July has been a rough month for me. The problem started in early July, after attending a Dungeons and Dragons game in person at my local game shop for the first time in over a year. Not long after, I started feeling ill, my head was stuffy, and breathing was sometimes difficult. My heart wasContinue reading “Taking Stock”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Reading Kids Manga In Japanese
My kids and I love playing the game Splatoon 2, a quirky game with a lot of satire on Japanese society, but also some very creative backstory too. We love playing Ranked Battles, but I am consistently trying to keep up with my kids who are both B ranked, while I am still mostly CContinue reading “Reading Kids Manga In Japanese”
Building a Sohei Warrior Monk in Dungeons and Dragons
Samurai, as well as Ninja, have left a strong impression on Western culture as two kinds of warriors in medieval Japanese culture: the samurai as a brave and powerful “knight” to the secretive and cunning ninja. But there’s another side to warfare in Japan that is often misunderstood, if even known at all: the soheiContinue reading “Building a Sohei Warrior Monk in Dungeons and Dragons”
Happy Belated New Year!
Hello Readers! Although the first couple weeks of 2021 have been kind of lousy for us all, I wanted to take a moment to say “happy new year!” to you all. In Japanese, people greet one another the first time they meet after the new year with a special greeting. First, people say to oneContinue reading “Happy Belated New Year!”
Counting Down to Bodhi Day
Bodhi Day, sometimes called Rohatsu in some traditions, is celebrated in the Japanese-Buddhist calendar every year on December 8th in accordance with the tradition that Shakyamuni (a.k.a. Siddhartha Gautama) attained full enlightenment on the morning of the 8th day of the 12th month of the lunar calendar. In Japan, this is known formally as shakaContinue reading “Counting Down to Bodhi Day”
Summer Heat and the Day of the Ox
Summers in Japan are nothing to sneeze at. The sun is hot, but the humidity is stifling. Since the Edo Period (1600-1868), there is a custom in Japanese culture that during the hot summer season, one can get relief from the summer heat and increase stamina by eating a kind of freshwater eel called unagiContinue reading “Summer Heat and the Day of the Ox”
Adventures at Sojiji, the other Soto Zen Temple
Since our trip to Japan is cancelled this year due to the pandemic, I have been posting old images of past temples I visited. Last time I posted about Zojoji temple and Tokyo Tower, this time I wanted to share some of photos of Sōjiji Temple (總持寺, homepage here) which happens to be fairly closeContinue reading “Adventures at Sojiji, the other Soto Zen Temple”
Gardening Update
Hi folks, here’s an update on our family garden. Our bean pole plants, now christened Kirby and The United Colors of Beanington, continue to grow at a fast pace, now reaching above the usual canopy of weeds. It didn’t take long for them to grow above the first set of “teepees” we made using chopsticks,Continue reading “Gardening Update”
Meanwhile Life Goes On
It’s easy to forget amidst all the stresses of life, especially life now, that life goes on. If nothing else, take time today to get some fresh air and maybe meditate for five minutes. It will help provide a more healthy perspective. 🙂
Chanting the Amitabha Sutra
One of the most popular and widely chanted sutras in the Pure Land Buddhist tradition is the Amitabha Sutra (阿弥陀経, amida-kyō in Japanese) which is known by scholars as the Smaller Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra. This sutra is a brief overview of Amitabha Buddha, his Pure Land, and why one would want to be reborn there (spoiler:Continue reading “Chanting the Amitabha Sutra”
