Subject: New Translation and Links
New Translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu and Links
Maha-satipatthana Sutta: The Great Frames of Reference
A new translation from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.22.0.than.html
This is my favourite online version - easy to download on one page
The most remarkable point in this new translation is the central philosophy of Buddhism : the Four Noble Truths ; are about "Stress"!
" 'This is stress... This is the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress... This is the way leading to the cessation of stress.' "
This is certainly more attractive and practical for most modern people!
In the old fashioned translations, Dukkha is translated as suffering or pain .. or simply left in sanskrit as dukkha ... which left people with a rather bleak and pessimistic view of Buddhism.
My own understanding of the 4 noble truths was that they were about the delusory isolation we inflict on ourselves - compared to the experience of oneness or any similar state of greater empathy and understanding, maybe even individually compared to a feeling of being content in our own skin, and not needing more or less than what we have and are, ..... in this sense, the isolation we experience now is indeed painful ...
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I will use the above Thanissaro Bhikkhu and three other translations for reference :
my old paperback: Rider Pocket Editions
The Heart of Buddhist Meditation
Nyanaponika Thera
which is very similar to the Satipatthana Sutta by Nyanasatta Thera
(Thera from Theravada - many translations are from Thera - its a given name - they arent all related!)
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/sati/wheel019.html
The Foundations of Mindfulness
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/mahasati.htm
Mahasatipatthana Sutta
Translated by U Jotika & U Dhamminda
(old fashioned and lengthy)
(The Satipatthana with the four noble truths = The MahaSatipatthana)
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There are still many non-understandable ideas in this new translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
e.g. is this really the best English they can write? : "I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication"
where U Jotika & U Dhamminda write: "Calming the process of breathing, I shall breathe in"
and Nyanaponika Thera writes: "Calming the bodily function (of breathing), I shall breathe in"
and "a neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling" is surely as Nyanaponika translates "a neutral feeling"
If someone who understood Sanskrit were to put all the translations together and make something in good simple English ... Im sure it would be appreciated.
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