Category: The 108

“Buddha. I bow and turn today to the realm of Buddha now in generosity and kindness.”
This is the last of a series of 108 daily Buddhist affirmations that I have been attempting to translate. I started, almost accidentally, in September of 2010, and now I’ve reached the last one.  I can’t guarantee the results, as I don’t really know Korean very well, but it’s been nice to try.

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106. 부처님. 저는 선지 식을 만날 수 있기를 발원하며 절합니다.
           “Buddha. I bow and pray to be able to find the ways of the prophets.”
107. 부처님. 저는이 세상에 부처님이 오시기를 발원하며 절합니다.
           “Buddha. I bow and pray that Buddha comes into the world.”
108. 부처님. 오늘 지은이 인연 아낌없이 시방 법계에 회향하며 절합니다.

I would read this one hundred eighth affirmation as: “Buddha. I bow and turn today to the realm of Buddha now in generosity and kindness.”
This was difficult. I didn’t know what to do with “인연” (probably “karma” in this context) – so I ignored it as a gratuitous extra noun.  There was nothing for it to “attach to,” grammatically. I had all these adverbs (“in kindness,” “in generosity,” “today,” “now”) but no verbs to attach to.
So I finish with the same doubts and ambivalences as I started with. As I’ve said in other places in this blog, I’m feeling very discouraged about my progress in learning Korean. I’m not doing very well with it. Having these little translations to turn to over the last year has been a good way to recover some focus on this project, so I’m going to miss it.  I’m fishing around for a replacement project, but so far I haven’t come up with anything.
“We are here on Earth to fart around. Don’t let anybody tell you any different.” – Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country, 2005.

“Buddha. I bow and pray to grow in wisdom.”
This is #104 out of a series of 108 daily Buddhist affirmations that I am attempting to translate with my hands tied behind my back (well not really that, but I’m deliberately not seeking out translations on the internet, using only dictionary and grammar).

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100. 부처님. 저는이 세상에 전쟁이 없기를 발원하며 절합니다.
           “Buddha. I bow and pray not to be at war with the world.” 
101. 부처님. 저는이 세상에 가난이 없기를 발원하며 절합니다.
          “Buddha. I bow and pray not to be destitute in the world.” 
102. 부처님. 저는이 세상에 질병이 없기를 발원하며 절합니다.
           “Buddha. I bow and pray not to suffer sickness in the world.”
103. 부처님. 저는 보살행을 실천하며 살아가기를 발원하며 절합니다.
            “Buddha. I bow and pray to live and practice toward becoming a bodhisattva.”
104. 부처님. 저는 반야 지혜가 자라기를 발원하며 절합니다.

I would read this one hundred fourth affirmation as: “Buddha. I bow and pray to grow in wisdom.”
I have no idea what “반야” is – is it a verb with a “-야” ending, or a noun that I can’t find in the dictionary? The only dictionary meaning found was “midnight” which makes no sense. I basically ignored it in the above effort at translation.

“Buddha. I bow and pray to live and practice toward becoming a bodhisattva.”
This is #103 out of a series of 108 daily Buddhist affirmations that I am attempting to translate with my hands tied behind my back (well not really that, but I’m deliberately not seeking out translations on the internet, using only dictionary and grammar).

…
100. 부처님. 저는이 세상에 전쟁이 없기를 발원하며 절합니다.
           “Buddha. I bow and pray not to be at war with the world.” 
101. 부처님. 저는이 세상에 가난이 없기를 발원하며 절합니다.
          “Buddha. I bow and pray not to be destitute in the world.” 
102. 부처님. 저는이 세상에 질병이 없기를 발원하며 절합니다.
           “Buddha. I bow and pray not to suffer sickness in the world.”
103. 부처님. 저는 보살행을 실천하며 살아가기를 발원하며 절합니다.

I would read this one hundred third affirmation as: “Buddha. I bow and pray to live and practice toward becoming a bodhisattva.”
I was completely stumped by the -행 ending in 보살행.  It’s not in online Korean-English dictionaries, but it’s in the Korean only ones, where the definition is: “보살이 부처가 되려고 수행하는, 자기와 남을 이롭게 하는 원만한 행동.”  I decided to take 보살행 as meaning something like “bodhisattvaism,” but then basically to disregard it in my effort to translate, and use a phrase like “becoming a bodhisattva” instead.  I have no idea if this the right meaning.

