Eight on Malice

Some speak with malicious intent,*Duṭṭhamana, or more commonly paduṭṭhamana, means “malice” not “corruption”, as is found through the suttas and confirmed by the Niddesa.while others speak set on truth.When disputes come up a sage does not get involved,*This idea is expressed throughout the Suttas, for example DN 1:1.18.1, SN 22.3, SN 56.9, AN 7.61:11.2.which is why they’ve no barrenness at all.

Vadanti ve duṭṭhamanāpi eke, Athopi ve saccamanā vadanti; Vādañca jātaṁ muni no upeti, Tasmā munī natthi khilo kuhiñci.

Some speak with malicious intent,*Duṭṭhamana, or more commonly paduṭṭhamana, means “malice” not “corruption”, as is found through the suttas and confirmed by the Niddesa.Vadanti ve duṭṭhamanāpi eke, while others speak set on truth.Athopi ve saccamanā vadanti; When disputes come up a sage does not get involved,*This idea is expressed throughout the Suttas, for example DN 1:1.18.1, SN 22.3, SN 56.9, AN 7.61:11.2.Vādañca jātaṁ muni no upeti, which is why they’ve no barrenness at all.Tasmā munī natthi khilo kuhiñci.

How can you transcend your own viewwhen you’re led by preference, dogmatic in belief?*Bodhi, Norman, and Ñāṇadīpa all render chanda as “desire”, and that is certainly the sense of chandānunīto at SN 35.94:6.4. Here, however, Niddesa glosses with synonyms for “view” and this seems like a more plausible sense. Note too the sense of niviṭṭha as “dogmatic”, which recurs through the Aṭṭhakavagga (cp. abhinivesa).Inventing your own undertakings,*Samattāni is regularly used of vows “undertaken”, and given the following verse this is surely the meaning here, contra Niddesa and commentary. See Snp 4.4:5.1, where samādāya is used in the same sense.you’d speak according to your notion.*Here we find a sense of jānāti that doesn’t fit the English idea of “knowledge” as “true belief”. The idea is that they speak from their own (limited and opinionated) ideas. It’s not as pejorative as “opinion” nor as solid as “knowledge”, so I render as “notion”. We find this usage commonly in the final two chapters of Snp.

Sakañhi diṭṭhiṁ kathamaccayeyya, Chandānunīto ruciyā niviṭṭho; Sayaṁ samattāni pakubbamāno, Yathā hi jāneyya tathā vadeyya.

How can you transcend your own viewSakañhi diṭṭhiṁ kathamaccayeyya, when you’re led by preference, dogmatic in belief?*Bodhi, Norman, and Ñāṇadīpa all render chanda as “desire”, and that is certainly the sense of chandānunīto at SN 35.94:6.4. Here, however, Niddesa glosses with synonyms for “view” and this seems like a more plausible sense. Note too the sense of niviṭṭha as “dogmatic”, which recurs through the Aṭṭhakavagga (cp. abhinivesa).Chandānunīto ruciyā niviṭṭho; Inventing your own undertakings,*Samattāni is regularly used of vows “undertaken”, and given the following verse this is surely the meaning here, contra Niddesa and commentary. See Snp 4.4:5.1, where samādāya is used in the same sense.Sayaṁ samattāni pakubbamāno, you’d speak according to your notion.*Here we find a sense of jānāti that doesn’t fit the English idea of “knowledge” as “true belief”. The idea is that they speak from their own (limited and opinionated) ideas. It’s not as pejorative as “opinion” nor as solid as “knowledge”, so I render as “notion”. We find this usage commonly in the final two chapters of Snp.Yathā hi jāneyya tathā vadeyya.

Some personages, unasked, tell othersof their own precepts and vows.They have an ignoble nature, <j>say those who are skilled,since they speak on themselves of their own accord.

Yo attano sīlavatāni jantu, Anānupuṭṭhova paresa pāva; *paresa → parassa (si, mr) | pāva → pāvā (bj, sya-all, pts-vp-pli1)Anariyadhammaṁ kusalā tamāhu, Yo ātumānaṁ sayameva pāva.

Some personages, unasked, tell othersYo attano sīlavatāni jantu, of their own precepts and vows.Anānupuṭṭhova paresa pāva; *paresa → parassa (si, mr) | pāva → pāvā (bj, sya-all, pts-vp-pli1)They have an ignoble nature, <j>say those who are skilled,Anariyadhammaṁ kusalā tamāhu, since they speak on themselves of their own accord.Yo ātumānaṁ sayameva pāva.

A mendicant, peaceful, quenched,never boasts “thus am I” of their precepts.They have a noble nature, say those who are skilled,who have no pretensions about anything in the world.*Ussada, here rendered “pretension”, is a poetic term with the literal sense of “swelling”. In this chapter it has a close connection with “pride” (Snp 4.10:8.4, Snp 4.14:6.4; cf. the English sense of pride as “protuberance”), although this connection is less obvious elsewhere (Snp 3.6:14.4, Iti 97:8.4, and Ud 1.4:2.1 = Kd 1:2.3.6). Its absence is a sign of a true brahmin (MN 98:11.19, Dhp 400:2, Snp 3.9:36.1). The Niddesa does not link it with pride especially, rather explaining it as sevenfold: greed, hate, delusion, conceit, views, corruptions, and deeds (Mnd 10:105.4).

