ISSN 1076-9005
Volume 4 1997

A Review of The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha. A New Translation of the Majjhima Nikaaya. Translated from the Pali.

The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha. A New Translation of the Majjhima Nikaaya. Translated from the Pali.. Original Translation By Bhikkhu Ñaa.namoli. Translation edited and revised by Bhikkhu Bodhi. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1995, 1412 pages, ISBN 0-8617-1072-X, (cloth), $75.00

Despite what is said above, I do not think this can honestly be called a new translation! Such a claim creates the impression that this is essentially a work of the 1990s. Indeed I have already met comments contrasting "Bhikkhu Bodhi's new translation" with the "old PTS translation." This is perhaps further encouraged by the dust jacket and cover which simply say: "Translated by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi" instead of the fuller details given on the title page (as above). In fact this is in large part the work of Ñāṇamoli from the early 1950s with only a relatively small contribution from Bhikkhu Bodhi, although I will qualify this remark below. It is possible to see that this is the case from the lightly-edited version of 90 (out of 152) translated suttas from Ñāṇamoli's manuscript which was published in Thailand by Ven. Khantipalo in or after 1976.

From the point of view of strict scholarship there are some serious defects in this translation. The most serious is perhaps the lack of clarity as to which edition is being used as the source text. Although Bhikkhu Bodhi claims that it was the PTS edition that was used by Ñāṇamoli for his original translation, this seems unlikely. In various places the translation actually follows one of the earlier Sinhalese(?) script editions and it seems likely that this was often Ñāṇamoli's source. Of course, it is impossible to be sure of this, since no indication is normally given as to what readings are actually being followed. The other major defect is a lack of use of more recent scholarship. Bhikkhu Bodhi does sometimes adopt renderings from I.B. Horner's translation and makes some use of the work of other scholars (e.g., in CPD) but overall there is some tendency to perpetuate old mistakes and even to reinstate them where Ñāṇamoli has corrected them in his draft or in his other works.

On the more positive side, there is no doubt that Bhikkhu Bodhi has made the text much more readable and approachable for the novice reader. He is on the whole a much clearer writer than Ñāṇamoli and has tended to remove slight archaisms and awkwardnesses. In general he moves away from Ñāṇamoli's rather literal renderings (appropriate to a first draft), although he does also sometimes fail to appreciate the subtleties of Ñāṇamoli's precision. Although there are obvious advantages to having the whole work in one volume, especially for the newcomer, the disadvantage is the systematic elimination of repetition. Many readers may see this as a gain but it does amount to the deliberate removal of a meditative element from many suttas. In the original language, when the suttas are chanted rather than read, there is an effect upon the mind which is very much part of their traditional purpose. Moreover, the emphasis is often changed quite critically: when a phrase that is repeated in the original ten times is given only once in translation, it ceases to be a central part which is always retained in memory. The result is that what the sutta tries to stress as important becomes much less noticeable in translation.

Although I referred above to Bhikkhu Bodhi's contribution as a "relatively small contribution," this requires some qualification. My own similar experience with Ñāṇamoli's translation of the Vibha"nga commentary was that a great deal of work was required in editing, correcting, and filling in lacunæ - indeed, at times, I felt that it was more work than a complete new translation would have been! Nonetheless, I felt that it remained a version of Ñāṇamoli's translation rather than my own and the title page reflects that. Without doubt much editing by Bhikkhu Bodhi (and Ven. Khantipalo) was necessary to bring this translation of the Majjhima-nikāya to a publishable level. But it remains the work of Ñāṇamoli.

Bhikkhu Bodhi indicates in his introduction that he did not aim to conform as closely as possible to the intentions of the original translator. Rather, he had two main objectives: (1) fidelity to the intended meaning of the texts themselves, and (2) "an idiom that would be intelligible to a modern reader seeking in the Pali suttas personal guidance in the proper understanding and conduct of life." Obviously he has had considerable success in the second objective but I have considerable reservations as to the first. The major reason for this, apart from a lack of familiarity with some more recent (mostly European) scholarship, is a tendency to accept the interpretation of the commentaries a little uncritically. This is an error which is perhaps unavoidable without considerable knowledge of both Sanskrit and other dialects of Middle Indian than Pali. I suspect it is often unconscious and due to working in the tradition of Nyanatiloka and Nyanaponika. (The American Bhikkhu Bodhi is very much the present-day successor in the lineage of these two German scholar-monks.)

Related to this is Bhikkhu Bodhi's policy in amending Ñāṇamoli's renderings. Here I am of two minds. On the one hand, Ñāṇamoli's attempt at a very precise and consistent rendering of Buddhist terminology is at times rather indigestible and also confusing if one is used to a different rendering. On the other, I have no doubt that Ñāṇamoli was quite correct in seeing that the hitherto standard renderings which he largely followed in his earliest published translation (of the Visuddhimagga) are quite unacceptable and promulgate widespread misunderstandings. Contrary to Bhikkhu Bodhi, I believe that it is most important at this stage to discourage the adoption of a standard misrendering; what is needed is much more creativity and variety among translators so as to facilitate the discovery of better ways of expressing the ideas of early Buddhism. At the end of Bhikkhu Bodhi's introduction he lists major changes in the terminology used for translation. Some of these are clear improvements. Some are simply Bhikkhu Bodhi's preference and there is no real need for them. Others incorporate commentarial interpretations or misunderstandings of the commentary. Still others are simply wrong. I give some examples here in tabular form with some comments. 