“Buddha. I bow and pray to exist harmoniously with all life.”
This is #99 out of a series of 108 daily Buddhist affirmations that I am attempting to translate with my hands tied behind my back (well not really that, but I’m deliberately not seeking out translations on the internet, using only dictionary and grammar).

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97. 부처님. 저는 자비로운 마음으로 살기를 발원하며 절합니다.
         “Buddha. I bow and pray to live with a compassionate heart.”
98. 부처님. 저는 맑고 밝은 마음 가지도록 발원하며 절합니다.
        “Buddha. I bow and pray to bear a clear and bright heart.” 
99. 부처님. 저는 모든 생명이 평화롭기를 발원하며 절합니다.

I would read this ninety-ninth affirmation as: “Buddha. I bow and pray to exist harmoniously with all life.”

“Buddha. I bow and pray to be honest in everything.”

This is #95 out of a series of 108 daily Buddhist affirmations that I am attempting to translate with my hands tied behind my back (well not really that, but I’m deliberately not seeking out translations on the internet, using only dictionary and grammar).

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93. 부처님. 저는 매사에 겸손하기를 발원하며 절합니다.
         “Buddha. I bow and pray to be humble in everything.”
94. 부처님. 저는 매사에 최선을 다하기를 발원하며 절합니다.
         “Buddha. I bow and pray to do the best in everything.”
95. 부처님. 저는 매사에 정직하기를 발원하며 절합니다.

I would read this ninety-fifth affirmation as: “Buddha. I bow and pray to be honest in everything.”

“Buddha. I bow and pray to be humble in everything.”

This is #93 out of a series of 108 daily Buddhist affirmations that I am attempting to translate with my hands tied behind my back (well not really that, but I’m deliberately not seeking out translations on the internet, using only dictionary and grammar).

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91. 부처님. 저는 남을 무시하지 않기를 발원하며 절합니다.
        “Buddha. I bow and pray not to disdain other people.”
92. 부처님. 저는 남을 원망하지 않기를 발원하며 절합니다.
         “Buddha. I bow and pray not to resent other people.”
93. 부처님. 저는 매사에 겸손하기를 발원하며 절합니다.

I would read this ninety-third affirmation as: “Buddha. I bow and pray to be humble in everything.”

“Buddha. I bow and pray not to disdain other people.”

This is #91 out of a series of 108 daily Buddhist affirmations that I am attempting to translate with my hands tied behind my back (well not really that, but I’m deliberately not seeking out translations on the internet, using only dictionary and grammar).

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89. 부처님. 저는 거짓말하지 않기를 발원하며 절합니다.
        “Buddha. I bow and pray not to tell lies.”
90. 부처님. 저는 남을 비방하지 않기를 발원하며 절합니다.
        “Buddha. I bow and pray not to slander other people.”
91. 부처님. 저는 남을 무시하지 않기를 발원하며 절합니다.

I would read this ninety-first affirmation as: “Buddha. I bow and pray not to disdain other people.”

The one-word substitutions from one affirmation to the next are the easiest to translate. Even if I don’t know the word, with the syntactical matrix being exactly the same all it takes is a simple dictionary look-up. 무시하다 can also mean “ignore,” and I nearly preferred that word over disdain. Mostly because it would make it a very “relatable” affirmation – I am, in fact, sometimes quite guilty of ignoring other people. I have such strong anti-social tendencies, maybe… or else, in a more positive way, it could be said that I value and need my solitude, daily. It’s so difficult when people “reach out” to me and I’m just not “in the mood” to be social. It seems more polite to ignore them than to respond with a “leave me alone” (clearly), but I nevertheless feel guilty about it.

I wonder how this could connect to those Buddhist monks who go off and live solitary, isolated lives. Are they still called upon to not ignore others? I suppose they’re making it difficult for others to reach out to them … isn’t that a kind of ignoring?

“Buddha. I bow and pray not to slander other people.”

This is #90 out of a series of 108 daily Buddhist affirmations that I am attempting to translate with my hands tied behind my back (well not really that, but I’m deliberately not seeking out translations on the internet, using only dictionary and grammar).

