Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma

author, poet, teacher, and performer

Interviews

To find interviews on specific books, use the buttons below:

The Kural The Safety of Edges

Body and Earth

New Books Network Interview with Shruti Dixit

I was delighted to speak with Shruti Dixit on her podcast for the New Books Network about my new translation of THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural.

You can listen to the podcast by way of this link:

https://newbooksnetwork.com/thomas-hitoshi-pruiksma-the-kural-tiruvalluvars-tirukkural-beacon-press-2022

Shruti Dixit is a PhD Divinity Candidate at CSRP, University of St Andrews, researching the Hindu-Christian Dialogue in Apocalyptic Prophecies.

By One’s Own Hand: A Kural Conversation with C.F. John

Farming and the Interconnectedness of Life

With my friend C.F. John I was delighted to explore abundance, interconnectedness, and the ways we look at farming and farming communities in the light of THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural.

Here are a few highlights and where in the video you can find them:

  • On the different meanings of the word “farmer.” 3:36
  • How farmers stand between the wilderness, on the one side, and urban civilization, on the other. 9:25
  • Farming and interconnectedness: 28:31
  • Who is subsidizing whom? 35:32
  • Generosity and healthy restraint: 48:09
  • A question from John: What kind of rewiring had to happen in your head to be able to translate this work? 61:28

CF JOhn

C.F. John is an established senior artist and social activist based in Bangalore. After completing his studies in Philosophy, he had his initiation in art under Jyothi Sahi in Silvepura, Karnataka. Through his art, C.F. John attempts to negotiate with the tensions of modern-day living. Finding peace amidst nature, he is inspired by people who are close to it. C.F. John’s works are sombre and reflective, emanating a thought-provoking yet soothing presence. His individualistic approach to art gives it a certain freshness. John uses muted colour palettes, gentle textures, elegant compositions and occasional bursts of colour to portray subjects in a meditative state, while celebrating the uniqueness of the materials he uses to paint. As a social activist, C.F. John has lived with indigenous tribes, and his socio-cultural experiences have shaped his artistic process.

https://cfjohn.com/

Here are the verses we talked about, in both English and Tamil:

1035
He that eats by his own hand does not beg
And gives freely to beggars

இரவார் இரப்பார்க்கொன் றீவர் கரவாது
கைசெய்தூண் மாலை யவர்

1032
Farmers sustain everyone not farming—they
Are the pin holding the world together

உழுவார் உலகத்தார்க் காணிஅஃ தாற்றா
தெழுவாரை எல்லாம் பொறுத்து

1039
If its husbandman stays away the land pulls back
And sulks like a wife

செல்லான் கிழவன் இருப்பின் நிலம்புலந்த
தில்லாளின் ஊடி விடும்

From chapter 104, “Farming.”

Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston

Eyes That Are Moved: A Kural Conversation with Andrew Harvey

The Eyes of Wonder and of the Heart

Andrew Harvey interviews Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma about his new translation of THE KURAL: Thiruvalluvar’s Thirukkural, a masterpiece of the Tamil language, exploring the work’s profound relevance for the present.

Here are a few highlights from the interview:

  • A first glimpse of the Kural: 2:03
  • How did you encounter the Kural? 8:49
  • How did you pluck up the courage to take on this great masterpiece? 18:26
  • What is Tamil like to inhabit at the depths you’ve been graced to inhabit it? 28:32
  • The different parts of the Kural and how they are organized. 32:50
  • Three verses from the Kural to give a personal taste of the whole. 41:04
  • A poem from Kuruntokai, a classical Tamil anthology, included in the commentary to this new translation. 1:01:01

Andrew Harvey

Andrew Harvey is Founder & Director of the Institute for Sacred Activism, an international organization focused on inviting concerned people to take up the challenge of our contemporary global crises by becoming inspired, effective, and practical agents of institutional and systemic change, in order to create peace and sustainability. He was born in south India in 1952, where he lived until he was nine years old. After becoming the youngest person ever to be awarded a fellowship to All Soul’s College, England’s highest academic honor, Harvey became disillusioned with academic life and returned to his native India, where a series of mystical experiences initiated his spiritual journey. Over the next thirty years he plunged into different mystical traditions to learn their secrets and practices. He has written and edited over 30 books, including “Radical Passion: Sacred Love and Wisdom in Action,” a manifesto for the transformation of the world through the fusion of deep mystical peace with the clarity of radical wisdom.

Learn more about Andrew Harvey on the website of the Institute for Sacred Activism: https://www.andrewharvey.net/

Here are the verses Thomas shared aloud, in both English and Tamil:

71
Is there a latch for love—the fullness of one’s heart
Shows in the tears that well

அன்பிற்கும் உண்டோ அடைக்குந்தாழ் ஆர்வலர்
புன்கணீர் பூசல் தரும்

571
The astonishing beauty of eyes that are moved—because
It exists this world exists

கண்ணோட்டம் என்னும் கழிபெருங் காரிகை
உண்மையான் உண்டிவ் வுலகு

1323
Hearts joined like earth and water—what heaven
Transcends their sulking

புலத்தலின் புத்தேள்நா டுண்டோ நிலத்தொடு
நீரியைந் தன்னார் அகத்து

Translated from the Tamil by Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma
THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural
Beacon Press, Boston

An Interview with Michael Benner of the Ageless Wisdom Mystery School

I was honored and delighted to speak about the ancient Tamil wisdom aphorisms in THE KURAL: Tiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural with Michael Benner on his Ageless Wisdom Mystery School Radio Show on KPFK in Southern California.

You can listen to a complete recording below or as a podcast.

MICHAEL BENNER is the author of Fearless Intelligence — The Extraordinary Wisdom of Awareness. He’s also written the breakthrough self-awareness training, Internal Vigilance, commissioned by the Orange County California Sheriffs Academy in Anaheim. He is well known throughout Southern California for his popular human potential talk radio programs on KABC-AM, KLOS-FM, KLSX-FM, KCBS-FM, KRLA-AM, and most recently on KPFK-FM. He has served as the Sports Psychology Consultant for the U.S.C. Womens Tennis Team and the Burbank Burroughs High School Baseball Team.

Michael left broadcasting as a full-time profession in 1987 to begin his own business, Personal Development Strategies. With offices now in La Quinta near Palm Springs, California, he provides counseling and personal development training to individuals and couples, as well as consulting, training, and coaching for business executives, managers, and teams. As presented by Michael, Personal Development Strategies include self-awareness and emotional intelligence, stress management, critical thinking, and relationship management.