Our translation of Shobogenzo
Recently I have found that my joint translator of Shobogenzo Mr Mike Cross has very unsatisfactory feeling to his position as a joint translator with me, and so I would like to explain my opinion about it to solve his unsatisfactory situations as far as possible.
The reason, why he feels so strong unsatisfactory feeling to his position, comes from his idea that even though he has accomplished the translation of Shobogenzo by himself alone, but I do not have the same opinion as him at all. However, thinking about the real situation of the joint translation, it is impossible for me to have the same idea as he, and so I think that it is necessary for me to explain about my opoinion about it, and we have to need to have the common idea together in conclusion.
Mr Mike Cross(M.C.)'s insistence is that the accomplishment of the last translation has been done only by himself, and so after my death, if he would insist that the translation has been done only by M.C. himself, it is possible for him to eraze my name from the names of translators. Of course he only alluded to his such intention in his email to me, but my translation of Shobogenzo into modern Japanese and into English were my main work throughout my life, and so I would like for me to maintain the translation of Shobogenzo in modern Japanese and in English as my life work for ever.
Therefore, I would like to explain my real situations of the translating Shobogenzo into modern Japanese and into English actually for recognizing my efforts for about 22 years, which were used for the translation of Shobogenzo from the old Japanese into the modern japanese, and from the modern Japanese into English.
I have begun to read Shobogenzo, which was written by Master Dogen in 13 Century, for the first time in 1938. But, even though it was written in Japanese, it was so difficult for me to understand it for the first time. However, reading it again and again, I have begun to understand it gradually, and so when I have understood the total meaning of it, I wrote my first book, which is called "Bukkyo - Dai San no Sekai-kan, or Buddhism - the third view of the world." And I have introduced the outline of Shobogenzo by Master Dogen as my first book of Buddhism.
Then I have begun to translate Shobogenzo, which was written in Japanese of the medieval age, into the modern Japanese. I guess that many people feel strange that it was necessary for me to translate the Japanese in the medieval age into the modern Japanese because I am just a native speaker of Japanese, but actually speaking the Japanese in the medieval age was so different from the modern Japanese, and so if I want to make Shobogenzo understandable for modern Japanese people, it was necessary for us to translate Shobogenzo, which was written in Japanese of the medieval age into the modern Japanese inevitably. So I have translated the total Shobogenzo into the modern Japanese first, and I have published "Gendaigoyaku Shobogenzo, or Shobogenzo in the modern Japanese" first. The book includes the 13 volumes in cluding the original text of Shobogenzo, comments for difficult words, and Shobogenzo in the modern Japanese, and an index. It was necessary for me to complish and publish it for 16 years. At that time I was the head of a section in Japan Security Finance Company, and so I was rather busy. Therefore it was necessary for me to stop smoking, drinking, playing golf and mar-jongg, travelling and so forth, to write the draft of the book everyday. After finishing the dinner at the 7 o'clock everyday, I worked for writing the draft of translated Shobogenzo into modern Japanese for 3 hours everyday, and on Saturday, Sunday, and holidays, I worked for writing the draft almost everyday. And after becoming the consultant of Ida Industry Corporation since 1975, even during the daytime I could work for Shobogenzo, when there was no meeting in Ida company.
It was necessary for me to spend 16 years to accomplish "The modern Japanized Shobogenzo," and then I have begun to translate Shobogenzo into English. At that time I have become the counselor of Ida Company already, and so usually I could work for translating Shobogenzo even for a daytime
in the company for about 5 hours when there was no meeting, and at night I could work for the English translation also for 3 hours at home. And after 6 years efforts I have accomplishe my English translation by myself first. Therefore it was necessary for me to accomplish my English translation for 16 years + 6 years = 22 years.
Then it was necessary for me to find a native speaker of English, who could help me to rewriting
my tongue-tied English into his fluent English. And fortunately I found Mr Jeffery Bailey, who wanted to help me for rewriting my English draft. And his rewriting has progressed about two third of them, and just at that time M.C. has appeared into my English class of Shobogenzo.
