[Hilda Dixon]

I think what professors Numisa Kurban, Elise Anderson and Dru Gladney are doing is wonderful because they are creating international awareness. They are bringing alive a vibrant culture that resists to be quiet. This is the first step. I hope they continue to do workshops like this one in order to bring universal support and togetherness, so that in this way, China would not have other option, but to change its tactic. After all, we are all connected, and we are all watching.

[Hilda Dixon]

When reading this week’s articles, there were some things that struck my attention. The merchants do not have a low social status anymore in the case when we read about Japan and Korean ancient cultures. During the Ming Dynasty 1368-1644, the merchants are well dressed, rode carriers with double-harnessed horses and had beautiful girls with them, too. During this time, merchants were needing them and no longer seemed as part of the low social status. In regards to having an open market, I think it was not easy for Chinese people to decide what was best for them. They thought if they were not open regarding trading with foreigners; perhaps, they were more likely to confront pirates. In addition, they were aware that they needed foreign items as they needed to sell Chinese goods to foreigners. By that time, societies needed to interact which each other. When I was reading the article, it made me sad that parents would sell their own sons or daughters. I wonder how difficult this could have been for the sold daughters and sons to foreigners. I also think that living in that time and being immersed in poverty, selling their own kids was a vehicle to provide for the other family members.

[Hilda Dixon]

When I read the article about the chinse manuscript at the Huntington library, and heard that many of the mystical animal bronze heads from Imperial Gardens in The Old Summer Palace are in Europe or are now part  of private collections,  it came to my mind that many of the items from my indigenous ancestry are now kept in European or American museums without any intention to return.  In my own experience I feel robbed of my rich ancestry that made me proud of whom I am. I wonder how Chinese people feel about this.

Additionally, the Chinese Boxing rebellion reminds me about the grandsons of the Christian missionaries that went to Hawaii. First missionaries, and westerner traders seemed nice until they felt empowered. We see the honeymoon phase with emperor Yongzheng (1678-1735) who welcomed Occidentalism.  Interacting with westerners might have looked appealingly exotic for both parts, so Chinese people tried to adopt western etiquette. Later on, it was too late to reverse the course of the situations. The Trojan horse was already China. Missionaries got the international support, so it was possible for them to ignore their tax obligations with the Chinese government which infuriated Chinese people. After the Chinese were defeated during the Chinese boxing rebellion, China had to paid $333 million dollars as penalty for its rebellion.  I wonder what Iraq, and Afghanistan would say to USA now that their countries are immersed in more poverty and seen the destruction of their countries every day because in my opinion USA did not win the war.

[Hilda Dixon]

People can be bribed and if they have the means they could engage in corrupted activities. Money is a powerful drive because it tempts officials who are willing to use their power to make theirs part of the revenue of the government and grain. It is hard for the government to reinstate honest behavior among its officials. It is hard for the empire to control their officials. Provincial officials played many roles such as tax collectors and judges which made it easier to them to be tempted. This is one of the factors that the empire is declining.

[Hilda Dixon]

The fact that the government of South Korea has printed Korean famous scholars on their note bills, one can tell with certainty that the society of South Korea value enormously education. I read some of Nansorhon’s poems. Her poems are very descriptive and organically crafted.  It is easy to picture on my mind the sceneries that she describes. I imagen that after losing her children and beloved older brother life lost it’s lust for her.  I also think in spite that her marriage life was not pleasant, she was blessed for having a brother like she had. I think that she was lucky to grow in that family where she was allowed to express her passion and sensible heart through poetry. In one of her poems, Nansorhon says, “May its fragrance never vanish.” Indeed, her legacy is still pretty much alive. Another Korean woman that stands for her painting abilities and intelligent son was Lady Yi (1584-1609). I think that as artists, they want to evoke feelings through their art pieces. Lady Yi’s artwork inspired poets to write about her paintings.

 

[Hilda Dixon]

This is not the first society that has animal protagonists when it is described how a society came to life. The fact that a bear and a tiger wanted to become humans and accepted the challenge of a diet based on garlic and darkness to become fully human. I was thinking that perhaps being secluded in a dark place might be like the womb that in order to be born, one needs to be in the womb for some time. The story also says that the bear was the only one who endured the seclusion and diet. I was also speculating that perhaps the Korean people absorbed the scent of the bear when the bear transformed into a woman. Bears are seen very positively in that region.  For instance, the Ainu or the Aynu people of Japan had many rituals and stories where the bear plays an important role.

