葉

[Jundo]

Dear All Leafers,

This is for real Japanese language fans, or anyone with just too much curiosity about the origin of the name "Treeleaf." Other folks (you have been warned) may want to take this opportunity to "make like a tree, and just leave!"

Just a little fact I noticed yesterday when reading about the kanji (Chinese-Japanese Character) for "Leaf." Even if you are not a student of Japanese, it may be interesting somehow. Maybe not so much.

Our Sangha's "official name in Japanese is the "Ko no ha" (木之葉) Zendo, in which the first character means (and looks like) a tree (木), the "no" (之) is a possessive (like an apostrophe 's in English), and the final kanji (葉) means leaf. So, it means "tree's leaf" or "leaf of the tree" ... Treeleaf. Here is the name written by Nishijima Roshi as it hangs over our door in Tsukuba ...

If you are ever wondering about the origin of the name, well, I first thought that this Sangha connected by the internet around the world is like the leaves on the branches of a tree, but also all the separate things of this world ... including you and me ... are like the myriad individual leaves on a tree which are also united together and, in fact, ARE the tree itself manifesting. The leaves are the tree itself in most intimate sense, as the tree comes to life in each and every leaf. I also thought of other famous trees in Buddhism and Zen, such as the Bodhi Tree under which the Buddha sat, and the "Cypress Tree in the Garden" which is the response in a famous Koan.

In any case, I was always a little bothered by that possessive (之) in the Japanese name, because it implies that the leaves merely belong to the tree, and not that they are actually the tree itself in most intimate sense in one facet and guise. To express that, our name is "Treeleaf" and not just "tree leaf" or "leaf of the tree."

Well, to make a long story slightly less long ...

Yesterday, I was doing my daily Japanese studies (at my age, just to maintain what is already in my head as much as to learn something new), and I came to an explanation of the elements of the third Kanji, the one for "leaf" itself ... "Ha" (葉):

The kanji 葉 (ha, which also can be pronounced yō), has the core meaning “leaf.” Mastering the shape of 葉 is a snap if you divide it into its three top-to-bottom components — 艹 (plant-life), 世 (generations) and 木 (tree) — and memorize the phrase, “Leaves are successive generations of plant life on a tree.”

In other words, the Leaf is the Tree within (and is not just part of the tree) and is the tree's successive generations of sprouting life. Perhaps the whole meaning of Treeleaf is just contained in that one Kanji ... 葉 . So, the leaf is of the tree, but the tree is in the leaf too. Here it is in a nice calligraphy ...

Maybe you have to be a Japanese language wonk to find this sublime.

Gassho, J

STLAH

[Koki]

Thank you Jundo!
I always love learning these facts!

I make it simple for myself...i went to the park, found a beautiful long needle pine tree, bowed to the tree asking permission to glean one pine branch.
Brought it home, after incencing and zazen...offering sutras, I made the pine needle like that of on our maniki, and placed it in a small frame on white cloth backing...to remind me of our wonderful Sangha!

Gassho
Koki
Satoday

Sent from my VS995 using Tapatalk

[Shokai]

My most favorite Japanese TV commercial: kono ki nanno ki ki ni naru ki


Gassho, Shokai
stlah

[Shinshi]

Thank you for sharing that Jundo. Really interesting. We are little sprouts - of little sprouts.

Gassho, Shinshi

SaT-LaH

[Jakuden]

Ha! I am not a Japanese language wonk, as you put it, but maybe I should be! That’s great
Gassho
Jakuden
SatToday/LAH


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[Geika]

Thank you, Jundo. I appreciate the bits of Japanese language that I learn here. It is difficult-- it seems to me that you have to learn how to think like a Japanese person in order to understand the language! It is good to know that I have friends there in case I get lost around Tokyo someday, lol. How did anyone travel before Google?! (just a joke... I have traveled to several countries without the help of the internet... but wow, Asian writing would have just destroyed me.)

Sat today, lah

[Sekiyuu]

Thank you for the lesson, Jundo.

For some reason Google is failing me here... why is 之 being used instead of の? I can see it's used in classical Chinese where modern Chinese uses 的, so I guess it was carried over from classical Chinese and used when you want to make things look traditional?

I learned some Mandarin in college, but I started learning Japanese recently. Wanikani has helped a ton for learning kanji by making it into a kind of game. Now for every character I know, I recall a confusing mess of the Mandarin pronunciation, the Japanese on'yomi reading, and a kun'yomi reading or two. I'm very impressed that the Japanese can manage to read each other's writing at all with all those readings, and I wonder if mis-reading is a common problem.