And I suppose that there might be very heated arguments between Mr Bailey and M.C. And unfortunately Mr Bailey has decided to come back to USA suddenly. Mr Bailey was my first student from abroad, and he was very helpful for me to manage my English class. Therefore I felt very regretable for me to lose him from my English class, but it was impossible for me to listen to the situations in detail at that time.
After that M.C. has begun his rewriting. Before that time I have made 3 copies of my draft of Shobogenzo in English, and I kept one of them, and I passed the one copy to Mr Bailey, and later M.C. has received one. But after Mr Bailey has come back to US, even though M.C. attended my English lecture at every occasion, he didn't have any question about the meaning of Shobogenzo at all. And about 3 or 4 yeras later he suddenly showed me his rewritten draft of Shobogenzo suddenly.
Reading his draft I was much surprised that his rewritten draft was so beautiful, so exact, and so sharp. Therefore there was no necessity for me to correct his draft almost at all. So I accepted his excellent draft as it is, then our translation of Shobogenzou has been accomplished.
However, recently I have begun to notice the existence of danger, that there might be some possibility in future that my name as the main translator of Shobogenzo might be erazed artificially after my death. And if such an unfair process would be done after my death, it might be perfectly impossible for me to explain the real situations, which have occurred on the earth actually, at all. And at the same time my stupid efforts, which have been done spending more than 22 years, or one tourth of my life, would be erased completely. Therefore even though my suspicion seemes to be too much sensitive nowadays, but I sincerely hope that such a kind of unfair happening should never occur on the earth at all.
The reason, why he feels so strong unsatisfactory feeling to his position, comes from his idea that even though he has accomplished the translation of Shobogenzo by himself alone, but I do not have the same opinion as him at all. However, thinking about the real situation of the joint translation, it is impossible for me to have the same idea as he, and so I think that it is necessary for me to explain about my opoinion about it, and we have to need to have the common idea together in conclusion.
Mr Mike Cross(M.C.)'s insistence is that the accomplishment of the last translation has been done only by himself, and so after my death, if he would insist that the translation has been done only by M.C. himself, it is possible for him to eraze my name from the names of translators. Of course he only alluded to his such intention in his email to me, but my translation of Shobogenzo into modern Japanese and into English were my main work throughout my life, and so I would like for me to maintain the translation of Shobogenzo in modern Japanese and in English as my life work for ever.
Therefore, I would like to explain my real situations of the translating Shobogenzo into modern Japanese and into English actually for recognizing my efforts for about 22 years, which were used for the translation of Shobogenzo from the old Japanese into the modern japanese, and from the modern Japanese into English.
I have begun to read Shobogenzo, which was written by Master Dogen in 13 Century, for the first time in 1938. But, even though it was written in Japanese, it was so difficult for me to understand it for the first time. However, reading it again and again, I have begun to understand it gradually, and so when I have understood the total meaning of it, I wrote my first book, which is called "Bukkyo - Dai San no Sekai-kan, or Buddhism - the third view of the world." And I have introduced the outline of Shobogenzo by Master Dogen as my first book of Buddhism.
Then I have begun to translate Shobogenzo, which was written in Japanese of the medieval age, into the modern Japanese. I guess that many people feel strange that it was necessary for me to translate the Japanese in the medieval age into the modern Japanese because I am just a native speaker of Japanese, but actually speaking the Japanese in the medieval age was so different from the modern Japanese, and so if I want to make Shobogenzo understandable for modern Japanese people, it was necessary for us to translate Shobogenzo, which was written in Japanese of the medieval age into the modern Japanese inevitably. So I have translated the total Shobogenzo into the modern Japanese first, and I have published "Gendaigoyaku Shobogenzo, or Shobogenzo in the modern Japanese" first. The book includes the 13 volumes in cluding the original text of Shobogenzo, comments for difficult words, and Shobogenzo in the modern Japanese, and an index. It was necessary for me to complish and publish it for 16 years. At that time I was the head of a section in Japan Security Finance Company, and so I was rather busy. Therefore it was necessary for me to stop smoking, drinking, playing golf and mar-jongg, travelling and so forth, to write the draft of the book everyday. After finishing the dinner at the 7 o'clock everyday, I worked for writing the draft of translated Shobogenzo into modern Japanese for 3 hours everyday, and on Saturday, Sunday, and holidays, I worked for writing the draft almost everyday. And after becoming the consultant of Ida Industry Corporation since 1975, even during the daytime I could work for Shobogenzo, when there was no meeting in Ida company.
