The book is finished

Finally!

After 10 years of effort, the translation of the autobiography of pries Suhara Koun is finally finished – a little earlier than expected. Admittedly, I did not have the time to work on the project for a few years, but it nevertheless stayed on my mind.

Written by a Buddhist priest who took up kyudo late in life, something which became a defining element for him, it contains a lot of ‘old-fashioned’ / unusual Japanese even Japanese people have difficulties understanding. Apart from that Buddhist, zen, kyudo terminology, Chinese poems etc. I really had to struggle with this material.

Yesterday I published the book on Amazon and through another site worldwide. Although I submitted the required file format to those sites, they somehow “converted” the material, which resulted in a rather unappealing appearance. Even though I tried hard to look nice.

On the said sites, it is listed with a price tag of $9. One of the Japanese pronounciations for “9” is KYU. Put together the Dollar, you get “kyudo”. In the hope, you allow me to indulge in this little word play.

If interested

https://books2read.com/u/mlM2aq

or contact me, if you are looking for a little better looking files:

buch@thoacu.com

#book #Suhara Koun #zen #kyudo #autobiography #Japanese #archery

Bood recommendation

kyudo #archery #bookrecommendations #translation #english #priest #Herrigel #zen

(* I do not know how to use hashtags. Is the above OK?)

45 years ago I came to Japan with the obsession to learn Japanese archery (kyudo). When I packed a few things at the age of 22, sold or gave away the rest of my belongings, bought a 1-way ticket for the Siberian railway and left Germany without insurance etc., everybody in the “old country” told me I am crazy. Coming to Japan and trying to find a dojo to learn kyudo, everybody here told me the same thing.

Then I went to meet the priest Suhara Koun (with the help of an interpreter). He probably also told me I am crazy, but above that, he told me to learn Japanese first and then come back later.

THAT changed my life. I simply threw all the “plans” I had overboard – and stayed.

For a long time I considered translating a book by priest Suhara, detailing how he became a priest and got mixed up with kyudo, a sort of “mission” of “obligation” in return for this life changing event.

I have been working on it for 10 years (with several year doing nothing) on it, but now I believe, I can publish it with some major effort within this year. Just wanted to let everybody know. When I am actually done, I will put up another note.

病院における漢方の使い方

残念ながら7月の末から八月の頭まで入院し、手術を受ける必要性あった。それはそれで結構だが、全身麻酔の後で腹が暫く動かないため、（ほぼ）全員に下剤が処方される。

そこで私は　ー　看護師に聞いて全ての患者！　ー　当たり前のように酸化マグネシウム（下剤の一種）と大建中湯が処方される。

余り文句ばっかりは言いたくなくて暫く大人しく飲んでいたが、効いている感覚はまったくなく、どちらかと言えば逆効果があった印象だ。なにも知らない私は口にはさむべきではないだろうが、どうしても一言を言いたい。となりのベッドの人に医者が今「漢方」を出しますと言って、その患者に聞こえる状況で「文句」を言うと困るが、他の患者が傍にいない時直接主治医にも伝えた。

医者が西洋医学の薬を出すなら「適応症」次第で「適切」な薬を選ぶが、大まかにワンパでしょう。大腸の手術を受けた人と腕の手術した人に対して多少病態を考慮かも知れないが、下剤は下剤だ。整形外科に行けば大多数の患者が「湿布、鎮痛剤、胃の薬」の魔法セットを貰う。どの患者に同じものをしか施さないならば、態々大学で勉強しなくてもよいような気がする。ひと時代前までではこの治療方針を取る医者を「葛根湯医」と呼ばれた（悪い意味で）。今のテレビ宣伝ではその「伝統」を受けつかれている：

＞風にカコナール（葛根湯のこと）＜

つまり、風邪をひいている全て（！）の患者に葛根湯を飲ませましょう。そんなことを言っている連中はよく恥ずかしくないな。

同じパターンは今回の大建中湯で現れた。ツムラは医者向けの虎の巻を見えれば、症状別に薬を選ぶようになっている。医者が「症状」＝適応症を見ている。例のツムラのあんちょこでは大建中湯の適応症には「便秘」が含まれていない。仕様目標の最後の項目には「開腹手術後の腸管通過障害」ていど。

しかし、漢方では「適応症」ではなく「〇〇湯＊＊証＊＊」を見て薬を選ぶ。それは基本の基本だ。

大建中湯は原則として寒証と虚証に使うものだ。私はどちらもない。同じ病棟にこの薬を処方された患者のそれなりの割合も同じはずだから、症状が改善しないだけではなく、副作用も頻繁に出る筈だが、医者は最初から「漢方思考」を持っていないから、水戸黄門の紋章と一緒「目に入らぬ」でしょう。

つまり、医者が何の薬を出しているかが検討の付かず、副作用出ても別に構わないだろう。

西洋医学の薬をこの程度の当てずっぽうな選び方をすれば、医者の資格や医療教育の質に対する疑問が出るのでないないだろうか。主治医に話しかけた際、「大建中湯を登用すると腸の蠕動運動が改善されるエビデンスある」と答えた。成る程。「エビデンス派」の人だ。少々感染症の疑いがあったから、私にも「ケフレックス」と言う抗生剤を飲まされた。この抗生剤に関して恐らく殺菌作用ありとのエビデンスがある筈だ。しかし、感染症の疑いありの患者***全員***構わずケフレックスを飲ませるとはとても考えにくい。（それともここにも葛根湯医か）。

