Andrius Rudamina (Andrzej Rudomina) Vakarų Ir Kinijos Dialoge

Author(s): Loreta Poškaitė / Language(s): Lithuanian Issue: 75/2013

The evangelical activity by the most famous Christian jesuit missionaries in China is an object of longtime scholarly investigation in the Western and Chinese studies. However, in recent times scholars have brought to light facts about less famous missionaries and texts about their activity. This research reveals some unique yet very important details about the activity of Christian missionaries, as well as the dialogue between Christians and Confucians on the level of daily talks and between Western Christians and their Chinese converts. The topic of this article is the activity of the Lithuanian Jesuit Andrius Rudamina (also known as Andrzej Rudomina S.J., and as Lu Ande 盧安德, 1596–1632), the only known Lithuanian missionary in China. It concentrates on his methods of evangelization, as revealing the politics of the „adaptation to Chinese culture“, namely, the popularization of the achievements of Western science, the use of visual material (pictorial representations of the Christian doctrine in symbolical images) and the appeal to particular concepts shared by Christian and Confucian adepts, such as heart in Christianity and the heart-mind (xin) in Confucianism. The investigation is based on a unique book written by the Chinese convert, Li Jiubiao. It is entitled, „The Diary of Oral Admonitions“ (Kouduo richao 口鐸日抄). The diary is the only source of A.Rudamina’s talks with Chinese people about Christianity.

Tuštumos Problematika Heideggerio Filosofijoje: Komparatyvistiné Analizé

Author(s): Agnieška Juzefovič / Language(s): Lithuanian Issue: 56/2008

This article deals with the question of emptiness in Heidegger’s philosophy, examining topics such as non finito, un-thought, silence, and ambiguity, which became particularly important in Heidegger's later works. Special attention is paid to the question of interfaces between Heidegger’s and Chinese, particularly Daoist, conceptions of emptiness. My aim is to argue that, particularly in his later period, Heidegger had a sincere interest in Eastern thought, particularly in Daoism and Zen Buddhism, where he found some ideas that were close to his own way of thought - for example, emptiness, nothingness, and non-action. The question of influence‘ of Eastern thought on Heidegger’s work - while interesting, is of secondary significance in comparison with the independent congruence of ideas. So, this essay isn’t devoted exclusively to a comparative analysis of Heidegger’s philosophy and Asian thought. Rather, the author is interested in Heidegger’s interpretation of emptiness, which she found particularly original and insightful. The author shows that the emptiness found in Heidegger’s thought can have different faces - to be for example empty of possibilities or the emptiness of a thing (vessel). The emptiness discussed in Heidegger’s thought could arise as an opening or be the result of appropriation, as well as letting-be or releasement.

A NEW FRAGMENT OF AN UNKNOWN COMMENTARY TO THE YUANJUE JING

Author(s): Zhang Tieshan,Peter Zieme / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2012

The fragment we are publishing here is preserved in the Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage (the former China Institute of Cultural Relics). It is the 53rd leaf of an Uigur manuscript that contains the beginning of an unknown commentary to the Yuanjue jing. Other leaves of the same manuscript of the Hedin Collection in Stockholm were studied by K. Kudara in 1992.

SLEEP WELL! SLEEPING PRACTICES IN BUDDHIST DISCIPLINARY RULES

Author(s): Ann Heirman / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2012

The present paper gives a detailed analysis of the guidelines on sleeping practices as stipulated in Buddhist monastic disciplinary texts and in Chinese manuals. It shows how sleep is perceived in normative texts, both in India and in China, and how monastics should deal with their daily need for sleep. The analysis reveals a striking contrast between sleep as a relatively innocent time when one’s actions incur no guilt, and sleep as a potentially harmful time of the day, given its assocation with disrespect, inactivity and sexual practices, and given the fact that during one’s sleep one might unwillingly display one’s true nature, which for some monastics appears to be quite detrimental.

