Tag Archives: Buddhism

The playground of Tengu!

Posted on July 18, 2018 by

天上天下 ten.jou.ten.ge Literally: heavens – up – heavens – down Alternately: The world above the sky (the heavens) and the world below the sky (the earth). Also, the space between heaven and earth. The whole world. Notes: Reading 下 as … Continue reading →

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Written on the 4th of July

Posted on July 11, 2018 by

(I searched for phrases using 独 because of the 独立記念日.) 唯我独尊 yui.ga.doku.son Literally: only – self – alone – precious Alternately: Thinking that oneself is the best in the world. Being so self-assured that you don’t listen to anyone else. … Continue reading →

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Cosmic triage

Posted on June 27, 2018 by

悪人正機 aku.nin.shou.ki Literally: evil – person – correct – loom / machine Alternately: No matter how evil a person is, the Buddha’s wish is for them to be saved. Or perhaps, the worse a person is, the more important it … Continue reading →

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Not just hermits

Posted on June 24, 2018 by

Buddhist tzaddikim? 仏千人神千人 (Hotoke sennin kami sennin; “A thousand Buddhas, a thousand gods”) Definition: The world may be full of bad people, but there are also many good people as well, including people good enough to be compared to bodhisattvas … Continue reading →

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Yes elephant plus no elephant

Posted on May 30, 2018 by

Equals EVERYTHING 有象無象 u.zou.mu.zou Literally: exist – shape – nothing – shape Alternately: All things; a Buddhist phrase combining “things with physical forms and things without physical forms” to denote the entirety of existence. By extension, “A large number of … Continue reading →

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I see your Aeschylan harpies

Posted on April 18, 2018 by

And raise you LOVELY OPERA HARPIES 迦陵頻伽 ka.ryou.bin.ga Literally: “ka” (this character is only used phonetically) – imperial tomb – repeatedly – attend Alternately: A beautiful voice, or a person (especially a woman) who possesses one. This phrase refers to … Continue reading →

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You want me to shave *what*?

Posted on April 5, 2018 by

Ohhh, it’s a metaphor. (My deepest apologies to my readers! On Sunday, in place of the regularly-scheduled kotowaza, I instead posted a song as a joke. At the time I promised that the real thing – which had already been almost … Continue reading →

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