Hi Rett,

I appreciate your posting of this translation. Just one comment...

> By saying 'the eight (sounds) which end with 'o', I don't mean that
> each sound individually ends with 'o'. It means that the whole list
> ends with 'o'. Similarly, 'a-aadi' means the list which begins with
> 'a', not that each sound begins with 'a'. This is a question that
> came up in an e-mail. Thanks!

Considering how often the expressions -aadi and -anta are used
in the ancient grammars and commentaries, I think one ought
to devise some way of avoiding this ambiguity. One
possibility is to use 'first' and 'last', rather than 'begin
with' and 'end with'. Thus:

catuusu dukkh-aadiisu saccesu
"In the four truths, with dukkha as the first"

a.t.tha sammaa-samaadh'y-anta
"The eight [path factors] with right concentration as the
last."

icceva.m pathaviikasi.n-aadiisu dvaaviisatikamma.t.thaanesu
pa.tibhaaganimitta.m upalabbhati.
"Thus the counterpart sign is obtained in twenty-two
meditation subjects with earth kasina as the first."

Best wishes,

Dhammanando