"Rev. Fudo Michael Koppang" wrote: > [...] I just say , and continue to say that sutras > require diligence on the part of the reader because what is in them is > poorly translated, hard to understand, and written in a context that > modern readers do not have, and this can lead to difficulties that can > be avoided by having your understanding checked by a qualified > teacher. It is the only way of seeing you have not gone off on a > tangent. [...]
It is interesting, though, that we live in a time where much printed help is available to those who read the sutras. This was certainly not the case in the time of the early Patriarchs. Although it is true that no translation can perfectly capture the intent of the author of the original text (and most translated novels, at least, have at least one outright mistake per page), there are solid scholarly translations of sutras with extensive notes to place the texts in their cultural context. I'm thinking, for example, of Leon Hurvitz Lotus Sutra or scholar-practitioner Robert Thurman's Vimalakirti translation. Perhaps even more interesting, there are sutra commentaries by recognized teachers in print to make the teachings of the sutras more resonant with contemporary life. It is dangerous to mention any teacher by name since someone on the list will find him/her a charlatan, but these range from Sheng-yen's more scholarly commentary on the Sutra of Complete Enlightenment to Thich Nhat Hahn's more down-to-earth Lotus Sutra commentary. And any number of teachers from any number of schools have published commentaries on the Heart Sutra. So today we're not stuck with either learning Sanskrit or struggling through one Victorian translation with no notes. But reading and working with a teacher is also easier in these days of cars, planes, phones and the internet than it was in the days of the Patriarchs. There seems no reason why the two approaches shouldn't complement each other, particularly since a living teacher is more likely than a printed page to teach at just the level where the student stands. If we have all of this richness available to us today, it seems odd to turn our backs on some of it. James ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> It is better to give.... Especially when giving to a child in poverty. Click here to meet a child you can help. http://us.click.yahoo.com/FZp9YD/0nhJAA/i1hLAA/S27xlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Noble Eightfold Path: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration, Right Livelihood Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZenForum/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