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88. 부처님. 저는 모진 말을하지 않기를 발원하며 절합니다.
        “Buddha. I bow and pray not to speak harshly.”
89. 부처님. 저는 거짓말하지 않기를 발원하며 절합니다.
        “Buddha. I bow and pray not to tell lies.”
90. 부처님. 저는 남을 비방하지 않기를 발원하며 절합니다.

I would read this ninetieth affirmation as: “Buddha. I bow and pray not to slander other people.”

“Buddha. I bow and pray not to tell lies.”

This is #89 out of a series of 108 daily Buddhist affirmations that I am attempting to translate with my hands tied behind my back (well not really that, but I’m deliberately not seeking out translations on the internet, using only dictionary and grammar).

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87. 부처님 . 저는시기하지 않기를 발원하며 절합니다.
        “Buddha. I bow and pray not to be envious.”
88. 부처님. 저는 모진 말을하지 않기를 발원하며 절합니다.
        “Buddha. I bow and pray not to speak harshly.”
89. 부처님. 저는 거짓말하지 않기를 발원하며 절합니다.

I would read this eighty-ninth affirmation as: “Buddha. I bow and pray not to tell lies.”

No lie.

Photo, above, taken exactly one year ago, in Gwangju (during a Mudeung Mountain hike).

“Buddha. I bow and pray not to be arrogant.”

This is #86 out of a series of 108 daily Buddhist affirmations that I am attempting to translate with my hands tied behind my back (well not really that, but I’m deliberately not seeking out translations on the internet, using only dictionary and grammar).

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84. 부처님. 저는 욕심을 내지 않기를 발원하며 절합니다.
        “Buddha. I bow and pray not to be greedy.”
85. 부처님 . 저는 화내지 않기를 발원하며 절합니다.
        “Buddha. I bow and pray not to get angry.”
86. 부처님 . 저는 교만하지 않기를 발원하며 절합니다.

I would read this eighty-sixth affirmation as: “Buddha. I bow and pray not to be arrogant.”

This is a difficult one for me. Through the years of my life, so many people have told me that I seem like an arrogant person. I strive for non-arrogance. Is that the same as humility? How is this done?

“Buddha. I bow and pray not to get angry.”

This is #85 out of a series of 108 daily Buddhist affirmations that I am attempting to translate with my hands tied behind my back (well not really that, but I’m deliberately not seeking out translations on the internet, using only dictionary and grammar).

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83. 항상 스님의 가르침을 따르기를 발원하며 절합니다.
        “I bow and pray to follow always the teachings of the monks.”
84. 부처님. 저는 욕심을 내지 않기를 발원하며 절합니다.
        “Buddha. I bow and pray not to be greedy.”
85. 부처님 . 저는 화내지 않기를 발원하며 절합니다.

I would read this eighty-fifth affirmation as: “Buddha. I bow and pray not to get angry.”

Today, I thought of getting angry but really there was no point. There was no copy machine. Which is also the main printer (so there was no printer except for the slow slow color one). I asked, “what happened to the copy machine?”

I was told we didn’t have one today.  Maybe it’s being serviced?  My boss pointed at the whiteboard that serves as a bulletin board in the office.  “Didn’t you see?  I wrote it, right there.”

Here is what was written on the white board:

“Ah,” I said. “That should’ve been obvious, then.” I guess I was being a little bit sarcastic.

Because, no, I didn’t read the notice on the bulletin board. I didn’t even try.

Setting aside that fact that I tune out Korean in these contexts to some extent, the handwriting is exceptionally messy, too. I just didn’t see the point in trying to decipher it. Obviously, I made a mistake.

Looking at it, now, I can see it says something about the copier, and about copying beforehand. I still can’t figure out the last verb – but yes. I can get the drift.

I’ve learned a small lesson. It’s one I’ve learned, repeatedly, before: the “Korean communication taboo” isn’t as all-encompassing as it appears to foreigners. But overcoming it does require one to put the effort into understanding the language and paying attention to the appropriate channels of communication.

“Buddha. I bow and pray not to be greedy.”

This is #84 out of a series of 108 daily Buddhist affirmations that I am attempting to translate with my hands tied behind my back (well not really that, but I’m deliberately not seeking out translations on the internet, using only dictionary and grammar).

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82. 항상 부처님의 법속에서 살기를 발원하며 절합니다.
        “I bow and pray to live always in the heart of Buddha’s dharma.”
83. 항상 스님의 가르침을 따르기를 발원하며 절합니다.
        “I bow and pray to follow always the teachings of the monks.”
84. 부처님. 저는 욕심을 내지 않기를 발원하며 절합니다.

