Japanese, as a language, isn’t really all that hard to learn, especially if you know the Golden Rules, but compared to English, it’s quite different. This means that you have to unlearn English ways of expressing things, and start from the ground-up. A good place to start is to learn the common particles used in Japanese. I’veContinue reading “Basic Japanese Particles, Part 1”
Tag Archives: Japan
Samu: the Buddhist Work Ethic
The Japanese-Buddhist phrase samu (作務) is often associated with Zen, and refers to a kind of Buddhist work ethic, especially for monks. While monks in ancient India were expected to beg for alms and focus exclusively on practice, when Buddhism reached China the criticism from native Confucian scholars about “lazy monks” forced a change towardContinue reading “Samu: the Buddhist Work Ethic”
My JLPT N1 Test Results for 2023
I finally got my results back from the JPLT N1 exam I took in December 2023, and the results were not surprising. I failed, as expected. However, the results were not what I expected: Category Results Vocab / grammar 28 / 60 (pass) Reading 7 / 60 (not pass) Listening 26 / 60 (pass) TotalContinue reading “My JLPT N1 Test Results for 2023”
Hatsumodé: the First Visit of the New Year
Of the many traditions in Japanese New Year (Jan 1st through 3rd, unlike Chinese New Year) is the first temple or shrine visit: hatsumōdé (初詣). Japan essentially has two religions that have co-existed for many centuries: Shinto and Buddhism. Although they are very different on paper, on the ground, customs and traditions have blended asContinue reading “Hatsumodé: the First Visit of the New Year”
Happy 2024: Year of the Dragon
Hello dear readers, and happy new year, or as they say in Japan akemashite omedetou gozaimasu! My family and I took time off for Winter Break and are probably more exhausted now than when the break began. After enjoying New Year’s Eve with friends, we woke up this morning to eat Osechi (お節), which areContinue reading “Happy 2024: Year of the Dragon”
Pure Land Buddhism: Just As I Am
Something I was thinking about lately while pondering this famous tale between 12th century Japanese monk, Honen, and a woman of the night. Honen’s advice to the woman was non-judgmental but a genuine concern for her well-being, and at the same time, it also acknowledged her circumstances. Something I’ve always liked about the Pure Land BuddhistContinue reading “Pure Land Buddhism: Just As I Am”
Failing the JLPT
So, I took the JLPT N1 exam last weekend, and unless I got lucky, I am fairly certain I failed the test. Wait, you might be thinking, didn’t I give up on the test this year? Well, yes and no. I did become discouraged and stopped studying for a few months. But after spending theContinue reading “Failing the JLPT”
Who Is Amida Buddha: the Buddha of Infinite Light?
Hello Readers, Recently I talked about the Pure Land Buddhist tradition, and in particular the Three Pure Land Sutras that are central to the tradition. But then I realized that I’ve never really explained who Amida (Amitabha) Buddha is. Now that the English language site for Jodo Shu has been retired, I wanted to fillContinue reading “Who Is Amida Buddha: the Buddha of Infinite Light?”
The Three Pure Land Sutras
While writing a recent blog post, I realized that I had mentioned, but never explained, what the Three Pure Land Sutras are in the Buddhist tradition, and their significance to Mahayana Buddhism as a whole. Think of this as a handy reference post. I haven’t done one of these in a while. 😊 The BuddhistContinue reading “The Three Pure Land Sutras”
Toyokawa Inari Shrine: Syncretic Religion
A little while back, during my post on Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto, Japan, I alluded to how the native Shinto religion often blended with Buddhism up until the early modern period (e.g. the Meiji Period) when they were more forcefully separated. You can still see vestiges of this blending in some temples and shrines,Continue reading “Toyokawa Inari Shrine: Syncretic Religion”
Gleanings in Buddha-Fields 