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Maddening expression of the day: kālena kālaṃ
October 5th, 2016
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illustration (attribution, if any possible, is at the end of the article)

Maddening expression of the day: kālena kālaṃ

As I previously wrote, deciphering the Pāḷi Canon is not for the impatient (gplus.wallez.name/TRCvNnyKtGN) and it would seem it's not for those who struggle too much with ambiguity either!

Kāla in Pāḷi first means dark, black, cloudy, misty… From dark as opposed to light, the meaning evolves towards new moon (dark half of the month?), death, ghosts… But, from mist, the meaning also evolves toward morning, daybreak, early time… which brings us to the second main meaning of kāla: time (in general… or in particular —i.e. in the sense of proper time or of time of death, etc.)!

kālaṃ would be the singular accusative of kāla, hence kālaṃ might appear in expressions like ettakaṃ kālaṃ: for a long time.
kālena would be the singular instrumental… and the Pāḷi-English Dictionary (of the Pāḷi Text Society) tells us that kālena kālaṃ ("for a time by a time"?) would therefore mean (1) from time to time, or (2) continuously, constantly…
Hmmm, OK, now let's try to use this in practice!


The Dutiya ­ā­ghāta pa­ṭi­vinaya ­sutta (AN 5.162) is a text on anger management… and it starts by listing 5 types of people towards who one may feel aversion:
• someone behaving badly but speaking well,
• someone behaving well but speaking badly,
• someone behaving badly and speaking badly, but who labhati kālena kālaṃ cetaso vivaraṃ cetaso pasādaṃ
• someone behaving badly and speaking badly and who does not labhati kālena kālaṃ cetaso vivaraṃ cetaso pasādaṃ
and finally
• someone behaving well and speaking well and who even labhati kālena kālaṃ cetaso vivaraṃ cetaso pasādaṃ

labhati: gets, receives, acquires
kālena kālaṃ: (1) from time to time; (2) continuously, constantly
cetaso vivaraṃ: open/spacious mind/heart
cetaso pasādaṃ: pure, joyful, virtuous, serene mind/heart

So… 5 types of people towards who one may feel aversion:
• someone behaving badly but speaking well,
• someone behaving well but speaking badly,
• someone behaving badly and speaking badly, but who from time to time experiences a spacious and clear mind?
• someone behaving badly and speaking badly and who not (even?) from time to time [= never?] experiences a spacious and clear mind?
and finally
• someone behaving well and speaking well and who even continuously experiences a spacious and clear mind?

How does one pick "from time to time" vs. "constantly"? Some translators end up using "occasionally", "periodically" but this doesn't really help.

The first peoples who one might experience aversion toward are easy enough to understand. People might pretend to do good but act different. Or people act righteously, but speak harsh and judgmental words against those who don't behave as well.

The third type might be people whose words and acts currently are difficult to bear… but who seem to at least learn and progress, to calm down and reflect "at times". "From time to time" might seem to suit well such an interpretation: "someone behaving badly and speaking badly, but who from time to time experiences a spacious and clear mind".
The fourth type might be people whose words and acts currently are difficult to bear… and who don't even seem to learn and progress! "Not experiencing openness from time to time" may probably be better translated with someone behaving badly and speaking badly and who never experiences a spacious and clear mind…

The fifth type might be a funny case of jealousy. The aversion is toward those who behave well, speak well, and learn and progress and stay clam… They set the bar so high that one might experience resentment toward such role models for being inaccessible while taking feeble excuses (that it's impossible to reach such level of practice) away. If this interpretation is correct, then (even if it's not truly the case) the role model might well appear to be so good that (s)he behaves well and speaks well and even continuously experiences a spacious and clear mind… Or, is it simply that (s)he from time to time experiences a spacious and clear mind, i.e. is it simply that (s)he's annoying because the good behaviour and good words are not merely parroting good models?


Surprisingly to me, most translators keep "from time to time" for all 5 types and they never use the "continuously, constantly" (or "never") meaning!

Admittedly, what's the negation of "from time to time"? Is it "at other times", "most of the time", "always" or "never"?
And what is the negation of "continuously"? Is it "never" or "from time to time"?

Maddening ambiguous Pāḷi expression of the day: kālena kālaṃ!



#Buddhism   #Dharma   #Pali