DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - Is the seven further lifetimes of a stream-enterer a myth?

**tipoketpu** · 08-12-2011, 11:50 AM

Bhikkhu Bodhi's translation in my hard copy of the SN is, "...as there is a maximum of seven more lives."

You're right, though, Element. There is no word for "lives" in the Pali. It might be that it was elided in the original because it would have been understood from the context. Or, it could be a later fill-in based on a best guess. Either way, I don't think it wise to take such things too literally. The suttas are full of rhetorical, metaphorical and symbolic speech. Much or most of the significance of that sort of speech has been lost, and it was almost certainly not meant to be taken literally in the first place. I think all we need to garner from this passage is that the Sotāpanna is a lot closer to the goal than someone who hasn't lost the first three fetters.

08-12-2011, 11:50 AM	#3
tipoketpu Join Date Nov 2005 Posts 435 Senior Member	Bhikkhu Bodhi's translation in my hard copy of the SN is, "...as there is a maximum of seven more lives." You're right, though, Element. There is no word for "lives" in the Pali. It might be that it was elided in the original because it would have been understood from the context. Or, it could be a later fill-in based on a best guess. Either way, I don't think it wise to take such things too literally. The suttas are full of rhetorical, metaphorical and symbolic speech. Much or most of the significance of that sort of speech has been lost, and it was almost certainly not meant to be taken literally in the first place. I think all we need to garner from this passage is that the Sotāpanna is a lot closer to the goal than someone who hasn't lost the first three fetters.
	Quote