Tipitaka translation in Buddhist countries

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char101
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Tipitaka translation in Buddhist countries

Post by char101 »

Hi,

Do countries with Buddhism as major religion have the tipitaka completely translated to their local language?

I was thinking about the state of freely available tipitaka translation, where there are incomplete translation and multiple translation scattered in multiple sites. I would be great if there is just a generally accepted complete english translation of the tipitaka as a single book or bundle. At least 2500 years after the Buddha parinibanna you would think such thing would be available (not that I am complaining). Do people in Buddhist countries have it better?
SarathW
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Re: Tipitaka translation in Buddhist countries

Post by SarathW »

Do people in Buddhist countries have it better?
Not really. Thanks to the internet that the Buddhas' teaching is available in multiple languages.
In Sri Lanka, you can access the whole Tipitaka in the Sinhalese language.
There are many commentaries as well. Perhaps not all commentaries available in the Sinhalese language.
Do you know that Sutta Central has Tipitaka in many languages?

https://suttacentral.net/introduction
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
char101
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Re: Tipitaka translation in Buddhist countries

Post by char101 »

SarathW wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2020 10:52 am Not really. Thanks to the internet that the Buddhas' teaching is available in multiple languages.
In Sri Lanka, you can access the whole Tipitaka in the Sinhalese language.
You said not really but it seems to me that having the whole tipitaka and commentaries available in sinhalese is a lot better.
Do you know that Sutta Central has Tipitaka in many languages?

https://suttacentral.net/introduction
I know but I'm not sure how many percent has been translated. And also now we have translations from accesstoinsight, suttacentra, PTS translation which could differ (even greatly) in their interpretation and translation of the pali text.
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Dhammanando
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Re: Tipitaka translation in Buddhist countries

Post by Dhammanando »

In Thailand there are Thai translations of the whole of the Tipiṭaka and all the Atthakathās. There's also a translation of the Tipiṭaka into Kham Meuang, the dialect of the North. Only a small selection of Ṭīkās have been translated, mainly those to the Vinaya and Abhidhamma.
Yena yena hi maññanti,
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.


In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
(Sn. 588)
atipattoh
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Re: Tipitaka translation in Buddhist countries

Post by atipattoh »

Dhammanando wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2020 1:59 pm In Thailand there are Thai translations of the whole of the Tipiṭaka and all the Atthakathās. There's also a translation of the Tipiṭaka into Kham Meuang, the dialect of the North. Only a small selection of Ṭīkās have been translated, mainly those to the Vinaya and Abhidhamma.
Hello Bhante,
Is there a PDF (or any other format) copy of Thai translation for Līnatthapadavaṇṇanā?
:anjali:
chownah
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Re: Tipitaka translation in Buddhist countries

Post by chownah »

char101 wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2020 10:57 am
SarathW wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2020 10:52 am Not really. Thanks to the internet that the Buddhas' teaching is available in multiple languages.
In Sri Lanka, you can access the whole Tipitaka in the Sinhalese language.
You said not really but it seems to me that having the whole tipitaka and commentaries available in sinhalese is a lot better.

It is better for the 20 million people who speak sinhalese but not any better at all for the other 7.5 billion inhabitants of the planet......who (I guess) have three options 1. learn sinhalese 2. learn thai (as indicated by dhammanando) and 3. learn pali. I think that for most people learning pali would be the best option....but even that "best" option is not a very good one....so...."not really" seems appropriate I guess.....
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Dhammanando
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Re: Tipitaka translation in Buddhist countries

Post by Dhammanando »

atipattoh wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 11:13 am Is there a PDF (or any other format) copy of Thai translation for Līnatthapadavaṇṇanā?
I don't know. It's not available on the Mahapali or Bhumibalo Bhikkhu websites and I don't know what others might be likely to host a copy.
Yena yena hi maññanti,
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.


In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
(Sn. 588)
chownah
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Re: Tipitaka translation in Buddhist countries

Post by chownah »

Dhammanando,
What is your guess as to how long it will be before english catches up with sinhala , thai, and ookameung?
chownah
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Re: Tipitaka translation in Buddhist countries

Post by Dhammanando »

chownah wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 12:22 pm Dhammanando,
What is your guess as to how long it will be before english catches up with sinhala , thai, and ookameung?
If you mean "catch up" in the sense of publishing English translations of those Pali texts that have up to now only been translated into Asian languages, then going by present trends I don't think there are any grounds for thinking that English will ever catch up. By "present trends" I mean chiefly mean the policies of publishing outfits like the Pali Text Society, Wisdom Publications, Shambala Press, etc. None of these are interested in commissioning translations of as-yet-untranslated Pali commentaries etc., for the simple reason that extremely few people outside of academia are interested in reading them. As for those within academia, if they're doing Theravada or early Buddhist studies, they will normally be expected to learn Pali and so won't need translations.
Yena yena hi maññanti,
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.


