Comments on: Aisatsu: a Zen Buddhist “greeting” http://japanlifeandreligion.com/2009/07/31/aisatsu-a-zen-buddhist-greeting/ My life as a father, Buddhist and Japanophile. Sat, 11 Jun 2011 01:53:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Doug http://japanlifeandreligion.com/2009/07/31/aisatsu-a-zen-buddhist-greeting/#comment-2980 Doug Sat, 01 Aug 2009 20:21:54 +0000 http://nihonshukyo.wordpress.com/?p=4684#comment-2980 Good point about appreciating the ritual behind greetings. I underwent a similar transition where I thought it was overly stilted and annoying, but when you get into the system and get used to it, it makes sense. I think it also goes back to Confucius's emphasis on ritual above all else, and now I appreciate why he would say such things. It sounds funny to an American like me whose raised to believe that ritual and custom are old and backwards (and even manners aren't what they used to be), but now I guess I appreciate the "old ways" more, like the Victorian stuff you cited. Good call. Good point about appreciating the ritual behind greetings. I underwent a similar transition where I thought it was overly stilted and annoying, but when you get into the system and get used to it, it makes sense. I think it also goes back to Confucius’s emphasis on ritual above all else, and now I appreciate why he would say such things. It sounds funny to an American like me whose raised to believe that ritual and custom are old and backwards (and even manners aren’t what they used to be), but now I guess I appreciate the “old ways” more, like the Victorian stuff you cited. Good call.

]]> By: johnl http://japanlifeandreligion.com/2009/07/31/aisatsu-a-zen-buddhist-greeting/#comment-2977 johnl Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:36:37 +0000 http://nihonshukyo.wordpress.com/?p=4684#comment-2977 I used to think the Japanese were pretty obsessive about greetings. You know, school kids have to greet their teacher in unison at the start of the day, etc. Then, my feelings changed a bit when I was in a performance with a (medium-) famous kabuki actor. My teacher took me to his dressing room for 'go aisatsu'. Even though we both knew the name of the other (I knew who he was because of his medium-level fame; he knew about me because I was the only non-Japanese in the production--something else the Japanese are a bit obsessive about), we couldn't really relate until having the greeting. I felt it was a bit like booting up a computer--you can't do anything without that. Also, I could relate a bit more to Victorian ladies and gentlemen who could not speak to each other without being formally introduced. JL I used to think the Japanese were pretty obsessive about greetings. You know, school kids have to greet their teacher in unison at the start of the day, etc. Then, my feelings changed a bit when I was in a performance with a (medium-) famous kabuki actor. My teacher took me to his dressing room for ‘go aisatsu’. Even though we both knew the name of the other (I knew who he was because of his medium-level fame; he knew about me because I was the only non-Japanese in the production–something else the Japanese are a bit obsessive about), we couldn’t really relate until having the greeting. I felt it was a bit like booting up a computer–you can’t do anything without that. Also, I could relate a bit more to Victorian ladies and gentlemen who could not speak to each other without being formally introduced.

JL

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