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Old 05-26-2006, 07:23 AM   #26
SeiserL
 
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindstone"

Gotta go with Ledyard Sensei.

If your biggest complaint is one word in the title, the author needs to take it as a compliment.

Lynn Seiser PhD
Yondan Aikido & FMA/JKD
We do not rise to the level of our expectations, but fall to the level of our training. Train well. KWATZ!
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Old 05-26-2006, 07:31 AM   #27
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindston

Quote:
Chhi'mèd Künzang wrote:
Erick,
Two on one: no fair! But, okay:
Randori is fun, isn't it?
Quote:
Chhi'mèd Künzang wrote:
First of all, I'm not sure why you need to cite Wikipedia rather than a dictionary - although it seems strangely appropriate in this case.
It was the closest weapon to hand. And thus -- as with all such things -- therefore, the most useful.

Maybe Wiki is a shinai to an OED shinken, but hey -- it's randori right?
Studies show it's no more inaccurate than the Britannica.

Plus, I hate retyping.

Cordially,
Erick Mead
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Old 05-26-2006, 07:38 AM   #28
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindston

Quote:
George S. Ledyard wrote:
My God, reading this debate reminds me why I didn't end up going for my Phd in Buddhist studies... I would have had to listen to my fellow academics arguing about things which I just didn't see as important.
Soooo -- if nirvana is not to be distinguished from samsara, and all beings have buddha-nature -- is transmigration of buddha-nature from one being-in-samsara to another being-in-samsara really just a transliteration of nirvana??



Cordially,
Erick Mead
(who will now sip deeply of the illusion of his hot cup of coffee).
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Old 05-26-2006, 08:26 AM   #29
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindstone"

Lynn,

Quote:
If your biggest complaint is one word in the title, the author needs to take it as a compliment.
Tell *him* that! Can't anybody take a compliment these days? There is the other related matter though, but it's also a pretty small thing - just a matter of housekeeping, really. That's what I've been trying to say.

Erick,

Quote:
Randori is fun, isn't it?
You betcha, and good for the wind, too.

Quote:
It was the closest weapon to hand. And thus -- as with all such things -- therefore, the most useful.

Maybe Wiki is a shinai to an OED shinken, but hey -- it's randori right?
Studies show it's no more inaccurate than the Britannica.
Um, I guess I better tai sabaki then: I notice you have chosen to abandon discussion of the *meaning* of the word in question. Don't forget to tuck your head!

Quote:
Soooo -- if nirvana is not to be distinguished from samsara, and all beings have buddha-nature -- is transmigration of buddha-nature from one being-in-samsara to another being-in-samsara really just a transliteration of nirvana??
Hey, just because they're non-dual doesn't mean you cannot distinguish them! The real question is how many bodhisattvas can dance on the head of a tanto.

Chhi'mèd
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Old 05-26-2006, 08:40 AM   #30
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindstone"

Cough. A tanto doesn't have a head. It does, however, have a kisaki....

Best,
Ron

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Old 05-26-2006, 08:47 AM   #31
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindston

Quote:
Ron Tisdale wrote:
Cough. A tanto doesn't have a head. It does, however, have a kisaki....
Oooh, pointy, pointy. See, I am NOT a bodhisattva and I'd really have to choose the tsukagashira for a dance floor; it does limit the ballroom moves, even so...

Cordially,
Erick Mead
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Old 05-26-2006, 11:17 AM   #32
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindstone"

Hi All,

Good discussion. Thanks. Again, this is not beating a dead horse. It is very much a part ( a PART) of what I wanted to do with this month's column. I'm needing another day here to finish that reply I've been promising. Sorry.

For me, I have admitted that the word "re-transliteration" is odd - more than that, I have acknowledged that it is not a word (though "transliteration" is a word). (Let us note that I did not use the word "transliteration" in my title.) I have done this while saying there is a purpose to its oddness and even to its creation. Look, when a term is not a word, one has to realize that a working definition is in order. On top of that then, one has to wait for a user to give that working definition. Hence, my request to wait for my promised reply.