FALSE FRIENDS IN THE FANFANYU

Author(s): Gudrun Pinte / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2012

In the present article, a remarkable phenomenon is brought to the attention of those interested in early Chinese translations of Buddhist texts: false friends in the Fanfanyu (T54n2130). Baochang’s Sanskrit–Chinese lexicon that was compiled as early as 517 AD reveals some curious examples of faux amis. In the present contribution, this case will be illustrated with references from the Shanjian lü piposha (T24n1462), a 5th century Chinese translation of the Samantapāsādikā, Buddhaghosa’s commentary on the Pāli Vinaya. The fact that Baochang did not realise that this text was not translated from Sanskrit, inadvertently gave rise to some interesting jeux de mots.

AYAGRĪVAVIDYĀ: SPELL TO THE HORSE-NECKED ONE

Author(s): Beáta Kakas / Language(s): English Issue: 4/2011

The Hayagrīvavidyā included in a Gilgit manuscript belongs to the earliest works invoking the god Hayagrīva. It is a spell which could be applied to achieve several aims. The god destroys the enemies, rescues from danger, his mantra protects against all sorts of evil, demons and black magic. His mare-face is believed to counteract the effects of enemy mantras.

SUROCOLO BRONZES AND THEIR TANTRIC TEXT

Author(s): Nirmala Sharma / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2011

New identifications of seven statuettes from Surocolo are proposed on the basis of the Nayasūtramaṇḍala from the Shingon denomination of Japanese Mantrayāna, whose central Buddha is Vajrasattva.

REVIEWS

Author(s): Zoltán Szombathy,Abdurishid Yakup / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2011

Review of: 1. VIRGINIE PREVOST: L’aventure ibāḍite dans le Sud tunisien. Effervescence d’une région mé- connue. Helsinki, Academia Scientiarum Fennica, 2008, 480 pages. ISSN 1239-6982, ISBN 978-951-41-1019-1. by: Zoltán Szombathy 2. SIMONE-CHRISTIANE RASCHMANN – JENS WILKENS (eds): Fragmenta Buddhica Uigurica. Ausgewählte Schriften von Peter Zieme. Berlin, Klaus Schwarz Verlag, 2008 (Studien zur Sprache, Geschichte und Kultur der Turkvölker, Band 7), 646 pages. by: Abdurishid Yakup

Buddhist philosophy for the treatment of problem gambling

Author(s): Edo Shonin,William Van Gordon,Mark D. Griffiths / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2013

In the last five years, scientific interest into the potential applications of Buddhist-derived interventions (BDIs) for the treatment of problem gambling has been growing. This paper reviews current directions, proposes conceptual applications, and discusses integration issues relating to the utilisation of BDIs as problem gambling treatments. Method: A literature search and evaluation of the empirical literature for BDIs as problem gambling treatments was undertaken. Results: To date, research has been limited to cross-sectional studies and clinical case studies and findings indicate that Buddhist-derived mindfulness practices have the potential to play an important role in ameliorating problem gambling symptomatology. As an adjunct to mindfulness, other Buddhist-derived practices are also of interest including: (i) insight meditation techniques (e.g., meditation on ‘emptiness’) to overcome avoidance and dissociation strategies, (ii) ‘antidotes’ (e.g., patience, impermanence, etc.) to attenuate impulsivity and salience-related issues, (iii) loving-kindness and compassion meditation to foster positive thinking and reduce conflict, and (iv) ‘middle-way’ principles and ‘bliss-substitution’ to reduce relapse and temper withdrawal symptoms. In addition to an absence of controlled treatment studies, the successful operationalisation of BDIs as effective treatments for problem gambling may be impeded by issues such as a deficiency of suitably experienced BDI clinicians, and the poor provision by service providers of both BDIs and dedicated gambling interventions. Conclusions: Preliminary findings for BDIs as problem gambling treatments are promising, however, further research is required.