Pali term	Ñāṇamoli	Bodhi	Comments
iddhi	success	(1)Supernormal power (2) spiritual (3) success	(To give three different power; renderings of the same word, wrongly introduces modern power; values.
thīna-middha	lethargy and drowsiness	sloth and torpor	Why alter?
nāma	name	mentality	Had the Buddha wanted to say "mentality," he had a number of possible terms available.
Nibbāna	extinction	Nibbāna	It is certainly better not to translate this.
Nibbidā	dispassion	disenchantment	Bhikkhu Bodhi's rendering is correct.
Paññā	understanding	wisdom	Why alter?
papañca	diversification	proliferation	Why alter?
bhāvanā	maintaining in being	development	Ñāṇamoli's version is perhaps better here.
Muditā	gladness	appreciative joy	Why alter?
rūpa (arūpa)	form (formless)	(1) form (2) material form, materiality 3) fine-material being (immaterial)	The notion of rūpa as fine-material is perhaps later. More probably, rūpa in such contexts means "meditation object," cp. the later usage of nimitta.
vicāra	pondering	sustained thought	Vicāra does not mean "sustained." This is a frequent misunderstanding of what the commentaries say. "Sustaining" is an effect of gently exploring the object, not a possible translation.
sakkāya	embodiment	personality	Embodiment renders the basic sense. It is difficult to see how this can mean "personality."
sa"nkhāra	determinations	formations	Determinations indicates the intentional element.
sekha	the Initiate	the disciple in higher training	Neither of these is at all satisfactory. The introduction of "higher" seems to be precisely opposite to the Buddha's intent.

A complete translation of the Majjhima-nikāya invites criticism and such criticism certainly draws attention to what still needs to be done. We must also remember that it is not all that long since Pali texts first began to be translated into English and we still do not really have adequate tools for the job. There is no doubt that Bhikkhu Bodhi's work will be helpful and of real value to many readers. In that context one can only welcome it and appreciate the long labors that necessarily go into such work.

I append notes on three randomly selected discourses and also some corrections from Bhikkhu Bodhi himself which have been circulated on the Internet.

DETAILED NOTES ON SAMPLE SUTTAS

Bo = the volume reviewed here.

Ee = Trenckner, V and Robert Chalmers, eds., Majjhima-nikāya, Pali Text Society, 1964, 1977, 1960 [1888-99].

Kh = Nyanamoli, Ven. Thera, trans., A Treasury of the Buddha's Words, ed. Phra Khantipalo, Mahāmakut, Bangkok, nḍ., three volumes.

IBH = Horner, I.B., trans., Middle Length Sayings, Pali Text Society, London, 1954-59, repr. 1975-57, three volumes.

KRN = Norman, KṚ., trans., The Group of Discourses Ī, Pali Text Society, Oxford, 1992.

NB = rendering found in both Bo and Kh (minor orthographic differences are ignored).

Page numbers are those of the PTS edition of the text. Paragraph numbers are those used in Bo (and usually Kh).

SUTTA 12 - the Mahā-sīha-nāda-sutta

(Bo 164-78 ; Kh ĪI 238-56; IBH I 91-110)

§ 1 and §42 vanasaṇḍa-

NB has "grove" in the first case and "wood" in the second. This is less exact than IBH "woodland thicket" or "forest thicket" and confuses the difference from vana - (also rendered "grove"). Both versions obscure the link between the location of the Sutta and the simile.

§2 uttari(ṃ )manussadhamma-

Bo "superhuman states"; Kh "higher than the human state (dhamma)"; IBH "states of further men." The issue is whether it is the dhammas or the manussa who are uttari-. Since forms of uttarimanussa- occur in both senses, there is a case for both, although it is likely that the older interpretation is that adopted by Bo.

§2 yassa ca khvāssa atthāya

Bo "when he teaches the Dhamma to anyone"; Kh "whoever is taught that dhamma for his benefit"; IBH "and says that dhamma, taught for the sake of something specific." Bo is certainly the best rendering, but none translate assa. Literally: "the one for whose sake his dhamma is taught," but more idiomatically: "when he teaches his dhamma to anyone." (The speaker is not a follower of the Buddha.)

§2 so niyyāti takkarassa sammādukkhakkhayāyā ti

All three follow the commentary in making so refer back to dhammo. This creates a number of problems as Buddhaghosa obviously recognized. (He solves them by claiming that Sunakkhatta did not dare to say what he intended to say, because of fear of criticism by the large number of enlightened followers of the Buddha in the city.) More probably, takkarassa is for takkaro assa. Sunakkhatta intended to say: "When he teaches his dhamma to anyone, the person who puts that into practice is setting out for the complete destruction of his suffering." But the Buddha either chooses to take it as Buddhaghosa does or, more probably, takes niyyāti as meaning "exits" i.e., departs saṃsāra. (Cf. MW s.v. NIRYĀ + dative.)

§2 and below parisatiṃ

NB "before the Vesālī assembly"; IBH "to a group (of people) at Vesālī". It could equally be rendered "in an assembly at Vesālī." It is not clear why Kh omits this at the second occurrence, unless it was thought that Sāriputta would not have heard Sunakkhatta speaking at the assembly. Presumably that is also the reason for IBH's rendering.

§§5-8 iti pi so Bhagavā

This is better rendered by Kh, but wrongly by both IBH and Bo. The phrase means "He is a Bhagavat for the following reasons, too:" (cf. CPD Ī p. 278). This of course explains the double occurrence of Bhagavā.