The issue here is that while "re-transliteration" is not a word, while a working definition is in order, it is not automatically the case that "translation" is the better word to use in the title. This is why I separated the two critiques (i.e. the issue over the word in the title and the issue on translation). In other words, it is true, "re-transliteration" is an odd word (a non-word), but the oddness of this word (the fact that it requires a working definition) does not automatically imply that "translation" is the right word or that there is some other word already in use in the English language that should have been used. For example, we should be able to note this from the fact that as soon as we think of the word "translation" we are being pressed by reason to keep it absent and to instead offer a disclaimer that the article is no such thing at all.

To discuss what I would like to eventually discuss, I felt it important to address these side issues of "translation," "misleading," "accuracy," as well as to say something about perspective and one's overall place in the production of such writings, etc. I understand that some would like to see such issues as relevant to the non-word of "re-transliteration" but they are not. The word requires a working definition and one is simply going to have to wait for that. In the meantime, one should already be able to see that the made up word has done its job: it is requiring itself to be defined. In doing so it has prompted discussion concerning not the words of Osensei but the way by which we are choosing to understand those words. Along with providing the working defintion, this is what I will be taking up in my promised post.

Thank you all for your time and energy. Good points all around.

d

David M. Valadez
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Old 05-26-2006, 01:24 PM   #33
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindstone"

Hi David,

Glad to see we're back on track.

Quote:
The issue here is that while "re-transliteration" is not a word, while a working definition is in order, it is not automatically the case that "translation" is the better word to use in the title.
I would just like to point out that, "retransliteration" refers to the inverse process of transliteration. It is exactly this reversibility of transliteration which makes it preferable to transcription. This usage is parallel to the meaning of "retranslation" - which means a translation back into the original language.

I would also like to point out that I only initial suggested the word "translation" because that is what your text *appeared* to be. It was when I discovered it was not that I suggested perhaps adding a small clarification, in order to eliminate the confusion.

Chhi'mèd
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Old 05-26-2006, 03:08 PM   #34
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindstone"

Well, you are heading where I want with this idea of inversing - almost. I was shooting for a mixture of "reversing" and making a second attempt. More on that later. I would read "retranslate" not as "reverse translating" but as "translating again." e.g. I translate from Japanese to English; I would translate from English to Japanese (even if it is the same text); and when I retranslate then I would be looking for a second attempt at taking the Japanese text into English.

;-)

d

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Old 05-26-2006, 05:25 PM   #35
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindstone"

David,

Quote:
Well, you are heading where I want with this idea of inversing - almost. I was shooting for a mixture of "reversing" and making a second attempt. More on that later. I would read "retranslate" not as "reverse translating" but as "translating again." e.g. I translate from Japanese to English; I would translate from English to Japanese (even if it is the same text); and when I retranslate then I would be looking for a second attempt at taking the Japanese text into English.
If I'm reading you correctly, you are describing one step in an interative procedure for morphing a text. Think the 'telephone' game, but have every other person speak a different language: English->Japanese->English->Japanese->English, etc.. If, additionally, each participant works toward some common goal, the lossiness of the translation process can be used to nudge the text along. We might define the hypothetical number V (the Valadez number, if you want it) for any two texts - where V is the minimum number of iterations of 'good faith' translation required to effect the transformation from original text to goal.

But transliteration isn't subject to this problem, since it should be lossless, unlike translation.

Chhi'mèd
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Old 05-26-2006, 07:18 PM   #36
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindstone"

Hi Chhi'mèd,

What you say is true, but at the same time you are thinking too narrowly here when you are thinking "transliteration." There are loses of meaning, nuance, information, etc., when you deal with languages from different points in history (e.g. languages on different sides of an epistemic shift). Additionally, some things don't make every kind of cultural exchange as well, for example, romaji loses a lot as a transliteration of kanji. These examples are more along the lines of what I will end up discussing.

d

David M. Valadez
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Old 05-26-2006, 07:50 PM   #37
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindstone"

How much of the "original" article is not seen at aikido journal (to non-subscribers)? I notice it said the entire article is available to subscribers.