It was necessary for me to spend 16 years to accomplish "The modern Japanized Shobogenzo," and then I have begun to translate Shobogenzo into English. At that time I have become the counselor of Ida Company already, and so usually I could work for translating Shobogenzo even for a daytime
in the company for about 5 hours when there was no meeting, and at night I could work for the English translation also for 3 hours at home. And after 6 years efforts I have accomplishe my English translation by myself first. Therefore it was necessary for me to accomplish my English translation for 16 years + 6 years = 22 years.
Then it was necessary for me to find a native speaker of English, who could help me to rewriting
my tongue-tied English into his fluent English. And fortunately I found Mr Jeffery Bailey, who wanted to help me for rewriting my English draft. And his rewriting has progressed about two third of them, and just at that time M.C. has appeared into my English class of Shobogenzo.
And I suppose that there might be very heated arguments between Mr Bailey and M.C. And unfortunately Mr Bailey has decided to come back to USA suddenly. Mr Bailey was my first student from abroad, and he was very helpful for me to manage my English class. Therefore I felt very regretable for me to lose him from my English class, but it was impossible for me to listen to the situations in detail at that time.
After that M.C. has begun his rewriting. Before that time I have made 3 copies of my draft of Shobogenzo in English, and I kept one of them, and I passed the one copy to Mr Bailey, and later M.C. has received one. But after Mr Bailey has come back to US, even though M.C. attended my English lecture at every occasion, he didn't have any question about the meaning of Shobogenzo at all. And about 3 or 4 yeras later he suddenly showed me his rewritten draft of Shobogenzo suddenly.
Reading his draft I was much surprised that his rewritten draft was so beautiful, so exact, and so sharp. Therefore there was no necessity for me to correct his draft almost at all. So I accepted his excellent draft as it is, then our translation of Shobogenzou has been accomplished.
However, recently I have begun to notice the existence of danger, that there might be some possibility in future that my name as the main translator of Shobogenzo might be erazed artificially after my death. And if such an unfair process would be done after my death, it might be perfectly impossible for me to explain the real situations, which have occurred on the earth actually, at all. And at the same time my stupid efforts, which have been done spending more than 22 years, or one tourth of my life, would be erased completely. Therefore even though my suspicion seemes to be too much sensitive nowadays, but I sincerely hope that such a kind of unfair happening should never occur on the earth at all.
posted by GUDO NISHIJIMA | 4:19 PM
12 Comments:
Dear Sensei
Please stop posting these critical emails about your students on your blog. They contain lots of claims which are completely untrue. I think this is because your memory is playing tricks on you in your old age. Your readers have no way to evaluate the statements you are making, and in this way you are creating a completely false view of your life as a buddhist teacher.
This email about Mike Cross’s contribution to your joint Shobogenzo translation is a very sad indictment on your present state as an old man. I have hard copies of the whole of your own original translation of the Shobogenzo here in a box beside me as I write this. Your original translation that you completed yourself was not readable, because your English at that time was very poor. In 1978, Jeff Bailey, Larry Zacchi and myself started to rewrite it with you. After 3 or 4 years, Mike Cross joined us. All four of us produced rewritten versions of the chapters that you later used in your Saturday seminars. I rewrote a large number of the chapters of your original translation (Volumes 3, 5, 8, 11, 12 of your Gendai Goyaku books), and I have the original typed up versions of those chapters here in front of me on my desk.
As one of the two editors of your Shobogenzo translation, I worked to edit and publish those 4 volumes for you over a period of nearly 18 years. You, Mike Cross, myself and Jeremy Pearson worked together to produce the final version of your life work.
