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: Confucius
More Good Advice for Studying
Here’s more advice from Xunzi, which is a follow-up to my last post. I was surprised to see how popular that one was. Anyhow, this is from section 2: A thoroughbred can travel a thousand li in one day, yet … Continue reading
Good Advice for Study
After finishing the book on Han Feizi, I started reading the book written by the famous Confucian scholar Xunzi (荀子, 312–230 BC), particularly the Burton Watson translation. Xunzi is pronounced like “shoon-tsih” by the way.1 Like all Confucian scholars, he … Continue reading
Posted in Confucius, Japanese, Korean, Language, Literature
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Han Feizi: Total Bastard
Lately, besides my usual projects (blog, plus Korean studies), I’ve been reading a famous Chinese book called the Han Feizi (Burton Watson’s excellent translation). Han Feizi (韓非子, 280–233 BC) was the foremost thinker in the Legalism school of Chinese thought … Continue reading
Posted in China, Confucius, Literature, Philosophy, Politics
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A Brief History of Confucianism in Korea
Not too long ago I posted and article about Neo-Confucianism in Edo Period Japan (1600-1868). Very exciting stuff, I assure you. This article is to balance things out with a look at the same time period in Korea and how … Continue reading
Posted in Confucius, Korea, Religion
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One is Enough
Recently, my wife and I were talking about a certain famous pop singer. We agreed that this person sings really great, but wasn’t very attractive, then my wife said in Japanese: 天は二物与えず Ten wa nibutsu ataezu Basically this means “Heaven … Continue reading
Posted in Confucius, Japanese, Language
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Is There More Than This?
Lately, I’ve been thinking about a quote from Roger Zelazny’s Isle of the Dead:1 Even if they had been real gods, what did it matter? What was it to me? Here I was still, right where I was born a … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Confucius, Literature, Religion, Shinto, Zelazny
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A Brief History of Confucianism in Edo-Period Japan
I spent part of last year reading a fascinating collection of essays under the title of Confucianism and Tokugawa Culture by Peter Nosco and other contributors. The book and the essays examine the Edo Period, the Tokugawa Shogunate, and how … Continue reading
Returning ancient books to Korea
Recently, I read this interesting article by the Yonhap News Agency in Korea about series of ancient books that finally were returned to Korea by Japan. During the annexation of Korea by the Empire of Japan, the books became the … Continue reading
Nakae Chomin: The “Modern” Confucian
Switching gears, I was recently reading a great collection of essays in the book Confucianism and Tokugawa Culture, and the final essay in the book covered the life and thought of a Meiji-era Confucian scholar and journalist named Nakae Chomin … Continue reading
Posted in Confucius, Japan, Politics
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Confucius: Never Stop Studying
Recently, I was reminded by my wife about the importance of knowledge and education. It’s something we often take for granted in today’s era of universal (and often sub-standard) education, but throughout human history, education was something crucial and opened … Continue reading
Posted in Confucius, Religion, Seattle
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