Lost in Transliteration,
Jory
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Old 05-26-2006, 08:14 PM   #38
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindstone"

David,

Quote:
There are loses of meaning, nuance, information, etc., when you deal with languages from different points in history (e.g. languages on different sides of an epistemic shift). Additionally, some things don't make every kind of cultural exchange as well, for example, romaji loses a lot as a transliteration of kanji. These examples are more along the lines of what I will end up discussing.
I am all attention.

Chhi'mèd
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Old 05-26-2006, 08:35 PM   #39
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindstone"

Quote:
Jory Boling wrote:
How much of the "original" article is not seen at aikido journal (to non-subscribers)? I notice it said the entire article is available to subscribers.

Lost in Transliteration,
Jory

Hi Jory,

I'm not sure, but I think they generally just show a few paragraphs. Unfortunately, this lecture was quite long so I imagine you are not seeing a lot.

d

David M. Valadez
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Old 05-28-2006, 01:15 PM   #40
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindston

Quote:
David Valadez wrote:
Hi Chhi'mèd,

What you say is true, but at the same time you are thinking too narrowly here when you are thinking "transliteration." There are loses of meaning, nuance, information, etc., when you deal with languages from different points in history (e.g. languages on different sides of an epistemic shift). Additionally, some things don't make every kind of cultural exchange as well, for example, romaji loses a lot as a transliteration of kanji. These examples are more along the lines of what I will end up discussing.

d
All language is "conditional". Use of language to talk about these issues is "upaya", expedient means. It's true even when two people from the same time and the same culture converse about anything. Perhaps, misunderstanding is less when we know we are trying to under stand what was said or written by a person from another time and place, who perhaps, used a different language. I suspect we pay closer attention to what is said or written in that context than we do when we are making the "assumption" we understand what was meant.

This is precisely why an article of this type is important. One reads it and compares it to what one remembers of what was said before. Does this square with what I had previously read? If not, what are the areas of difference? Does it challenge anything I had thought till now I understood? If so, I then compare what is being written against the overall knowledge of the subject I have. I try to understand why the author has said what he did. At that point I can decide whether I agree with his take on things or I stick with what my previous understanding of the subject. However, the very process of doing this changes my overall understanding even though I might not be changing my actual position. The simple act of re-evaluation deepens ones understanding.

George S. Ledyard
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Old 05-28-2006, 11:03 PM   #41
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindstone"

Okay, George, I'll play, although I won't touch 'upaya' in this context.

Quote:
This is precisely why an article of this type is important. One reads it and compares it to what one remembers of what was said before. Does this square with what I had previously read?
So when you way, 'what I had previously read,' does that mean there is a specific referent to which you are comparing, or do you just mean everything you've ever read which might relate to the topic. I ask because you previously said you 'did not believe it came from anywhere at all'.

Quote:
The idea that it is "misleading" not have fully disclosed where the original documeht came from isn't true. Misleading would have been to cause me to belive that it was from somewhere it wasn't. I did not believe it came from anywhere at all because it's source wasn't stated; I simply didn't know it's source. Since I knew that I didn't know it's source, it's hard to feel like I was mislead.
If you really had no idea at all of the article's source, why would it occur to you to kick into comparison mode? Personally, I took the text's own attribution at face value.

From the main body of the article:
Quote:
(From a Budo Senyokai publication entitled "Budo" which originally appeared in July of 1933)
Rather than believing that the source wasn't stated (as you did), I interpreted this attribution to mean the source was a Budo Senyokai publication entitled "Budo" which originally appeared in July of 1933. I made the further assumption that this was the source of the 'original translation', and that this article was a parallel translation. The footnotes which provided critical comments on the Aikido Journal article led me to believe that the current 'translation' was informed by a desire to improve the original translation.

