RobertK wrote:

<Dear Rett and John,
<I think the term 'men' is often used as a generic one to refer to
<women and men. "Teacher of gods and men" sounds better to my ear
<than "teacher of gods and humans".
<Robertk



Hello all,

I do agree that "teacher of gods and men" sounds better. However, I
think that "teacher of gods and men" sounds better than "teacher of gods
and humans" simply due to the ingrained sexism of the English language.
If we intend to be accurate and ensure that English speaking women in
future generations feel welcomed by the Theravada tradition, then
perhaps we should consider "gods and humans" at any rate. This would
give our translations staying power in the face of modern changes to the
English language such as continuing albeit gradual switch from using
"man" to "humanity" etc. However, I do agree that if the choice of
words in the Pali is likely to be based on an intentionally sexist
comment, or the context hints that the term should be seen in this way,
then the choice should obviously keep that in mind. That is my view at
least. I tend to use "human" or "person" over "man," though not all the
time.

Alternatively there are the possibilities of: "teacher of gods and
humankind" , "teacher of gods and the human race" and "teacher of gods
and humanity."
A first two of those sound good to me.

Metta,

Alan

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