--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I remember having a discussion with [Kaz]…" description: "\"I remember having a discussion with [Kaz] about his translation of the word shunyata as \"boundlessness,\" instead of the more traditional \"emptiness.\" I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/410/joan-halifax-11817_assuming_i-remember-having-a-discussion-with-kaz_727693.jpg" --- # I remember having a discussion with \[Kaz\] about his… ![“I remember having a discussion with [Kaz] about his translation of the word shunyata as "boundlessness," instead of the more traditional "emptiness." I said: "Kaz, everyone is used to the word emptiness for shunyata. This might not sit well with people. He said: "Translator's prerogative!" Then he…” quote by Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/410/joan-halifax-11817_assuming_i-remember-having-a-discussion-with-kaz_727693.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/410/joan-halifax-11817_assuming_i-remember-having-a-discussion-with-kaz_727693.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/410/joan-halifax-11817_assuming_i-remember-having-a-discussion-with-kaz_727693.jpg) > “I remember having a discussion with \[Kaz\] about his translation of the word shunyata as "boundlessness," instead of the more traditional "emptiness." I said: "Kaz, everyone is used to the word emptiness for shunyata. This might not sit well with people. He said: "Translator's prerogative!" Then he added, "One cannot assume we know what they meant…" I agreed.” [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker discusses differing translations of “shunyata,” emphasizing that “boundlessness” may better capture its meaning than “emptiness.” **In simple terms:** Translations affect understanding of Buddhist concepts. Key Takeaway Consider nuanced translations for deeper insight. Themes Buddhism language interpretation Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - academic seminars - spiritual study - translation work Key Concepts Shunyata translation theory Questions to Reflect On - How does word choice shape spiritual perception? - Can “boundlessness” change practice? A Different Perspective Some may resist new terms, preferring familiar ones. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Emptiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emptiness/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Prerogative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prerogative/) [Translations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/translations/) [Translators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/translators/) ## Related quotes > [The word "emptiness" for example, is a very important word both in Christianity and in Buddhism. It has shades of meaning however, that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/the-word-emptiness-for-example-is-a-very-important-word-both-in/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > ['Emptiness' means empty of a separate self. It is full of everything, full of life. The word emptiness should not scare us. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/emptiness-means-empty-of-a-separate-self-it-is-full-of-everything/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [“In Buddhism, the word “emptiness” is a translation of the Sanskrit sunyata. It means “empty of a separate self.” It is not a negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sister-chan-khong/in-buddhism-the-word-emptiness-is-a-translation-of-the-sanskrit/) Sister Chan Khong > [“She wanted to die. She wanted to die. Because then it would be over. All the loss, all the grief, all the pain, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sagara-west/she-wanted-to-die-she-wanted-to-die-because-then-it-would-be-over-all/) [Michelle Sagara West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sagara-west/) > [“You are like a shell,” he said. “A seashell. Hollow but beautiful.” “Hollow.” She nodded. For the rest of the day, they sat not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramona-ausubel/you-are-like-a-shell-he-said-a-seashell-hollow-but-beautiful-hollow/) [Ramona Ausubel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramona-ausubel/) > [I am ashamed of my emptiness," said the Word to the Work. "I know how poor I am when I see you," said the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/i-am-ashamed-of-my-emptiness-said-the-word-to-the-work-i-know-how/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [“I think perhaps the greatest burden lies in caring for those we cannot help." "Not in having no one for whom to care?" Fraser…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/i-think-perhaps-the-greatest-burden-lies-in-caring-for-those-we/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [There is neither rank nor station nor prerogative in the republic of the grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-ingalls/there-is-neither-rank-nor-station-nor-prerogative-in-the-republic-of/) [John James Ingalls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-ingalls/) > [The Society is based on that great bottom law of human right, that nothing but crime can forfeit liberty. That no condition of birth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dwight-weld/the-society-is-based-on-that-great-bottom-law-of-human-right-that/) Theodore Dwight Weld > [If CASA?s board, which includes such scientific experts as actress Jamie Lee Curtis, wants to tell the world that drinking is bad for you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/if-casa-s-board-which-includes-such-scientific-experts-as-actress/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [A critic has no right to the narrowness which is the frequent prerogative of the creative artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/a-critic-has-no-right-to-the-narrowness-which-is-the-frequent/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Reason to rule, mercy to forgive: The first is law, the last prerogative. Life is an adventure in forgiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/reason-to-rule-mercy-to-forgive-the-first-is-law-the-last-prerogative/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [Beauty is the true prerogative of women, and so peculiarly their own, that our sex, though naturally requiring another sort of feature, is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/beauty-is-the-true-prerogative-of-women-and-so-peculiarly-their-own/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Some husbands regard it as their prerogative to compel their wives to fit their standards of what they think to be the ideal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/some-husbands-regard-it-as-their-prerogative-to-compel-their-wives-to/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) ## More by Joan Halifax > [We have even done a weekend on Japanese grammar! Not that I know anything about