Seven Deadly Sins (better translation needed)

Seven Deadly Sins
Mohandas Karamachand Gandhi, one of the most influential figures in modern social and political activism, considered these traits to be the most spiritually perilous to humanity.

1. Wealth without work  
2. Pleasure without conscience
3. Science without humanity
4. Knowledge without character
5. Politics without principle
6. Commerce without morality
7. Worship without sacrifice

One translation is

1.　　積財富而不付出辛勞
2.　　求享樂而沒有良知
3.　　搞科學而不講人性
4.　　有學識而沒有人格
5.　　搞政治而不講原則
6.　　做生意而不講道德
7.　　敬神靈而不作奉獻

But I have some doubts about it, the most obvious are,

1.　　積財富而不付出辛勞 (Wealth without work)
No wealth is gained without an effort unless it is inherited. But an inherent wealth has nothing to do with accumulation (積累 or 積財富).

3.　　搞科學而不講人性 (Science without humanity)
Gandhi was angry about the use of scientific research results in the WWII for killing civilians. He didn't accuse the scientists and researchers (搞科學的人) who shouldn't be held responsible for the indifferent use of lethal weapons.

4.　　有學識而沒有人格 (Knowledge without character)
Word by word, it seems to suggest that being a person who has acquired knowledge (有學識) but not moral excellence and firmness (沒有人格) could be a sin.  

Any suggestion for a better translation?

[:483:]

for myself, i don't really care about the translation.
forget about the chinese, those translations are not really that close.
just focus on what they actual mean.
all of them, are very arguable.
i think each of them, we can write a no less than 30 pages composition.

1. Wealth without work
不通過流汗勞動而獲取財富
gaining wealth with means other than sweating or working honestly.

3. Science without humanity
利用科學成果製造能夠毀滅人類的武器
using scientific research results to produce massive destruction weapons

4. Knowledge without character
求取知識而放棄品行操守
acquiring knowledge while ignoring the needs of achieving moral excellence

1.
folks, my name is "hillary gates". i'm so sorry to let you down, but i'm a rich girl. i never need to work since the day i was born. and you know who is my dad, i'm lazy, crazy and rich, but that's not my fault!

2.
hey guys, i am heather locklear. i live in a complex called "melrose place". gee, i love this place so much... why? you stupid idiot, you never watched the tv show "melrose place" b4? people who live here don't do anything but randomly having sex with anybody as long as that person lives in the same complex.
don't think this isn't true but just tv show, in real life, there is such a thing "pleasure without conscience". especially for those celebrities.
regret? you may have a few. but then again, too few to mention.


terminator: i'll be back.......

I am not sure Mohandas Karamachand Gandhi ever knew or met with these guys or oops gals. I believe when he said these words, he was worrying about his countrymen. He wanted to bring them out of poverty and gave them a higher moral standard to live with. He didin't have many enemies when he was alive and neither after his death. He left some wealth to his folkmen and to the world as well. He was a man with high virtue and he has my respect.

More on this to come.

the knives did not kill people, instead the people themselve did.....

3.
hey girls, gather around, let me tell you my little story. first, i'm albert einstein, don't yell to me yet....i know, i know, everybody blames me for the nuclear weapon. the only thing i did is e=mc^2, how am i supposed to know you guys manufactured the nuclear weapon? have you heard britney spears sings "i'm just so inocent...."?!!

i do respect mr. sage too, just like i respect you Adelyn. but that doesn't mean i 100% agree with what you said.

and you know what, everybody is sinned. oh god, help me with that. if i confess, will you forgive me?

here is a link for real 7 sins http://deadlysins.com/sins/index.htm.

1.
Pride is excessive belief in one's own abilities, that interferes with the individual's recognition of the grace of God. It has been called the sin from which all others arise. Pride is also known as Vanity.

2.
Envy is the desire for others' traits, status, abilities, or situation.

3.
Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires.

4.
Lust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body.

5.
Anger is manifested in the individual who spurns love and opts instead for fury. It is also known as Wrath.

6.
Greed is the desire for material wealth or gain, ignoring the realm of the spiritual. It is also called Avarice or Covetousness.

