Dear Dimitry and friends,

allow me to clarify some points:

1. I agree that the word dhamma refers to greed, aversion,
compassion, loving-kindness, etc., not "sleeping", "wakeful",
"ill", "healthy".

2. It would be good to have words differentiating greed, aversion,
compassion; and "sleeping", "wakeful", "ill". However, I am not
sure if the Tipitaka has a given word that groups specifically
"sleeping", "wakeful", "ill". I think it is more of a modern
psychological views.

3. I would like to ask for opinions from members on this interesting
topic.


metta,
Yong Peng

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Ong Yong Peng wrote:
Dimitry, thanks. Would you kindly explain more on this? To me, it
seems more like a choice of words, and also the word "state" may have
taken a more industrial meaning nowadays.

> "Dhamma" very often means "mental quality", for example in "dhamma-
> vicaya", and in the fourth frame of reference (Satipatthana).
>
> Greed, aversion, etc., are not just states. "State" refers
> to "sleeping", "wakeful", "ill", "healthy", etc. Hindrances and
> factors of Awakening are rather mental qualities.