In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
(Sn. 588)
char101
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Re: Tipitaka translation in Buddhist countries

Post by char101 »

chownah wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 12:19 pm
char101 wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2020 10:57 am
SarathW wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2020 10:52 am Not really. Thanks to the internet that the Buddhas' teaching is available in multiple languages.
In Sri Lanka, you can access the whole Tipitaka in the Sinhalese language.
You said not really but it seems to me that having the whole tipitaka and commentaries available in sinhalese is a lot better.

It is better for the 20 million people who speak sinhalese but not any better at all for the other 7.5 billion inhabitants of the planet......who (I guess) have three options 1. learn sinhalese 2. learn thai (as indicated by dhammanando) and 3. learn pali. I think that for most people learning pali would be the best option....but even that "best" option is not a very good one....so...."not really" seems appropriate I guess.....
chownah
Fourth option is to have access to a library or monastery that have complete translation of the tipitaka from the PTS (which is priced at $1900 currently).
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Re: Tipitaka translation in Buddhist countries

Post by chownah »

Dhammanando wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 12:47 pm
chownah wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 12:22 pm Dhammanando,
What is your guess as to how long it will be before english catches up with sinhala , thai, and ookameung?
If you mean "catch up" in the sense of publishing English translations of those Pali texts that have up to now only been translated into Asian languages, then going by present trends I don't think there are any grounds for thinking that English will ever catch up. By "present trends" I mean chiefly mean the policies of publishing outfits like the Pali Text Society, Wisdom Publications, Shambala Press, etc. None of these are interested in commissioning translations of as-yet-untranslated Pali commentaries etc., for the simple reason that extremely few people outside of academia are interested in reading them. As for those within academia, if they're doing Theravada or early Buddhist studies, they will normally be expected to learn Pali and so won't need translations.
Why is no one interested in reading them?.....are they mosty just repetitive of the already translated texts?....are they commentaries that are not considered authorititative (e.g. not part of the tipitaka)?....or what? Seems like char101 is interested.
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Dhammanando
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Re: Tipitaka translation in Buddhist countries

Post by Dhammanando »

chownah wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 2:33 pm Why is no one interested in reading them?
I said "extremely few", not "no one". The reasons that come to mind are, firstly, that a great many English-speaking Buddhists are not interested in reading ancient Buddhist texts of any sort. They prefer to just read and listen to modern teachers. Secondly, of those who do read ancient texts, some deliberately avoid the commentaries because they've picked up a prejudice against them from some modern source that they trust. Of those who haven't picked up such a prejudice, some might dip their toes in, usually by reading the Visuddhimagga, but then find much that they either don't understand, or find boring or disagree with.
Yena yena hi maññanti,
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.


In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
(Sn. 588)
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mikenz66
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Re: Tipitaka translation in Buddhist countries

Post by mikenz66 »

Bhante, could you comment a little on the Thai translations? My understanding is that they are rendered in a rather flowery form of Thai, which makes them quite difficult to read compared to modern English translations.

:heart:
Mike
SarathW
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Re: Tipitaka translation in Buddhist countries

Post by SarathW »

1. learn sinhalese 2. learn thai (as indicated by dhammanando) and 3. learn pali.
In my opinion, learn Pali first.
I hardly read anything in Sinhalese except listening to monks in Sinhalese.
However I like to know the opinion of Ven. Dhammanado.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
atipattoh
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Re: Tipitaka translation in Buddhist countries

Post by atipattoh »

Dhammanando wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 12:21 pm
atipattoh wrote: Mon Jan 06, 2020 11:13 am Is there a PDF (or any other format) copy of Thai translation for Līnatthapadavaṇṇanā?
I don't know. It's not available on the Mahapali or Bhumibalo Bhikkhu websites and I don't know what others might be likely to host a copy.
Thank you very much Bhante, I'll try to search for it.
Sadhu :anjali:
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