A Poem of Bhikkhu Punnavijo, (Ven. Bổn Đức, Eng. tr.)
Nov 8, 2022 1:13:13 GMT 8
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Post by NhuanDuc on Nov 8, 2022 1:13:13 GMT 8
Dear Bhikṣu Prajñāmitra, dear all brothers,
We highly appreciate what you have done for us through this platform.
I would like to share a poem written by Bhikkhu Punnavijo and translated by Ven. Bổn Đức.
"Không rồi có mãi này chữ nghiệp.
Nghiệp chữ này mãi nếu không tu.
Tu không nếu mãi thành Đạo Quả.
Đạo Quả thành mãi có rồi không." - Bhikkhu Punnavijo
"In the circle of karma: Always possessing or losing
Men without realizing will be Always dragged by it (karma)
Realizing the emptiness of dharmas is Always the fruit
Liberated fruit Always turns empty eventually." - trans Ven. Bổn Đức
Although we find this poem very difficult to translate into English without distorting what the author means, Ven. Bổn Đức dedicated his talent to highlighting the message of Bhikkhu Punnavijo which is expressed through the heart word, 'Mãi' - 'Always'. According to a well-known poet, Bùi Giáng, 'Always' connotes the wisdom of 'No Birth and No Death'.
Besides the beauty of 'Always', the work of art is also brilliant in wordplay which is limited in the English translation. For example, merely 13 Vietnamese words construct 4 sentences, while it requires 23 English words. Nevertheless, the English version is also impressive because it left some traces of the concept of 'Karma' and 'Emptiness' after reading due to the repetition of them.
Generally said, this was the way the 12-year-old Punnavijo tried to perform what the Dhamma is.
With Mudita,
Nhuận Đức.
We highly appreciate what you have done for us through this platform.
I would like to share a poem written by Bhikkhu Punnavijo and translated by Ven. Bổn Đức.
"Không rồi có mãi này chữ nghiệp.
Nghiệp chữ này mãi nếu không tu.
Tu không nếu mãi thành Đạo Quả.
Đạo Quả thành mãi có rồi không." - Bhikkhu Punnavijo
"In the circle of karma: Always possessing or losing
Men without realizing will be Always dragged by it (karma)
Realizing the emptiness of dharmas is Always the fruit
Liberated fruit Always turns empty eventually." - trans Ven. Bổn Đức
Although we find this poem very difficult to translate into English without distorting what the author means, Ven. Bổn Đức dedicated his talent to highlighting the message of Bhikkhu Punnavijo which is expressed through the heart word, 'Mãi' - 'Always'. According to a well-known poet, Bùi Giáng, 'Always' connotes the wisdom of 'No Birth and No Death'.
Besides the beauty of 'Always', the work of art is also brilliant in wordplay which is limited in the English translation. For example, merely 13 Vietnamese words construct 4 sentences, while it requires 23 English words. Nevertheless, the English version is also impressive because it left some traces of the concept of 'Karma' and 'Emptiness' after reading due to the repetition of them.
Generally said, this was the way the 12-year-old Punnavijo tried to perform what the Dhamma is.
With Mudita,
Nhuận Đức.