David Victor Petersen's Blog, page 7
April 24, 2019
Japanese Culture: What is Miko Kagura?
Another facet of the blending of spiritual inspiration and artistic expression in Shinto is the art of miko kagura, a kind of slow graceful dance that has been performed at shrines since at least the Heian period. The term miko can be written with two different kanji compounds, meaning “shrine maiden” and “spiritual medium” respectively, a fact that nicely captures the ambiguous position of the dancer in this style of kagura. Miko were traditionally members of the family in charge of a given shrine, although young women from all walks of life are now recruited for participation in miko festivals such as the great summer gathering at Gokoku Shrine in Hiroshima.
Peace Statue in Nagasaki
With a height of 9.7 meters, this 30 ton bronze statue serves as an imposing focal point for visitors entering the park. The piece was completed in 1955 by Seibo Kitamura (b. 1884 d. 1987), a native of Nagasaki, and recipient of the Order of Culture for outstanding artistic contributions to Japan. Erected on the 10th anniversary of the bombing, everything about the work is symbolic. The right hand points upward to where the bomb exploded, while the left arm points the way forward to peace. The right leg is folded in meditation, while the left leg is ready for humanitarian action. The face suggests omnipotent love, while the eyes are closed in prayer for the deceased. The everyman quality is a deliberate appeal for hope transcending race, color, and creed. Visitors to the statue are encouraged to center themselves, acknowledge the reality of the bomb, and then move forward proactively to create a better world.
As with Peace Fountain, a flow of water at the base of the statue serves as recognition of the thirst suffered by the atomic victims. A description of the statue and a few words from the sculptor are written on plaques in Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean.
As with Peace Fountain, a flow of water at the base of the statue serves as recognition of the thirst suffered by the atomic victims. A description of the statue and a few words from the sculptor are written on plaques in Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean.
April 22, 2019
Hiroshima as an Advocate for Peace
The cityscape is another facet of Hiroshima’s role as global peace advocate. Scattered throughout the urban core are monuments constructed from the twisted ruins of the atomic blast. Most include scenes of the devastation taken in the wake of the tragedy, as well as an estimate of local casualties.
There are also a number of “living reminders”, trees that survived the bombing. Many, such as the enormous Ginkgo at Hosen’bo Temple have been carefully protected from the inevitable encroachment of development, sometimes in quite ingenious ways. These are the city’s silent witnesses, their stories told through plaques and pictures, and by the wreaths of paper cranes left by well-wishers. Their strange twisted branches and charred trunks speak of the folly of the past even as their greenery hints at possibilities for recovery and transcendence.
There are also a number of “living reminders”, trees that survived the bombing. Many, such as the enormous Ginkgo at Hosen’bo Temple have been carefully protected from the inevitable encroachment of development, sometimes in quite ingenious ways. These are the city’s silent witnesses, their stories told through plaques and pictures, and by the wreaths of paper cranes left by well-wishers. Their strange twisted branches and charred trunks speak of the folly of the past even as their greenery hints at possibilities for recovery and transcendence.
April 20, 2019
Background to The Eye's Mind: A Stroll Through the Davmandy Collection
The Davmandy Collection is the outcome of an extended collaboration between Dr. David Petersen and Mandy Conti. As photographers, they have traveled the globe together for more than 20 years, compiling an extensive portfolio in the process. These images then become the canvas for adventures in painstaking and elaborate digital manipulation, using a range of sophisticated software. The results are sometimes striking, sometimes whimsical, never boring.
Their artwork has been viewed more than one million times online through the lang-arts.com website and various other social media channels.
Their artwork has been viewed more than one million times online through the lang-arts.com website and various other social media channels.
April 18, 2019
structure of the Tao Te Ching
Overview of the Text: The contemporary version of the Tao Te Ching now in vogue consists of a total of 81 short chapters, each containing one or more stanzas. In principle, the chapters can be read independently, although the overall collection has an undeniable cumulative impact as themes are repeated and elaborated. While dots and characters representing line breaks and exclamations appear in very early source materials, the overall lack of grammatical particles means that the precise location of divisions, even down to the line breaks, is open to interpretation.