§5 Sugato

It is doubtful if this can mean "sublime" (NB).

§6 iddhividhā

Bo "supernormal power"; IBH "psychic power"; cp. CPD "magic power." All of these gratuitously introduce the word "power." Much better is Kh "(supernormal) success," although even that introduces the word supernormal for no good reason. The original simply says: "experiences manifold kinds of achievement."

§6 āvibhāvaṃ tirobhāvaṃ

NB "he appears and vanishes"; IBH "manifest or invisible." More probably this refers to the capacity to make things appear and disappear (to his own vision?) cf. Paṭis Ī 207.

§8 cetasā ceto paricca

NB "encompasses with his (own) mind the minds of . . .". This is better than: IBH "by mind the minds of."

§10 ṭhānaṃ ca ṭhānato

NB "the possible as possible". This is much better than IBH "causal occasion."

§12 sabbatthagāminiṃ paṭipadaṃ

Bo "the ways leading to all destinations"; Kh "whither all ways lead"; IBH "the course leading to all bourns"; cf. BHSD s.v. pratipad "courses of conduct which may lead to any result." There is a tendency in the commentaries to interpret this in terms of the five gati (probably following the Abhidhamma cf. Vibh 339), although Vibh-a 400 specifies "both those leading to (one of) the gati and those not leading to a gati." It may be that sabbattha was sometimes interpreted as sabba + attha. Edgerton is probably right to argue that paṭipadā does not mean "way" but "course of conduct, behavior." So perhaps literally: "he understands behavior, whithersoever it leads." Note that without the abhidhamma rendering there would be no obstacle to translating: "he understands the all-pervading (universal) course of conduct." Also, Peṭ 34-35 seems to understand as "behavior that can lead anywhere" as opposed to behavior which leads necessarily to nibbāna or an apāya.

§15 indriyaparopariyattaṃ

NB "the disposition of the faculties"; IBH is clearer: "higher or lower state of the faculties."

§21 maṃ evaṃ jānantaṃ evaṃ passantaṃ

Bo "when I know and see thus" corrects both Kh "knowing and seeing me thus" and IBH "knowing me thus, seeing me thus."

§21 yathābhataṃ nikkhitto

Bo "as [surely as if he had been] carried off and put there he will wind up" (Kh is similar). This is more plausible than IBH "he is consigned to . . . just as a burden is laid aside." Cf. Nett 131.

§22 the four vesārajja

NB "intrepidity"; IBH "convictions." Since this certainly refers to four matters in regard to which the Buddha could have no valid reason to fear criticism, the former is more to the point, if a little clumsy.

§25 antarāya

Bo "obstructions"; Kh "obstructive"; IBH "stumbling blocks."

§29 Māra-parisā

Bo "an assembly of Māra's retinue"; Kh "a Māra's assembly"; IBH "Māra's assemblies." Here Bo is not a translation, but incorporates, perhaps wrongly, the explanation of the commentary.

§32 the four yoni

NB "kinds of generation" is clearly better than IBH "modes of life," since yoni must mean "source" or "place of birth."

§33 vatthikosa

NB "caul" is no doubt better than IBH "membraneous sheath."

§35 the five gati

NB "destination" is certainly better than IBH "bourn."

§35 pittivisaya (vl. pettivisayo)

NB "realm of ghosts" obscures the difference between peta- and pitti-/petti-; IBH "realm of the departed" is more accurate.

§36 yathāpaṭipanno

Bo "how one who has entered this path"; Kh "whereon he who has entered"; IBH "according to how one is faring along." Better: "behaving in accordance with which" or "practicing in accordance with which" (despite PED).

§37 tathā . . . yathā

NB "so . . . that" is correct here, as against IBH "As . . . so."

§37 ekantadukkhā

Bo "extremely painful"; Kh "unremitting, painful"; IBH "exclusively painful." Despite CPD, Bo is incorrect here and below.

§37 ekāyanena

NB "going in one way only" is undoubtedly correct, as against IBH "by the one sole way."

§38 dukkhā

Here Bo translates erroneously as "extremely painful," thus obscuring the difference between niraya and animal rebirths. Kh and IBH are correct.

§41 pāsādo

NB "mansion"; IBH "long house." This is often rendered "palace." It may sometimes refer to a single, multi-storied building with many rooms, but (more often) it probably refers to a number of adjoining but more or less separate mostly single-storied buildings on the same site.

§41 kūṭāgāraṃ

NB "upper chamber"; IBH "building with a gabled roof." Originally, this was a "gabled house" i.e., one with a horseshoe-shaped gable - probably outside a village and used for ritual purposes. Later, the same type of design was used for (Buddhist) shrine halls and even for palanquins and elaborate biers and (in a secular context) for any chamber in a pāsāda with a gable of similar design. See:Bollée, Willem B., "The kūṭâgāra or From Men's House to Mansion in Eastern India and South East Asia," in Shastric Traditions in Indian Arts, eds., Anna Libera Dallapiccola, Christine Walter-Mendy and Stephanie Zingel-Avé Lallemant, Vol. 1. Texts, pp. 143-149; XXXVI-XLI, Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden GMBH, Stuttgart, 1989.

§41 nivātaṃ

NB "shut off"; IBH "protected from the wind."

§41 The various words for kinds of furnishings are more accurately rendered by IBH, but more readable in NB.

