“I bow with a thankful heart and become aware that the greatest blessing is compassion.”
This is #78 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).
…
76. 자연이 생명 순환의 법칙이라는 것을 알게되어 감사한 마음으로 절합니다.
“I bow with a thankful heart and become aware that nature follows the law of life cycles.”
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 would read this seventy-eighth affirmation as: “I bow with a thankful heart and become aware that the greatest blessing is compassion.”
This seems a little bit cliche, and I have a hard time contextualizing (conceptualizing) “blessing” – that’s a strictly athiest’s handicap, I realize. By “cliche,” perhaps all I mean is that it doesn’t seem very insightful. Also, I may prefer translating 자비심 as “sympathy” or even “empathy” over the word compassion.
The sun is out. It de-motivates me, because it means it will be beastly hot out (since it will do nothing to abate the humidity). I was planning on taking a day trip somewhere, today, but seeing that blue sky and sun makes me think I’m happier with just cuddling up next to my airconditioner. I know that’s a world-fleeing cop-out. What can I offer in my defense?
I went out to dinner with coworkers after work on Friday, and I think I finally managed to convey to them just how boring a person I really am. I’m not sure if this is a relief, or just depressing.
