Sacred translation

The Zen Works of Stonehouse

Chinese translation | Sacred translation

Shiwu, the 14th century Chinese hermit monk, created an extraordinary canon of poetry that has rarely been seen in English. Red Pine’s new translation of the poetry insists on referring to the monk by the English name Stonehouse, but that is the only flaw in this otherwise fascinating presentation of deeply profound meditations on life, death and nature.

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Ancient Book of Buddhism Chantings Found

Chinese translation | Korean translation | Sacred translation | General interest

A Hangeul copy of an ancient Chinese book that contains the notes of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) scholar Kim Si-seup has been discovered.

The book was originally written by a Buddhist master from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and dates back to the 16th century.

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Scholars hail Jesuit's success at world Sanskrit conference

Sacred translation | General interest

PUNE, India : Christian and Hindu leaders in India as well as scholars from around the world have praised the performance of a Jesuit priest in convening the recent 14th World Sanskrit Conference.

Father Noel Sheth, a lecturer in Indian religions, served as chief convener of the History of Religion section at the meeting in Kyoto, Japan, the first Catholic priest so honored. The International Association of Sanskrit Studies had invited the University of Kyoto to host the triennial conference this year, held Sept. 1-5.

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New International Version of Bible to be rewritten after row over politically correct language

Sacred translation | General interest

A best-selling edition of the Bible is being rewritten after attempts to make it more politically correct ended in ridicule.

Publishers of the New International Version previously tried to make the holy text of Christianity “gender accurate” by changing phrases such as “sons of God” to “children of God” and “brethren” to “brothers and sisters”.

They also described the Virgin Mary as “pregnant” rather than “with child”, and removed mentions of people being “stoned”.

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Sri Lanka: Sinhala translations of Pali Buddhist scriptures presented to the President

Sacred translation | General interest

Aug 30, Colombo: Ven. Kirama Wimalajothi Thero presented 47 volumes of Sinhala translations of Pali Scriptures to the President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees on August 28th.

Following an ancient tradition of handing over Buddhist scriptures and books to the ruler of the land by the Buddhist clergy, the Venerable Thero handed over the translated volumes to the present day ruler, President Rajapaksa in a ceremony on Friday.

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Finding New Meaning in One of the World’s Oldest Books

Chinese translation | General translation | Sacred translation | General interest

Since at least the fifth century, generations of Buddhists have memorized and chanted the Diamond Sutra, a short Mahayana Buddhist scripture. The work, which offers meditations on illusion and perception, was originally written in Sanskrit and first translated into Chinese in 402 A.D. Despite the text’s longevity, Stanford religious studies professor Paul Harrison’s latest research suggests that previous translations may have incorrectly interpreted certain words in a way that affects the entire meaning of the text.

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Oldest Christian bible made whole again

Sacred translation | General interest

The surviving parts of the world's oldest Christian bible will be reunited online today, generating excitement among biblical scholars still striving to unlock its mysteries.

The Codex Sinaiticus was hand written by four scribes in Greek on animal hide, known as vellum, in the mid-fourth century around the time of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great who embraced Christianity.

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Sanskrit - A global language to be proud of

General translation | Sacred translation | General interest

There are many mottos in Sanskrit which have been readily adopted, like: Republic of India, Satyameva Jayate `Truth alone triumphs'; LIC of India, Yogakshemam Vahâmyaham `I shall take care of welfare'; Indian Navy, Shanno Varuna `May the ocean be peaceful to us'; Mumbai Police, Sadrakshanaaya Khlaha Nigrahanayah `For protection of the good and control of the wicked'; All India Radio, Bahujan Hitay Bahujan Sukhay `For the benefit of all, for the comfort of all'; Indonesian Navy, Jalesvava Jayamahe `On the sea, we are glorious'.

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Personal odyssey draws translator to ancient works

Chinese translation | General translation | Sacred translation

'Nothing is sacred': Stephen Mitchell's love of Taoist masters brings ideas of two Chinese scholars to light

"If I'm a scholar, I'm an amateur," says Stephen Mitchell, the soft-spoken translator of Rainer Maria Rilke and the book of Job as well as Gilgamesh , the Bhagavad Gita and his all-time favorite, the Tao Te Ching --- as he says, "that marvel of lucidity and grace, the classic manual on the art of living."

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Exploring the world of Pali

Sacred translation | General interest

...Jagannath and Maate are a growing tribe of keen enthusiasts learning and understanding the richness of the medieval world by mastering the Pali language.

Pali language which was called Magadhi centuries back was the language of the masses. Buddhist scriptures used to be written in Pali extensively. It was Buddha's language. However, while Hindi and Marathi are still prevalent, Pali lost its significance years back.

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An Irish priest’s calling to spread Korean literature

Korean translation | Sacred translation

It is not easy to find a foreigner who hasn’t let his passion for Korea and its culture wane even slightly after a long period of living in this country.

Kevin O’Rourke, a 70-year-old Irish priest from the Missionary Society of Saint Columban in Seongbuk, northern Seoul, however, is noted as the first foreigner to earn a doctoral degree in Korean literature and for his English-language translations of Korean literary works, and his passion shows no sign of cooling.

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Virtual exhibition of sacred religious texts

Sacred translation | General interest

A virtual exhibition of some of the world's oldest and most sacred religious texts is to be launched in the city.

Leicester is one of just a handful of places chosen to showcase Sacred on Location, the British Library's most successful exhibition to date.

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U.S. priest delivers book on Zen philosophy

Japanese translation | Sacred translation

KYOTO--A newly published book edited by an American Zen priest who lives in Kyoto provides an in-depth explanation of Zen Buddhism in English.

Thomas Kirchner, a 59-year-old associate researcher at the International Research Institute for Zen Buddhism at Hanazono University in Kyoto, spent 10 years working on "The record of Linji," a comprehensive tome supported by extensive footnotes and references.

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Tibetan Translators Plan New Guild

General translation | Sacred translation

WASHINGTON—Western translators say they want to create a guild to share resources for the study and translation of Tibetan Buddhist texts, which have grown far more popular internationally in recent years.

More than 100 Tibetan translators gathered at a conference in Boulder, Colorado, last month—both veteran translators and younger, more recent students of the Tibetan language. They agreed at the conclusion to try to form a Tibetan translators’ guild.

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Book of Kells' Japanese translation

Japanese translation | Sacred translation

A best-selling guide to The Book of Kells has been translated into Japanese for the thousands of tourists who visit the ancient manuscript every year.

Exploring the Book of Kells, by historian George Otto Simms, has been reprinted in French and German since first published 20 years ago. Now the guide has been translated from English into Japanese script by Croatian firm SIA Inc and published by O'Brien Press in Dublin.

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