INMO: It
HISASHIKU INMO NARU KOTO O NASABA, SUBEKARAKU KORE INMO NARU BESHI.
HISASHIKU for a long time
INMO it
NARU is
KOTO thing
O [object particle]
NASABA if do
SUBEKARAKU should, must, duly, properly
KORE [emphatic] is just
INMO it
NARU BESHI should be, will be, must be
“If for a long time you do that which is it, you will be just it.”
Whatever I assert that it is, it is not that.
HISASHIKU for a long time
INMO it
NARU is
KOTO thing
O [object particle]
NASABA if do
SUBEKARAKU should, must, duly, properly
KORE [emphatic] is just
INMO it
NARU BESHI should be, will be, must be
“If for a long time you do that which is it, you will be just it.”
Whatever I assert that it is, it is not that.
posted by Mike Cross at 11:16 PM
5 Comments:
I'm enjoying seeing the translator's view of Dogen.
It shows [I think] more of the nuances are sometimes lost when translated into English.
I have a question [Wow!]
When you have a character that has several possible meanings (as almost all do), how do you choose which interpretation to apply in a situation where Dogen was in a realm where language doesn't work to well?
[I'm gonna go and have a little le down now.]
Hi Mikedoe,
Yes, I agree that something is always liable to be lost in translation.
Knowing Fukan-zazen-gi in the original Japanese off by heart, when I want to express the meaning of any phrase in English I just have a sense of allowing it to express itself. So, on a good day, I don't have a sense of me choosing -- it is more a question of allowing Master Dogen's true meaning to manifest itself.
As you may have noted, this results in different translations on different days.
I think that the urge to arrive at a definitive English translation is a kind of end-gaining. Whereas what I would like to do is to make it more possible for each individual person to translate Fukan-zazengi for himself or for herself.
That is what my teacher did for me, character by character, sitting-zen retreat by sitting-zen retreat.
It is a very rewarding process.
Thank you.
Seeing the 'raw' japanese answered a very big question for me on some of Master Dogen's texts.
In Gudo/your English translation I had the impression that some bits were clear enough and that other bits were a little 'off'. I could not be certain whether that was because Master Dogen did not have a deep practical understanding or whether it was a case that in translation something was not quite conveyed or that the translators did not want to believe what he was saying and so translated it differently.
In reading some of the 'raw' stuff on this blog I can see that Master Dogen new perfectly well what he was on about and so I am now quite happy to prefix his name with a title since I can at last see for myself due to your work that his title is in fact justified.
I don't think you can ever arrive at difinitive translation because that would suggest that something can be put into words.
However, since all Master Dogen did is translate his experience/realisation into words it follows that if you have the same experience/realisation the translation would naturally follow.
I also thank you for choosing this time to return to a blog that is unmoderated.
The great difficulty I have is to quit end-gaining and allow the right thing to do itself. I don't have any other problem in my life.
When we are uneasy about something, when something doesn't suit us, some end-gaining agenda is always a factor, but we don't usually see our own (hidden) agenda -- it is generally much easier to see the agenda of others.
Because I had an end-gaining agenda on my Middle Way blog, I welcomed some comments and was irritated by others.
But on this blog I am mindful of the FU in FUKAN-ZAZENGI. FU means for everybody.
So on this blog I am glad to be of service, to anybody.
Mike Cross,
Thank you for your important work and all of your years of service.
It is indeed appreciated.
Aaron
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