Journal Entry 11.24.23

In Tibetan Buddhism there is a concept, “to add wood to a fire”. It has a very different connotation than the English, “to add fuel to a fire”. The first is more gentle, more homely. The second is incendiary, inflammatory. It is not “wood” being added to an already burning fire of wood, it is a flammable material designed to create and increase a fire. The Buddhist concept is a metaphor about returning to an idea, not avoiding or running from a disturbing concept of experience. The Buddhist concept is about added more “wood” to an already inflammatory experience in order to know it and to tame it. To repeat an experience in a present and controlled way. The English version is about either carelessness or maliciousness designed to inflame or make more volatile a disturbing interaction between people.

It is interesting how a metaphor can change with the simple use of a word. It tells us how dangerous or important translation can be.