§42 pokkharaṇī

NB "pond"; IBH "lotus pool."

§44 abhijānāmi . . . caritā

Bo "I recall having lived" is more accurate than KH "I have had direct knowledge of . . . as one who has lived it" or IBH "I . . . , as one who fares, fully know."

§44 tapassī homi (parama-tapassī)

IBH "I became an ascetic" is better than Bo "I have practised asceticism."

§44 lukho

NB "coarseness"; IBH "loathly."

§44 jegucchī

NB "scrupulousness" is better than IBH "a detester." The meaning must be "one who seeks or desires to guard (living beings from harm)" i.e., desiderative noun from GUP. Here and below (jegucchismiṃ) it refers to a person behaving in a particular way rather than to a practice.

§45 me idaṃ . . . tapassitāya

NB "Such was my asceticism . . ."; IBH "there was this for me through asceticism" (parallels show the case to be locative). Literally, "I had the following by way of asceticism."

§45 has a long list of ascetic practices. IBH is often better than Kh. Bo usually follows Kh with only a few exceptions, apart from a missing sentence.

§47 yāva uda-bindumhi pi me dayā paccupaṭṭhitā hoti

Bo "I was full of pity even for [the beings in] a drop of water"; Kh omits the words between square brackets; IBH "there was set up in me kindliness even towards a drop of water." I think Bo is probably wrong here and the commentary right to suppose that it is a question of where one lets water drops fall rather than of beings in a water drop. Literally, "(I was mindful while going back and forth) to such an extent that my pity was manifested even in the case of a drop of water."

§48 pavivittasmiṃ

NB "seclusion"; IBH "aloofness." Literally, "this was my (behavior) as a solitary." All of these (from §46 to §51) literally refer to people rather than practices.

§52 oṭṭhapadaṃ

NB "camel's hoof"; IBH "bullock's hoof." Probably here oṭṭha means "buffalo" as in Vedic rather than "camel" as in Classical Sanskrit; cf. CPD.

§52 gopānasiyo oluggaviluggā

NB "jutted out as gaunt as the crazy rafters"; IBH "my gaunt (ribs) became like the crazy rafters." CPD has "broken down, collapsed" for the second word. Neither "gaunt" nor "crazy" seem appropriate here.

§52 akkhitārakā

NB "the gleam of my eyes," but IBH "pupils of my eyes" is better.

§52 akkhitārakā

NB "gleam of water," but IBH "sparkles of water" is better. CPD has: "a sparkling bubble," following a gp.

§52 The penultimate sentence is missing in Bo, but not Kh.

§53 Bo always substitutes brahmins for Kh "divines."

§60 yaññena

NB "sacrifice" is better than IBH "oblation."

§62 niddā-kilamatha-paṭivinodanā

NB "rest in order to remove sleepiness and tiredness" seems to introduce unnecessary complication; cp. IBH "dispelling fatigue by sleep."

§62 pañha-paṭibhānaṃ

NB "replies to questions"; IBH "ways of putting questions." NB's translation follows Budddhaghosa's pañha-vyākaraṇaṃ. This perhaps slightly misunderstands him. Paṭibhāna (cf. BHSD) refers to readiness in speech, quick-wittedness, inspiration. Of course, as Buddhaghosa indicates, this could manifest here precisely in the manner of replying.

§63 lokānukampāya

Bo "out of compassion for the world" = IBH; Kh has "pity." It is regrettable that both Bhikkhu Bodhi and Miss Horner have rendered both anukampā and karuṇā by the same English word; this obscures some important differences in usage.

SUTTA 21 - the Kakacūpama-sutta

(Bo 217-23 ; Kh Ī 6-14; IBH I 159-67)

§2 adhikaraṇam pi karoti

NB "would rebuke him"; IBH "made a legal question." The latter is certainly better. Perhaps render "made an issue of it."

§6 gehasitā chandā

Bo "desires . . . based on the household life"; Kh "any wish based on the home life"; IBH "worldly desires." Kh is perhaps more accurate. Buddhaghosa explains as both wishes based upon craving and those based on aversion.

§6 vipariṇataṃ

NB "unaffected" is certainly better than IBH "perverted."

§6 pāpikaṃ

Rendered by all as "evil," but it is unlikely that such a concept had developed at this date. The meaning is rather something like "ill-fortuned."

§6 hitānukampī

NB "compassionate for (his) welfare"; IBH "kindly and compassionate." A case can be made for each of these.

§6 mettā

NB "loving-kindness." Probably IBH "friendliness" renders the etymological connotations more accurately. Buddhaghosa (Ps Ī 96) has "suffusing with goodwill (hitena pharamāno)."

§6 na dosantaro

Bo "without inner hate" cp. Kh; better than IBH "void of hate."

§7 ārādhayiṃsu . . . me . . . cittaṃ

NB "satisfied my mind" is better than IBH "my (monks) were indeed accomplished in mind."

§7 lah'-uṭṭhānaṃ

Bo "health"; Kh "lightness"; IBH "buoyancy." Bo is probably correct here; cp. Ps Ī 97 and BHSD s.v laghūtthāntā.

§7 sārathi

Bo "charioteer" = IBH; Kh "driver."

§7 sāreyya pi paccāsāreyya pi

NB "might drive out and back"; IBH "might drive up and down."

§8 vepullaṃ

NB "fulfillment"; IBH "maturity."

