Customer Reviews

The Sutta-Nipata: A New Translation from the Pali Canon

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This is an excellent rendering of the SUTTA NIPATA, one of the most profound texts from the Theravada Tipitika, and more specifically, the Sutta Pitaka.

Along with Dhammapadda, Satthipattana Sutta,Metta Sutta and The Udana, many consider Sutta Nipata to represent THE peak teachings within early Buddhism.

For the most literal of renderings, most would reccommend the Pali Text Society version -- but some now consider it a little dry, couched in early 20th Century British idiom, though none would say this detracts from the PTS's deep accuracy and authenticity and faithfulness to the original Pali script.

A second favourite -- I believe -- is the late Maurice Walshe's version. Walsh, an English ( gentle )man and long term supporter of the UK Sangha, was a highly respected German scholar, and had a natural sympathy with Indo European terminology: he was also a highly regarded expert on the medieval German mystic, Meister Eckhart,and an ex Bhikkhu himself, so some would say he was ideally suited to a translation of Pali texts.

Saddhatissa's version proved slightly, briefly, controversial with the "experts" and key scholars, because it was claimed Saddhatissa had rendered the Pali verse in a somewhat poetic, perhaps contemporary style, and that he had been slightly liberal with key psychological core terms from the original Pali.

This of course, is a significant charge -- who on earth amongst the serious meditators wants a "new age" and crystals version of this classic text?

But such a fear is surely unfounded -- Saddhatissa was a highly respected Bhikkhu in the Theravadin tradition, who lived the sincere, semi ascetic life of a reclusive monk -- first in Sri Lanka and then in a small, highly respected meditation /Vipassana /Samatha monastery, in a sleepy suburb of London.

Saddhatissa ( now deceased ) was clearly deeply acquainted with these texts, and was a long term, serious meditator -- and whilst he has taken some liberty with the translation, this is clearly the work of a sincere contemplative, intent of producing a version which speaks to today's serious meditators, and not directed towards the dusty, scholarly corridors of Oxford University library. PTS have already done that after all, and most admirably.

This is a deeply beautiful, transforming rendering of the Sutta Nipata, and I reccommend it highly -- this proved to be a life transforming text for me, and directed me firmly on the path of the contemplative life about 20 years ago.


( I was acquainted with Maurice Walsh, and I was trained in Vippassana and Samatha by Saddhatissa's successor in the same monastery where Saddhatissa had served as the abbott ).