It is important for me to state clearly that your comments about your cooperation with Mike Cross are untrue. They are distorted by your failing memory of events. Although Mike has turned against you in recent times, he always cooperated with you in the translation, and would never go against your wishes with regard to the content. He produced a final translation that was the result of your joint effort over so many years, and he would never let us publish anything until it had been approved by you. Never. Both Jeremy and I were constantly impressed by Mike’s loyalty to you. Your description of the process of the translation is distorted and unacceptable.
Jeff Bailey left you in 1989 because he told us that you were too cold. I took that to mean that he could not feel any humanity from you. You were not loyal to his efforts to serve you. He seemed to feel you didn’t care any more. Mike Cross was not the reason why Jeff Bailey left you. Mike and Jeff talked about the situation before Jeff left, and will confirm what I say. Jeff left you because he didn’t want to continue studying with you. A similar situation has been repeated more than 5 times since then with later students.
Please stop this kind of posting on your blog. You are destroying your life’s work. I strongly urge you to close down your blog as soon as possible. You are misleading people who don’t know you and have never met you.
Michael Eido Luetchford
Chief Dogen Sangha Whistleblower
And your student for 30 years
The flaws in the diamond have been covered by dust for too long.
Dear Gudo Wafu Nishijima Roshi:
It appears that Kuge, Flowers in Space, currently a topic of exploration in the blog is being demostrated:
'removing the disturbance is redoubling the disease.'
In my experience, when I express understanding, but understanding of only intellectual level--Life very curiously and with great humor gives me a good practical application--then I really understand!
From what I see, everyone posting here is very sincere with wanting to make understood their truth.
The opposite of truth is Truth.
This is a strong teaching here at the Dogen Sangha Blog (there is no group I have sat with that does not teach this same teaching): Humans are human no matter how long or with whom they have studied or practiced Zen.
I am very grateful to all Sangha members, and to you, Nishijima Roshi, for this opportunity,
right here, before us now.
gassho
Keishin
Keishin.ni
Although you probably mean well, this is not a subject for armchair buddhist bloggers to learn from. It is a serious situation between real human beings that really needs to be resolved. Sensei is no longer able to honor his students' efforts to support his life work because his memory is playing tricks on him. This has been getting worse over a number of years, but has not been public before.
Please realise that this is a real situation with a real old man that needs resolving. It is not a question of true or not true, of truth or Truth. I guess you have never had to care for and communicate with aging parents.
Sensei is 87, and lives alone in a small apartment with the blog as his only activity. But his students must act, out of love for an old and venerable old man whose achievements during his life have been indeed great.
What people reading this blog think about it is not the most important thing at the moment.
Respectfully
Mike Luetchford
Mike Luetchford San
Even though you are talking about only the English translation of Shobogenzo, but I am insisting that before I began the English translation of Shobogenzo, it was necessary for me to understand the original Master Dogen's Japanese text for about 16 years. Then I begun my Japanese lecture of Shobogenzo in the Youngmen Buddhist accosiation of Tokyo University. And three years later I have begun my Buddhist English Lecture at the same place, therefore Mr Bailey, Mr Zacchi, Mr Luetchford, Mr Cross, and so forth could understand Buddhism for the first time.
The later process I wrote Dogen Sangha Blog recently, and I wrote my memory clearly. I am perfectly responsible what I wrote.
Dear Nishijima Roshi,
Thank you very much for this blog, and for writing the history of events as seen from your eyes, Roshi. I think it is a very good thing to write your memoirs about your life work, and about the history of that which you worked on so long. (I am glad to know the history as I was not there, and it is an important story, I think). Please continue, Roshi.
As with any history, some people might disagree on details. But I do not know why people would choose to argue about these things with you or be upset. I have never understood. I notice that, Roshi, you do not fight with anyone in response or become upset ... you simply state your opinion politely. You state your view, and state it clearly, but you do not argue or get mad. You never are anything but a gentleman. Thank you for that fine example. When I see you do that, I am happy to be your student. I hope I can learn to be such a gentleman too. It is a great example, Roshi. How silly to argue about, and be attached to one's claimed interest in, Buddhist books that are about peace and non-attachment.
Yes, it is all Flowers in Space! Perhaps some of your students, myself quite often, can express the wisdom of Master Dogen ... but we need to study the Precepts more, avoid anger and attachment, and manifest a little more compassion.
