> -----Original Message-----
> From: Stephen Hodge [mailto:s.hodge@...]
> Sent: Wednesday, 21 January, 2004 2:42 AM
> To: Pali@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [Pali] Give one's life for a friend - in Paali

Hi All

Hope you are well and happy.

> "Rett" wrote
>
> > >Nina: you can fare safely with Buddhaghosa!
> >
> > It is important to be careful even with Buddhaghosa. There
> are places
> > where his interpretation is clearly wrong. That is not to
> diminish the
> > great value of his commentaries.
>
> Indeed, I think it is important to remember the limitations
> of commentators -- they are stating what they, according to
> their traditions, thought the text means, but obviously that
> is no guarantee that their interpretation accurately
> represents the intentions of the original "author" of the
> text.

I agree.

> Unfortunately, the only surviving, complete
> commentaries on the nikayas / agamas are found in the
> Theravada tradition. However, as I have mentioned here
> before, I am working on a text by Asanga which is a thematic
> commentary o the Samyukta-agama.

In which language. I am translating the SA from Chinese.

> Given that approx 90% of
> the contents of the SA correspond closely in all essentials
> to the SN, it is surprising the huge gulf that separates
> Asanga's understanding of the texts and that of his almost
> contemporary Buddhaghosa -- apart from a few obvious points,
> there is virtually no agreement between the two.

:-) I'm not surprised.

> So who
> should we trust if we want to understand the meaning of the
> scriptural texts as the "author" intended ?

I would say the author himself. Why not let the Buddha interpret the
text [as much as possible] by collecting and consistently applying the
definitions that he gave to terms that he used. To suggest that the
Buddha used various meanings to words, after he had defined them, to me
is, in effect saying he had a secret teaching. Please let me know if
anyone disagrees with the definitions I have put together:
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~jousmith/buddhism/budaword/definiti.html.

> Unless one is a
> Theravadin, why especially privilege that tradition if
> alternative interpretations are also occasionally available ?

Well said, imo.

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