Reply To: Bahuna Sutta – Unrestricted awareness?

#50793
Lal
Keymaster

Of course, those translations are wrong in numerous cases.

  • For example, just translating “rupa” as form is lunacy, which they do in many suttas. “Rupa” in most suttas refers to a “mind-generated defiled versions (e.g., “cakkhu vinneyya rupa“) of external rupa and those can be stopped from arising (rupa nirodha).
  • That is clearly stated in many suttas. See, for example, “Rūpaaññāṇa Sutta (SN 33.1).” The verse, “Rūpe kho, vaccha, aññāṇā, rūpasamudaye aññāṇā, rūpanirodhe aññāṇā, rūpanirodhagāminiyā paṭipadāya aññāṇā evamimāni anekavihitāni diṭṭhigatāni loke uppajjanti—..” means “Vaccha, it is because one does not understand (aññāṇā) the origin, cessation, and the way to cessation (Noble Path) of cakkhu vinneyya rupa” (for example), that one will embrace various wrong views…” Of course, that explains how future suffering arises.

The subsequent suttas explain the same for the cessation of vedana, sanna, etc. For example, the next sutta in the series “Vedanāaññāṇa Sutta (SN 33.2)” states the same about vedana

  • However, do all vedana stop arising after attaining Arahanthood? Of course not.
  • One must know enough to explain that “vedana” here refers ONLY to “samphassa-ja-vedana” or ‘mind-made defiled vedana.”
  • This is why “word-by-word” translations are dangerous!

 

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