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!
Category Archives: Hosso
Old Enemies Become Friends
This was a gift I received from a friend in Ireland. We used to work together when I lived in Ireland, and he is ethnically Russian,1 grew up in Azerbaijan in the Soviet Union, but eventually became a Polish citizen … Continue reading
Hand Gestures and Physical Contact in Korea
Keith Kim, former teacher at KoreanClass101.com and recently launched a new site dedicated to life in Korea, social tips, etc at Seoulistic.com. For folks wanting to learn more about Korea, this is a nice complement to TTMIK, which focuses on … Continue reading
Alertness, not Mindfulness
Recently, a fellow blogger named Cocomino, posted an interesting article about how people make better decisions in a foreign language. The explanation behind the research is that: Namely, people are less likely to fall into common cognitive traps when tested … Continue reading
Being a Foreigner is a Pain, anywhere
Think of it as plastic memory, this force within you which trends you and your fellows toward tribal forms. This plastic memory seeks to return to its ancient shape, the tribal society. It is all around you—the feudatory, the diocese, … Continue reading
Appearances Can Be Deceiving
Wow, I recently found out about this song and video by the provocative Korean group, Brown Eye Girls (mentioned here as well), and I had to share it. The song, Cleansing Cream, is quite an inspired piece of cinematography, but … Continue reading
Who’s Who in Buddhism, part 7: Amitabha Buddha
One of the most prominent figures in Mahayana Buddhism, especially East Asian Buddhism is Amitabha Buddha, the Buddha of Infinite Light. This Buddha is often called by names like Amida Nyorai (阿弥陀如来) in Japan or Amita Bul (아미타불) in Korean. … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Hosso, Jodo Shinshu, Jodo Shu, Religion, Shingon, Tendai
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Evil clings
悪事身にとまる (akuji mi ni tomaru) “All evil done clings to the body.” – old Japanese Buddhist proverb As I mentioned a while back, Buddhism places a strong emphasis on personal responsibility for one’s thoughts, actions and deeds. Not in a … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Hosso, Religion
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Breaking Habits the Buddhist Way
Lately, I re-read Rev. Tagawa’s book on Yogacara (Hossō) Buddhism as translated by Professor Muller. Chapter Five delves into the cycle of “seeds” perfurming the mind, which in turn lead to thoughts and actions that generate more seeds. Here “seeds” … Continue reading
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The Buddhist Lifestyle, in simple terms
Again, similar to this post, I recently stumbled upon something nice from Rev. Tagawa Shun’ei in Living Yogacara I wanted to share (trans. Prof. Charles Muller): In roughly defining the Buddhist lifestyle, I would like to think of it as … Continue reading
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My Old Friend, the Heart Sutra
As a final post for “Ohigan” week, I wanted to talk about something that has been of interest to me as of late: the Heart Sutra. In January, after getting inspired to cultivate more self-discipline, I decided to make a … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Hosso, Religion, Shingon
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