Re: Thai Tipitaka edition

Hi Bhante,

Thanks for the interesting information on the revised 6th council
text. I certainly noticed the 'silk gloves' attitude at the
installation ceremony in Uppsala, but thought at first it was just a
nice way to create some kusalacitta in the participants.

The highlight of the ceremony was a recitation of the Mangalasutta in
both Pali and Swedish, and it was a telling example of the official
attitude you describe. The Swedish translation was done from the
English version available in the accompanying booklet, rather than
directly from the Pali, as shown by at least one specific and
revealing translation error:

sippa.m is translated into English as 'artistry', which is an
acceptable translation since it can refer to handicrafts or skills.

In the Swedish version it's translated: 'känsla för skönhet', 'a
feeling for beauty' which appears to get hung up on the word 'art' in
the English 'artistry'. There is no way someone who knows Pali would
translate sippa.m into 'a feeling for beauty'.

So the people at the Swedish end of the project didn't even bother to
find a Swede able to translate from Pali, or at least check the
Swedish version for errors, with the result that at this merit-making
ceremony an erroneous version of the sutta was read aloud and
represented as the word of the Buddha. This carelessness doesn't fit
well with the donation of a text which is being billed as correcting
40,000 errors in the previous version.

And so I wonder, does this error by the Swedish contacts somehow
reflect Bangkok's priorities? Normally I wouldn't think so. Normally
I would just smile and have a mind of gratefulness and be moved to
tears by the beauty of it all. But if the organizers aren't willing
to release a searchable e-edition, then my answer would have to be:
yes, sadly their interest is primarily in good publicity not actually
promoting tipitaka studies, in the magical effects of listening to
recitations not actually understanding what the Buddha said.

It's a shame if all the effort which has gone into producing this
edition should remain locked up in the rooms of the old and rare
books collections of institutions like Uppsala, standing untouched on
improvised altars surrounded by the rotting remains of flowers from
the donation ceremonies.

best regards,

/Rett