This paper critiques the use of a philologically unsound translation of a Buddhist text within UK public policy discourse, specifically by the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) in its "Spiritualise" report. The author, Geoffrey Bamford, traces a popularised quote about "ground" and "place" to Stephen Batchelor's idiosyncratic translation of the Ariyapariyesanāsutta, which misinterprets the Pali word *ālaya* (clinging/attachment) as "place" and the common word *ṭhāna* (state/fact) as "ground." This error creates an existentialist concept of a "groundless ground" that is alien to the apophatic nature of the Pali canon. Bamford argues that while the popularisation is inaccurate, its influence demonstrates a significant Western appetite for Buddhist ideas, suggesting that the very aspects of Buddhism that challenge ingrained cultural habits of thought are precisely what make it appealing, even when misunderstood.
