[Amorsesombabs]

I noticed that 'dhammas' only occured in the B.Buddhadasa and B.Sujato versions and that 'phenomena' was the alternative to that in B. Bodhi's translation.

the word 'dhamma' or 'dhamme' has many meanings, such as 'thing' (phenomena; all things), truth/law/reality (4NT, DO, 3Cs) and mind objects (of the 6th sense base).

Bhikkhu Buddhadasa taught:

The Dhamma of life has four meanings:

1. nature itself,

2. the law of nature,

3. the duty that must be performed according to that law of nature,

4. the fruits or benefits that arise from the performance of that duty.

Always keep these four interrelated meanings in mind.

Bhikkhu Buddhadasa by retaining the Pali in the translation, i.e., dhamma, Bhikkhu Buddhadasa has kept this last stage of the meditation broad. keep in mind, the ultimate practice in the last satipatthana is experiencing all phenomena according to truth so Nibbana results:

FOURTH TETRAD

(13) He trains himself; constantly contemplating impermanence I shall breathe in. He trains himself; constantly contemplating impermanence I shall breathe out.

(14) He trains himself; constantly contemplating fading away I shall breathe in. He trains himself: constantly contemplating fading away I shall breathe out.

(15) He trains himself: constantly contemplating quenching I shall breathe in. He trains himself: constantly contemplating quenching I shall breathe out.

(16) He trains himself: constantly contemplating tossing back I shall breathe in. He trains himself: constantly contemplating tossing back I shall breathe out.

Bhikkhus, this is how Anapanasati that one has developed and made much of perfects the four foundations of mindfulness.

***

Commentary: This tetrad studies and examines Dhamma or Truth, in particular. Now, in the fourth tetrad, once this well-trained mind has been brought under control, we use it to study Dhamma, the Truth of Nature. Now, observe that in the realization of impermanence there is the realization of many other things simultaneously. When impermanence is truly seen, this characteristic of impermanence is also the characteristic of dukkham, namely, it is ugly and unbearable. We will see the characteristic of not-self in it, also. Because these things are always changing, impermanent, unsatisfactory and beyond our control, we realize anatta, also. Then we will see that they are void of selfhood, which is sunnata. We will see that they are just thus like that. Impermanence is just thus, just like that, thusness. And so, tathata is seen as well. Please understand that the realizations of these truths are interrelated. From seeing impermanence, we see unsatisfactoriness, see anatta, see sunnata; see tathata, and see idappaccayata (conditionality, the law of cause and effect), also. Each continues into the next. A complete realization of impermanence must include unsatisfactoriness, not-self, voidness, thusness and the law of conditionality. When all of these are seen, then impermanence is seen completely in the most profound way. This is how we realize fully the impermanence of the sankhara.

Bhikkhu Buddhadasa