Santo ca bhikkhu abhinibbutatto, Itihanti sīlesu akatthamāno; Tamariyadhammaṁ kusalā vadanti, Yassussadā natthi kuhiñci loke.

A mendicant, peaceful, quenched,Santo ca bhikkhu abhinibbutatto, never boasts “thus am I” of their precepts.Itihanti sīlesu akatthamāno; They have a noble nature, say those who are skilled,Tamariyadhammaṁ kusalā vadanti, who have no pretensions about anything in the world.*Ussada, here rendered “pretension”, is a poetic term with the literal sense of “swelling”. In this chapter it has a close connection with “pride” (Snp 4.10:8.4, Snp 4.14:6.4; cf. the English sense of pride as “protuberance”), although this connection is less obvious elsewhere (Snp 3.6:14.4, Iti 97:8.4, and Ud 1.4:2.1 = Kd 1:2.3.6). Its absence is a sign of a true brahmin (MN 98:11.19, Dhp 400:2, Snp 3.9:36.1). The Niddesa does not link it with pride especially, rather explaining it as sevenfold: greed, hate, delusion, conceit, views, corruptions, and deeds (Mnd 10:105.4).Yassussadā natthi kuhiñci loke.

For one who formulates and creates teachings,and promotes them despite their defects,if they see an advantage for themselves,they become dependent on that, <j>relying on unstable peace.

Pakappitā saṅkhatā yassa dhammā, Purakkhatā santi avīvadātā; Yadattani passati ānisaṁsaṁ, Taṁ nissito kuppapaṭiccasantiṁ.

For one who formulates and creates teachings,Pakappitā saṅkhatā yassa dhammā, and promotes them despite their defects,Purakkhatā santi avīvadātā; if they see an advantage for themselves,Yadattani passati ānisaṁsaṁ, they become dependent on that, <j>relying on unstable peace.Taṁ nissito kuppapaṭiccasantiṁ.

It’s not easy to get over dogmatic viewsadopted after judging among the teachings.That’s why, among all these dogmas, a personditches one teaching and takes up another.

Diṭṭhīnivesā na hi svātivattā, Dhammesu niccheyya samuggahītaṁ; Tasmā naro tesu nivesanesu, Nirassatī ādiyatī ca dhammaṁ.

It’s not easy to get over dogmatic viewsDiṭṭhīnivesā na hi svātivattā, adopted after judging among the teachings.Dhammesu niccheyya samuggahītaṁ; That’s why, among all these dogmas, a personTasmā naro tesu nivesanesu, ditches one teaching and takes up another.Nirassatī ādiyatī ca dhammaṁ.

The cleansed one has no formulated viewat all in the world about the different realms.Having given up illusion and conceit,by what path would they go? They are not involved.

Dhonassa hi natthi kuhiñci loke, Pakappitā diṭṭhi bhavābhavesu; Māyañca mānañca pahāya dhono, Sa kena gaccheyya anūpayo so.

The cleansed one has no formulated viewDhonassa hi natthi kuhiñci loke, at all in the world about the different realms.Pakappitā diṭṭhi bhavābhavesu; Having given up illusion and conceit,Māyañca mānañca pahāya dhono, by what path would they go? They are not involved.Sa kena gaccheyya anūpayo so.

For one who gets involved is embroiled in disputes about teachings—but how to dispute with the uninvolved? <j>About what?For picking up and putting down <j>is not what they do;*The problem addressed is one who is picking up one thing after another. It’s therefore best to translate atta in an active sense, per Niddesa: gahaṇaṁ muñcanā samatikkanto. We find similar phrases describing the living arahant in such prose passages as SN 22.79:14.1.they have shaken off all views in this very life.

Upayo hi dhammesu upeti vādaṁ, Anūpayaṁ kena kathaṁ vadeyya; Attā nirattā na hi tassa atthi, *nirattā → attaṁ nirattaṁ (bahūsu)Adhosi so diṭṭhimidheva sabbanti.

For one who gets involved is embroiled in disputes about teachings—Upayo hi dhammesu upeti vādaṁ, but how to dispute with the uninvolved? <j>About what?Anūpayaṁ kena kathaṁ vadeyya; For picking up and putting down <j>is not what they do;*The problem addressed is one who is picking up one thing after another. It’s therefore best to translate atta in an active sense, per Niddesa: gahaṇaṁ muñcanā samatikkanto. We find similar phrases describing the living arahant in such prose passages as SN 22.79:14.1.Attā nirattā na hi tassa atthi, *nirattā → attaṁ nirattaṁ (bahūsu)they have shaken off all views in this very life.Adhosi so diṭṭhimidheva sabbanti.