Ever since meditation and Chan has entered into my life to open my mind and heart, I have always wanted to make contributions to the people and the world as much as possible. I am hardly achieving anything yet, but I am constantly learning and growing with that goal in mind. Lately I have committed myself to two areas where my heart led me and convinced me that they could be my best assets to make such contributions: translation and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). I have always had great interest in both, but not until quite recently (months ago) did I begin my “real” relationship with the second…
Translation
I love the art of translation and language. Translation is like finding crayons (words) to draw the brushstrokes of someone else’s oil painting. You can’t possibly reproduce the exact same thing, as the tool set (language, culture, etc.) available to you is different, but you want it as close as possible, yet equally artistic in its own way. People unable to appreciate the oil painting can at least appreciate your replica, and get a great sense of what the original work is.
With a little skills and passion, I have produced some translation work that will be read by many people (such as this book). I do see much room to improve my skills, though. To further sharpen my skills, I have researched ways to educate myself constantly and keep myself on the track of learning and growing. One useful way I found is to find people more able and knowledgeable than you and learn from them. There are many good writers and translators out there. Lately I have grown particular interest in studying one’s work, who was a Nobel Prize Nominee in Literature, a Chinese, and perhaps one of the most well-known Chinese authors ever known to the Western audience. He has an equally amazing command of both Chinese and English languages. Sometimes he writes in English (actually all his fictions were written in English), and let others translate it back to Chinese. His name is Lin Yutang (1895-1976).
His translation of ancient Chinese classics such as poems is considered a classic. To translate an poem to something in a new language that can also be called a poem, you need outstanding language skills. This may be too much for me to shoot for, and perhaps I will never tap into this area, but the many skills used in translating poems are certainly transferable to other forms of writing, too.
TCM
My heart has long time told me that TCM will allow me to make positive impact to the people and the world just like how translation can. However, not until recently did I know any realistic way of learning it except enrolling in a TCM school, which is not quite feasible for me at this point. Months ago, a great resource emerged, and I quickly immersed myself in it whenever I had time, mostly during weekends.
Just like any type of medicine, TCM is not easy and quick to learn. It takes years and years of hard work and practice to master it. I may not target a goal as high as getting licensed and actually practicing it, but I want to at least be able to provide a solid piece of health advice for anyone around me who needs it. That goal entails an effort to gain thorough understanding of 5,000 years of accumulated wisdom and art, and I am just at the beginning of it…
How do I learn it? I bought a DVD set on acupuncture by a renowned TCM doctor. This is the first of five DVD sets, each on a different but certainly related topic including acupuncture, herbs, and many TCM classics (such as the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic). Now I am half way through the acupuncture, and I am deeply fascinated and happily overwhelmed by the beauty and intricacy of the art. The theory is flawless. The practice calls on a practitioner’s sensibility and wisdom to see a solution — much like being a general leading an army to fight a tough enemy (disease), what’s your tactics and strategy? You have memorized every word in Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, but how do you use them now?
I plan to talk more about TCM’s view of many modern diseases, and how it’s utterly different from the Western medicine point of view. An alternative source and perspective for you, the choice is always yours.
Filed under: Life
