AN 10.76 Tayo­dhamma­sutta translation

Hello

I would like your comments on the AN10.76 - a ‘new’ translation that I did for project meta-Dhamma on kumu. Comments in brackets are mine, albeit tongue in cheek at times. In translating I looked the meaning, context and aimed for a coherent picture of each of the distinct stages.

Each paragraph has an arrow showing giving up the defilements in that stage leads to the next stage.

Giving up: lack of disgust of evil, lack of fear of evil and performing unwholesome actions, speech, and mind (Criminal stage)

Giving up: Being unkind, being stubborn (won’t listen to the teacher), friendship with those who promote unwholesome actions, speech or thoughts, (Delinquent stage)

Giving up: lack of faith (and delight in the dhamma), not receptive to being advised, slothfulness ‘ (‘can’t be bothered stage’)

Giving up: restlessness, sense restraint, unvirtuous acts (including breaking the precepts) (‘addicted to sensual pleasure, materialistic stage’)

Giving up: lack of desire to see the Noble Ones, lack of desire to listen to the Noble
Dharma, a fault-finding mind (living generally harmlessly, critical of others sometimes)

Giving up: lack of mindfulness, lack of knowing/understanding, a distracted mind – (little self-awareness but is going to develop it)

Giving up: thinking unwholesome thoughts (leading to unwholesomeness), following the wrong path, mental sluggishness – (haven’t started on the path but will do it)

Giving up: the view that the five aggregates are the self, doubt about the four noble truths, clinging to rites and rituals (as the path to enlightenment) -(stream entrant)

Gives up: Craving, Aversion and Delusion - (arahanth)

http://dharmafarer.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/2.4-Abhabba-S-a10.76-piya.pdf

with metta

Mat

Hi ,

Is there a difference between
disgust of evil and Shameful ?
fear of evil and remorse ?
perform unwholesome and heedless ?

Thanks

The translation of hiri and ottappa are varied. Someone might avoid doing bad deeds because they feel ashamed, especially if someone else would find out. It can also happen if they are fearful of the consequences of performing a bad deed. These are of course emotional safeguards against doing bad deeds. One can look at it more rationally as well, as in seeing how it negatively impacts oneself and others and avoid it. The latter method is more for those people who are developing their sila. The former I think is more at a run-of-the-mill, population level.

Heedlessness (appamada) includes doing unwholesome acts. However it is also much more.

With metta

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Hi mat ,

Being unkind and disrespect
doesn’t look similar ?!

What about Stubborn and unruliness ?
Does both carry same message ?

Not receptive and stinginess
are quite different ?!

Anadara:
I think you may be right. Disrespectful fits better and is in line with the context of being unable to consider the words of another and be a student.

Avadaññutaṃ
Right again. I have actually seen this stage. I wonder if these are self sustaining stages of spiritual development. Lack of faith goes well with stingy or at least not benevolent. Maccariya sutta talks about stinginess as a block to stream entry. Also, not receptive to being advised is covered in the level discussed above. This work is not easy!

with metta

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