（正しい脾兪ではないが・・・）私の名前は Thomas Blasejewicz である事に関して動かぬエビデンスをいくらでもある。けれどもベッドサイドでは私の名前を踏み躙っていく通りにでも出ちあげた。つまり、エビデンスとベッドサイドは余り関係のない世界だ。

このような形で知らない人（医者！）が間違った方法で処方した漢方で副作用として死者が出たのは例の有名な小柴胡湯事件、９０年代の前半が起きました。大々的新聞やテレビに報道された。その結果として厚生省がツムラを命じて、例の虎の巻でツムラ＃９＝小柴胡湯の前に、びっくりマークのついている真っ赤な注意書きを書き加えさせられた。

今回の「問題」は恐らくこの病院、この医者（名前は控えさせて貰う）に限らず、全国どこでも起きているだろう。医者としてこのような歴史資料に一度目を通して貰いたいし、医学教育として漢方を使う権利を与えるならば、最低の基本知識もしっかりと教育とすべきだろう。

患者の命が掛かっている。

「鍼灸院」

と看板にかいてある。よって、私は殆どの場合「鍼」と「灸」両方の手技をします。最近多くの治療院ではもうお灸を施さないと患者が嘆いています。2-3年前そう言う事情でどうしてお灸して貰いたいから東京（！！）までの往診が頼まれ、先日87歳の高齢者がわざと茅ヶ崎（そのような高齢者にとってかなりの長旅）から来院した。
個人的の意見ですが　・・　鍼灸院でお灸して貰えないのは少々情けないような事だと思います。

人間ではない

私も少々具合が悪くなったので、先日一日だけ検査入院した。医者も看護師も各々与えられた仕事を「マニュアル通り」にこなした。それはそれで結構ですが、「マニュアル通り」＝「ロボットがプログラム通り」に動いていると等しい。おまけにまず真っ先にバーコードの付いたリストバンドが付けられ、どの操作の際先ずそのバーコードをスキャナーで読まれた。私は「人」ではなく、製造番号のある部品に過ぎない。マニュアル通り以外で人間らしいような言葉で話しかけてくれたのは夜間の若い看護婦一人だけ。

それに、私の名前は事務のコンピューターに長すぎた。よって、（年中にある事）名字だけを取って、名前を切り捨てた。そして年賀状の名簿を作ると同じ：名字と名前の間にスペースを入れる「必要」あるから、事務のコンピューターを満足させるため私は新たな名前を貰った：　「ブラーゼ　イエービツツ」。釣りバカ日誌スタイル：「お前は「鈴木」じゃなくて、これから「すちゃん」と呼ぶ」。

「グローバル化」と言う洒落た流行り言葉を年中耳にするが、実践はほど遠いのようだ。標準の日本人並みの名前が無ければ受け付けない。コンピューターの技術的問題と皆言うだが、とても信じられない。

理論的病院は保険証（それなりに正しくなっている）の名前を使わなければならない筈でしょう。

Putin the chicken

Putin – should probably be renamed “Putrid” – flashing nuclear missile threats at everybody → the “enemies”, who does not do exactly as he says, but is too chicken to face “his???” own people.

“His” people see only a cooked up stew of disgusting propaganda designed to depict him as the savior of the world.

If he is really so right, just, morally responsible like in the theatrical provision of humanitarian aid while at the same time starving civilians to death …….. why does he not show “his” people EXACTLY the “glorious achievements” of the Russian war. No censorship, no restrictions, no interference (like having a gun pointed at the head of people interviewed (or their families). Totally free access to the millions of SNS messages, videos, pictures. The corpses strewn everywhere, or hidden in mass graves. Whole towns obliterated. Maybe also telling “his” people about the actual losses of the Russian army. All those people who died for who knows what.

I image the “nuclear attack” on him, that might come from “his” people, if they had access to this information – or better still go and see for themselves – is scaring him to death.

Mr. Putrid, his Chinese buddy (who is also scared to death and thus forbade independent thinking) and their pet North Korea etc. always talk about the “people”, calling things like “the peoples republic” or the “peoples liberation army” … why do they not let the people decide for once?

Because they are scared shitless by the “peoples opinion”.

China supports Russia (war)

(my opinion is inconsequential and does not matter, but I state it anyway)

Since (no) action speaks louder than words, means China is in favor of and supports:

* total disregard for human life! (disqualifying the respective country as a “civilized society”)

* invasion of small countries by global powers to take by force whatever they want

* war with the intent to deliberately destroy a whole country (there is no “liberation”)

* slaughtering defenseless civilians, women and children

* deliberately starving whole populations

* bombing schools, hospitals, kindergardens, public train stations

* deportation of thousands of people who will not be heard from again

* disregarding international law, favoring crimes

* the list can go on forever …

Personally, I have stopped working (translating) for Chinese companies a long time ago. With its current support of Russia this is totally out of the question now. Since India also supports Russia in a way, I decided the other day to reject also a job offer coming from India. Probably I am hurting myself than them, but since I cannot do anything else, at least I can show them my disgust.