However, since you did not form the opinions I formed, I'm curious where you thought this text came from, as it prompted you to reevaluate your view of what you 'remember of what was said before'.

Thanks,
Chhi'mèd
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Old 05-29-2006, 12:47 AM   #42
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindston

Quote:
Chhi'mèd Künzang wrote:
Okay, George, I'll play, although I won't touch 'upaya' in this context.



So when you way, 'what I had previously read,' does that mean there is a specific referent to which you are comparing, or do you just mean everything you've ever read which might relate to the topic. I ask because you previously said you 'did not believe it came from anywhere at all'.



If you really had no idea at all of the article's source, why would it occur to you to kick into comparison mode? Personally, I took the text's own attribution at face value.

From the main body of the article:


Rather than believing that the source wasn't stated (as you did), I interpreted this attribution to mean the source was a Budo Senyokai publication entitled "Budo" which originally appeared in July of 1933. I made the further assumption that this was the source of the 'original translation', and that this article was a parallel translation. The footnotes which provided critical comments on the Aikido Journal article led me to believe that the current 'translation' was informed by a desire to improve the original translation.

However, since you did not form the opinions I formed, I'm curious where you thought this text came from, as it prompted you to reevaluate your view of what you 'remember of what was said before'.

Thanks,
Chhi'mèd
I didn't notice the attribution and from the tenor of the discussion, it seemed that it hadn't been there. Since it was there I find the disvussion / disagreement even less understandable. As far what I said about my process, it was how I generally treat this type of thing and not specifically how I dealt with this particular article. I was not moved to re-evaluate in this case because what David had written was consistent with my own ideas of what O-Sensei had expressed in the various other things I have read.

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Old 05-29-2006, 06:03 AM   #43
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindstone"

My thoughts, FWIW.

What David has done here is a revision of a translation, no more, no less. John R. Clark Hall translated "Beowulf" in 1910. It had a number of flaws. In 1940, C.L. Wrenn revised the translation. He didn't change the meaning of the translation, he merely did what David did here: revise certain parts of the translation to make it easier to read and understand, get closer to the original's meaning.

The "job" of words is not to require that they be defined. The job of words is to carry meaning, facilitating communication. If one wants to create a word, it's the creator's obligation to provide some kind of clear meaning and/or context for the word, so that it may facilitate communication. We shouldn't have to wait for a working definition. If a word doesn't have one, it probably shouldn't be used.

All of which is to say, I don't know why the article wasn't called "Kannagara no Jutsu by Ueshiba Morihei" with the byline "Translation revised by David Valadez, with commentary".

Josh Reyer

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Old 05-29-2006, 05:49 PM   #44
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindstone"

Josh,

Thank you for weighing in.
Quote:
All of which is to say, I don't know why the article wasn't called "Kannagara no Jutsu by Ueshiba Morihei" with the byline "Translation revised by David Valadez, with commentary".
Something like the foregoing is entirely in line with what I have been suggesting all along. I hope for the sake of anyone actually reading this thread that detractors will address Josh's succinct recapitulation of the issue - so no one has to wade through the morass of ducking and dodging that has led us to this point of singular clarity.

Thanks,
Chhi'mèd
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Old 05-31-2006, 11:16 AM   #45
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindstone"

Quote:
David Valadez wrote:
This I can say because its message remains the same as the English translation ...
and

Quote:
David Valadez wrote:
The fact that my piece keeps the same meaning as the English translation, and that its translations of key terms are obviously superior to those found in the English translation, only reinforces my belief that I do not have to worry about what you are asking me to worry about.
dmv
Hi David!
Glad to read some more of your writings. I'm not entirely through reading it, but I had a a question for you. I've cut and pasted your response to others because it regards my question.

First, how do you define that your piece has the same meaning as the English translation? I can only read a short bit from the Aikido Journal site, but it seems to me that the article there and your article do not convey the same meaning. The most glaring example is your use of singular God and the articles use of God, god, gods, and god(s). I just wondered what your explanation was?

