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The Translation
Deshy
Veteran
Are there suttas that are directly translated from pali? How do I know if a particular sutta is a direct translation from pali or sankrith? I guess the pali suttas are more accurate ?
0
Comments
The Sanskrit sutras belong to the Mayahana schools of Buddhism.
The give-aways are the spelling of words such as "Dhamma (Pali) -or- Dharma (Sanskrit)", "Kamma (Pali) -or- Karma (Sanskrit)", "Nibbana (Pali) -or- Nirvana (Sanskrit) and "Sutta (Pali) -or- Sutra (Sanskrit)".
If it's a good translation/translator/publication then there will be a bit of information at the start of the translation stating who translated it, from what language and the date; eg http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.02.0.than.html
Hope that helps.
Nios.
I like this online collection
The Pali Canon (tipitaka) is comprised of Pali suttas. Mahayana suttas are from Sanskrit. "More accurate" is a big ole can of worms. The Pali Canon is accepted by all schools, though.
What do you mean by direct translation? Like, word-for-word, literal translations? Translations in general usually aren't done like that... it usually results in unintelligible nonsense.
Unfortunately, the concepts in the suttas are so unique, that translating is difficult. Good translators will leave dhamma-specific words untouched and instead refer readers to a thorough discussion/definition of a given word. Otherwise, you end up with biased and inadequate translations. There is simply no English equivalent for many words.
So the best thing to do is to read a few different translations. Usually, accesstoinsight.org offers a few. I would also suggest http://www.metta.lk/tipitaka/ which generally offers a few different translations as well. Plus, it offers the original Pali version of the suttas, so you can also cross-reference when in doubt.
However, I haven't really found that the meaning of the teachings is lost just because this teacher uses "stress" and that teacher uses "suffering" (though "unsatisfactoriness" is the closest I've found). It's really a matter of reading/studying a *lot* of the material to be able to distinguish in your own mind what the author's, in this case the Buddha's, intended meaning of the word is/was/will be.
What I meant by direct translation is a translation from pali suttas themselves. Not from pali to some other language and then english.
Were the original suttas in pali btw? I was under the impression that sankrith (or a closer language) was the language used in the Buddha's times.
My only concern is whether it is safe to read a translation and assume that it is right. A trust worthy source is all i need. I already have so many questions so worrying about if the translation is right is an added burden in me fragile "Soul"............. Did someone say soul?? :buck:
Scholars have been trying to work out what language Buddha spoke and there's been many educated guesses, but no-one knows for sure really.
The Pali canon is currently the oldest known suttas/sutras. How close they are to the original teachings of Buddha no-one knows for sure. But what i love about buddhism is that you are reminded of this fact everytime you read a sutta/sutra... "thus have I heard"....
You see, we are reminded that the suttas/sutras are retelling Buddhas teachings by his disciples. They are not Buddhas own words. The suttas/sutras are not gospel or infallible. Many people disagree on their meanings and what may have been added to or subtracted.
So how can we be sure? By practicing.
This is why there are many Buddhist schools/paths to follow.
A good guide to as to what to do can be found in the kalama sutta;
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/soma/wheel008.html
Nios.
http://www.tipitaka.org/romn/
Kind regards