View Single Post
Old 07-24-2010, 03:58 PM   #6
Josh Reyer
 
Josh Reyer's Avatar
Location: Aichi-ken, Nagoya-shi
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 644
Japan
Offline
Re: Takemusu Aikido Translation Question

Quote:
Eric DesMarais wrote: View Post
So in this interpretation, yuu 幽 refers to the world of the mind, hence Ellis' reference to the subconscious. Would this also have been Ueshiba's interpretation?
No, in this interpretation, yuu refers to things not visible or tangible, the workings of the mind being but one example. To be clear, the translation as "subconscious" is not Ellis', I believe, but rather the translators of the Aikido Journal article he was referencing.

As for Ueshiba's interpretation, that's dicey, because he didn't need a translation. He just used the word, along with all of the various nuances and shades of meaning the word has. To pick one is to limit the idea, which is why I've always tried to give it multiple glosses. My main intention was merely to show that the two varying translations are not as discrepant as you at first may have believed.

Josh Reyer

The lyf so short, the crafte so longe to lerne,
Th'assay so harde, so sharpe the conquerynge...
- Chaucer
  Reply With Quote