Gassho,
Kenny
Sat Today

[Jundo]

Thank you for the lesson, Jundo.

For some reason Google is failing me here... why is 之 being used instead of の? I can see it's used in classical Chinese where modern Chinese uses 的, so I guess it was carried over from classical Chinese and used when you want to make things look traditional?

I learned some Mandarin in college, but I started learning Japanese recently. Wanikani has helped a ton for learning kanji by making it into a kind of game. Now for every character I know, I recall a confusing mess of the Mandarin pronunciation, the Japanese on'yomi reading, and a kun'yomi reading or two. I'm very impressed that the Japanese can manage to read each other's writing at all with all those readings, and I wonder if mis-reading is a common problem.

Gassho,
Kenny
Sat Today

In my small understanding, 之 was used for possession in Classical Chinese, and very formal Modern Chinese texts and used in many expressions which have a classical feeling. 的 is for possession in Modern Chinese, and の is modern Japanese. So, in calligraphy, Nishijima Roshi wished a classical sense, and chose 之. The 之 is also somehow aesthetically more pleasing to my eyes than the の for calligraphy. As well, there is another option ... the katakana ノ ... which also appears sometimes in various uses besides just borrowed foreign words.

Gassho, J

STToday

PS - Next week or so, I will move this thread to the "Japanese Study" area in our Forum.

https://www.treeleaf.org/forums/foru...Language-Study

[Kakunen]

I remember this video book.

Thank you Jundo.



Sorry in Japanese

Sat today
Nine bows
Kakunen

[Junkyo]

Very interesting! Thanks for the lesson Jundo!

Gassho,

Junkyo
SAT

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[Jundo]

This appears to be the original story in English, Kakunen, by the 1970-80's voice of love and life, Leo Buscaglia ...



I knew this book as a kid. It is a wonderful tale of birth, death and the passing seasons. Yes, it is included in the Treeleaf name too.

As I recall, he was a very very wise fellow with many wonderful messages who should be remembered more.



Gassho, J

STLah

[Nengei]

This is awesome stuff, something I really enjoy. I have so little talent for languages that I am amazed that I function in English. But I love poking around in them and learning a little here and there.

I liked reading about:
The explanation of Ko No Ha.
The clarity of Ha's meaning (stifling the tattoo urge).
The meaningful calligraphy of Nishijima Roshi.

These are important parts of our history, and the kind of fun information that builds community.

I was a fan of Leo Buscaglia's, back in the day. Everything that he said is as pertinent now as it was then, and yes, Jundo, he should be more remembered.

Gassho,
然芸 Nengei
Sat/LAH

You deserve to be happy.
You deserve to be loved.

[Washin]

This is very interesting. Thank you for sharing, Jundo. Even though being not a Japanese language learner (yet)
I enjoyed reading this. I love analyzing languages' structure and their roots. It's always a fun and sometimes a help.

Gassho,
Washin
sattday

[r.warn]

I was actually speaking to a friend the other day about how our train of thought matches the language that we know (to an extent).

For example, when cold air meets my skin and I feel a cold sensation, my thought is, "COLD." Four letters, one syllable, left to right, with a beginning and end.

"TREELEAF" as a translation from the Japanese character follows that same model, left to right, letters, syllables.

What's interesting to me is that the Japanese character not only communicates this big complicated idea: "The kanji 葉 (ha, which also can be pronounced yō), has the core meaning “leaf.” Mastering the shape of 葉 is a snap if you divide it into its three top-to-bottom components — 艹 (plant-life), 世 (generations) and 木 (tree) — and memorize the phrase, “Leaves are successive generations of plant life on a tree.”

but does so with a single, complete figure that serves as an illustration as much as an explanation. It makes me wonder what the trains of thought are for different speakers of cultures around the world. After all, Arabic is written right to left, Chinese (if I'm not mistaken) is top to bottom, and ancient Egyptian is pictures!

Just an observation, but one I don't know that I would have made without the introspection of this practice. Does anyone else happen to notice this as their thoughts come and go during Zazen?

Gassho,
Randy
sattoday
lah

[Geika]

I wonder about that all the time, Randy. This may be why they say that learning languages may be one of the best ways to expand your brain. I read this in an article that was debunking "brain game" apps, stating that the only ways we know of that can actually do this are learning languages, music, and math.

Sat today, lah