Good printed translation?

[IanAnd]

Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: An Anthology of Suttas from the Anguttara Nikaya by Bhikkhu Bodhi available from amazon.

I've thought about that one because I've read that it is a very good collection, but have decided to wait for the big one from Bodhi... although I have wondered just how long I'm going to have to wait.

Speaking from experience, the Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: An Anthology... by Nyanaponika Thera (edited by Bhikkhu Bodhi) is indeed an excellent translation and rendering of many important discourses in the Anguttara Nikaya and is well worth getting rather than waiting indefinitely for Bk. Bodhi to finish his daunting translation of the Anguttara Nikaya.

The reason I say this is because the footnotes alone are worth the price of the book. And what do the footnotes do that is so important? They help explain what is meant by the text. In other words, they clarify for the reader the intent of the sutta being footnoted. Well worth having, as it may help to clear up some misunderstandings before they become even more ingrained in the (unsuspecting) mind of the practitioner.

My two favorite volumes of the Nikayas are the two oldest volumes: the Samyutta and the Anguttara, as they explain much more than some people give them credit for. And much of that clarification has to do with the practice of meditation, if you are a discerning and intuitive reader. This is not to take away from the many golden nuggets to be found in the Majjhima and the Digha Nikayas. All four volumes are necessary for a more complete picture of the Dhamma. The older volumes not only help to give some historical context to the teachings, but they cover questions that the other two volumes do not. And for that reason alone, they are very valuable to read and comprehend.

[Reductor]

I too hope that Bodhi's AN is not vaporware. Really hopin'

Maybe, though, I will reconsider that anthology.

My two favorite volumes of the Nikayas are the two oldest volumes: the Samyutta and the Anguttara, as they explain much more than some people give them credit for. And much of that clarification has to do with the practice of meditation, if you are a discerning and intuitive reader. This is not to take away from the many golden nuggets to be found in the Majjhima and the Digha Nikayas. All four volumes are necessary for a more complete picture of the Dhamma. The older volumes not only help to give some historical context to the teachings, but they cover questions that the other two volumes do not. And for that reason alone, they are very valuable to read and comprehend.

I've started reading the Samyutta more as of late and hopefully I am a discerning reader. Especially since I wish to be a strong mediator more than scholar, and hope to glean as much hint as I can.

*grin* It's a very worthwhile endeavour!

And one that I will have to take up in the near future. How many people on this forum study pali, I wonder.

Thanks for all the responses.

[cooran]

Hello all,

A friend at Dhammagiri (who takes our Pali class on Sundays) is assisting BB with the editing of the Anguttara translations. This monumental work is on the home stretch, but maybe another year in the finishing.
I'll double check with John on the weekend to get the latest timeframe.

with metta
Chris

[Kare]

In the begining before the BC was invented, the monks had to use something similar to a type writer unfortunately involved a walkman or WalkBhikkhu as their tech was made elsewhere specially, and a piece of 2x4 the Abbot used to smooth out errors in the play back, the monks thus decided that they needed a more accurate and less painful way to record the texts, and that was the invention of the Buddhist computer.

Delving a little deeper into the history of the BC: Some bhikkhus in fact also tried out the PC, the Personal Computer, the Puggala Computer or the Attakomputiko, as it was called in Pali. And although they made some breakthrough inventions - they invented the harddisk (or storehouse disk, the alayavijnana, as they called it) and were quite successful for some time, they were strongly criticized and condemned by other bhikkhus, who preferred to develop the Apuggala Computer or Anattakomputiko. Therefore the PC (Puggala Computer) died out in India, and had to be reinvented in the West in recent times.

Sorry ... enough nonsense for today ...

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Chris,

A friend at Dhammagiri (who takes our Pali class on Sundays) is assisting BB with the editing of the Anguttara translations. This monumental work is on the home stretch, but maybe another year in the finishing.
I'll double check with John on the weekend to get the latest timeframe.

Thanks for the news - excellent to hear that it's at the editing stage.

Metta,
Retro.

[appicchato]

...when the heck is Bodhi gonna finish the Anguttara Nikaya?

Who's he?...

[Reductor]

...when the heck is Bodhi gonna finish the Anguttara Nikaya?

Who's he?...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhikkhu_Bodhi" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma3/interview.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[IanAnd]

*grin* It's a very worthwhile endeavour! [Meaning the study of Pali]

And one that I will have to take up in the near future. How many people on this forum study pali, I wonder.

Michael.

Michael,

If you would rather not (i.e. take up formal study of Pali), since it can take up so much more time and effort in your practice, the only thing you really have to be wary of is finding a translator who knows how to translate the correct intent preserved in the discourses. On that end, Nyanaponika Thera, Bhikkhu Nanamoli, Bhikkhu Bodhi, and Thanissaro Bhikkhu have all proved themselves worthy of our trust in my humble opinion. From there, all you have to do is become cognizant of the various important Pali terms and how they were used in the discourses in order to solidify your understanding of the original intent of the suttas. So, it is the terms themselves that you want to become clear about. A good translator can provide you with the correct contextual intent of the passage being examined such that there would be no need to take up a formal study of Pali. Just make sure that the terms being defined are understood correctly, providing the correct intent according to how an experienced translator views this.

Just to provide one example of this, it wasn't until I came across Bh. Bodhi's explanation of his translation of the term "satipatthana" in an Introduction in his translated volume on the Samyutta Nikaya that I began to have a better understanding of how this term was used within the context of the teachings. In brief, while satipatthana had in the past been translated as "the foundations of mindfulness," his explanation of how "upatthana" could also be taken to express the idea of "the establishment of mindfulness," this added a new dimension to my understanding of viewing this word in terms of a more active setting. When you read the translated version of the two Satipatthana Suttas, the instruction says to "establish mindfulness before undertaking meditation." Having this understanding made all the difference in my interpretation of how this instruction was to be taken. It also helped me to begin eliminating the five hindrances to meditation; and thereafter my meditation sessions became less difficult to enter and thus more efficient in producing a beneficial end result. Little things like that can help you understand the intent of passages and as such, the necessity to take up a formal study of Pali (unless it becomes something you really want to do for personal reasons) can be precluded. All I'm saying is that most people don't want to become Pali scholars just in order to read and comprehend the discourses. If you have a good translation, that's all you really need.

Just some food for thought, that's all.

In peace,
Ian