Han Yonğ Un(한용운)’un Şiirlerinde “Sevgiliyâr(Nim-님)” Kavrami Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme

Author(s): Hatice Köroğlu Türközü / Language(s): Turkish Issue: 92/2017

Han Yon-un, who lived between 1879 and 1944, was a Japanese imperialism period poet, a Buddhist monk and a nationalist activist. When we look at the poet's poems in general, it is different from the poets of the period. According to the philosophy of Buddhism, with the information provided by Han Yong as a monk, the society must first be freed before it can reach Nirvana. Han, himself, will be enlightened after the society in which he lives in has gotten liberty. So, from a different point of view, the main theme of his poems is Buddhism and Freedom. The concept of “lover (nim-님)” in his poems differs from that of the period’s poets. For example, Gim So Vol (1902-1934), one of the poets of the same period, also, wrote poems based on the concept of the lover. However, while the love that Han has left will surely return to him someday, Gim's dear never returns in his poems. In all Han's poems, spirituality and hope are dominant. When his poems are read in a simple way, it is possible to see the disappearance of something important and the suffering of the desperate hope of regaining it. If we read through the poems more deeply, we can perceive that they reach a superior level, by deeply understanding the state of the nation, by combining deep religious experience and a clear artistic feeling. This is why his poems can be seen as love songs by young people, greetings by religious people, and can be read by nationalists as a password that translates fervent emotions into national independence. In this study, we tried to examine the concept of "lover" which Han used as an image through several poems.

The Problem of Ontological Insecurity. What Can We Learn from Sociology Today? Some Zen Buddhist Inspirations

Author(s): Krzysztof T. Konecki / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2018

Can we learn about the art of living from sociology? Sociology teaches us that we are the part of a broader group called society. We are taught that society should be first described in order to be understood and/or explained, and that the cognitive function is the most important part in understanding the role sociology should play in a democratic and modern society. Is this understanding (cognition) enough? What more can we get to better our quality of life and live a wholesome life from studying sociology or society using a sociological perspective? Is sociology a tool for the art of living or is it just a play of the “sophisticated”? In this paper, we analyze the sociology from the philosophy of Zen Buddhism to show the connection between the work of mind and the sociological concepts that are used to analyze “society.” Moreover, we analyze the approaches of George H. Mead, Robert Merton, and especially and separately Anthony Giddens that created, very important for our considerations, the concept of “ontological security.” We also reconstruct the structural conditions of the art of living and happiness, analyzing the concept of greedy institutions by Lewis Coser. We analytically connect the structural conditions of work in contemporary greedy institutions (working on projects) with the loss of ontological security. We analyze the displacement of the meaning of work, career, autonomy, time structure, identity, privacy and happiness, and finally the sociology. We try to use a Buddhist inspiration to analyze issues of suffering and, associated with it, so called ontological insecurity and the welfare of the individual and/or society.

THE “BAMBOO NETWORK” OF SOUTHEAST-ASIA AND ITS SOCIO-PHILOSOPHICAL GROUNDS

Author(s): Ștefan CIORÎIA / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2018

The Chinese bamboo network designates an economic network of enterprises run by Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia. In general, these firms are medium and small-sized, having at their top the members of one family. The bamboo network is largely concentrated in the major cities along Southeast Asia: Hong Kong, Jakarta, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City. The entrepreneurs connect their businesses through a network of relationships. In Southeast Asia, they represent what Amy Chua named “market dominant minority. The Indian scholar Pankaj Mishra noted that the bamboo network represents the most powerful economic entity in Asia except China and Japan. In the same time, what makes the bamboo network so specific is that they have kept the traditional beliefs in Confucianism. What is the specific of the Chinese bamboo network and how does it function within the regional political environment? The research methods used in this paper are mainly based on the analysis of social documents from economy books and handbooks, academic and press articles. The aplication field of the paper can be used in the human sciencies, as for example sociology or international relations, but it also has a large application in the economic sciences. We showed that Southeast Asia’s business environment is extremely specific, and even unique in the way of making business. Its features are deeply grounded in the Confucian philosophy which makes it hardly approachable by the Western managers.