I would read this eighty-fourth affirmation as: “Buddha. I bow and pray not to be greedy.”

“I bow and pray to follow always the teachings of the monks.”

This is #83 out of a series of 108 daily Buddhist affirmations that I am attempting to translate with my hands tied behind my back (well not really that, but I’m deliberately not seeking out translations on the internet, using only dictionary and grammar).

…
81. 항상 부처님의 품 안에서 살기를 발원하며 절합니다.
        “I bow and pray to live always in the Buddha’s arms.”
82. 항상 부처님의 법속에서 살기를 발원하며 절합니다.
        “I bow and pray to live always in the heart of Buddha’s dharma.”
83. 항상 스님의 가르침을 따르기를 발원하며 절합니다.

I would read this eighty-third affirmation as: “I bow and pray to follow always the teachings of the monks.”

I’m never comfortable with vows to follow people. I think of myself as a loyal person, but I’m not sure that I really am. I’m loyal to my friends in my heart, but because I go off and do my “own thing” so much, I’m not really there for the people I care about.

“I bow and pray to live always in the Buddha’s arms.”

This is #81 out of a series of 108 daily Buddhist affirmations that I am attempting to translate with my hands tied behind my back (well not really that, but I’m deliberately not seeking out translations on the internet, using only dictionary and grammar).

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79. 가장 큰 재앙이 미움, 원망이라는 것을 알게되어 감사한 마음으로 절합니다.
“I bow with a thankful heart and become aware that the greatest misfortune is hatred [and] resentment.”
80. 가장 큰 힘이 사랑이라는 것을 알게되어 감사한 마음으로 절합니다.
“I bow with a thankful heart and become aware that the most powerful thing is love.”
81. 항상 부처님의 품 안에서 살기를 발원하며 절합니다.

I would read this eighty-first affirmation as: “I bow and pray to live always in the Buddha’s arms.”

The pattern changes now – the biggest shift in the main clause since the start. Fortunately, the ending -며 [myeo] isn’t very challenging: it just means something like “and” or “while” – hence, “I bow and pray…” or “I bow, [while] praying…” It’s a concatenator (which abound in Korean).

“I bow with a thankful heart and become aware that the most powerful thing is love.”

This is #80 out of a series of 108 daily Buddhist affirmations that I am attempting to translate with my hands tied behind my back (well not really that, but I’m deliberately not seeking out translations on the internet, using only dictionary and grammar).

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78. 가장 큰 축복이 자비심이라는 것을 알게되어 감사한 마음으로 절합니다.
        “I bow with a thankful heart and become aware that the greatest blessing is compassion.”
79. 가장 큰 재앙이 미움, 원망이라는 것을 알게되어 감사한 마음으로 절합니다.
        “I bow with a thankful heart and become aware that the greatest misfortune is hatred [and] resentment.”
80. 가장 큰 힘이 사랑이라는 것을 알게되어 감사한 마음으로 절합니다.

I would read this eightieth affirmation as: “I bow with a thankful heart and become aware that the most powerful thing is love.”

Like some kind of Beatles song. But this translation marks a new milestone. I knew with 100% confidence what this meant – no dictionary, no checking. Just plain obvious. Having the pattern of the preceding helps.

“I bow with a thankful heart and become aware that the greatest misfortune is hatred [and] resentment.”

This is #79 out of a series of 108 daily Buddhist affirmations that I am attempting to translate with my hands tied behind my back (well not really that, but I’m deliberately not seeking out translations on the internet, using only dictionary and grammar).

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77. 자연이 우리들의 스승이라는 것을 알게되어 감사한 마음으로 절합니다.
        “I bow with a thankful heart and become aware that nature is our teacher.”
78. 가장 큰 축복이 자비심이라는 것을 알게되어 감사한 마음으로 절합니다.
        “I bow with a thankful heart and become aware that the greatest blessing is compassion.”
79. 가장 큰 재앙이 미움, 원망이라는 것을 알게되어 감사한 마음으로 절합니다.

I would read this seventy-ninth affirmation as: “I bow with a thankful heart and become aware that the greatest misfortune is hatred [and] resentment.”

Yes.