Read Prakashika's story of translating 'Sailing the Worldly Winds' into Hebrew and eventually getting it published.

לשוט עם רוחות העולם – מדריך בודהיסטי לצליחת סערות החיים / וג'רגופטה

Earlier today I finally received my printed copies of the Hebrew translation of Sailing the Worldly Winds – A Buddhist Way through the Ups and Downs of Life by Vajragupta. It’s hard to describe the feeling of flicking through this little book, seeing it stand on its own, after being in the making for some 18 months.

In Triratna it has been a classic for over a decade. I’ve led a study group at the Sydney Buddhist Centre using it, and the discussion it gave rise to was so helpful, it made me think it would be good to translate it into Hebrew and see if it gets taken up by fellow Israelis. If people took onboard the simple but profound message of this teaching, the troubles of the Middle East would be over. Well, maybe that thought was a little ambitious, but at the very least those who are looking for alternatives might discover a better perspective to live from.

Ironically, plenty of worldly winds blew around the process of translating, editing, and publishing the book. With each reading, I realized how relevant this apparently basic teaching was, even after twenty years of practice. The process of expressing in my own words (which is what translation is) the teachings – as well as the moving story that surrounds the writing of the book – has been insightful: Experiencing the relativity of culture, the connotations and assumptions that come with language, and the universality of the Dharma.

Many thanks to Vajragupta, Dhammamegha (from Windhorse), the International Triratna
Translation's Board, FutureDharma Fund and the ECA (European Chairs Assembly) for their support of this project.

The book is available in hard copy and electronically.

And just a reminder that Sangharakshita’s book, What is the Dharma, is available in Hebrew here and elsewhere.

Prakashika
Sydney
November 2022