Najwyższa nauka Da xue 大學 — próba interpretacji tekstu w duchu wczesnego konfucjanizmu

Author(s): Katarzyna Pejda / Language(s): Polish Issue: 9/2018

The article contains translation of classical Chinese text Greatest Learning Da Xue 大學 and the interpretation of important terms such as de 德 and gewu 格物. Da Xue is a part of ancient Chinese texts Liji 禮記 but the reinterpretation of the text became later a basis of neo-confucian philosophy. I argue that Da Xue is a pragmatic manual for an individual who firstly wants to cultivate himself and being cultivated is able to change the world into confucian utopia. Hence the phrase gewu does not have a meaning of “investigating things” in order to understand li 理 but “understanding the order of things that come”.

The Chinese Folk Model of the Mental Concept of “Soul”: A Linguistic Perspective

Author(s): Joanna Hryniewska,Arkadiusz Gut,Michał Wilczewski / Language(s): Polish Issue: 9/2018

The paper focuses on specific intuitions associated with mental concepts—especially with the concept of the soul in Mandarin. The main objective is to seek the basic linguistic meanings that shape folk intuitions about the mental space in Chinese culture through a linguistic analysis performed on the selected data from modern Chinese language dictionaries, authentic language corpora, and literary works. First, we briefly describe the phenomenon of high-level synonymy in Chinese language, including terms for describing mental concepts. Next, we discuss the linguistic realizations of the concept of the mind as it is presumed to be interrelated with the concept of the soul. Then, we present a linguistic analysis of terms used to talk about the soul in Mandarin to show how the concept of the soul is reflected in this language. The analysis allowed us to demarcate the semantic boundaries of the “soul.” We found that the Chinese folk model of this concept distinguishes between two main conceptualizations: (1) the “soul” as an invisible and immaterial part of living creatures, which is not bound permanently to the body, and as a seat of emotions and thoughts, and (2) the “soul” as a quasi-independent spiritual being that shows much creative potential and is able to persist after the physical death of a person or animal. Although we found a tendency to separate the “soul” from the “body”, the “soul” is still functionally conceptualized in relation to the “body.” Accordingly, we provided linguistic evidence supporting the arguments against the radical mind–body dualist position and for the sake of the weak mind–body holism.

Confucius and the Rectification of Names

Author(s): Silviu Lupaşcu / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2018

The Ch’un-ch’iu (Chunqiu) or Annals of the Spring-Autumn Period had been indited according to the textual pattern of a Court chronicle which describes the autocratic regime of the twelve dukes who governed the State of Lu from the Shan-tung (Shandong) region, a vassal-state of the Eastern Chou (Zhou) dynasty (770-256 B. C. E.), during the period 722-481 B. C. E.. The syntagm “Spring-Autumn” is a standard synecdoche which designates an entire calendarial year, or, through a semantic extension, a chronicle the textual continuity of which is structured according to the calendarial continuity of the yearly intervals which include diplomatic dialogues, political intrigues and feudal wars, in the framework of the relationships developed by the State of Lu with the neighboring states, as well as testimonies concerning eclipses, floods, earthquakes and wonders of nature.The decadence of the Chu-hsia (Zhu Xia) civilization, under the Eastern Chou (Zhou) dynasty (770-256 B. C. E.), could have been prevented only through the establishment of a new political order, conformably to the Confucianist ritual ideal, capable to mirror the celestial will in the rigors of an ascetical monarchic regime and in the necessity of the rectification of names (cheng-ming; zhengming).In spite of the fact that he defended the political-moral order of the Eastern Chou (Zhou) dynasty, Confucius traversed the experience of the disintegration of this order and of the transition towards an unknown epoch. Even if he was a loyal subject of the State of Lu, Confucius was forced to to admit that Lu “has only the name, not the substance of a great State”, and the ideal of the rectification of names (cheng-ming; zhengming) did not mold in a lasting manner the immediate historical time. The purity of the unicorn did not preserve his liberty as against the violence of the hunters, its wonderful nature did not preserve his existence as against the ignorance and brutality of human beings. The coming of the unicorn presaged, simultaneously, Confucius’ unfulfilment as a statesman, his imminent death and his investiture as an “uncrowned monarch” (su-wang; suwang).