April 17, 2019
Background to the Writing of the Tao Te Ching
The Warring States was by all accounts a bleak period in Chinese history, and amidst the uncertainty of the times, leaders and commoners alike yearned for principles that would help restore society to the glory days of Shang/Western Zhou.
At the same time however, the weakening of social structures also cleared the way for new ideas, particularly among the shi, a new, burgeoning class of educated elite. In the writings of such scholars we have a passionate and committed response to the turmoil of the times; the fact that a portion of the Warring States becomes known as the “Hundred Schools” hints at the demand for their guidance.
At the same time however, the weakening of social structures also cleared the way for new ideas, particularly among the shi, a new, burgeoning class of educated elite. In the writings of such scholars we have a passionate and committed response to the turmoil of the times; the fact that a portion of the Warring States becomes known as the “Hundred Schools” hints at the demand for their guidance.
What does "Tao Te Ching" Mean?
Early in its history, the text was known as the Lao Tsu (or Laozi in the Pinyin system) . The Chinese characters for Lao Tsu are 老 Lao, meaning “old”, and 子 Tsu, an honorific used to indicate scholars and gentlemen. As Lao Tsu is a reference to the author (whose existence is still a matter of debate), the combination might roughly be conveyed in English as “(Writings of) The Old Master.”
The more familiar title of Tao Te Ching, or “Classic of the Way and (Its) Virtues”, dates from sometime after Emperor Jin of the Han dynasty (156-141 BCE). This version is rendered with three Chinese characters:
i) 道 Tao is typically translated as “road”, “path, “approach”, or “way”. The ideogram also clearly takes on a more esoteric meaning in the context of Taoist writings, for which reason it is sometimes written in English with a capital (“Way”). 道 is still in widespread use in Asian languages, where it appears for example in the names of martial arts and other skilled traditions.
ii) 德 Te is typically rendered as “virtue”, in the old English sense of efficacy or power. It also has connotations of ethics and morality.
iii) 經 Ching or “classic” is added as a suffix to indicate a revered text. Other historic titles for this work include Dao De Zhen Jing (“True Classic of the Way and Its Virtues”), and Wuqian Wen (“The 5,000-Character Work”).
The more familiar title of Tao Te Ching, or “Classic of the Way and (Its) Virtues”, dates from sometime after Emperor Jin of the Han dynasty (156-141 BCE). This version is rendered with three Chinese characters:
i) 道 Tao is typically translated as “road”, “path, “approach”, or “way”. The ideogram also clearly takes on a more esoteric meaning in the context of Taoist writings, for which reason it is sometimes written in English with a capital (“Way”). 道 is still in widespread use in Asian languages, where it appears for example in the names of martial arts and other skilled traditions.
ii) 德 Te is typically rendered as “virtue”, in the old English sense of efficacy or power. It also has connotations of ethics and morality.
iii) 經 Ching or “classic” is added as a suffix to indicate a revered text. Other historic titles for this work include Dao De Zhen Jing (“True Classic of the Way and Its Virtues”), and Wuqian Wen (“The 5,000-Character Work”).
April 16, 2019
More About Mandalas
In the context of an organized religion, a mandala can represent the abode of a particular deity or deities, thereby helping to bridge the divide between parishioners and Gods. For example, the Kalachakra “Wheel of Time” in Tibetan Buddhism presents a number of Higher Powers equally familiar to Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists. In more mystical interpretations, mandalas can even be viewed as an extension of the mind of a deity, or the deity itself.
Reading News Articles in English: Japanese ESL Classroom Edition
この内容は３の部分からなっています：
１ Connectors 接続詞「文接続語も含む」
２ Verbs 動詞 [句動詞、慣用的な動詞句]
３ Idiomatic Expressions慣用表現
Reading News Articles in English: A Special Edition for the Japanese ESL Classroom
１ Connectors 接続詞「文接続語も含む」
２ Verbs 動詞 [句動詞、慣用的な動詞句]
３ Idiomatic Expressions慣用表現
Reading News Articles in English: A Special Edition for the Japanese ESL Classroom
Lao Tsu? Really?
The romantic notion of a single mystical writer is appealing; yet from the viewpoint of textual analysis it is certainly not difficult to argue that the Tao Te Ching is the product of multiple contributors over an extended period. Tao Te Ching / Daodejing: A Fresh Look at the Way and Its Virtues
