Greetings Dwai,
I think both authors are serious practitioners, at least serious
meditators. . I don't think either produced an academic, literal
translation, but modern versions that stay true to the original
teachings. I think them both elegant.
Marsha
At 11:02 AM 1/21/2008, you wrote:
>Greetings Marsha,
>
> > Greetings,
> >
> > Sometimes it's great to be wrong. After reading Brian Walker's 'Hua
> > Hu Ching', I read his translation of 'The Tao Te Ching', and then
> > Stephen Mitchell's 'Tao Te Ching'. I think these translations are
> > wonderful, and I can imagine rereading these wonderful books for
> many years.
> >
> > From Stephen Mitchell's 'Tao Te Ching', a section called 'A
> > Conversation with Stephen Mitchell':
> >
>
>I will check these books out. Just out of curiosity, are these
>academic translations or are the authors serious practitioners of the Tao?
>
>
> > " As I read and compared, I came across elements, common to all the
> > translations, that I know had to be wrong. For example, the Master
> > was always described as a "he." This seemed ridiculous to me, even
> > before I learned that the third-person singular pronoun in Chinese is
> > gender-neutral. Of all the great spiritual texts, the Tao Te Ching
> > is by for the most female, not in spirit but also in language. The
> > Tao is described as the :mother" or the "mother of the universe," and
> > the text even says, "Keep to the female." My solution was to
> > alternate the use of "he" and "she" from chapter to chapter. When
> > the book was published, I received hundreds of comments and letters
> > from women who told me how important this was to them."
> > (P.S., p.11)
> >
>
>I would recommend delving into the Shakta school of Tantra from
>Eastern India.
>
> > As one who read in school textbooks things like, 'The pioneers went
> > West taking their wives.', I am sensitive to language. I really
> > appreciate these modern translations.
> >
>
>I guess there is a lot of socio-cultural conditioning that dictates
>how we quantify and qualify things.
>
> > happy to be wrong,
>
>Here's wishing you all the very best in your quest and that you may
>be blessed by the Tao and walk the path.
>
>Regards,
>
>Dwai
*************
DEFINITION of Marsha, I, me, self, & etc.: Ever-changing
collection of overlapping, interrelated, inorganic, biological,
social and intellectual, static patterns of value.
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