"If we lived forever, if the dews of Adashino never vanished, the crematory smoke on Toribeyama never faded, men would hardly feel the pity of things. The beauty of life is in its impermanence." Yoshida Kenkō, Essays in Idleness | Tsurezuregusa
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Replying to @NoaidiX
Could that be accurately translated with neutral gender, rather than "men"?
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Replying to @ernstkarel
In my opinion, absolutely. While I don't have the original Japanese on hand, it's quite likely that the character translated as "men" is 人, which need not be gender-specific and may instead encompass the broader meaning of "people."
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Replying to @NoaidiX
Thanks! Would make a much nicer translation obviously. Anyway thank you for your beautiful posts.
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You're very welcome. Unfortunately, most of the existing translations of literature from across the Buddhist traditions use overwhelmingly androcentric language. I'm hoping revised translations in the present onward into whatever future awaits us can change that.
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