Dear Aminah, dear bhante Sujato,
Thank you very much for your replies.
What happened was the following:
I was looking for the meaning of pilgrimage in Buddhism and found a quote from the Mahāparinibbānasutta DN16. Then I found a translation of this sutta at accestoinsight:
"Four Places of Pilgrimage
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"There are four places, Ananda, that a pious person should visit and look upon with feelings of reverence.[42] What are the four?
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"‘Here the Tathagata was born!’[43] This, Ananda, is a place that a pious person should visit and look upon with feelings of reverence.
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"‘Here the Tathagata became fully enlightened in unsurpassed, supreme Enlightenment!’[44] This, Ananda, is a place that a pious person should visit and look upon with feelings of reverence.
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"‘Here the Tathagata set rolling the unexcelled Wheel of the Dhamma!’[45] This, Ananda, is a place that a pious person should visit and look upon with feelings of reverence.
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“‘Here the Tathagata passed away into the state of Nibbana in which no element of clinging remains!’ This, Ananda, is a place that a pious person should visit and look upon with feelings of reverence.”
( google-cache, at the moment of writing this message, I can acces the site: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:g7hSozCrzC0J:www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.16.1-6.vaji.html&num=1&hl=nl&gl=nl&strip=1&vwsrc=0 )
I don’t know where this numbering system was taken from.
The translation “should visit” did not please me: I know the difference between should and must in English, but yet this “should” comes across quite compulsory (for me).
So, I wanted to check the translation by Maurice Walshe, but had a hard time finding the passage because Walshe’s numbering was completely different. Of course, also the fact that I have Walshe’s translation in the paper version did not help much; with an epub/pfd, the search function would have done the trick.
Then I came here, to sutta central, and found yet another numbering system… but of course, here I could use the search function.
(The translation is by Anandajoti Bhikkhu, not Rhys Davids):
“There are these four places that can be seen, that produce enthusiasm, Ānanda, for a faithful man of good family.
Which four?
491
- Thinking: ‘Here the Realised One was born’, Ānanda, that is a place to be seen that produces enthusiasm for a faithful man of good family.
492
2) Thinking: ‘Here the Realised One awoke to the unsurpassed and Perfect Awakening’, Ānanda, that is a place to be seen that produces enthusiasm for a faithful man of good family.
493
3) Thinking: ‘Here the Realised One set rolling the Wheel of the Teaching’, Ānanda, that is a place to be seen that produces enthusiasm for a faithful man of good family.
494
4) Thinking: ‘Here the Realised One was completely Emancipated in the Emancipation-element which has no basis for attachment remaining’, Ānanda, that is a place to be seen that produces enthusiasm for a faithful man of good family.
That translation presents pilgrimage less compulsory and is more in line with Walshe’s translation.