7.
Sloth is the avoidance of physical or spiritual work.



i am just human, i believe so are you. amen!


after the local commercial, i'll be back to finish the rest 4.

A copy of the posting by Pradip at Chinadaily Community:

...Rev.Gandhiji, is popularly know as Bapu(Father). I have read his autobiography long ago. I need to re-read it to answer your questions in proper perspective.

Bapu died almost over 55 yrs. ago. Our country was ruled by Britishers for 2 centuries. We were robbed of our national wealth and ill-treated. A great deal of injustice was caused to us. Bapu raised a voice against Britishers and freed our country by fight through non-violent means.

The situation of our country then was different. We were ruled by Britishers for 2 centuries. The economy rolled around farming and cottage industries. Big industries did exist.

Bapu was a visionary figure. He was capable of providing and advancing a school of thought based on high moral standards, social equality and welfare of common men. He won the hearts of our country men by his visionary and principled thinking. Almost entire country accepted him as leader and followed him. Whatever Bapu said was accepted and practiced. He led the country in the fight against Britishers and gave us freedom.

Bapu held social equality and welfare of common men at his heart. He guided his followers and the nation with messages consonant with high standard of morals and common welfare of all. He not only preached, he practiced them vigorously. Though, He was in situation to head the government then, he did not take any position and advocated for disbanding Congress. He appealed his follower leaders, not to be in government but few were not in favour and his nearest persons formed the govt.

"Wealth without work" is a deadly sin, is one of his messages to his followers and nation.

What Bapu advocated was wealth should be a produce of sweating hard work. Bapu advocated hard work. Only hard work can bring a nation out from pit. We were slaves for 200 years and our country needed to come out.

Please look at the example of Japan. Japan was finished in 2nd world war. Only hard work and honesty placed Japan as top ranking nation.
Today, I am pained to say that baring people like Tatas, almost all our businessmen have created wealth by un-scrupulous means like corrupt practise, manipulations for non-payment of taxes, deception, exploitation of weak and theft. Not only that they have carved a path of un-scrupulous way of thinking and life for entire nation.

The wealthy are no short of criminals. They command respect from un-principled yes man of society and government. Their clout, crooked means and power to purchase any thing and any one including justice leave a message in the minds of people and new generation at large that wealth is essential for standing in society and the un-scupulous means to acquire wealth is the only way to survive. The feeling of guilt and shame has lost it's place.

The head of biggest industrialist group of our country was a labour in his young days, he is said to have purchased our prime-minister. He was the only beneficiary of licenses and govt. policies then.

Earning through speculation of stocks is a way of easy earning without sweating. One may not find it wrong but stocks are manipulated by wealthy and the manipulations in stocks financially kill many. It has killed the spirit of our young generation to work hard. This deprive us of real development of our nation.

Alas, if, what Bapu said was practiced by us, We would have been on top of all nations considering our large and brilliant population.

The greed for wealth is root of all evils. U.S. wage a war against a small country on some false pretext and kill innocents and also their own people, allow to rape women and girls! and live a feeling of vengence in the minds of all sufferers and risk lives and existance of U.S. and western world. This is to keep their industries running, get hold upon the arteries of essential commodities of every human being on this planet.

The question is, Is wealth so essential? Do we not head towards anarchy?

Isn't Bapu right?

Pradip.

[c]_________________[/c]

The previous posting containing the questions to Pradit:

thank you so much for explaining to us the spirit of Mohandas Karamachand Gandhi.

...what confused me here is why it is called "deadly sins" (most spiritually perilous to humanity). that has added a great difficulty to my effort to translate his words. does that mean a sin that is unforgivable? for the first sin "wealth without work" i have the following questions:

that was the task and duty as one's accustomed means of livelihood. as the society advances with technologies, new task, duty, and function would be assigned to the same person as he would likely become part of a larger activity. one phenomenon of the modern capitalist society is the development of an effective financial market of which speculation is an integrated function. in america, nearly every family has made a part of its wealth in the stock market. there are more generalized investment activities involving central banks of governments, based on an experience that risks will be rewarded with returns.

how do i convince myself that all this is a sin not as spiritually dangerous (and can be forgiven)?