Hello from Berlin!

Introduce yourself to others at Dharma Wheel.
Post Reply
White Sakura
Posts: 291
Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2018 9:58 am

Hello from Berlin!

Post by White Sakura »

Hello all! :hi:

The reason why I came her is a bit special:
A lot of our teachings here in Berlin are no longer translated to German. My biggest problem are Madhyamaka-teachings, Aryadeva, Chandakirti and so on..Because for me this is already difficult in German. :oops:

I hope I can find here some people who have time and compassion to help me. For example Skyping to me and speak English? Or have some ideas what to do. I can try to write here in the forum instead of German Buddhaland-Forum. Then please correct my mistakes. I mean the bigger ones...

Or any other ideas because I turned to sort of foreigner in my own country. There are people from all over the world in the teaching and they all speak English perfectly.. So of course I cannot ask for translation just for me....

Thanks for reading

:group:
Admin_PC
Former staff member
Posts: 4860
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2012 11:17 pm

Re: Hello from Berlin!

Post by Admin_PC »

Welcome to DharmaWheel!
:anjali:
(I believe we have some German speakers)
White Sakura
Posts: 291
Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2018 9:58 am

Re: Hello from Berlin!

Post by White Sakura »

Admin_PC wrote: Thu Sep 13, 2018 5:54 pm Welcome to DharmaWheel!
:anjali:
(I believe we have some German speakers)
Thanks! But I am looking more for friends from UK. Somebody to Skype would be soo nice.

What I forgot: I am a hardcore Buddhist :D and a little bit studied in Vajrayana Buddhism. So that´s what I usually like to talk about.
User avatar
Ayu
Global Moderator
Posts: 13244
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2012 8:25 am
Location: Europe

Re: Hello from Berlin!

Post by Ayu »

Dear White Sakura,

warm welcome from Hannover. :smile:

I cannot really help on your task, because I'm not a native English speaker. So, I simply hope you'll find some people to talk to in here.
If not, I believe writing improves the amount of vocabulary as well. I learned a lot about the language in my time on this board. Lately, I happened to talk to an American Woman from Boston and I was surprised that I was able to express everything I wanted, because now I know more words than some years ago. The conversation was wonderful and fluently for half an hour. Then I started to become tired and many "Ääh"s interrupted the flow. :shrug: So, speaking must be a matter of vocabulary, concentration and training, I think.

Best wishes.
White Sakura
Posts: 291
Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2018 9:58 am

Re: Hello from Berlin!

Post by White Sakura »

Hi Ayu! Speaking to all my old friends English is another idea. The red underlining of wrong words is also nice. So this nebenbei improves my written english. :oops:
User avatar
Ayu
Global Moderator
Posts: 13244
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2012 8:25 am
Location: Europe

Re: Hello from Berlin!

Post by Ayu »

White Sakura wrote: Thu Sep 13, 2018 7:33 pm ... nebenbei ...
I love this dictionary, because it grows like Wikipedia: https://www.dict.cc/?s=nebenbei
I would choose 'as a sideline' for nebenbei in this context. You can also push the loudspeaker symbol and listen to the correct pronounciation.
Pronounciation in English has no logical rules. You have to know it.
White Sakura
Posts: 291
Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2018 9:58 am

Re: Hello from Berlin!

Post by White Sakura »

Thanky Ayu! Of course I already use an online dictionary. But I was so tired. I feel like I have to look up every third word....
joy&peace
Posts: 1115
Joined: Mon May 11, 2015 4:53 pm

Re: Hello from Berlin!

Post by joy&peace »

hi White Sakura.

Your name seems very familiar. It's nice to meet you.

Ayu, do you remember the name of the German author I mentioned a while back? I haven't been able to remember. I know it was in a

( :smile: )

It's interesting and lovely and beautiful the way the world works. . . And as I am coming to understand. Most of the time it's not necessary to complete a thought; it becomes realized more immediately.

Anyway - White Sakura I was simply going to say, I really enjoyed. . . Blond Eckbert, by Ludwig Tieck.


{edit . . .dear me -- it was Lenz that I enjoyed more.} . . . it was from Eight German Novelles... Up 'til now I could not remember.

Please forgive for the disruption. . . back to Dharma. :anjali:
Om Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate bodhi svaha
User avatar
DNS
Site Admin
Posts: 5251
Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2009 4:23 pm
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, Estados Unidos de América
Contact:

Re: Hello from Berlin!

Post by DNS »

Welcome to DW!

White Sakura
Posts: 291
Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2018 9:58 am

Re: Hello from Berlin!

Post by White Sakura »

joy&peace wrote: Thu Sep 13, 2018 8:29 pm .dear me -- it was Lenz that I enjoyed more.} . . . it was from Eight German Novelles... Up 'til now I could not remember.
hello joy and peace!