Thanks,
Mark
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Old 05-31-2006, 11:46 AM   #46
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindstone"

Hi Mark,

I'm still working on that reply - things are a bit hectic here right now. Not finding much time for finishing it. Apologies to everyone. I cover what you ask a bit in that reply - attempting to make a difference between "meaning" and "nuance." I'm afraid I am going to need more time to finish the piece and thus address your point fully. However, in a footnote of the column I have written, this topic is discussed briefly there. If you haven't read that footnote, perhaps you could take a look at it and see how or why I opted to refer to "God" in the "singular."

Again, apologies for not being able to write more at this time - to all.

Talk later, take care,
d

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Old 05-31-2006, 01:27 PM   #47
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindstone"

I'm sure you're all happy that this thread has died for a couple of days. Pardon me for reviving it again. While this whole discussion between Chhi'mèd and David was getting a little tedious, shall we say, it is an "important post," as David says, that "brought up several points that need to be addressed." The importance of this discussion, and the reason I really appreciate is that it is a very critical analysis of David's writing. In general, AikiWeb is a pretty good forum for asking "the tough questions" about Aikido, but in general, Aikido (and probably other martial arts) people tend to write off such questions, in favor of "experiencing" an answer beyond words. This approach works of course, but it doesn't really allow for the academic or objective understanding of Aikido that writing and critical thinking allows. As practitioners of Aikido, we face difficult questions about Aikido all the time, but "let me show you" is not always an appropriate answer. We shouldn't run away like this from critical questions because they are difficult to answer, or because a verbal answer might be an incomplete understanding of Aikido. Instead, dealing with critical questions verbally is just as important as being able to deal with the difficulties of training physically. So, to AikiWeb in general, and to the people who have posted in this thread specifically, Aikido is hard to think about; keep thinking anyway.

That being said, I'd like to point out what I feel to be the problem that stems from David's article. Assuming I were to write an essay about religion and Aikido, how would I use this work? Or, in what context would I have to understand it? What culture does it represent? Originally, this work was in Japanese, as a speech presented to an audience of Japanese Aikido students, in fact the students of Morihei Ueshiba. We can assume that the translation is accurate, not only because that assumption is has to be made all the time in scholarship on other cultures, but moreover, because this is the only extant text available, and the original may have never existed as anything other than a lecture. But as Chhi'mèd pointed out, the original, or even the original translation is not what is in question here. Considering the context of the original translator might not be very relevant for discussing the article at hand. With what we know about it, that it is a speech by Morihei Ueshiba to his students in Japan, I might start an essay about this article by studying the religious climate of 1930's Japan.

However, this article is not a translation, rather an annotated rewording, re-transliteration, revision or what have you. This does not change the fact that this is a speech delivered by Ueshiba, but the fact that it has been "re-transliterated" (or whatever) does change the context that we would have to understand it. It is no longer the product of the religion of Morihei Ueshiba, or of Aikido in 1930's Japan, but because of the process of revision becomes a product of trends in United States Aikido in 2006, and the religion of the revisionist. For example, while this source might be appropriate to answer the question "How do practitioners in Japan who studied under Morihei Ueshiba view the connection between religion and Aikido?" but it would be even more appropriate to answer the question "How do practicioners in America in the early 21st century view the connection between religion and Aikido?"

No writing can be taken out of context, but it can be taken out of the original context. This is what happened when David did this revision of "Kannagara no Jutsu." Some things were added, some things were changed. This is not longer Morihei Ueshiba's work, per se, but a blending of two inherently different conceptions of Aikido and spirituality. There's no reason to fault David for writing this article; as he said (something to the effect of) "this happens all the time in religion." But what Chhi'mèd is pointing out is that while this appears to be an authoritative translation of an original document, this is not the original. Re-interpreting a document for clarity is certainly not wrong, but in order to understand it, we have to understand what context it has been put in.

Sorry for another long post.

Peace,
Tom Newhall
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Old 05-31-2006, 03:16 PM   #48
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindston

Another good post. Thanks Tom.

