Thanks, Jon,

for introducing the very interesting article on Judson and his work in Burma

(Myanmar). There is a similar person in Thailand, McFarlane who had
done a very good Thai-English Dictionary (which unfortunately I had but lost
it).
However, in our own time, a number of better Thai-English dictionaries have
appeared since the Thai language has evolved a lot with the times,
Understandably,
Myanmar with its closed door policy, or half-open door, their language
remains
little affect by global change.

The missionaries knew and know that the best ways to win over the natives is
through language and education. Hence the dictionaries and grammars, and
also
most damaging of all, the missionary schools, which continue to convert
thousand
every year in Singapore with Buddhism one of the most badly affected
religions.

Recently a theologian from the local Trinity College even wrote the Straits
Times,
the local daily, saying that we the locals should be grateful for what the
missionary
schools have done for us!

To me, this is like someone coming into my house uninvited and changing
everything
and so on, and then tell me to thank him for it!

Interestingly, as we see a growing number of the religious adult turning to
Buddhism
(esp meditation) when they have problems.

Anyway, statistically, Buddhist constitute over 50% of Singaporeans.
"Statistical Buddhist"
is of course something new, an innovation of academics and politicians. But
it's good to know
that once the Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew, admitting that he is a "nominal
Buddhist".

I truly admire him, since I am not even a Buddhist yet. Still working
towards streamwinning
in this life.

For our purposes we might define a "Buddhist" as one who believes or accepts
a similar set
of teachings, and quarrel over the same teachings. One who "follows the
Dharma" is clearly
more advanced: he "knows" only he is right and everyone else wrong.

No wonder the Buddha's last words are that we be our own refuge (that is, be
mindful and
heedful, and to meditate).

Someone joked that Buddhists are nicer to non-Buddhists, than they are to
one another. I suppose
this is a problem with being born into a religion, which is like an arranged
marriage.

Maybe I should go back to be with the Congregationalists, then I will have
more Buddhist friends :)

With metta (really!)

Piya

On Jan 24, 2008 10:46 AM, Jon Fernquest <bayinnaung@...> wrote:

> DC Wijeratna: "I am talking of the teaching of the Buddha and not about
>
> Buddhism. Teaching of the Buddha is one. It can't have many
> interpretations. On the other hand what is referred to as Buddhism
> comprises all manner of interpretations of the Teaching of the Buddha
> from Theravaada down to the present day."
>
> This gets at what I originally thought when I started listening to this
> debate.
>
> There are a lot of words that have translation problems like this, for
> instance, "micchaa-ditthi," usually translated nowadays as "wrong view,"
> but when I first encountered the phrase in Burmese in a historical work
> describing events in the 16th century, it was translated as "heretical"
> which conjures up images of burning people at the stake, well this
> image was definitely wrong, but the word was used in the context of
> forceful military conquest and religious conversion, so perhaps the
> translation is not so innappropriate, but it clearly is inappropriate for
> conveying the "teaching of the Buddha" to people nowadays.
>
> Words have a tremendous ability to morph to new meanings which they
> probably have done pretty extensively in Pali since Pali has been
> translated into so many different languages over hundreds of years,
> Thai, Burmese, Sri Lankan, English...perhaps these dictionaries should
> be consulted too.
>
> Also, strangely enough, the opposite problem of perhaps innappropriate
> Pali words being used to convey 19th century Christian meanings can be
> seen in the dictionaries and bible translations of Adoniram Judson, which
> is where I learned the translation of "micchaa ditthi" above. All of his
> works are available for free on the internet nowadays.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adoniram_Judson
> http://slipperybannanapeel.blogspot.com/2007/12/judsons-burmese-
> dictionary-free-at.html
>
> Sincerely,
> Jon Fernquest
>
>
>



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