SAGES – DEAD OR ALIVE? RELEVANCE OF CONFUCIANISM IN STUDIES OF SOUTH KOREAN MODERNITY

Author(s): Tomasz Sleziak / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2019

In the almost 100 years between 1864 and 1962, Korea saw extensive changes in its socio-political arrangements. The enthronement of king Gojong of Joseon and the start of the first five-year plan of the Republic of Korea (otherwise known as South Korea) collectively appear to embody a transition between the pre-modern and modern, between monarchy and republic, between agriculture and heavy industry, and between Neo-Confucian orthodoxy and (at least nominal) democracy. But is this really the case? What do these terms truly signify in a theoretical sense?

The power of paradox: notes on categories of the tragic, mono no aware, and lacrimae rerum

Author(s): Maria Korusiewicz / Language(s): English Issue: 34/2020

The paper is an attempt to investigate the intriguing convergence of the inner logic of three aesthetic categories that emerge from the experience of finitude of existence in diverse cultural environments: the awareness of the tragic in Western cultures, the Japanese category of mono no aware, expressing the painful beauty of things in their impermanence, and a famous Greco-Roman notion of lacrimae rerum (tears of things). All three – despite the deep disparities between the cultural traditions they represent – prove to be the “places” of paradox, of powerful synchronic tension resulting from the “clash” of contradictory forces, transforming one’s perception of the universum. It seems that it is the paradoxical nature of the experiences labelled by these categories (as confirmed by neuroscience) that allows us to confront our finitude with the aid of aesthetic tools.

Pan Maoming’s Philosophy and Cosmology: a Historiographical Research on the Sources and Cultural Background

Author(s): Sergii Rudenko,Chang Feng-Shuo,Zhang Changming / Language(s): English Issue: 25/2020

This paper presents the results of the authors’ study of the philosophical heritage of the Ancient Chinese philosopher Pan Maoming, who played an essential role in the development of spiritual culture, as well as Philosophy and Science of Ancient Southern China (nowadays, Guangdong Province). The authors carried out historiographical research of currently available ancient and modern sources, which contain data on the life and philosophical ideas of Pan Maoming; reconstructed the Pan Maoming’s intellectual biography; revealed the main features of his worldview. The authors reconstructed the social, cultural, and philosophical context of the historical epoch in which Pan Maoming’s philosophical and scientific views arose and developed; clarified the philosopher’s historical role in the development of local culture in the Southern region of Ancient China. The article contains the author’s description and interpretation of the main philosophical ideas of Pan Maoming, the main amid which the authors consider the ethical concept of “peace and emptiness,” the concept of “clumsiness”; the idea of “monasticism for the happiness of the people.” The authors compared Pan Maoming’s philosophical ideas with Lao-tzu’s philosophical doctrine and came to the conclusion that Pan Maoming formed his own unique and original elaboration of Taoist philosophy, significantly developed its linguistic (conceptual) apparatus and worldview. The authors paid particular attention to the description and analysis of Pan Maoming’s cosmological views, which include the doctrine of “Inner alchemy” (Neidan), the doctrine of “chaos, order and causality.” The authors concluded that Pan Maoming’s cosmological ideas significantly developed a way of understanding the Universe, the relationship between “inert” and “living” matter, the “world of nature” and the “world of human” in the Taoist philosophical culture.

Book review: Xueliang Ding. (2017).丁學良. Zhengzhi yu zhongguo tese youmo 政治與中國特色幽默. Hong Kong: Oxford University Press.

Author(s): Antonio Leggieri / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2020

THE VALUE SYSTEM IN RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS AS SPECIFIC KOREAN AND JAPANESE ORIENTAL CULTURAL FACTORS

Author(s): Yousuk Won / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2020

As oriental cultural factors in the conversational process, the article analyzes the oriental cultural value system in the relations between people of mother-tongue speakers, Koreans and Japanese. Oriental religion Confucianism influenced on their value system in communication. Korean and Japanese culture develop a complex linguistic system, both grammatically and pragmatically, for expressing politeness, which is related by Confucianism. These factors relate to etiquette, respect for the vertical axis of the social hierarchy, intimacy in the relationship with parents and loyalty to the emperor or master. This cultural and social value system manifest at the community level, causing inter-human relations to be greatly influenced by Confucianism.