Sorry to sound like a broken record here, but again, the issue of context is to be addressed in my next post. Please forgive.

However, here I would like to point out an assumption being made in your post: That the translation in question was speaking from the context of Osensei's understanding c. 1930. My opinion is that it is not. I do not know if this is because it was translated after the fact or because it was never understood from the point of view of Osensei's mysticism (even if it was translated c. 1930). Either way, the translation is the departure from Osensei's thought. Key examples of this are how it emphasizes common Shinto understandings (as opposed to Omoto-kyo understandings) and also how it thinks of key cultural terms (yamato damashii and kodo), using what later became dominant understandings. That said, in attempting to utilize Osensei's thought (from elsewhere), Omoto-kyo theology, and the common discourse of mysticism to alter the nuance of the translation, my piece is in my opinion much more representative of what Osensei truly felt and believed - more than the original translation was/is. Thus, I would hardly say that my piece is "revisionistic" and/or representative of 21st century America or American Aikido, etc. Consequently, I would hardly call the translation representative of Osensei's thinking - especially c. 1930.

Again, thanks for the post.
Good points - very relevant as you say - I agree.

dmv

PS. Hopefully, we can also get to your questions - they are good ones! I do think we should discuss them as well.

Last edited by senshincenter : 05-31-2006 at 03:20 PM.

David M. Valadez
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Old 06-24-2006, 11:37 PM   #49
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindstone"

I have no desire whatsoever to reopen this 'discussion', but since its topic is directly connected to the content of this thread, I feel compelled to simply note the following:

On 24 May 2006,
Quote:
David Valadez wrote:
I would like to also reply, because I want to use what you said to discuss what I consider to be the whole point of this column. I am having to write that reply between classes today, so I am looking to get it up on here by this evening or by tomorrow at the latest.
and . . .
Quote:
David Valadez wrote:
I am still working on the reply that will let you know exactly why I used the word "re-transliteration." Please forgive my delay. In the meantime...
and later . . .
Quote:
David Valadez wrote:
I'm still working on that reply - things are a bit hectic here right now.
and finally . . .
Quote:
David Valadez wrote:
Sorry to sound like a broken record here, but again, the issue of context is to be addressed in my next post.
One month has passed since we began to wait for the promised auto-exegesis [a transparent compound neologism], and in the meantime this thread has been allowed to die the death it deserves. No elaboration has arisen, and if the chronology of these threads were more obviously apparent, I would feel no need to draw attention to it now - as the total silence is otherwise entirely communicative.

Chhi'mèd
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Old 06-25-2006, 12:29 AM   #50
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Re: Article: A Re-transliteration of Osensei's "Kannagara no Jutsu" by "The Grindstone"

Chhi'mèd and others,

I hope some of you can imagine that the communication within said silence simply means that other aspects of life are playing a role here. I do not see that these threads die (not really), simply because they are recorded and open to re-opening anytime - as you note in your own last reply with your disclaimer regarding the ease with which such things are resurrected. Please bare with me. This is not a contest for me - it is a discussion. Folks here are involved in an exchange of views, not an extermination of views.

In short, I'm not being silenced by default but by temporary circumstances. If one is interested in this discussion, one is interested in this discussion. If one is interested for only so long, then one was not that interested to begin with. Move on - return not. That would seem to make more sense concerning that level of interest one is claiming not to have. However, if it's worth returning to, if you are tied to it for some reason, such that even moments of silence have to be experienced only as defeats or suspicious delays, etc., then it should be worth going on with one's life until the discussion picks up again. That's how I see it anyways.

To put your more at ease: For the record, it does not look like I will be able to complete my reply until after July 8th - when life will shift for me again, allowing for me to return to this topic (and others as well). Accept it or not - it changes not. But, if it is so important, you must feel free to PM me or email me, so you can keep checking up on me, and I will gladly give you weekly updates on my schedule so that you do not feel so cheated along the way. Otherwise, I'll post again in July.

David M. Valadez
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