[Hilda Dixon]

I think that history is written by the victorious people. As humans, sometimes it is not easy to be unbiased. Some cultures tend to falsify more the history than other cultures. We see that nowadays the biographies of the leaders of north Korea are described as exceptional humans. I do not if this has to do with the type of government, the culture or both. I also noticed in cultures where there is more freedom of speech narratives are more accurate because newspaperperson, historians are not persecuted or threatened by stating the truth to some degree. When I was reading the article, “The good, the bad and the Ugly,” I noticed that the story is full of shamanism elements such as the fact that Kung Ye was born on an unlucky day and outside the palace. There are also foretelling elements such as when the mirror was purchased by a Chinese merchant. Then, a ray of sunlight struck on the mirror to show an inscription that described a prophecy of the fate that what was going to happen to Kung Ye. As if the fate of people is written and we cannot escape from out destiny no matter what. I wonder if nowadays Korean people are superstitious and believe in some sort of omens.

[Hilda Dixon]

I totally agree with you.  While some call Buddhism a philosophy of life, others call it a religion.  Whatever it is, Buddhism for me is a religion that is perceived positively worldwide because it shares human fundamental teachings that encourage compassion and love with a commitment of no violence.  I think the Buddha’s teaching embraced a lot of spirituality and acceptance of others no matter what religion or ethnicity one can be. This is why it has attracted a lot of followers from every part of the world. Buddhist  teachings are universal and many of us can apply some of that metaphysic into our lives such as detachment and that how we as westerners tend to engage in an endless cycle of not stopping desires that sometimes it is hard to find balance and internal peace. Sometimes, I feel as an observant and as I read I get marveled in how the ancient Chinese were creatively able to make sense of all the diverse Buddha texts in a coherent way. Chinese were committed to tell a full story by engaging in  pilgrimages from china to India in order to bring more texts back.

[Hilda Dixon]

 

It should be noted that although in ancient China there were different kinds of dwellings that were built as a response to the specific natural habitats of each Chinese area, the Chinese dwellings were built with the need to incorporate some sort of strong protection against bandits, foreigners or bad spirits, and the need for privacy. Some dwellings had built in them watchtowers and other dwellings seemed to give an impression of a kind of a fortress such as in the case of Hakka and the Ka Thing Wai village. Not to mention, the desire of having a courtyard even if they were tiny courtyards so that Chinese people can see the sky from their houses. By reflecting on this, one can see that ancient Chinese felt insecure from outsiders, so they need to rely on their unity within extended family members to form a stronger front against foreigners. One can also infer that Chinese people had a strong sense of collectivism. The need to be in contact with the natural sky in private. Most important of all, the creative ways in which Chinese people have adapted to different environments in order to survive. Charles Darwin, said that it is not the smartest or the strongest, but the people who can adapt easily are the ones who survive. Indeed, Chinese people have faced tremendous odds and thrive splendorous throughout history.

[Hilda Dixon]

One interesting thing that I learned today is that Ganggeong is a coastal trade center where people have had over the last 12 years divided opinions. As a result, this village has been an epicenter of a long term struggle to accept the construction of a naval base because this would mean that war ships from Korean or the USA can embark and board there.  On another note, As Korea embraces modernity and urbanization mostly in the big cities such as Seoul, the big cities are also losing touch of Korean traditional infrastructure in order to accommodate the new demands of a developing metropolis.  Smaller cities are the ones who are maintaining golmoks or side alleys and the hanok one-story houses.  For me, the golmoks are like intimate cozy narrow streets where mostly people are the only ones who can walk through except from some bikes. Within these alleys, through one shop or house, people can hear what is going on in the next house or shop, too.  In my mind, I picture a lot of chatting and laughter throughput the day and night. Talk about a city that does not sleep. I think people who live by these areas have already been used to this lifestyle. Additionally, As I read about the Korean landscape, especially the traditional architecture, I picture in my mind traditional vibrant and picturesque Korean cities that lack some of the infrastructural elements of western cosmopolitan cities such as the lack of plazas or squares. Still Korean main streets are like arteries where shops are lined up from west to east street. The question that I would ask to my students is how could people have been social without public places except for government ceremonies? How people would get together to enjoy a public performance and had fun? Hoe these golmonk (alley) would bring people together?

[Hilda Dixon]

The other day, I was listening to Chris Hedges, and found out that there is some criticism about this novel idea as we see nowadays in western society about his topic. It is said that the corporations have taken the concept Mindfulness to ensure obedience and conformity.  Originally mindfulness is based on the concept of morality and ethics. However, Westerner corporations have taken away the moralistic component, and have make of this mindfulness concept an individualist therapeutic technique that primordially focuses on breathing techniques with the purpose to help one cope with the external societal demands. Because this technique focuses on the individual, this mindfulness idea takes away the idea to come as a collaborative unite to reflect on what our governments and corporations are doing to increase our level of stress or discomfort among other things.  I think it is always good to be open to what others say about mindfulness to make our own arguments.

[Hilda Dixon]

Thoughout history, we have read or known biographies about  people who have high level of consciousnesss. I think as teachers we should reflect in the idea about what steps these exceptional people took in order to achieve a kind of universal level of wisdom. Many people such as Buddha, Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King underwent on moments of doubt, hesitation and external tests. Many of them knew they could die and chose to press on their preaching their truths aloud in spite of the odds.  They were able to defeat their own fears and come into a high level of consciousness. Indeed, exceptional people like these people do not come very often. Yes!  Buddhas are rare, as exceptional people are too.

