Hi Alan,
thanks to Ven. Yuttadhammo and you. I know he likes to keep the translation
as literal as possible. But I could still add a suggestion, no need to
change anything.

The compound: sammaasambuddhassa [avyayibhava compound] rightly
self-awakened one

I went to the collection of compounds and cannot make this out:
<Avyaiibhaava compounds are used as adverbs and as such are
indeclinable. They must refer to a verb in some way. In this type of
compound, it is the first word rather than the following word that
predominates and this first word as well as the compounded whole, is
also an indeclinable. The indeclinable form taken is usually based on
the neuter nominative/accusative singular ending.>

As adverb? Is sambuddha not predominant?

op 24-09-2005 15:17 schreef Alan McClure op alanmcclure3@...:

> Verily, before self-awakening, being still a Bodhisatta, not yet
> self-awakened, there came this:

-----
N: This occured, or this thought occurred.
-----------

A: Through the existence of birth, old-age and death exist; from the cause

> of birth exist old-age and death.

--------
Text: sati [f-i/nom/sg] being/existing,
N: but the construction is locative absolute.
Sati is the locative of sant, being. It is a locative absolute (like in
Latin: ablative absolute). See Warder, Lesson 16, p. 103, 104. He gives:
upaadaane kho sati bhavo hoti: when there is attachment, there is existence.
Text:
kimhi nu kho sati jaraamara.na.m hoti, here we can translate: if there is
the presence of what, is there old age and death?
As Ven. Bhikkhu says: kimhi [inter pro/loc/n/sg] what, kimhi is locative.

Text: In the case of of becoming, birth exists;
------
N: When there is becoming, there is birth.
-------

Text:
asati [f-i/nom/sg] not being/not existing
-------
N: locative absolute: when there is the absence of what?
literally: when what is absent...
-------
Nina.