2014年03月13日
Interpreter of Dharma
When I sit in the living room facing my private altar of Buddhas and quietly start chanting the sutras translated into modern English.
There is always a flash back of the comment from my interpreting trainer from Sophia University.
One day he said to his students in the classroom.
Translating and interpreting is a skill that can fulfill the gap of people.
But the greatest of all kinds among the translation and interpretation is the one that happens between God and people who do not understand the language of God.
Buddhism is different in a sense from Christianity as Buddhists try and transcend the words and concepts to be directly in touch with the world as it is. This is, however, a very close concept to being in touch with God casting away our limited views.
At least, to me, chanting a sutra that makes sense to people is a similar action to interpreting for people who use different languages.
My wife, Mia, always listens to my sutra chanting and she says to me, “Every time I hear you chant, I am learning something new about Buddhism.”
I feel the same way. I feel as if I am learning something new by interpretation the words of sages. If this is the type of interpretation I am meant to do. Then, I must say I am one of the luckiest translators in the world.
It is not me who does the preaching but the Dharma itself is preaching itself.
And I feel like I am being part of this.
There is always a flash back of the comment from my interpreting trainer from Sophia University.
One day he said to his students in the classroom.
Translating and interpreting is a skill that can fulfill the gap of people.
But the greatest of all kinds among the translation and interpretation is the one that happens between God and people who do not understand the language of God.
Buddhism is different in a sense from Christianity as Buddhists try and transcend the words and concepts to be directly in touch with the world as it is. This is, however, a very close concept to being in touch with God casting away our limited views.
At least, to me, chanting a sutra that makes sense to people is a similar action to interpreting for people who use different languages.
My wife, Mia, always listens to my sutra chanting and she says to me, “Every time I hear you chant, I am learning something new about Buddhism.”
I feel the same way. I feel as if I am learning something new by interpretation the words of sages. If this is the type of interpretation I am meant to do. Then, I must say I am one of the luckiest translators in the world.
It is not me who does the preaching but the Dharma itself is preaching itself.
And I feel like I am being part of this.
Posted by Gyokei Yokoyama at 10:23