§8 yoga-kkhemaṃ

Bo "protection"; Kh "surcease of bondage"; IBH "security from bonds." All three are following the commentaries. Its usual meaning in canonical texts must in fact be "rest from exertion"; often amounting to "spiritual peace" (so BHSD). The simile must be intended to call to mind such a meaning.

§8 ojā-paharaṇiyo

NB "that robbed the sap." IBH "crushed by the strength (of the creepers)" must be wrong. Perhaps better is CPD: "sapping the strength."

§8 anto-vanaṃ suvisodhitaṃ visodheyya

NB "clean up the interior of the grove"; IBH "thoroughly clear the inside of the wood." These phrases are intended in the simile to recall the process of purification in the path to which the simile refers.

§8 sammā parihareyya

NB "tended"; IBH "tend properly." Again sammā (omitted completely by NB) must be intended to relate to the well-known sammā of the path factors.

§9 gaha-patānī

NB "housewife"; IBH "lady householder." This term refers to the female head of an extended family i.e., a person of some standing in the community.

§9 analasā

NB "nimble" must be wrong. IBH "diligent."

§9 santaṃ yeva . . .

NB is correct here where IBH mistranslates the second and third occurrences of this sentence. NB omits part of the repetition the third time.

§9 aggaḷa-sūci

NB "rolling-pin" is rather grossly anachronistic. IBH "pin for securing the bolt (of a door)." Probably in fact a wooden bar, used to secure the door from the inside.

§9 anupasanto

NB "merciless" is rather excessive; IBH "not tranquil" is closer.

§10 suvaco etc.

Bo "easy to admonish"; Kh "easy to correct"; IBH "easy to speak to."

§10 gilānapaccayabhesajja

Bo "medicinal requisites"; Kh "the requisite of medicine"; IBH "medicines for the sick." Probably gilāna does not have the meaning of "sick" but refers rather to tiredness that may come late in the day for those who do not eat after noon. Literally, then, "medicine (required) because of fatigue."

§11 tad-ārammaṇañ

Bo "starting with him"; Kh "extending over the all-encompassing world as its object"; IBH "beginning with him." This must in fact mean "based upon that." Kh follows Buddhaghosa who is using the later meaning of ārammaṇa as the support or object of consciousness, but that would be anachronistic here.

§11 mahaggatena

NB "exalted"; IBH "widespread." The commentary takes this in its abhidhamma sense i.e., the rūpa or arūpa levels of consciousness.

§14 ākāse

NB "empty space"; the introduction of the word "empty" introduces connotationsnot present in the original.

§14 rūpāni

NB "pictures"; IBH "material shapes." This obscures the link to arūpī "formless" below which IBH keeps with "without shape." Both perhaps lose the link to an object perceived in meditation.

§21 ca

Bo and IBH rightly "if." Kh "and."

SUTTA 92 - the Sela-sutta

(Bo 755-62; Kh I 183-92; IBH Ī 332-39; KRN I 94-100; KRN Ī 61-67)

§3 sandassesi

NB "instructed"; IBH "delighted"; KRN "instructed." Literally, "showed." IBH is wrong here.

§3 samādapesi

NB "urged"; IBH "roused"; KRN "roused." Literally, made to undertake. Probably the meaning is that the hearer is brought to commit himself to keep the precepts or practice the path.

§3 samuttejesi

NB "roused"; IBH "inspired"; KRN "excited." Literally, to enflame or fire with enthusiasm.

§3 sampahaṃsesi

NB "encouraged"; IBH and KRN "gladdened." This is too weak - the meaning is more like "delighted." So the sequence is that (1) the dhamma is shown; (2) the hearer is led to commitment; (3) he is aroused to enthusiasm; (4) he is filled with joy.

§3 abhippasanno

Bo "place full confidence in"; Kh "place all your confidence in"; IBH/KRN "favourably disposed towards";

§4 kāya-veyyāvaṭikaṃ

NB "necessary purchases and preparations"; IBH "personal service"; KRN "the menial duties"; the meaning must be to perform service on Keṇiya's behalf, using their bodies.

§5 The rendering of the stock account of the knowledge of a Vedic specialist differs in all four cases.

§10 ghoso

Bo "word" = KRN; Kh "news"; IBH "sound." "Word" is probably misleading. Either of the other renderings would be possible, but, given Sanskrit usage, probably "news" is in fact best.

§10 mantesu

NB "hymns"; IBH = KRN "mantras." Whatever the oldest Vedas may originally have been, "hymns" is certainly not right for the time of the Buddha and after.

§10 dhammiko dhammarājā

Bo "a righteous king who rules by the Dhamma"; Kh "an ideal king of Dhamma"; "a dhamma-man, a king under dhamma"; KRN "righteous, a king of righteousness."

§10 gahapati-ratana

Bo "steward-treasure"; Kh "Householder Treasure" cf. IBH; KRN "householder jewel." Bo is perhaps better here.

§10 vivattacchaddo

NB "draws aside the veil in the world" cf. IBH; KRN "of widespread fame in the world" but now see KRN pp. 217-18: "with deceit removed."

§13 kosohite vatthaguhye

Bo "the male organ being enclosed in a sheath"; Kh "what should be hidden by a cloth being enclosed in a sheath"; IBH "what is cloth-hid is sheath-cased"; KRN "the male organ being ensheathed." The original seems to be deliberately vague; so introducing precision rather subverts the intent.

§13 nādhimuccati na sampasīdati

NB "not decide and make up his mind"; IBH "was . . . uncertain, not satisfied"; KRN "was not sure, he was not convinced."

