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!
The JKLLR on Twitter
- Rocking out at work to T-ara's "Lovey Dovey". youtube.com/watch?v=whL-2s… 12 hours ago
- Good luck pencils I bought in Japan, for language study. instagr.am/p/PKISZWi7l8/ 15 hours ago
- The greatest collaboration ever. I purchased this in Tokyo at a King Tut exhibit. instagr.am/p/PJ8BwlC7ul/ 16 hours ago
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Monthly Archives: February 2009
Knowing your limits: learning a language, among other things
Hi all, Haven’t posted in a day or two. I’ve been spending time with my daughter now that she’s back home with me. I didn’t realize how much she missed me until she saw me at the airport and did … Continue reading
Honen’s Catechism
Not too long ago, I mentioned in passing a famous letter of Honen, the founder of Jodo Shu Pure Land Buddhism. This is the hyakuyonjūgo kajō mondō (百四十五箇条問答), or “145 itemized questions”. This is sometimes referred to as Honen’s Catechism, … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Jodo Shu, Religion
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Hinamatsuri/Girls Day How-to
Girls Day in Japan is fast approaching, and my wife and daughter are coming home soon, just before Girls Day, so that means I had to setup the doll set again this year. Girls Day is March 3rd, but it’s … Continue reading
Posted in Japan
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Introduction to Shinto religion
Having recently come back from Japan, during New Year’s I wanted to talk a little bit about the other religion in Japan: Shintoism. My interest in Shinto began this last trip when I visited a few shrines here and there … Continue reading
Posted in Religion, Shinto
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Confucius: The River Flows On
One of the most famous quotations from the Analects of Confucius* comes from Book 9, verse 17 (translation by Burton Watson): Standing by a stream, the Master [Confucius] said, It flows on like this—does it not?—never ceasing day or night. … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Confucius, Philosophy, Religion
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Zen Shin Talks: a book review
On this sunny, Irish afternoon, I did some housework, then sat down on the couch for the first time in months, and finished reading the book Zen Shin Talks by Reverend Ogui. Rev. Ogui is the head of the Buddhist … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Jodo Shinshu, Religion, Zen
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Yakudoshi: The year of calamity
My wife and I were having a little email conversation lately, about the unusually bad weather in Ireland this year, and she half-jokingly reminded me that its her yakudoshi year this year. This means “calamity year”, or “year of suffering” … Continue reading
Twilight Samurai: a review
Movies about Samurai (and Zen) are not that hard to find in the West. Even my father-in-law in Japan loves watching jidaigeki (時代劇), or historical dramas, where such-and-such samurai is a hero as he cuts down 10 or more guys.* … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Japanese, Religion
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Religion + Blogs = Bad Idea
Another great comic from Xkcd: This is why, among other reasons, why I got rid of the old blog, the old “Gerald Ford” identity and so on. It’s just too tempting to get self-righteous at times, and too easy to … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Religion, Technology
The Marathon Monks
This is a nice 20-minute documentary on a famous ritual in the Tendai sect of Buddhism called the kaihōgyō (回峰行). The documentary covers the life of one monk at the end of his trials in the Kaihogyo, which is a … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Religion, Tendai
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