Thank you, Nishijima Roshi.
Gassho, Jundo
Dear Mike Luetchford:
My first teacher, Zengaku Soyu Matsuoka Roshi, no longer living, also encountered dificulties aging. One of his head priests movingly recounted to me the complexities of the situation. Some of the things he said/did no longer made sense. There comes a time when one should retire. Easier said than done. This is an issue for us all to consider seriously. It is a universal concern: we too, if we should live so long, will have an aged body/mind.
Our teachers, our mentors, our parents/relatives and aging friends all teach us: how does one meet this life circumstance.
I am very moved by what is displayed so publicly, here on this blog. I wish for everyone a good outcome.
You are right: it really isn't my business, and it does not pertain directly to me, save only in a generic sense: how does one cope with the various aspects of aging. So it is from that position I am interested, deeply so.
With the utmost respect for all concerned here
gassho
Keishin
Mike Luetchford さんは書きました...
Dear Sensei
Please stop posting these critical emails about your students on your blog. They contain lots of claims which are completely untrue. I think this is because your memory is playing tricks on you in your old age. Your readers have no way to evaluate the statements you are making, and in this way you are creating a completely false view of your life as a buddhist teacher.
This email about Mike Cross’s contribution to your joint Shobogenzo translation is a very sad indictment on your present state as an old man. I have hard copies of the whole of your own original translation of the Shobogenzo here in a box beside me as I write this. Your original translation that you completed yourself was not readable, because your English at that time was very poor. In 1978, Jeff Bailey, Larry Zacchi and myself started to rewrite it with you. After 3 or 4 years, Mike Cross joined us. All four of us produced rewritten versions of the chapters that you later used in your Saturday seminars. I rewrote a large number of the chapters of your original translation (Volumes 3, 5, 8, 11, 12 of your Gendai Goyaku books), and I have the original typed up versions of those chapters here in front of me on my desk.
As one of the two editors of your Shobogenzo translation, I worked to edit and publish those 4 volumes for you over a period of nearly 18 years. You, Mike Cross, myself and Jeremy Pearson worked together to produce the final version of your life work.
It is important for me to state clearly that your comments about your cooperation with Mike Cross are untrue. They are distorted by your failing memory of events. Although Mike has turned against you in recent times, he always cooperated with you in the translation, and would never go against your wishes with regard to the content. He produced a final translation that was the result of your joint effort over so many years, and he would never let us publish anything until it had been approved by you. Never. Both Jeremy and I were constantly impressed by Mike’s loyalty to you. Your description of the process of the translation is distorted and unacceptable.
Jeff Bailey left you in 1989 because he told us that you were too cold. I took that to mean that he could not feel any humanity from you. You were not loyal to his efforts to serve you. He seemed to feel you didn’t care any more. Mike Cross was not the reason why Jeff Bailey left you. Mike and Jeff talked about the situation before Jeff left, and will confirm what I say. Jeff left you because he didn’t want to continue studying with you. A similar situation has been repeated more than 5 times since then with later students.
Please stop this kind of posting on your blog. You are destroying your life’s work. I strongly urge you to close down your blog as soon as possible. You are misleading people who don’t know you and have never met you.
Michael Eido Luetchford
Chief Dogen Sangha Whistleblower
And your student for 30 years
The flaws in the diamond have been covered by dust for too long.
9:32 PM, August 14, 2007
削除
keishin.ni さんは書きました...
Dear Gudo Wafu Nishijima Roshi:
It appears that Kuge, Flowers in Space, currently a topic of exploration in the blog is being demostrated:
'removing the disturbance is redoubling the disease.'
(Gudo) Dear Keishin Ni San,
Thank you very much for your comments. Your quotation above is interpreted by Master Dogen in the next paragraph that "Intellectual excluding now adds to the disease and augments the disease. The very moment itself of eliminating is inevitably disturbance. They are simultaneous and are beyond simultaneousness. Disturbances always include the fact of [trying to] eliminate them.
In short. Master Dogen insisted that the
suppression of desire is just the pruducing desire. In our daily life we can recognize that what Master Dogen said is just true.
