About the Author
Hello, this blog is about my life as a father, Buddhist and Japanophile / Koreaphile. Any useful information I can pass along will hopefully make the Internets a better place. Thanks for reading!
Monthly Archives: August 2008
Weekend fun with Sun Virtual Box
On advice from a colleague at work, I decided to play around with Sun’s free application, Virtual Box, on my Mac at home: This is a screenshot of my computer at home (Mac OS X 10.5) running a virtual copy … Continue reading
Posted in Bsd, Linux, Macintosh, Technology, Ubuntu
Leave a comment
No Buddhist Left Behind, part 2
In my last post on the subject, I talked about how Pure Land Buddhism is very inclusive by nature. In all Pure Land Buddhist sects, from China, Vietnam, up to Korea and Japan, the basic teaching is that Amida Buddha … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Jodo Shinshu, Jodo Shu, Religion
2 Comments
The problem of power
I’ve written on the subject of power and religion before, but I wanted to revisit this after stumbling on this nice quotation from Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune: This is the fallacy of power: ultimately it is effective only in … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Dune, Politics, Religion
2 Comments
Understanding Samsara, karma and rebirth
Samsara is a concept in Buddhism (among other religions) to mean aimless wandering of one’s life. From lifetime to lifetime we wander in this form or another, or even from day to day, moment to moment. We have a purpose … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Jodo Shinshu, Jodo Shu, Religion, Theravada
2 Comments
Enough already
I removed the post regarding Olympics, China and Tibet. People made their point, and someone rightly called me on my about-face on the subject from months ago. So indeed I have been a hypocrit. I am sorry. I just got … Continue reading
Posted in General
6 Comments
A solid definition of the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism
Recently, I made a point that Bhikkhu Bodhi is a true-blue Buddhist scholar and an exemplary monk, especially when compared to more flamboyant and controversial ones. His monastery’s website offers some nice, introduction-level information on Buddhism that applies to all … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Religion
2 Comments
Ireland Time
One thing I have learned since moving to Ireland is that culturally the notion of time is different. There are practical and historical precedents for this, so this post is not an attempt to compare the two, but rather just … Continue reading
Posted in Ireland, Travel, Zelazny
Leave a comment
The struggles of life without Internet
After my recent struggles getting Internet access at our new apartment in Blackrock, Ireland, I found this comic very amusing: I actually did something like this after a few days. On my Mac Mini, it comes with built-in wireless, and … Continue reading
Posted in General, Technology
1 Comment
Faith in Buddhism
While writing my last post, I found this wonderful explanation of what faith in Buddhism means, and how it works. I write this because many people who first come to Buddhism are angry or resentful toward Christianity and Judaism, and … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Jodo Shinshu, Religion
4 Comments
Who am I kidding?
I think all along I have been a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist, even when I said I wasn’t. I guess everyone goes through this phase sooner or later as they walk the path. As I listen to the Shōshinge hymn on … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Jodo Shinshu, Religion
1 Comment
