Dīgha Nikāya Corrections

Translations
1

@Sujato
As I’m translating DN into Serbian, I keep an eye on Bhante Sujato’s translation and in DN 27 I think this bolded part should be corrected by Bhante:

Imehi kho, vāseṭṭha, catūhi maṇḍalehi samaṇamaṇḍalassa abhinibbatti ahosi, tesaṁyeva sattānaṁ anaññesaṁ, sadisānaṁyeva no asadisānaṁ, dhammeneva no adhammena.

Existing translation says:
And that, Vāseṭṭha, is how these four circles were created; for those very beings, not others; for those like them, not unlike; by virtue of principle, not against principle.

I would translate it rather:
And from these four circles, Vāseṭṭha, the caste of ascetics was created.

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2

I think you are quite right, @Brankoo! Thank you for finding this! :+1:

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3

One more small thing further down in the same sutta:

Aḍḍhateyyavassasatāyukesu, bhikkhave, manussesu ime dhammā vepullamagamaṁsu.
Among the people who lived for five hundred years, three things became widespread:

Should be these things instead, as in the next sentence five things are listed, not three.

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4

It seems this quote is from a different Sutta? DN 26? Perhaps you can give the quotes with segment ID so it’s easier to find.

I think I found it:

  • The Pali is from DN 26:17.19.
  • But the English is from a different segment, DN 26:17.15. You probably mean DN 26:17.19, though, which are the people who live 250 years.
5

Yes, you are right. I mixed a little bit.
This is indeed DN 26:17.19.
And the English is from the same segment, not DN 26:17.15.

6

DN 29, segment 37.4.
Translation has a tiny mistake

‘The self is has form and is well after death,

“is” is extra I guess.

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7

I am linking your thread to the main translation feedback thread so it won’t get overlooked.

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8

Where is that?
So next time I put remark on the right place…

9

OK, now I see it.
If any further comments, I’ll post them there.

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10

Excellent, thanks for these well spotted mistakes, and thanks Sabbamitta for helping out. I’ve fixed these, please do let me know if you find any others!

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11

DN 33, segment 3.3.11
Pali:
Puna caparaṁ, āvuso, bhikkhu kalyāṇamitto hoti kalyāṇasahāyo kalyāṇasampavaṅko.

Bhante Sujato’s translation:
Furthermore, a mendicant has good friends, companions, and associates.

I’d rather say that he is a good friend, companion, and associate.

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12

It’s not obvious from context, I agree. Kalyāṇamitto can be a noun “a good friend” and an adjective “a good-friended person”, i.e. “a person with good friends”.

Taking the exact phrase in another context:

ud4.1:12.1": "Idha, meghiya, bhikkhu kalyāṇamitto hoti kalyāṇasahāyo kalyāṇasampavaṅko

Here the Buddha is instructing Meghiya, whose fault was that he prematurely went off on his own, when in fact he needed to rely on his “good friend” namely the Buddha. So here the context shows what is meant.

Another example:

“sn3.18:6.1”: "For, by relying on me as a good friend, sentient beings who are liable to rebirth, old age, and death, to sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress are freed from all these things. ",
Mamañhi, ānanda, kalyāṇamittaṁ āgamma jātidhammā sattā jātiyā parimuccanti, jarādhammā sattā jarāya parimuccanti, byādhidhammā sattā byādhito parimuccanti, maraṇadhammā sattā maraṇena parimuccanti, sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsadhammā sattā sokaparidevadukkhadomanassupāyāsehi parimuccanti.
“sn3.18:6.2”: "This is another way to understand how good friends are the whole of the spiritual life.’ ",
Iminā kho etaṁ, ānanda, pariyāyena veditabbaṁ yathā sakalamevidaṁ brahmacariyaṁ—yadidaṁ kalyāṇamittatā kalyāṇasahāyatā kalyāṇasampavaṅkatā’ti.

In other words, “good friendship” means relying on the Buddha as a “good friend”.

I’m not sure that there is a formal definition in the sutta, but the Puggalapannatti offers one:

“pp2.2:32.1”: "Katamo ca puggalo kalyāṇamitto? ",
“pp2.2:32.2”: "Tattha katamā kalyāṇamittatā? ",
“pp2.2:32.3”: “Ye te puggalā saddhā sīlavanto bahussutā cāgavanto paññavanto, yā tesaṁ sevanā nisevanā saṁsevanā bhajanā sambhajanā bhatti sambhatti sampavaṅkatā—”,
“pp2.2:32.4”: "ayaṁ vuccati kalyāṇamittatā. ",
“pp2.2:32.5”: "Imāya kalyāṇamittatāya samannāgato puggalo “kalyāṇamitto”. ",

Rough translation:

What is “one with good friends”?
Therein, what is “good friendship”?
It is associating with those people who have faith, learning, generosity, and wisdom.
A person who is endowed with such good friendship is “one with good friends”.

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