Translation of Saṅkhārā

[mikenz66]

Hi Sovatthika,

@Sovatthika

Bhante @sujato how about the classification of three types of sankhara in cula vedalla sutta (MN 44)?

Bodily sankhara: in and out breathing
Verbal sankhara: vitakka and vicara (reasoning & deliberation)
Mental sankhara: feeling and perception

All of these quote obviously are not choices. Something like preparations, or almost anything besides choices, makes more sense. It’s not that you’re choosing a word that’s more easily understandable it’s that you are fundamentally changing the definition of the word. Perhaps the task at hand is not to use language that is understandable by every single person (most won’t understand the dhamma), but to explain the term at hand

Saṅkhāra has a wide range of meanings: Pali glossary for Bhikkhus Bodhi and Sujato

saṅkhāra
Bodhi: (1) volitional activity; (2) formation; (3) strenuous exertion [7:16, 7:55]; (4) conditioned phenomenon
Sujato: (1) choice; (2) condition; (3) active [effort]
saṅkhata
Bodhi: conditioned
Sujato: conditioned

Bhikkhu Bodhi’s essay from his SN translation: https://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?p=335218#p335218

As you say, “choices” is not appropriate in MN44:

“But ma’am, what is the physical process? What’s the verbal process? What’s the mental process?”
“Katamo panāyye, kāyasaṅkhāro, katamo vacīsaṅkhāro, katamo cittasaṅkhāro”ti?
SuttaCentral

Some other translations
Ānandajoti:

“In-breathing and out-breathing, friend Visākha, is bodily process, thinking and reflection is speech process, perception and feeling is mental process.”
SuttaCentral

Bodhi:

“In-breathing and out-breathing, friend Visākha, are the bodily formation; applied thought and sustained thought are the verbal formation; perception and feeling are the mental formation.”