kirk5a wrote:Ud 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, and 8.4 clearly all go together - the description of the occasion is the same for each.
I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi, in Jeta's Grove, Anathapindika's monastery. Now at that time the Blessed One was instructing urging, rousing, and encouraging the monks with Dhamma-talk concerned with Unbinding. The monks — receptive, attentive, focusing their entire awareness, lending ear — listened to the Dhamma.
For those who can't accept the language of "an unborn — unbecome — unmade — unfabricated" in 8.3 - what then is the explanation for "that dimension" in 8.1, "the unaffected" in 8.2, and "there is no passing away or arising" in 8.4?
There is nothing in these texts that demands that "
an unborn — unbecome — unmade — unfabricated" is the only way that these terms are meaningfully translated. I would argue that "
an unborn — unbecome — unmade — unfabricated" is not a particularly meaningful translation at all, taken either as a stand-alone text as in the Itivuttaka, 37-8 or in this Udana grouping. These Udana texts refer to “unbinding,” and unbinding here means one is not bound to greed, hatred, and delusion. In other words, one is freed from the conditioning of greed, hatred, and delusion.
In S.N. IV 359 and S.N. 362 we find: "That which is the destruction of greed, hatred and delusion is
asankhata." That is to say, it is the freedom from the conditioning, being without the conditions, of those three unwholesome factors. As an awake individual one is no longer conditioned – one is unconditioned, asankhata --, by the volitional conditions of greed, hatred, and delusion. It is hard to find a more straightforward definition.
In the S.N. IV 251 and IV 321 we find: "That which is the destruction of greed, hatred and delusion is nibbana." Clearly nibbana/unbinding and asankhata are equivalent terms, and where outside the individual who is freed from the putting together, the fabricating, the conditioning of greed, hatred, and delusion would unbinding be found? It would make no sense to assume that unbinding/nibbana refers to something outside the freed individual, given that greed, hatred, and delusion “exist” as conditioning factors only within the individual.
As for the rest of the Udana texts, they are talking about the experiences associated with becoming unbound to the conditioning factors of greed, hatred and delusion. There is no reason to assume that they are talking about some
thing outside the individual who is no longer bound by greed, hatred, and delusion.