To tell the truth I don´t really remember any Geman literature. We had that in school. I didn´t really like Goethe..But then I found something I liked that was Buddhism... :rolling:
User avatar
kirtu
Former staff member
Posts: 6965
Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2010 5:29 pm
Location: Baltimore, MD

Re: Hello from Berlin!

Post by kirtu »

White Sakura wrote: Thu Sep 13, 2018 5:25 pm Hello all! :hi:

The reason why I came her is a bit special:
A lot of our teachings here in Berlin are no longer translated to German. My biggest problem are Madhyamaka-teachings, Aryadeva, Chandakirti and so on..Because for me this is already difficult in German. :oops:

I hope I can find here some people who have time and compassion to help me. For example Skyping to me and speak English? Or have some ideas what to do. I can try to write here in the forum instead of German Buddhaland-Forum. Then please correct my mistakes. I mean the bigger ones...

Or any other ideas because I turned to sort of foreigner in my own country. There are people from all over the world in the teaching and they all speak English perfectly.. So of course I cannot ask for translation just for me....

Thanks for reading

:group:
Germany has been doing almost everything they can to re-imagine themselves as part of the Anglophone world (and they shouldn't because the Anglophone world is monolingual and English overtime generally dumbs people down [because Anglophone culture generally doesn't support logical thinking - but that's not really a problem for Germany at least any more because many German speakers have also generally abandoned logic]).

The only teaching in German I took was HHDL in Graz and HHST near Kevelaer (and of course I got the teaching twice - in English and German - come to think of it, I'm not sure that the Kevelaer teaching was translated into German ...).

But to stop translating into German is a real problem and it's silly (Germany isn't the Netherlands after all - and *THEY* aren't as good in English as they think they are either). First Germans are also mostly monolingual and most Germans don't speak English that well even though they think they do (although understanding at a 5th/6th grade level is common). Polyglots sort of characterize Germany as a 1.5 language country as a result.

It also keeps people >~ 50 (and even younger) and < ~19/23 from practicing Dharma.

You will definitely find people here who can help you.

Anyway, you can begin reading basic texts in English (so I mean basic Madhyamaka texts, etc.).

Kirt
Last edited by kirtu on Sat Sep 15, 2018 12:26 am, edited 2 times in total.
Kirt's Tibetan Translation Notes

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche

"Most all-knowing Mañjuśrī, ...
Please illuminate the radiant wisdom spirit
Of my precious Buddha nature."
HH Thinley Norbu Rinpoche
User avatar
Virgo
Posts: 4844
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 3:47 am
Location: Uni-verse

Re: Hello from Berlin!

Post by Virgo »

White Sakura wrote: Thu Sep 13, 2018 5:25 pm Hello all! :hi:

The reason why I came her is a bit special:
A lot of our teachings here in Berlin are no longer translated to German. My biggest problem are Madhyamaka-teachings, Aryadeva, Chandakirti and so on..Because for me this is already difficult in German. :oops:

I hope I can find here some people who have time and compassion to help me. For example Skyping to me and speak English? Or have some ideas what to do. I can try to write here in the forum instead of German Buddhaland-Forum. Then please correct my mistakes. I mean the bigger ones...

Or any other ideas because I turned to sort of foreigner in my own country. There are people from all over the world in the teaching and they all speak English perfectly.. So of course I cannot ask for translation just for me....

Thanks for reading

:group:
Welcome.

Kevin...
joy&peace
Posts: 1115
Joined: Mon May 11, 2015 4:53 pm

Re: Hello from Berlin!

Post by joy&peace »

hihi;

yes, I agree... it is really good. In fact I basically never refer to non-Dharma things.. so... it was a bit out of character for me.

Best wishes on the path of Dharma,

glad to meet you again.

J&p.

:namaste:
Om Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate bodhi svaha
White Sakura
Posts: 291
Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2018 9:58 am

Re: Hello from Berlin!

Post by White Sakura »

Hello Kirty! Thank you for your welcome!


To the problem with stopping to translate: There are many other teachings which are translated. Then there is the problem that it´s boring for more than half of the students..So I think it´s ok not to translate the teachings for advanced practitioners. Somebody who is able to understand buddhist philosophy should be able to learn English. My problem is more the time because I have to do a Job too. But I can simply reduce the Buddhist studies for a while and concentrate on English.
Also the Tibetan Masters cannot learn Geman because the language is too difficult and they didn´t start as children like I started in childhood with English. I should cope with this....
User avatar
kirtu
Former staff member
Posts: 6965
Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2010 5:29 pm
Location: Baltimore, MD

Re: Hello from Berlin!

