Re: Dhs 981

Dear Tadao,

--- ppp <miyamoto@...> wrote:

> Hi, Mike:
> I think your rendition is much more accute. Mine is
> more interpretive.
> I learnt my way of interpreting Pali text from late
> Dhammadhara
> (Khun Allen), who was the brightest guy I've ever
> met in my life.
> He could have spent hours to try to
> intrepret/understand just a simple
> Pali passage.

I really think that's the way (yours and Allen's) to
do it.  I don't think I would have got interested in
Pali had it not occurred to me that Abhidhamma is
really just defining the terms in the Suttanta.  That
being the case (if it is) and understanding (in the
sense of right view) being the goal, the greater the
definement the better--sort of like the resolution in
a photograph.  I started out reading the Suttas (in
translation of course) years ago and thought I
understood them--but I really had only a very vague
(and sometimes completely mistaken) idea of what the
translated words meant, kind of a blurry picture with
most of the general shapes, lines, coutours, shadows,
highlights and so on.  Abhidhamma, I think, helps to
bring the picture into sharper and sharper focus--but
all dependent on really understanding (conceptually)
the terms.

I think Jim's approach is like that too (see #124
e.g.).  As much as I admire it though, I can't emulate
it--I don't have the intellect for it.  In order not
to become discouraged I need to attack the subject as
best I can on my own level--but I'm certainly very
glad to have to likes of Jim et al. to look up to.

mike   

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