The last frontier: Yamaka

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In the last few years we have added the PTS English translations of most Abhidhamma texts to SuttaCentral and these are now visible on the new site. But one still remains, the Yamaka (“The Book of Pairs”) and we need some help!

Since November, Manfred Wierich has been working to produce a digital copy in laTex and PDF format. This is a digital reproduction of the combined work of ven. U Nārada (Mūla, Khandha, Āyatana, Dhātu, and Sacca Yamaka), ven. U Nandamedha (Sankhāra, Anusaya, Citta, and Dhamma Yamaka), and ven. U Kumārābhivaṁsa (Sacca and Indriya Yamaka), with the help of others.

Help in proofing this by somebody who has some familiarity with the Abhidhamma would be greatly appreciated.

This translation clearly has room for improvement. abhidhamma.com decided to put it online as it currently is because this is the only known translation into English without copyright. But what we need is somebody with the skills to proofread and improve the text, preferably before we code it for SuttaCentral (because that would create double work later). This should actually not be too difficult, as most of the necessary changes seem to be doable through batch updates.

Some examples of the things that need to change:

  1. There are many places where the English is wrong, especially in Yamakas 6-9 which U Nandamedha translated. For example in the Anusaya Yamaka, where “lay” is used instead of “lie”: “Where does latent state of attachment to sensual pleasures lay latent? In the two feelings of sensual element, latent state of attachment to sensual pleasures lays latent.” U Nanadamedha somewhere also acknowledges that his English grammar is not very good.

  2. The Pali headings sometimes use a “z” like in Uppazzana which is clearly wrong.

Etc.

If you want to help, please let me know and I will send you the laTex file for making changes. If you are not familiar with laTex format, it is very simple to edit in a regular markup text editor (so not Word or OpenOffice) and I can show you.

The PDF file that is also published on abhidhamma.com is here:
Yamaka.pdf (2.5 MB)

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I thought it was SuttaCentral’s policy not to correct previous translations?

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Wow, your collective dedication to Pali scholarship is indeed praiseworthy! Your willingness to use laTex leaves me gobsmacked.

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SuttaCentral doesn’t (but I guess taking out spelling errors is quite acceptable).
But thank you for the question. It made me realize I left out some information, namely that this edition is made in laTex/PDF primarily for abhidhamma.com and will also be used by the Pali Text Society itself. After the edition is finalized and published it can be coded for SuttaCentral in html. SC does not use all the parts, like foreword, footnotes, tables, etc. that are in the digital edition.

If you look at the PDF you will notice I did not make it but Manfred :grinning: but I will pass on your comment. He made all of them in laTex and they will all be used by the PTS too.

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