§14 anumasi paṭimasi

NB "repeatedly touched"; IBH "stroked it backwards and forwards"; KRN "licked . . . backwards and forwards." NB is incorrect here.

§15 ācariyānaṃ pācariyānaṃ bhāsamānānaṃ

Bo "who speak according to the lineage of teachers"; Kh "who preach according to the line of teachers"; IBH "said by . . . , teachers of teachers"; KRN "said by . . . , teachers and teachers of teachers." KRN is the most accurate.

§15 attānaṃ pātukaronti

Bo "reveal themselves as such"; Kh "manifest themselves as such"; IBH "reveal the self"; KRN "reveal themselves." IBH is incorrect.

§15 buddho vā no vā

Bo and KRN "a Buddha or not"; Kh "enlightened or not"; IBH "an Awakened One or not." Obviously buddha here can be either a noun or a past participle. Similarly in §19.

§16 suruci

NB "well-favoured"; IBH "gleaming"; KRN "shining." Buddhaghosa too takes this as a reference to the radiance of the Buddha's body.

§16 sujāto

NB "well-fashioned"; IBH "finely-proportioned"; KRN "of an excellent nature." NB and IBH follow Buddhaghosa's rather etymological explanation (from su + jāta). KRN follows the Sanskrit parallels. Perhaps just: "beautiful."

§16 susukkadanto

Bo "white your teeth"; Kh "white are thy teeth"; IBH "lustrous your teeth"; KRN "very white teeth." The last is more literal.

§16 sujātassa

NB "well born"; IBH and KRN as above. Probably Ñāṇamoli is right to suppose that the meaning here is intentionally different to that above.

§16 patāpavā

NB "(erect) as a flame"; IBH and KRN "splendid."

§16 kalyāṇadassano

IBH and KRN rightly take this as a separate sentence.

§16 rathesabho

NB "lord of chariots"; IBH "a bull of charioteers"; KRN "a bull among heroes." Here ratha has its secondary meaning of warrior, rather than chariot.

§16 bhojarājāno

KRN and Buddhaghosa read bhojī or bhojā and take as two items: "minor kings and kings." NB "great princes."

§16 rājābhirājā manujindo

Only KRN correctly interprets these as nominative.

§17 appativattiyaṃ

Bo "that none can stop"; Kh "that none can stay"; IBH "that cannot be turned back"; KRN "which is not to be rolled back."

§18 sambuddho

NB "full enlightenment"; IBH "Self-Awakened"; KRN "to be fully-enlightened."

§18 sāvako Satthu-d-anvayo

Bo "that disciple who follows in the Master"s own way"; Kh "thy disciple who follows in the Master's way"; IBH "the disciple second to the teacher"; KRN "the disciple who is the successor to the teacher."

§19 anujāto Tathāgataṃ

Bo "the Tathāgata's son"; Kh "the viceroy of the Tathāgata"; IBH "heir born to the Tathāgata"; KRN "taking after the Tathāgata." It must mean either "follows after" or "takes after" here.

§19 abhiññeyyaṃ abhiññātaṃ

Bo "What must be known is directly known"; Kh "What must be directly known, is known"; IBH and KRN "What is to be known is known." So the latter two take ABHI + ÑÑĀ as non-technical in meaning. Clearly in some contexts this is correct, but it cannot be right in a stanza which must refer to the four truths. The commentaries rightly recognize that "abandoning" and "bringing into being (developing)" are technical terms for the activities of the second and fourth truths. They then argue that since these are the two causal truths, then the results of those causes i.e., the truths of suffering and stopping are necessarily implied. Then they interpret abhiññeyyaṃ as referring to the results of the four noble truths as a whole i.e., vijjā and liberation. This is too complicated. It is simpler than this. In the Dasuttarasuttanta (DN ĪI 274) we find that the two things to be known by higher or direct knowledge are the constructed (sa"nkhata) and the unconstructed element. These are precisely the first and third truths. Something like this must be intended here. In this way the three verbs cover the four truths. Of course, some scholars would doubt that a technical understanding of the four truths precedes the creation of this sutta, but I don't believe they can be correct about this.

§19 adhimuccassu

NB "let decision take their place"; IBH and KRN "have faith."

§19 abhiṇhaso

NB "always"; IBH and KRN "repeatedly."

§19 sallakatto

NB and IBH "physician"; KRN "barb-remover." Literally, this is a surgeon ("arrow-remover" cf. EV I 830), but the reference must be to the Buddha's removal of the barbs of greed, etc.

§19 brahmabhūtaṃ

Bo "the holy one"; NB "Divine"; IBH "Brahma-become"; KRN "having become Brahmā."

§20 api kaṇhābhijātiko

NB "even though of outcaste birth"; IBH "even a base-born black"; KRN "even one who is base-born." All follow Buddhaghosa here, but the editors of Ps ĪI 405 and Pj Ī 455 rightly refer to Sv I 162. If such a doctrine of six abhijāti was current and adopted by Sela, then we should translate: "even one of the lowest kind of behavior."

§20 Mārasena-

Bo "Māra's teeming hordes"; Kh "Māra's hordes"; IBH "Māra's hosts"; KRN "Māra's armies." The introduction of "teeming" seems unnecessary.

§23 akāliko

NB "not delayed"; IBH and KRN "timeless". NB follows the interpretation of the commentaries (based upon an interpretation of the late canonical abhidhamma).

