Dear Nina,
Maybe this is not so important, but I think it could be worth sharing. Sometimes ago I noticed that in this passage the word dukkha is agreed in gender, therefore it is rather adjective than substantive (as a substantive dukkha.m - "pain, suffering" is neuter), so maybe the literal translation would be "old age is painful, sickness is painful..." etc. which however does not change the meaning too much.
I also think that two terms piya and appiya are also neuter (although in plural the gender is not explicit) with more abstract and impersonal meaning - dear and not-dear things or rather pleasant and unpleasant experiences. Still I don't know what the commentaries say about this.
With metta,
Ardavarz
--- On Thu, 11/12/09, Nina van Gorkom <vangorko@...> wrote:
From: Nina van Gorkom <vangorko@...>
Subject: [Pali] Dhammacakkappavattanasutta, no 7.
To: pali@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thursday, November 12, 2009, 10:02 AM
Dear friends,
Pali text:
<Ida.m kho pana, bhikkhave, dukkha.m ariyasacca.m - jaati'pi dukkhaa,
jaraa'pi dukkhaa, byaadhi'pi dukkho, mara.nam'pi dukkha.m, appiyehi
sampayogo dukkho, piyehi vippayogo dukkho, yam'p'iccha. m na labhati
tam'pi dukkha.m - sa"nkhittena pa~ncupaadaanakkhan dhaa dukkhaa.>
------------
Ida.m kho pana/, bhikkhave/,/ dukkha.m/ ariyasacca.m/ jaati'pi dukkhaa,/
Now this,/ monks/ suffering/ noble truth/ birth
also/ suffering/
jaraa'pi dukkhaa/, byaadhi'pi dukkho/, /mara.nam'pi/
dukkha.m,
old age also/ suffering/, sickness also/ suffering/, death also/
suffering,
appiyehi/ /sampayogo/ dukkho, /piyehi/ /
vippayogo/ dukkho,
with unbeloved/ association/ suffering/, from beloved /dissociation/
suffering
yam'p'iccha. m/ na labhati/ tam'pi dukkha.m
what wanted/ not obtains/ also suffering
sa"nkhittena/ pa~ncupaadaanakkhan dhaa/ dukkhaa.
in short/ five aggregates of clinging/ suffering.
-----------
<Now this, monks, is the noble truth of suffering: birth is
suffering, old age is suffering, sickness is suffering, death is
suffering, association with the unpleasant is suffering, dissociation
from the pleasant is suffering, not getting what one wants is
suffering; in short, the five aggregates of clinging are suffering.>
Remark: Included in the five khandhas are all mental phenomena and
physical phenomena of our life which arise and fall away at this
moment. No matter it is seeing, visible object, attachment, aversion
or generosity, they all arise and then fall away, they are
impermanent. What is impermanent cannot be of any refuge, it is dukkha.
************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ******
**
Nina.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]