Japanese grammar, but it was Kaz's idea, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/we-have-even-done-a-weekend-on-japanese-grammar-not-that-i-know/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [Developing our capacity for compassion makes it possible for us to help others in a more skillful and effective way. And compassion helps us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/developing-our-capacity-for-compassion-makes-it-possible-for-us-to/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [Buddhist practice is the grounding for this work, this life, this way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/buddhist-practice-is-the-grounding-for-this-work-this-life-this-way/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [ We have been teaching together \[with Kaz\] now for more than twenty years in sesshins, in international travel programs in Japan and China, as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/we-have-been-teaching-together-with-kaz-now-for-more-than-twenty/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [All are interconnected...the environment; rights of the dying; care of caregivers; education and medical care for peoples of the Himalayas; prison work; those living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/all-are-interconnected-the-environment-rights-of-the-dying-care-of/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [“Within and around the earth, within and around the hills, within and around the mountains your authority returns to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/within-and-around-the-earth-within-and-around-the-hills-within-and/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [“Some of us are drawn to mountains the way the moon draws the tide. Both the great forests and the mountains live in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/some-of-us-are-drawn-to-mountains-the-way-the-moon-draws-the-tide/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [I am working on a technical paper on compassion. So I am reading everything I can on the subject, including my own mind and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/i-am-working-on-a-technical-paper-on-compassion-so-i-am-reading/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [ \[Kaz\] is a great scholar, very funny - a true man of no rank! ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/kaz-is-a-great-scholar-very-funny-a-true-man-of-no-rank/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [Compassion has enemies, and those enemies are things like pity, moral outrage, fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/compassion-has-enemies-and-those-enemies-are-things-like-pity-moral/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [The roots of all living things are tied together. Deep in the ground of being, they tangle and embrace. This understanding is expressed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/the-roots-of-all-living-things-are-tied-together-deep-in-the-ground/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [If compassion is so good for us, why don't we train our health care providers in compassion so that they can do what they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/if-compassion-is-so-good-for-us-why-don-t-we-train-our-health-care/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [May I see my own limits with compassion, just as I view the limits of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/may-i-see-my-own-limits-with-compassion-just-as-i-view-the-limits-of/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [Cease consuming, practice generosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/cease-consuming-practice-generosity/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [My test for veracity has always been: How this will settle with a person who is dying? Boundlessness seemed to me to open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/my-test-for-veracity-has-always-been-how-this-will-settle-with-a/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) [Explore all 57 Joan Halifax quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) ## More Assuming quotes > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [Our young Marines of today are courageous, willing to make sacrifices, and are marvelous team players. I am confident our Corps, and indeed our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-conway/our-young-marines-of-today-are-courageous-willing-to-make-sacrifices/) James T. 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Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [A state of mind is something that one assumes. It cannot be purchased, it must be created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/a-state-of-mind-is-something-that-one-assumes-it-cannot-be-purchased/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [One must believe that every living thing whatsoever must change insensibly in its organization and in its form... One must therefore never expect to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-lamarck/one-must-believe-that-every-living-thing-whatsoever-must-change/) [Jean-Baptiste Lamarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-lamarck/) > [I think the biggest problem working with me would be that I'm an only child, and so I have an internal dialogue that goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-think-the-biggest-problem-working-with-me-would-be-that-i-m-an-only/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [It is worth noticing that those who assume an imposing demeanor and seek to pass themselves off for something beyond what they are, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/it-is-worth-noticing-that-those-who-assume-an-imposing-demeanor-and/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [People just assume that if you're famous, you're in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/people-just-assume-that-if-you-re-famous-you-re-in-hollywood/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [The behavior of any bureaucratic organization can best be understood by assuming that it is controlled by a secret cabal of its enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-conquest/the-behavior-of-any-bureaucratic-organization-can-best-be-understood/) [Robert Conquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-conquest/) > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. 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Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) Browse all 2,452 Assuming quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I remember having a discussion with [Kaz] about his translation of the word shunyata as \"boundlessness,\" instead of the more traditional \"emptiness.\" I said: \"Kaz, everyone is used to the word emptiness for shunyata. This might not sit well with people. 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