaya.
In particular, there are dozens of the Dhammapada (often terrible, often free...).
I like John Ireland's translation of the Udana and the Itivuttaka (available as one volume).
The Sutta Nipata is very interesting. Unfortunately the print versions I know about seem rather expensive for the size. Most of it is on Access to Insight, otherwise at
http://awake.kiev.ua/dhamma/tipitaka/2S ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Mike