Grammatical corrections

Question

Dear Teachers,
Could you do grammatical corrections to the following sentences?
Thank You Very Much!!!

1. Zen tells that through the mindful mind one feels easy and harmonious naturally.

2.In Zen thought, everyone is able to keep a clear and easy mind by himself and herself.

3.What is the essence of education? Parents or teachers teach their children or their students according to their definition of the essence of education.

4.Through our learning and reflecting, we elevate our minds.

5.If one of a couple wants to change the other’s thoughts or behavior, he or she will likely offer his or her love with conditions and demands.

6.Their inner minds become clearer and wiser.

7.All phenomena don’t stay in a state of unchangeableness.

By Yang Chih-Chieh

Trellis · Accepted Answer

Hello Yang Chih-Chieh,

Greetings from the USA.

I will try to help you.
There are many ways to write these sentences.
My examples are only one way.

1. Zen teaches that through mindfulness one will naturally feel easy and harmonious.

2. In Zen thought everyone is able to keep a clear and easy mind.

by himself and herself is not required here because the word everyone says it

3. What is the essence of education? Parents or teachers teach their children or their students according to their own definition of the essence of education.

perhaps Parents and teachers teach their children and students is better?

4. Through our learning, and through reflection, we elevate our minds.

maybe the comma is not needed there?
so
Through our learning and through reflection we elevate our minds.

or
Through our learning, and through thoughtful reflection, we elevate our minds.
or
Through our learning, and through meditative reflection, we elevate our minds.

with the commas

5. If one of a couple wants to change the other’s thoughts or behavior, he or she will likely offer his or her love with conditions and demands.

6. Their inner minds become clearer and wiser. [*]

7. Phenomena is always in a state of change.

or
Phenomena is in constant change.
or
Phenomena is ever changing.
or
Phenomena is perpetual change.

I hope this helps you.
I did not intend to alter the meanings of your sentences.
I can try it again for you if these examples are not satisfactory.

Good Luck,

-m

N2332858 · Answer

Hi Trellis:
Thank You Very Much!!!

In the sentence 1, could any other word replace the word" Teaches"?
Do the word teaches have a lttle commanding tone?

See You!!!

Charlie

Trellis · Answer

Hi Charlie,

I do not think that "teaching" seems too commanding in this sentence.

I think that maybe here, "teaching" is meaning "instruction" or "study",
or the transmission of knowledge.

In English books about the Buddha they speak of "Buddha's Teachings",
and I do not think that he was being pushy or commanding about that.

Oh, now I am thinking that maybe you are correct here.

Most Zen books I have read mention "the study of zen",
"mindfullness" and "beginner's mind", but not "teaching".

As if Zen is something that a person must find for themselves.
So perhaps the word "teaching" opposes Zen?

I can understand that.

So, here is another variation of your sentence:

Through the study of Zen one may find mindfulness, and then feel naturally easy and harmonious.

I hope this is helpful.
I will be back tomorrow if you need more assistance.

Meanwhile, there are many trained grammar experts always around here somewhere.
They may have better ideas for this sentence.

Good Luck,

-michael

N2332858 · Answer

Hi Michael:
How are you?

Are you a Buddhist?
Not many people in western countries learn about Zen.
I am very glad that I can meet you on the Internet.
I have a strong faith in Buddhist. I think Zen is very practical for modern people besides Buddhists. Do you know the master Sheng-yen. He is a very famous Zen master in my country.
I live in Taiwan. Do you know of Taiwan?

The following sentence is my new writing.
Thank you very much!!!

1.Ancient Chinese philosophers think the body and the mind is inseparable and at one. When one’s mind is in harmony with the body, one feels peaceful and easy.
2. Can a thing arise or perish total independently? Many interrelated causes and conditions lead to the arising or perishing of a phenomenon. It doesn't arise and perish independently.

See You!!
Charlie

Trellis · Answer

Hello again Yang Chih-Chieh,

I am well, thank you.
I will reply to your questions now.

