Mike, I admire the Japanese on their ability to adapt and distort the Chinese language to come up with a colorful system. My Japanese capability is very limited. Though I won a first prize at a Japanese school in Hong Kong, I was completely lost when I spent a few weeks of engineering training in Tsurumi, Yokohama. Afterwards, I only had short business trips to Japan mainly in the not impressing Tokyo and Osaka. That did not help. Anthony
________________________________ From: mike brown <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Monday, 18 June 2012, 6:13 Subject: Re: [Zen] Speaking of Compassion Anthony, >As the saying goes, which language is considered difficult by its native >speakers? The answer is Japanese. I know Mike disagrees with that. Actually, I agree. The Japanese consider their language so difficult that sometimes it doesn't register with them that a foreigner is speaking to them in Japanese - even if delivered flawlessly . Just a simple 'arigato gozaimasu' will get you plenty of "ooh's and aah's" in admiration of your mastery of their unique, special and difficult language. They're also the only nation on earth who have 4 distinct seasons, don't you know?...Still love 'em tho.Mike desu. --- On Mon, 18/6/12, Anthony Wu <[email protected]> wrote: >From: Anthony Wu <[email protected]> >Subject: Re: [Zen] Speaking of Compassion >To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> >Date: Monday, 18 June, 2012, 7:56 > > > >Joe, > >My question was only if 果相 is really your dharma name given by Sheng Yen. If >so, its meaning should be closer to achievement form. > >I am amazed at your knowledge of Chinese. This is not an easy language. I can >talk the whole day with it, just to get myself confused eventually. > >Japanese has absorbed a lot of culture from Chinese, but they are completely >different, gramattically and linguistically. > >Chinese is not difficult for a native speaker like me, but Japanese is. As the >saying goes, which language is considered difficult by its native speakers? >The answer is Japanese. I know Mike disagrees with that. > >Anthony > >________________________________ >From: Kristopher Grey <[email protected]> >To: [email protected] >Sent: Monday, 18 June 2012, 2:53 >Subject: Re: [Zen] Speaking of Compassion > > >果 - Fruit, result. > >果相 - Mutual, reciprocal > >Perhaps your Japanese may be influencing this choice, as in Japanese 果 is used >for attainment and enlightenment.In Chinese, a common translation for >"enlightenment" is 启 迪 (traditional 啓 廸)启 - Qi - to open, or begin迪 _Di - >To enlighten, advanceAnother variation uses 蒙 - Meng as the second character启 >- Meng - Cover, deceive, ignorant, sufferNote the similarity between the >pictograms for Meng and Xiang I mentioned earlier, as well as the overlap in >derived usage stemming from that old elephant story:蒙 象 Perhaps I have is >backward, and the similarity in characters is a sort of play on words >illustrated by the story. Works either way.A wonderful relation between 启 蒙 >and 郭 象Also, there are stories using an elephant as metaphor, much like the ox >in the ox herding pictures... as well as some simpler, like noting how an >elephant can be conditioned to be hindered by a small rope on one >leg...Apologies if I mix trad/simplified, don't always give both, etc. As I said, I'm neither a scholar nor a speaker.K > > > >On 6/17/2012 9:39 AM, Anthony Wu wrote: > >>Joe, >> >>My Chinese writer did not work. Now it is back. >> >>果相is what I imagine your dharma name is. Right? 色se=from, >>识shi=consciousnous. Sheng Yen had problems differentiating between these two, >>as do most untrained southerners. >> >>Anthony >>From: Anthony Wu mailto:[email protected] >>To: mailto:[email protected] mailto:[email protected] >>Sent: Sunday, 17 June 2012, 11:57 >>Subject: Re: [Zen] Speaking of Compassion >> >> >>Joe, >> >>Can you give me the Chinese characters of Guo Xiang? Sheng Yen was a >>southerner, had trouble making a difference between 'se' (another word for >>form) and 'shi' (consciousness). >> >>Anthony >>From: Joe mailto:[email protected] >>To: [email protected] >>Sent: Sunday, 17 June 2012, 5:37 >>Subject: Re: [Zen] Speaking of Compassion >> >> >>Dear Anthony,YOU are a funny man. I don't care WHAT they all say about you!! >>;-)Your brother,--Joe / in the desertPS Sheng Yen called me "Guo-Xiang". >>Result-Form. The same "Xiang", "Form", as in the Heart Sutra: "Form is >>Emptiness, Emptiness is Form".That is my Dharma name from him. I never use >>it, except with him, and since he has passed, you are the first other person >>to know. Prostrations to the Old Man, and to all beings: it's a good Yoga. >>Strong practice, --J.> Anthony Wu mailto:wuasg@... wrote:>> Joe,> Â > Thank >>you for your compliments.> Â > Anthony