[Hilda Dixon]

I am fascinated in how many cultures tend to have similar dilemmas when they respond to new demands. For instance, our religion professor said that in the beginning in ancient China, there was not a concept of karma transmigration. These ideas were new in ancient China. There was not a concept of karma. To make Buddhism accessible these ideas had to be explained. In the same fashion, when Christianity was spreading through other parts of the world the concept of the trinity was not easy to explain, too.  Another concept is the importance to preserve relics inside sacred places. We heard that there was this story in Burma, in which kind and generous merchants received some of Buddha’s hair and parings from his nails.  It is told that the ashes of the deceased Buddha were also divided into several portions and placed in relic caskets known as stupas, a number of which became important pilgrimage sites.  In Christianity, there are many relics of saints, and in some cases, it is said that remains of Jesus are stored in churches built around medieval times in Europe. Why is this? Do these relics have a healing power?  I personally think that by maintaining relics well kept facilitates maintaining the metaphysical concepts alive too. Lastly, the concept of 7.  Buddha’s mom died 7 days after his birth. In the bible, the number seven often symbolizes completion or perfection such as the fact that the world was created in 7 days. The purpose of  Buddha’s mom was to come to this world and to give birth to the enlightened one. Once she gave birth, she stayed 7 days before departing from this world. The number seven also frequently accompanies the fulfillment of promises such as the promise of god regarding that there is not going to be another mega flood. The rainbow has 7 different colors. Is there a kind of universal truth  about numbers?

[Hilda Dixon]

Through listening to the lectures, I feel that I am taking a virtual tour where I am visiting some majestic Japanese temples or castles.  To foster my inquisitiveness, I can only hear enough so that I can go on a quest to find more information about these magnificent buildings. I learned that all of these buildings are UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Ryoan-Ji, KinKaku-ji temples and the Himeji Castle. As I see more pictures of these sites, I can see that they transmit harmony and delicacy while some buildings are genuinely impenetrable fortes such as in the case of Humeji Castle. I think that the old times were brutal in many parts of the world and Japan is not the exception.   In the search of power and control, some Japanese samurai such as Toyotomi Hideyoshi employed drastic military tactics to justify his objective of unification by asking to bring back ears and noses as evidence of fallen enemy soldiers. Others such as Oda Nobunaga embarked on other cruel enterprises such as the battle Mt. Hiei where warrior monks were annihilated. Regarding the topic on the Samurais who were hired to combat the Emishi (hairy people) who were hunter-gatherer tribes. These people were portrayed beautifully in the animated cartoon titled “Princess Mononoke "(Spirit/Monster Princess")  by Hayao Miyazaki. The Emishi  and Ainu (Aynu)  people were called barbarians or uncivilized people. It is extremely interesting that these terms are used almost universally to differentiate the culture that is on power from the other cultures that surround the main society. The ancient Romans called the Huns, Franks, Vandals, Saxons, and Visigoths (Goths) “barbarian tribes.” The Europeans who came to America called the native Americans uncivilized people. I see this idea to dehumanize others in order to justify attacks or not provide services. I think it is important to teachers to teach this idea and to help their students generalize this concept into other cultures and time in history even in present times in order to evolve as humanity.

[Hilda Dixon]

By reading the Constitution of Prince Shotoku, I think that article V, “ceasing from gluttony” is a Buddhist idea because eating more than one should, means that people are not able to correct their internal desires. People should only eat the necessary food to get energy, so gluttony is an uncontrolled internal desire. Article XV, “turn away from that which is private, and to set our faces towards which is public. “I think that when that article states, “If he fails to act harmoniously with others, he will assuredly sacrifice the public interest to his private feelings.” I perceive this article as when we act individualistically, we forget a sense of collectiveness. In this way, we lose balance of perception of what is around us.  Especially in situations like this current contingency where we don’t need that much wealth to ourselves. In this moment like this is when actions should be taken to alleviate others. Wealthy people or the government should give some of their excess wealth to the public. Additionally, article XIII. Let all persons entrusted with office attend equally to their function” Owing to their illness or to their being sent on missions.” Under the Buddhist beliefs, I think everybody is responsible for each of our lives. What actions, effort and mindfulness should I take in order to be in the right path?  Article IX Trustworthiness is the foundation of right. Being a trustworthy person depends on oneself. Being trustworthy help, us being in balance in life and also walk through our journeys with more steady feet.

On the contrary, article XII Let not the provincial authority or the Kuni no Miyatsuko levy taxation on the people. In a country there are not two lords. Confucianism has hierarchal views. It is very vertical, so there is not room for two lords.

 

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