Re: sutta geyya veyyakara

Dear Jim,

Thank you very much for the textual information from the CSCD
version, and your translation and explanation of the Pali sentence.

It is good to know that you prefer to choose the translation from
Bhikkhu Nanamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi as being more accurate than
Horner's. According to you, the sentence from the CSCD version is
translated literally as:

"Indeed, Ananda, the disciple is not fit to follow the teacher
on account of this, that is to say, prose, prose and verse, and
exposition." (Na kho, AAnanda, arahati saavako satthaara.m
anubandhitu.m yadida.m sutta.m geyya.m veyyaakara.na.m tassa hetu)

A person emailed me that the corresponding Chinese version, MA 191 (T
1, 739c4), also records the three terms clearly (prose, prose and
verse, and exposition). This is very interesting. But I am unable to
confirm this information for sure.

Thank you to all.

Sincerely,

Thomas Law

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "Jim Anderson" <jimanderson.on@...>
wrote:

>
> Dear Thomas,
>
> >> In MN vol. III, p. 115:
> >>
> >> '' Na kho, AAnanda, arahati saavako satthaara.m anubandhitu.m
> >> yadida.m sutta.m geyya.m veyyakara.nassa hetu''
>
> Instead of "veyyakara.nassa hetu", the CSCD version

reads "veyyaakara.na.m

> tassa hetu". I think the latter is the correct one.
>
> >> Horner's translation, p. 159: ''Ananda, it is not fit that a

disciple

> >> should follow after a teacher if it is for the sake of an

exposition

> >> of the Discourses that are in prose and in prose and verse''
> >>
> >> Bhikkhu Nanamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi's translation, p. 976: ''

Ananda,

> >> a disciple should not seek the teacher's company for the sake of
> >> discourses, stanzas, and expositions.''
> >>
> >> My questions are:
> >>
> >> '' ... for the sake of an exposition of the Discourses that are

in

> >> prose and in prose and verse.'' and '' ... for the sake of
> >> discourses, stanzas, and expositions.''
> >>
> >> Which translation is correct? How do other Pali and Chinese

versions

> >> record the original words?
>
> I think the two readings as noted above account for the main

difference in

> the two translations. I would choose the second one as being more

accurate,

> though not necessarily correct, than the first one. The sentence

translates

> literally as: "Indeed, Ananda, the disciple is not fit to follow

the teacher

> on account of this, that is to say, prose, prose and verse, and

exposition."

> The sutta continues on with an explanation of the reason for this

statement

> and concludes that the disciple is fit to follow the teacher on

account of

> such kinds of talks as enumerated --- in addition to the sutta,

geyya, etc.

>
> Best wishes,
> Jim
>