I'll share a little from a book I was given while on an overnight layover in Taiwan. The link shows some pictures of the Tzu Chi Foundation temple I stumbled on where I was given this book, written by a Buddhist Nun.
"Master Cheng Yen has always led a simple and virtuous life. In her frugality, she made candles and bean powder to maintain a living. In 1966, she established the Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, and over the years this organizations has concentrated its activities in the major areas of charity, medicine, education, culture, international relief, bone marrow donations, community volunteerism, and environmental protection."
The book has the aphorisms in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese. Here are a couple:
To regard ourself lightly
is prajna (wisdom).
To regard ourself highly
is attachment. (p. 22)
El vernos a nosotros mismos con modestia
es Prajna (sabiduría).
El considerarnos altamente
es aferrarse a uno mismo.
We must carry out our tasks
according to principles,
and not let our principles be
compromised by our tasks. (p. 38)
Debemos llevar a cabo nuestras tareas
de acuerdo a nuestros principios
y no dejar que nuestros principios
se vean comprometidos por nuestras tareas.
Each time we forgive others,
we are, in fact, sowing blessings.
The more magnanimity we show,
the more blessings we enjoy. (p. 182)
Perdonar una vez
es ser bendecido una vez.
Cuanto más perdonemos,
más seremos bendecidos.
Debemos llevar a cabo nuestras tareas
de acuerdo a nuestros principios
y no dejar que nuestros principios
se vean comprometidos por nuestras tareas.
Each time we forgive others,
we are, in fact, sowing blessings.
The more magnanimity we show,
the more blessings we enjoy. (p. 182)
Perdonar una vez
es ser bendecido una vez.
Cuanto más perdonemos,
más seremos bendecidos.
The title of this post is the title of the book and there isn't Western publication information in the book. However, there is a link to the tzuchi.org for those want to know about this Eastern humanitarian organization.
The Spanish and the English translation differ a bit in my opinion, but they say approximately the same thing. I studied that congruent content is more important than translating word by word.
ReplyDeleteHungary has no close relations with the Far East. We have some relations with India, Kazakhstan, and there is a Hungarian hospital in North Korea.
Hi Steve,
ReplyDeleteI came across your site and was very intrigued that your have a section dedicated to Dharma Master Cheng Yen's still thoughts. I was wondering how come? What's so special about them to you and how long have you been a fan of the Jing Si Aphorisms. Please get back to me when you have a chance thanks.
Anon, I stumbled onto the Tzu Chi Foundation Temple when I stopped overnight in Taipei, as the link explains. I had a nice visit and was given the book, so I thought I'd share it here. How did you get to my site?
ReplyDelete