Dear Dhamma friends,
I like to ask for you help to clarify a point of discussion which developed out of following:
X:The literal meaning is "burning," not "absorption". (I presume the "burning" pertains to attacking the hindrances.)
D:Ven. Henepola Gunaratana , Nyanatiloka, Nyanaponika , P.A.Payutto chose ' absorption '
Curious to learn about your evidence..
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X: Look up 'jhana' and 'jhayati' on PTS dictionary, for example. In particular, there is the following:
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Jhāna1 (nt.) [from jhāyati,1 BSk. dhyāna. The (popular etym--) expln of jhāna is given by Bdhgh at Vism 150 as follows:
"ārammaṇ'ûpanijjhānato paccanīka--jhāpanato vā jhānaŋ," i.e. called jh. from meditation on objects & from burning up
anything adverse] literally meditation. But it never means vaguely meditation. It is the technical term for a special religious
experience, reached in a certain order of mental states.
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You might also consider on
http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=Jhayati_to_jhayitva, the following:
jhāyati : [jhā + ya] burns; to be on fire. || jhāyati (jhe + a), meditates or contemplates.
jhāyana : [nt.] 1. burning; 2. meditation.
jhāyanta : [pr.p. of jhāyati] meditating or contemplating.
jhāyi : [aor. of jhāyati] meditated or contemplated. || jhāyī (m.) one who meditates.
jhāyitvā : [abs. of jhāyati] having meditated or contemplated.
Also, please consider
http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/CrossIndexed/Published/Meditations2/040717%20M2%20Go,%20Do%20Jhana.pdf, where Ven Thanissaro writes the following:
The word he uses for going to meditate is "to go do jhana"jhayati is the verb in Pali. It's a homonym with a verb for burning, as when a flame burns steadily. They have lots of different words for burning in Paliwords for raging fires, words for smoldering firesbut the verb for a steady burn, as in the flame of an oil lamp, is jhayati. And the same verb is used for doing jhana. As you practice concentration, you try to make the mind burn steadily, with a clean, clear flame. Flames that flicker up and down are hard to read by, but a steady flame is one you can read by clearly. That's the quality you're trying to develop so that you can read the mind.
unquote
I am aware that any (English) translation can only be an approach,
but still believe ,' burning' does not fit and 'absorption' is fitting
best.
Thanks for your comment.
With Metta Dieter