Tag Archives: Buddhism

Million-yard stare

Look on my Works, ye Mighty 空空漠漠kuu.kuu.baku.baku Literally: sky / empty – sky / empty – desert / wide – desert / wide Alternately: Vast; indefinitely wide – and empty. Alternately, vague; hazy; ill-defined. When applied to a person, it … Continue reading

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A cure for what ails ya!

(Not universally applicable, unfortunately.) 応病与薬ou.byou.yo.yaku Literally: answer – disease – give – medicine Alternately: Just what it says on the tin: giving someone medicine appropriate to the illness they are suffering from at the time. By extension, teaching people the … Continue reading

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Or oars

船は帆で持つ帆は船で持つ(Fune wa ho de motsu ho wa fune de motsu;“A ship works because of its sail; a sail works because of its ship”) Definition: A ship is useful because it has a sail; a sail is useful because it’s on … Continue reading

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“Faith is believing in something when common sense tells you not to.”

For better or for worse… or for just vaguely smelly 鰯の頭も信心から(Iwashi no atama mo shinjin kara;“Even a sardine’s head, from faith”) Definition: Faith works in mysterious ways; faith is kind of weird if you stop to think about it. Even … Continue reading

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The sleeve’s edge; another life

袖すり合うも他生の縁(Sode suriau mo tashou no en;“Even a brushing of the sleeves is a connection from a past life.”) Definition: Every relationship you have in your entire life – including not just the big important ones, but the people you merely … Continue reading

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Wonder is the seed of knowledge

(France is bacon) 大疑は大悟の基(Taigi wa taigo no motoi;“Great doubts are the foundation of great enlightenment”) Definition: Great doubt is the first step toward great realizations. Doubt leads to asking questions, which leads to seeking answers, which – in theory at … Continue reading

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Iconoclasm

廃仏毀釈hai.butsu.ki.shaku Literally: discard – Buddha – break – Shakyamuni* Alternately: This historical term describes the idea that Buddhism should be rooted out of Japan. This may either be in general, or specifically as part of the changes that swept over … Continue reading

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Orthogrothy

Giving heterodox doctrines a bit of what-for 破邪顕正ha.ja.ken.shou Literally: destroy – wicked / injustice – express / reveal – correct / justice Alternately: The Buddhist concept of breaking down that which is wrong, bad, or untrue, and making the truth … Continue reading

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A Scandanavian problem

惚れたが因果(Horeta ga inga;“The lover’s lot is karma”) Definition: For someone who has fallen in love, suffering because of it is an unavoidable part of human existence. When one is in love, pain is an inevitable result – in part due … Continue reading

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Make sure you get your ball back afterwards

一球入魂 i-.kkyuu.nyuu.kon Literally: one – sphere – enter / insert – soul Alternately: This phrase from the world of baseball refers to putting your full energy and focus into each action; specifically, putting everything you can into each throw of … Continue reading

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