Variant reading of 'Roots' AN10.58

Discussion
1

I wanted to share this in response to @Sujith asking me about AN10.58. The term dhamma has many meanings and it can be dhamma= phenomena or dhamma= teachings. My understanding now is that it refers to the latter. In my notes below 1. refers to the current translations 2. refers to my preferred understanding. I have inserted comments in [ ] to explain my reasoning, as well:

Chandamūlakā, āvuso, sabbe dhammā,

  1. All things are rooted in desire. [Nibbana, isn’t rooted in anything]
  2. Teachings are rooted in wholesome desire to understand the Dhamma.

Manasikārasambhavā sabbe dhammā,

  1. They come into being through attention. [phenomena doesn’t come into being through attention, or contemplation. It comes into being from avijja, or upadana according to the DO]
  2. Contemplating teachings, the come alive to the learner.

Phassasamudayā sabbe dhammā,

  1. They originate from contact.
    [sense bases, consciousness and objects of awareness-nama-rupa, and Nibbana, doesn’t arise from contact; only feelings, perception and fabrications arise from contact].
  2. Contemplation and the teachings come under fabrications, hence arises from contact (phassa).

Vedanāsamosaraṇā sabbe dhammā,

  1. They converge upon feeling.
    [Nibbana doesn’t- it doesn’t have any feeling or perception attached to it].

  2. All teachings align to getting rid of unpleasant feelings (suffering). [not the good fit, here]

Samādhippamukhā sabbe dhammā,

  1. They are headed by concentration. [abhidhamma I think claims that all phenomena have a Samadhi component, though the concept of Samadhi is something which requires to be developed, according to EBTs.]
  2. Concentration is required to focus on and to understand and give rise to the teachings.

Satādhipateyyā sabbe dhammā,

  1. Mindfulness exercises authority over them. [defilements and hindrances can control mindfulness sometimes, as can some powerful positive emotions]

  2. The teachings can ‘arise’ only when one is intentionally mindful of it.

Paññuttarā sabbe dhammā,

  1. Wisdom is their supervisor. [reasonable, but one could say Nibbana or Vimutti is the highest Dhamma]

  2. Wisdom is the highest teaching, and not other types of teaching.

Vimuttisārā sabbe dhammā,

  1. Liberation is their core.
    [conditioned- the 3 marks is their core, nibbna- liberation is at the core]

  2. Liberation is the core purpose of the teachings.

Amatogadhā sabbe dhammā,

  1. They culminate in the deathless.
    [reasonable, but not inevitably]

  2. The teachings (when practiced) should culminate in nibbana.

Nibbānapariyosānā sabbe dhammā’ti.

  1. Their consummation is nibbāna.

  2. The consummation or perfection of the teachings is nibbana.

with metta,

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I’ve become wary of over-interpreting suttas. :slight_smile:

Perhaps the Pali experts here can clarify whether the existing translations are lacking in any way.