Post by kirtu »

White Sakura wrote: Thu Sep 13, 2018 7:33 pm Hi Ayu!
Speaking to all my old friends English is another idea.
Speaking to all my old friends in English is another idea. or
Speaking English to all my old friends is another idea.

English is a prepositionally based language with a rigid role based grammar derived from Germanic languages (very close to Frisian and Dutch). For simple sentences, English grammar is almost the same as German.

Englisch ist eine präpositional basierte Sprache mit einer starren rollen basierten Grammatik, die von germanischen Sprachen abgeleitet ist (sehr nah an Friesisch und Niederländisch). Für einfache Sätze ist englische Grammatik fast die gleiche wie Deutsch.
The red underlining of wrong words is also nice.
Okay.
Underlining wrong words in red is also nice. (better)
Wrong words being underlined in red is also nice. (okay)
Wrong words getting underlined in red is also nice. (okay, but very dangerous for Germans since to backtranslate get/getting to bekommen and then later conflate it with English become which is wrong; getting here is wird/werden : okay, aber was sehr gefährlich für Deutschen ist, da man es zurückübersetzt und dann später mit dem englischen become verwechselt, was total falsch ist; getting bedeutet hier wird / werden))

"is also nice" is a unitary phrase. It can also be moved around but then has to be introduced and then the rest of the sentence also has to be introduced:
"is also nice" ist eine einheitliche Phrase. Es kann auch verschoben werden, muss dann aber später eingeführt werden und dann muss der Rest des Satzes auch eingeführt werden z.b. :
It is also nice that wrong words are underlined.
It is also nice that wrong words get underlined.
It is also nice that wrong words will be underlined.
So this nebenbei improves my written english. :oops:
nebenei as "as a sideline" is not really correct in this case although it would be understood (probably).
"nebenbei" als "as a sideline" ist in diesem Fall nicht wirklich korrekt, obwohl es würde wahrscheinlich verständlich.
So this also improves my written English.
So this will also improve my written English.

Proper nouns are capitalized. Just like in German.
In Englisch werden allerlei Namen (Namen, Ortsnamen, politische titeln u. Namen den Sprachen) groß geschrieben. Genau wie auf Deutsch.

Kirt
Kirt's Tibetan Translation Notes

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche

"Most all-knowing Mañjuśrī, ...
Please illuminate the radiant wisdom spirit
Of my precious Buddha nature."
HH Thinley Norbu Rinpoche
White Sakura
Posts: 291
Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2018 9:58 am

Re: Hello from Berlin!

Post by White Sakura »

Thank you Kirty! So it was not THAT wrong what I wrote? I don´t need to learn what is good and what is better because most important at the moment is just to understand better. Thanks for correcting me but... first the real big mistakes, ok?

I was thinking about why I am doing that. I could have teachings in Berlin that are translated. But: A young Sakya Tulku is teaching Madhyamaka texts in English while my friends from forum Buddhaland are taught philosophy by German teachers. So I can enjoy both the text and the presence of a Rinpoche. Just because I don´t want to make the impression things are going wrong in our centers. Dharma is flourishing in Berlin and we have the choice.

"in English" that is funny I have to write English in capital letters.
User avatar
Ayu
Global Moderator
Posts: 13244
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2012 8:25 am
Location: Europe

Re: Hello from Berlin!

Post by Ayu »

:twothumbsup: What an answer! Thanks.
User avatar
weitsicht
Posts: 449
Joined: Tue Nov 28, 2017 8:47 pm
Location: Right Here and Now

Re: Hello from Berlin!

Post by weitsicht »

Welcome to Dharmawheel, White Sakura.

Just relax into that new task of yours to improve your English proficiency. It is not a problem and you will cope just well.
Pople here on Dharmawheel don't bite *usually*.
And better not denigrate yourself, the way you write sounds fairly well which means you understand English even better.

Grüße aus Mainz. ☸️
Ho! All the possible appearances and existences of samsara and nirvana have the same source, yet two paths and two results arise as the magical display of awareness and unawareness.
HO NANG SRI KHOR DAE THAMCHE KUN ZHI CHIG LAM NYI DRAE BU NYI RIG DANG MA RIG CHOM THRUL TE
White Sakura
Posts: 291
Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2018 9:58 am

Re: Hello from Berlin!

Post by White Sakura »

Hello weitsicht!
Thanks for the encouragement. Maybe my problem is "only" the vocabulary. Had to look up three words of your post...from your post???
joy&peace
Posts: 1115
Joined: Mon May 11, 2015 4:53 pm

Re: Hello from Berlin!

Post by joy&peace »

Actually both of those would work. English is very versatile. :smile:

vielseitig

"in," would work, too.

So you could also say, "Three of the words in your post."
Om Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate bodhi svaha
Post Reply

Return to “Introductions”