§23 appamattassa

Bo "with diligence"; NB "with zeal"; IBH "diligently"; KRN "for a vigilant man." The last must be correct.

§24 sapariso

Bo "and his assembly"; Kh "with his following"; IBH "and his company"; KRN "with his company." "Assembly" does not seem right here.

§25 bho Gotama

NB "Master"; IBH "good Gotama"; KRN "venerable Gotama."

§25 onītapattapāṇiṃ

Bo and IBH "withdrawn his hand from the bowl"; Kh "no longer had the bowl in his hand"; KRN "had . . . washed his hands and bowl." The last is probably correct; see note to KRN.

§25 anumodi

NB "gave him his blessing"; IBH "thanked"; KRN "gave thanks." None of these is exactly right. In principle, the discourse of a monk after receiving dāna is to encourage in the listener a joyful approval of the puññakamma (that approval is itself a further puññakamma). So it is ideally a recommendation of dāna but in practice may be some other kind of dhammadesanā too.

§26 aggihuttamukhā yaññā

NB "Burnt offerings are the glory of fires"; IBH "Sacrifice is chief in fire-worship"; KRN "The aggihutta is the foremost among sacrifices." The meaning of this is that the chief or best sacrifice is the libation to or with fire or to the god Agni. NB's rendering seems far astray and introduces unnecessary overtones.

§26 puññaṃ ākaṃkhamānaṃ saṃgho ve yajatam mukhan ti

NB "Merit is glory of all who aspire;
The Sangha, glory of those who give";
IBH "For those giving alms, desiring merit,
The Order is indeed the chief."
KRN "the Order is indeed the foremost for those who sacrifice lookingfor merit."
Possibly: "for those who want good fortune, it is the Sangha which is the best of those who perform sacrifice" i.e., the act of receiving dāna is seen as an act of performing sacrifice (on behalf of others). In any case, without Ñāṇamoli's(?) note (literally, "of sacrificers") the rendering in NB destroys the connexion between yaññā and yajataṃ and hence the whole point of the paragraph. The Buddha is recommending dāna as the truer sacrifice to Keniya, the fire-worshipper.

§27 pahitatto

Bo and KRN "resolute"; Kh "strenuous"; IBH "self-resolute."

§27 diṭṭhe va dhamme

NB and IBH "here and now"; KRN "in (this) world of phenomena."

§27 nāparaṃ itthattāya

Bo "no more coming to any state of being"; Kh "no more of this to come"; IBH "no more of being such or so"; KRN "nothing more for this state." It is unclear whether this is related to ettha "here" or to itthaṃ "thus." So it could mean "no more of being here" or "no more of anything like this." In either case it is clear that the term is intentionally non-specific; so Bo's rendering goes against that intention.

§27 sapariso

KRN omits.

§28 añjalim

Bo "his hands in reverential greeting"; Kh "palms together"; IBH "with joined palms"; KRN "with cupped hands." Probably KRN is correct here.

§28 sattarattena

NB and IBH "seven nights"; KRN "for seven days." The construction must be: "in seven days we have been tamed in your teaching i.e., reached arahatship." The commentaries understand this as a verse declaring the attainment of arahatship (aññā).

§28 anusaye

NB "evil tendencies"; IBH and KRN "latent tendencies."

§28 upadhī

Bo "attachments"; Kh "the essentials of all being"; IBH "the basis (for rebirth)"; KRN "acquisitions (which lead to rebirth)."

§28 nāgā

Bo and IBH "great beings."

Corrections to Majjhima Nikāya

(Bhikkhu Bodhi)

(circulated on the Internet, December 1996)

p.192, l.34 (15:7): "praise" > "laud"

p.219, l.29 (21:9): "The Mistress" > "Then Mistress"

p.230, l.3 (22:16), l.30 (22:20): "This is self, this the world;"

>"The self and the world are the same;"

Same change comes on p.232, l.6 (22:25).

p.231, l.7 (22:21): "This is self" > "The self and the world are the same"

p.260, ls.19-20 (26:19): "worldliness" > "adhesion" (3x)

p.261, l.35 (26:21). Read: ". . . who dwelt seeing fear and blame in the other world."

p. 262, l.10. (Same change . . .)

" ls.16-17. Read: "Then the Brahmā Sahampati thought: 'The Blessed One has consented to my request regarding the teaching of the Dhamma.'"

p.283 (28:27): "corresponding class" > "corresponding section" (3x)

p.284 (28:37): Same change (also 3x).

p.340, ls. 28-32 (36:33): "bread" > "porridge" (3x)

p.355, ls.28-29 (38:18): Read: "With ignorance as condition, volitional constructions."

p.392 (43:22): Delete top five lines.

p.395 (43:34): Close gap between lines 3 and 4.

p.421, l.13 (48:7). Read: "Of these six memorable qualities . . ."

p.422, ls.5-6 (48:9). Read: ". . . do I personally obtain serenity, do I personally obtain quenching?"

" l.8: "I personally obtain serenity, I personally obtain quenching."

p.427, l.22 (49:11), l.34 (=F512-13), p.428, l. 2 (=F524), ls. 7,8,9 (=F525): "commensurate with" > "partaken of by"

p.428 (49:27, second line of verse). Read: "And in becoming about to disbecome"

p.437 (50:29). Lines 6-7 should read: "Do you see in the Brahma-world/A radiance of surpassing lustre?"

