This is an insightful note, bhante. I'm always ecstatic when monastics
speak on the suttas, esp with insight.
Pali words, as we know, are often pregnant with nuances. Often, in
English, it takes multiple words, even sentences, to bring all of them out.
Hence it is vital to know (as far as possible) of the context of the word
or term.
This is where I use an ":amplified translation" strategy (where needed) to
try to bring out what is difficult to represent fully in English. Building
on what Kumara has suggested, we could render the Bhaddekaratta
Sutta quote as follows:
"*Let one not pursue** [not dwell on] the past,*"
Oh yes, I like "pursue" because it somewhat rhymes with "past". We should
try our best to present our translations both in "truth and beauty."
The best way to know early Buddhism is of course to know Pali as we know
our own language. However, this may limit accessibility for others.
Moreover the value and purpose of a translation is more so to convey the
meaning (attha) of the text. Hence, we may often need to use some
contemporary words and expressions, esp idiomatic language. This is where
the amplified translations, footnotes, etc help to support in making the
word or passage meaning clearer. The teacher's task is to make them
relevant to our times and people.
Contemporary psychotherapy (esp the cognitive behaviour therapy systems)
heavily borrow from Buddhism and often build up their own vocabulary and
neologisms. If these are wisely used, they help us relate to Buddhist
teachings in a healing way where healing is needed. (I've just finished a
comparative study of ACT and early Buddhism, SD 43.1). Modern psychology
poses a great challenge we need to answer, too. Sujato has written a
helpful paper on this recently.
Otherwise, we all have our way of relating to the suttas so that we
somehow, esp through meditation, have a progressively better understanding
of not only what the Buddha teaches, but more importantly, what the Buddha
means. This, in my life's evening, after over 40 years of Buddhism, I must
say that we need to simply let go of more and more of our views as we go
along. Not easy, but liberating.
A good way to know that the suttas are working for us, is that we able to
let go of our views as we go along. We just let the suttas speak for
themselves, as it were. Those who regular meditate would notice that a clam
and clear mind is free from views, and this is simply blissful. This is
what the suttas ultimately point to.
With metta and mudita,
Piya
On Wed, Aug 14, 2013 at 11:04 AM, Kumara Bhikkhu
<
kumara.bhikkhu@...>wrote:
> **
>
>
> I'd like to update my choice of translation for the opening line of
> Bhaddekaratta gatha "Atiita.m naanvaagameyya"
>
> atiita.m = past
> naanvaagameyya = na anu + aagameyya
> na = not
> anu = (prefix) along, repeatedly, continually
> aagameyya = optative of aagameti = would aagameti
> aagameti = stay; wait, wait for, welcome, expect
>
> So the sutta, in referring to the spiritual practitioner who is
> attentive of the present, says that he (in idiomatic English) "would
> not dwell on the past". The suttas define that as being carried away
> with delightful thoughts about the past. In other words, we are lost
> in thoughts of the past. This is not the same as remembering past
> events while being present-minded.
>
> Kumara Bhikkhu wrote thus at 05:46 PM 26-03-09:
> >That's an edifying point, Lennart.
> >
> >I notice that many meditators are misled by the phrase "living in
> >the present", such that when the mind settles and memories of the
> >past arise, they take it to mean that it should not happen, because
> >they are not "living in the present". So, they suppress the memory
> >and "come back to the present" breath, or whatever. They don't
> >realise that while the memories are associated with the past, they
> >are arising in the present.
> >
> >This can be rather unfortunate when the matter is an unresolved
> >emotional issues, or what some call a psychological wound. When such
> >a memory arises, it's an opportunity to resolve it by seeing it,
> >together with all kinds of reactions to it, with wisdom as it is.
> >Then the practice can be seen directly as a path of purification,
> >sokaparidevaana.m samatikkamaaya, dukkhadomanassaana.m
> >attha"ngamaaya, ~naayassa adhigamaaya, nibbaanassa sacchikiriyaaya.
> >
> >Coincidentally, I was looking through the MLDB Bhaddekaratta Sutta
> >translation, which Nina reproduced here. It begins with "Let not a
> >person revive the past" as the translation of
> >"Atiita.m naanvaagameyya". Someone who reads this English
> >translation may respond in the same way as above. When I read this,
> >it occurred to me, "Could Ven Bhikkhu Bodhi's unending migraine be
> >due to suppression of unhappy memories?"
> >
> >Anyway, I think the sentence is more correctly translated as "Let
> >not one *pursue* the past." The difference may be outwardly subtle,
> >but significant in a practice where subtle things (dhammas) matter.
> >
> >kb
> >
> >Lennart Lopin wrote thus at 11:44 PM 23-03-09:
> >>Is it really "paccupannanca jiivati"
> >>
> >>or rather
> >>
> >>"paccupannanca yo dhammam, tattha tattha vipassati"
> >>
> >>;-)
> >>
> >>On Mon, Mar 23, 2009 at 2:15 AM, DC Wijeratna <dcwijeratna@...>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> > Whole of the Satipa.t.thaana sutta is about living in the present.
> >> > D. G. D. C. Wijeratna
> >> >
> >> > ________________________________
> >> > From: Piya Tan <dharmafarer@... <dharmafarer%40gmail.com>>
> >> > To: Pali@yahoogroups.com <Pali%40yahoogroups.com>
> >> > Sent: Sunday, March 22, 2009 6:04:43 PM
> >> > Subject: Re: [Pali] Buddha and the present moment.
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > See the Bhaddekaratta Suttas (M 131-137).
> >> >
> >> > There are others, which others might point out.
> >> >
> >> > With metta,
> >> >
> >> > Piya Tan
> >> >
> >> > On Sun, Mar 22, 2009 at 11:01 AM, pgd2507 <pgd2507@... com> wrote:
> >> >
> >> > > Dear pali scholars,
> >> > >
> >> > > I was wondering if the buddha spoke on what in modern terms is often
> >> > > referred as "living in the present moment" or "being in the now".
> >> > > Mindfulness of the breath and mindfulness of vedanaa are no doubt
> >> > excellent
> >> > > tools of keeping one in the present moment but are there any suttas
> >> > > dedicated to the now and how "being in the now" works beneficially?
> >> > >
> >> > > with metta,
> >> > > PG
>
>
>
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