Yet, there are many people who don’t mind. As long as there is money to make … everything else does not count.

Years back I was working as an interpreter on a construction site for a German manufacturer of very large equipment. One of the managers told me, they have different businesses going on with China. Occasionally, China simply “failed” to pay bills over about a million dollars. The manager told me, they could have sued China for the money, but did not, since that would have “upset” them and the Germans were dying to hold (not “for dear life”, simply for money) on to much bigger other business they had going and so China got away with not paying its debt. Fits the above listed points perfectly.

So, if anybody dealing with China, India or those other countries disregarding the very basics of ANY civilized society because they are greedy to get their hands on the money, this may be the time to reconsider.

Maybe Goethe’s Faust would be good reading regarding what happens, when you make a deal with Mephistopheles.

China and Putin’s war

China is proclaiming in times of armed conflicts that the involved parties should exercise self-restraint and try to workout a PEACEFUL solution, because is the protector and savior of global peace.
That is what THEY say, not me.
How come then, the Chinese abstain from UN resolutsion, keep utterly quiet on the subject, do NOT try to convince their best buddy Putin (Putin himself proudly proclaims on TV, the he has absolutely no intention to stop the killing!) to stop his aggression … and recenctly publicly announced, they OPPOSE SANCTIONS against Russia.
Now, THAT sounds to me like the Chinese are / have always been lying. Their stance towards much more indicates, they are totally behind Putin, like: “Let the poor man have some fun killing thousands of unarmed civilians, pregnant women and children included, who do not fight back with what looks by now weapons of mass destruction. He is just trying to “liberate” the Ukrainian people.”
Exterminate is probably a more appropriate term.

The Chinese are apparently watching how far Putin will get away with his massacres.
Because they would love to do the same: liberate the Taiwanese people who unfortunately went astray and got lost.
After that all other countries/people they can get their hands on.

As a translator I have stopped working for Chinese companies a long time ago. Precisely because experience has shown, they are ALWAYS lying. For people doing business with China … now may be the time to review that business.
Telling your children and grandchildren later “I did not know”, will not sound very convincing.

But, this is just my personal opinion and therefore totally irrelevant.
As long as the new Russian-Chinese ‘1984-style’ world order is not established, I dare express my opinion here.

Russian war

I have been a freelance translator for about 35 years now.
Over that time I have registered on multiple translator sites like Proz.com, Aquarius, Translators Directory. Go Translators, translatorscafe and more that I do not even remember.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine and continues to kill everyone in their path (just like the orcs in ‘Lord of the Rings’) I did raise my voice on facebook (which is most likely totally irrelevant) and pledged never to work for any Russian agency again.

And since the devil Adolf Putin is systematically blocking news and all forms of information about his atrocities to reach the Russian people, I believe it would be appropriate to urge all those translator sites to block all Russian agencies from posting job offers. This may not have any “real” effect on the war, but as an indirect message it could result in a few more people in Russia wondering what is going on in the world.

So, personally I urge those translator platforms to do something.
And if any other freelance translator might be willing to add his or her voice, that would be wonderful.

The current situation is NOT something one should “let slide” – like the Chinese are doing!

China organ transplants

I have been watching this for a fear years now and am wondering, why it does not receive more attention.
On the occasion of hosting a “festival in the name of peace on earth and human understanding” it might be good to
consider this.
I do not have the means to conduct a fact check for all the given links to publications going back already decades,
but if you would like to “check” for yourself .. how about contacting any Chinese organization (organ transplants are a booming business in China) offering
organ transplants, pretending you are a rich person looking for a new liver (or whatever other organ).
Then check formost of all, the time until your new organ is ready.
In China that seems to be weeks or even days. THAT should make anyone who knows a little about medicine suspicious.
Naturally, the Chinese government will tell you, everything is totally legal and TOTALLY voluntary.
If that were true, the easiest way to prove it, would be letting people check it on site UNIMPEDED.
But that is something they will NEVER do.

Lecture by a Chinese person in Chinese dubbed in English
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wzfcrx_cWE
Same lecture dubbed in Japanese
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-xKHa_mBYg&t=1122s

A number of articles
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=27167
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01890-4
https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2021/04/13/why-journals-should-stop-publishing-transplantation-research-from-china/
https://bmcmedethics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12910-019-0406-6
https://jamestown.org/program/examining-chinas-organ-transplantation-system-the-nexus-of-security-medicine-and-predation-part-1-the-growth-of-chinas-transplantation-system-since-2000/
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2206874-prisoners-in-china-are-still-being-used-as-organ-donors-says-inquiry/
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)60484-6/fulltext
https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4334184
https://www.lawsociety.ie/gazette/top-stories/2021/09-september/media-silence-on-forced-organ-harvesting-in-china-is-denounced
https://www.hrw.org/reports/1994/china1/china_948.htm
https://ipdefenseforum.com/2020/01/suspicious-harvest/