" Lines 12-15 should read: "I see in the Brahma-world/A radiance of surpassing lustre;

I disclaim my prior claim/That I am permanent, eternal."

p.593, l.34 (72:20): "unfathomable" > "hard to fathom"

p.594, l.8: (Same change.)

p.599, l.9 (73:14): "merges with the sea" > "extends all the way to the sea"

" l.12: "merges with Nibbāna" > "extends all the way to Nibbāna"

p.608, l.39 (75:8): "in sounds"

p.610, l.36 (75:11): "heavenly" > "divine"

p.611, last line (75:15): "brought" > "would bring"

p.622, l.25 (76:16). Read: "forty-nine hundred kinds of wanderers"

p.640, l.4 (77:23). Read: "Not perceiving form internally, one sees forms externally"

p.759, last line (92:19): "the Blessed"

p.840, l.16 (102:4). Read: "since [the perception] 'there is nothing'"

" l.19. Read: "the formless, of unity or of diversity"

p.911, l.8 (113:20). Read: "But a true man considers thus:"

p.954, l.23 (119:21): "no part of his whole body"

p.1039, l.2: "A Single Excellent Night"

" l.8: "One Who Has Had a Single Excellent Night"

" l.26: "Who has had a single excellent night"

p.1041, l.6: Same change as at 1039, l.26.

" l.9: Same change as at 1039, l.8.

N.B. In Suttas 132, 133, 134, the same changes should be made.

p.1055, l.7 (135:10): "criticized a little" > "criticized a lot"

p.1056, l.36 (135:17). Read: "Here, student, some man or woman, when visiting a recluse or a brahmin, does not ask:"

p.1057, l.7 (135:18). Read: "Here, student, some man or woman, when visiting a recluse or a brahmin, asks:"

p.1092, l.2 (140:19): "of these" > "of those"

p.1118 (145:5): "kind, truly kind" > "excellent, truly excellent" (5x)

p.1119, ls. 6-10 (145:5): Read: "There have been disciples of the Blessed One who, being repelled, humiliated, and disgusted by the body and by life, have sought an assailant. But I have obtained this assailant even without a search."

p.1150, l.8 (152:10). Read: "he is repelled, humiliated, and disgusted."

Corrections to Notes

p.1209, n.259: From line 4 of note read:

". . . false view of self. This view seems to reflect the philosophy of the Upanishads, which assert the identity of the individual self (ātman) with the universal spirit (brahman), though it is difficult to determine on the basis of the texts whether the Buddha was personally acquainted with the early Upanishads themselves."

p.1217, n.306: "worldliness" > "adhesion"

p.1246-47, n.511: "commensurate with" > "partaken of by" (2x)

p.1247, n.514. Add at end:

"The second line of the verse, which reads bhavañ ca vibhavesinaṃ, is enigmatic. MA glosses vibhavaṃ gavesamānaṃ, 'seeking non-being,' but I have translated in accordance with KṚ. Norman's suggestion that vibhavesinaṃ is an instance of the (rare) future active participle in Pāli. (See his Elders' Verses I: Theragāthā, PTS 1969, n.527; see too Wilhelm Geiger, A Pāli Grammar, PTS 1994, =F5193A.)"

p.1337, n.1210: (This note needs to be revised.)

p.1349, n.1291: An interesting anachronism in this sutta was brought to my notice by Ven. Ajahn Sucitto of Cittaviveka Monastery: While the sutta depicts Mahāpajāpatī Gotamī as a devout lay Buddhist, and the Buddha refers to the Bhikkhunī Sangha as if it were an existing reality, the canonical account of the founding of the Bhikkhunī Sangha shows Mahāpajāpati to have been the first historical bhikkhunī. Thus the Bhikkhuni Sangha could not have existed at the time the sutta was spoken if Mahāpajāpati was still a lay woman! We might resolve the discrepancy (unnoticed by the commentator) by supposing that the original discourse was later modified after the founding of the Bhikkhunī Sangha to bring the latter into the scheme of offerings to the Sangha.

p.1383, s.v. Desireless: 49.20 > 44.20

Changes in terminology:

(NB: This list is tentative and incomplete and has not yet been worked through systematically)

appamāṇa: "immeasurable" > "measureless" ("immeasurable" should be reserved for appameyya)

sa"nkhārā: in general usage (as referring to all temporal phenomena): "constructions"; in the specific context of the five aggregates (as fourth aggregate) and dependent origination (as the second factor): "volitional constructions"

sa"nkhata: "conditioned" > "constructed"

asa"nkhata: "unconditioned" > "unconstructed"

nāmarūpa: "mentality-materiality" > name-and-form" (with nāma alone name, and rūpa alone form (see MN 9 for their separate occurrence); also the rūpakkhandha becomes the aggregate of form, the adjective rūpī "having form")

bhava: "being" > "becoming"; kāmabhava sense-sphere becoming; rūpabhava form-sphere becoming; arūpabhava formless sphere becoming

punabbhava: "renewal of being" > "re-becoming"

vimutti: "deliverance" > "liberation"

vimokkha: "liberation" > "deliverance"

For the expression "the deliverance of mind and deliverance by wisdom that are taintless with the destruction of the taints" read: "the liberation of mind, liberation by wisdom, that is taintless with the destruction of the taints" (as at 6.19, 12.36, 12.42, 38.40, 40.14, etc.). The two expressions are complementary ways of describing the same state, not two different states jointly attained.

Copyright 1997

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