I have been studying Buddhism for many years. I have read and contemplated some Zen and also some Tibetan Buddhist writings.

One of my favorite books is the Mumonkan. I like Mumon's commentaries on the koans very much. I have Blyth's translation of this book. "Zen and Zen Classics Volume 4: Mumonkan" by Reginald Horace Blyth. If you want to try a Zen book in English, this is a very interesting and well written book. I am sure that this book will be in your local or university library.

No, I do not know of master Sheng-yen. I sometimes study very old Buddhist books, but I do not seek any living teachers of Buddhism. I have met two Zen abbots from Japan and I think that they were very interesting people. One of them seemed quite mad, but he was sneaky.

I do not call myself a Buddhist, but I find Buddhist philosophy to be very helpful in navigating my way through life.

Yes, I know a little bit about Taiwan (The Republic of China). I know where it is. I know how, when and why it became a country. I even had an online friend from Taipei a few years ago.

I will try to make small corrections in your sentences for you now.

1. Ancient Chinese philosophers believed that the body and the mind are inseparable and at one. When one’s mind is in harmony with the body, one feels peaceful and easy.

2. Can a thing arise or perish totally independently? Many interrelated causes and conditions lead to the arising or perishing of a phenomenon. It doesn't arise and perish independently.

or
Nothing arises and perishes independently.

I hope this helps.

-michael

N2332858 · Answer

Hi Michael,

Thank you very much!!
My university library don't have the book you recommended, but I can recommend this book to my library. There is a book titled" The development of Chinese Zen after the Sixth Patriarch in the light of Mumonkan" in my library.

Master Sheng-yen published several books in English. "Zen Wisdom", " Faith in Mind", "Complete Enlightenment" and "Hoofprint of the Ox" are his books. I recommend "Zen Wisdom" and "Hoofprint of the Ox."
He is the most famous Zen master in my country. In fact, there are few zen masters in my country. Maybe being a master is very difficult. The main religious faiths of my country are Buddhism and Taoism. There are many Buddhists in my country.

I also like Dalai Lama's books. His ideas are profound and objective.

What resaon makes you touch Buddhism? Maybe it is a religious conviction, so it may make people avoid touching it's ideas. In fact, Buddhist idea is very practical and teaches us many objective facts in life
I am very blessful that I have a faith in Buddhism. I not only gain inner peace and clarity but also gain objective facts and knowlege.

Good Luck!!!

Charlie

Trellis · Answer

Hi Charlie,

Thank you for the Master Sheng-yen book title suggestions.
I will see if I can find any of them in my local library.

I agree with you that the Dalai Lama's books are well written. I feel that he discusses Buddhist philosophy in a very clear and simple way that makes it easy to understand. I also believe that he is a very good person who cares about the suffering of all people.

Another book I like very much is called, "Shambhala: Sacred Path of the Warrior" by Chogyam Trungpa. This book contains transcriptions from many of Trungpa's lectures to students of Buddhism at the Tibetan Buddhist Institute that he created in the USA many years before he died. It is an easy to read guide book for how to live a simple and happy life in the world of humans. The ideas are based in Tibetan Buddism, not Zen, but this book is very well done and worth reading.

I am not religious. I relate to Buddhism as a philosophy.

I hope you are happy and well today in Taiwan.

-m

N2332858 · Answer

Hi Michael,

Thank you for suggesting me the book.
I will find it to read.

I am also interested in Tibetan Buddism.
Dari jing is important texts in Tibetan Buddism.
More and more people have a faith in Tibetan Buddism and chant Avalokitesvara's famous mantra.
Do you know the sutra "Saddharmapundarika-sutra" as "The Lotus Sutra" in English?
Do you know the school Tiantai and the person "Zhiyi"?
The Lotus Sutra and Hua-yen ching influence our Buddhism very deeply.

You had a affinity with the Buddhist you met and you touch Zen very young.
I have a faith in Buddhism because of my mother's influence. Then, I have a deep interest in Buddhist idea.

The following is my new writing.
Thank You Very Much!!!

