Among various Buddhism teachings, Zen is quite minimalistic. It tries to return to the source, which is not necessarily fundamental but uniquely radical. Traditionally, Bodhidharma, an Indian Buddhist monk, transmitted Zen (Chan) teachings to China during the fifth or sixth century. He is known as Daruma (達磨) in Japan with this popularized doll. His way … Continue reading Zen Minimalism
Blowing in the Wind
Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Ye must be born again," which is one of the well-known passages in the Bible. Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; … Continue reading Blowing in the Wind
Time Does Not Exist
Expressing eternity, we use a word "timeless" like God is timeless, heaven is timeless, and so on. What does timeless exactly mean? It means that time does not exist. Can we believe this truth? Time does not exist. The latest theoretical physics and cosmology such as loop quantum theory hypothesize this possibility as one of … Continue reading Time Does Not Exist
Death Is Not the End
Is death the end? If death is not the end, what is that? At a glance, saying “death is not the end” sounds counterintuitive. Deep down inside, however, somehow we know it is intuitive. If we observe our mother nature, this message is quite apparent. Seeing trees around us, for example, each of them started … Continue reading Death Is Not the End
What is Zero?
What are natural numbers? We use them as one of the most convenient tools in our everyday lives. We use them for counting any tangible items. With their theoretical applications like arithmetic, the concept of natural numbers is one of the primary grids that we see the world. There are, however, two things we tend … Continue reading What is Zero?
Siddhartha
What is learning? What is unlearning? There could be various explanations and articulations. Pondering them reminds me of Hermann Hesse’s novel, Siddhartha. It was a life of the man named Siddhartha who lived in the days of Gotama Buddha. Siddhartha was a smart, intelligent, idealistic, and sinciere son of the well-known rich Brahmin family. While … Continue reading Siddhartha
The Eye of Detachment
Noh (能) is one of the traditional theater plays in the fourteen century’s Japan. It liberally means talent or skill in this Chinese character. But it implies a lot more in-depth. One of the key figures in this tradition is Zeami (世阿弥: 1363-1443). He was a Noh actor; at the same time, created playwrights and … Continue reading The Eye of Detachment