In my experience, when I express understanding, but understanding of only intellectual level--Life very curiously and with great humor gives me a good practical application--then I really understand!
(Gudo) Master Dogen said that our intellectual efforts are perfectly useless, and without suppressing desire we can not find desire anywhere.
From what I see, everyone posting here is very sincere with wanting to make understood their truth.
The opposite of truth is Truth.
(Gudo) I would like to express that when we have forgotten the Truth, then the Truth really exists everywhere.
This is a strong teaching here at the Dogen Sangha Blog (there is no group I have sat with that does not teach this same teaching): Humans are human no matter how long or with whom they have studied or practiced Zen.
(Gudo) Recently I have noticed that Buddhism is just Humanism.
I am very grateful to all Sangha members, and to you, Nishijima Roshi, for this opportunity,
right here, before us now.
gassho
Keishin
Gudo) Thank you very much Keishin Ni San.
12:36 AM, August 15, 2007
削除
Mike Luetchford さんは書きました...
Keishin.ni
Although you probably mean well, this is not a subject for armchair buddhist bloggers to learn from. It is a serious situation between real human beings that really needs to be resolved. Sensei is no longer able to honor his students' efforts to support his life work because his memory is playing tricks on him. This has been getting worse over a number of years, but has not been public before.
Please realise that this is a real situation with a real old man that needs resolving. It is not a question of true or not true, of truth or Truth. I guess you have never had to care for and communicate with aging parents.
Sensei is 87, and lives alone in a small apartment with the blog as his only activity. But his students must act, out of love for an old and venerable old man whose achievements during his life have been indeed great.
What people reading this blog think about it is not the most important thing at the moment.
Respectfully
Mike Luetchford
5:46 PM, August 15, 2007
削除
(Gudo) Mr Luetchford, Thank you very much for your so much praising me.
Dear Nishijima Sensei:
I approach an understanding. My point of putting my Haiku into view was NOT to attack you. Rather, it was to show the sangha that the task of translating archaic Japanese into Modern Japanese was a very difficult and arduous task. For example, the large group of Stanford scholars have worked together on a few passages of Shobogenzo but not yet published one chapter.
When Emperor Hirohito died, the Japanese newspapers published dictionary sections for three or four days before the funeral because the archaic Japanese used to describe Tenno events is not used by 99% of the population and rarely used among that 1% who are sometimes exposed to such archaic Japanese terms.
My own wife, who is native born Japanese (amanohashidate) went to a university to study classical Japanese was was devastated to learn the husband-wife team who specialized in that area had retired just the year before.
So without your great effort, Shobogenzo would be unapproachable (perhaps even to the Stanford Scholars).
About your openness in this forum, that is just 'wa.' A rock is a rock and a tree is a tree. If we do not accept the rock, it is still a rock. If we do not accept the tree, it is still a tree. And we are both the rock and the tree to the extent we can accept there value.
I would not ask a koi to stop swimming. I would not ask a bird to cease its desire to fly.
With warmest fraternal regards,
Charles
Let us each be patient.
Let us each show compassion as a matter of individual constitution as well as a matter beneficial to the sangha.
Let us be a warm hearth to one who feels a chill, a robe to one who is naked, a torch that even in silence banishes darkness.
Dear Ven James Cohen San
Thank you very much for your encouraging words to me. I feel that, after we had the talk about your Treeleaf Zendo, it seems to me that your Buddhist state has go ahead further.
Dear Roshi,
Please keep writing your blog. I've learned very much from your work here both in terms of Buddhist theory and Buddhist action (how graciously you deal with such difficult situations).
I Wish you the best and simply want to encourage you by letting you know that your life's work and contribution to Buddhism will not be forgotten by me and many other's who have been touched by it.
Gassho,
Greg
Today, on 24, August, 2007, Gudo Wafu Nishijima, have read what Michael Luetchford wrote in "Our translation of Shobogenzo," and I have noticed clearly that what he wrote in his comments are completely different from my memory, and so I clearly proclaim that I can never accept what he wrote at all.
Gudo Wafu Nishijima
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