Good Luck!!!
Charlie Yang

When a person takes winning and losing or getting and losing too seriously, he or she will feel afflicted and disappointed easily. The person attached his or her mind to the getting and winning, so his or her mental state is decided by them. If a person’s worth and confidence is decided by them, he or she will not able to establish real self-confidence and keep a peaceful mind. In Zen thought, it tells us to keep ordinary minds and to concentrate our minds on the present moment. When one keeps an ordinary mind, one’s mind is not controlled by outside things. When one concentrates one’s mind on the present, one doesn’t let the past and the future disturb one's present mindful mind.

Trellis · Answer

Hello again Charlie,

Yes, I know the "The Lotus Sutra", but I do not chant it.
I do not do any sort of chanting.

I only read and absorb, and try to apply to my life,
the words of wisdom that I find in Buddhist texts.

I like to sing, but I do not get anything helpful from
chanting words in a language that I do not understand.

I usually try to discuss Buddhism in plain,
simple language rather than using Hindi words.

I feel that if I am not able to do discuss the ideas in everyday language,
then I probably do not know what I am talking about anyway.

No, I do not know the Tiantai school or "Zhiyi".
My studies have been mostly limited to reading very old documents.

I find my teachers in the strangest places
and never seek them among the orthodox.

I think that it is the student's job to dig into the mine of the teacher
for the valuable ore they contain, and not the other way around.

People who seek to teach me about the spirit make me nervous.

heh

)

I quite like "The Heart Sutra".

I like the way that it expresses the Buddha's
basic teaching an inverted way.

Here is my distilled version of "The Heart Sutra":

there is no suffering
no cause of suffering
no cessation of suffering
and no path

You can read more about "The Heart Sutra" here:

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~mooncharts/heartsutra/english.html

I will try to make some corrections to your new text for you now.
As usual, what I type is only one way of saying it.
You can always alter what I type, or ask again.

A person who is too competitive often becomes unhappy. They are overly attached to their fears and desires, so their mental state is controlled by them. If a person’s sense of self worth and confidence is determined by their fears and desires, they will not able to obtain real self-confidence and a peaceful mind. Zen thought tells us to keep an ordinary mind, and to concentrate our minds on the present moment. When one keeps an ordinary mind, one’s mind is not controlled by outside things. When one concentrates one’s mind on the present, one doesn’t let the past and the future disturb one's present, mindful mind.

I hope this was helpful.

Be well,

-michael

N2332858 · Answer

Hi Michael,

The Heart Sutra is very famous. The Sutra is not long and easy to read. At the same time, It contains the essense of Buddhist idea. Emptiness and undiscrimination is revealed in the Sutra.

The function of chanting is like meditation. It can claming and purifying the mind. In Zen thought, it doesn't think through chanting one can achieve enlightenment. I chant as well as meditate. However, I don't exactly know how to meditate. I just sit on my bed with eyes close and the back straight and take deep breaths. I don't have special feeling in meditation but I feel calm and peaceful. Do you also meditate?
In Time Magazine, Meditation hit it front cover in not long before number. Did you see it?

Do you often talk about Buddhism with your friends or others?
I don't often because some people may avoid it.
I try to say something inspirational in a different way.

The following is my new sentences
Thank You Very Much!!!

Good Luck!!!
Charlie

1.Through writing, I convey my reflections on life.

2.Some people think Confucius’ concepts are too conservative. However, deepening into the meaning of Confucius’ words, he was a great educator.

3.If the importance of everything in life is measured by the point of how much value the offering of materials is, love becomes material.

4.If someone does something wrong to his or her close friends or lovers on purpose or even revenge them, one thing is sure: that is not love, but hatred.

5.Conditional love usually contains demand or expectation. When one loves the other with conditions, both of one and the other may not feel happy about this love. One demands the other to meet one’s conditional love and the other feels this love is a burden. However, unconditional love doesn’t contain any demand. Unconditional love is genuine compassion. This compassion makes the offer and receiver feel comfortable.
6.It is impossible for one to depend on others’ view to fulfill oneself.

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