A blog about books, experiences and class

2019 Books in review

Dalai Lama et al. The Book of Joy: “Lasting Happiness in a Changing World. Penguin Random House” LLC, 2016.

• I read this book when I joined in English writing 300 of Professor Ford. She is nice and generous that helps me learn some basic knowledge of writing. She thinks this book can help her students practice critical thinking and nourish a beautiful soul through this book. To me, I really appreciate her to introduce it. The book teaches something about the life and how to live in a peaceful life with others. The thing I remember most is mental immunity. “Mental immunity”, the Dalai Lama explained, “is just learning to avoid the destructive emotions and to develop the positive ones.” (Dalai Lama et al 83) I think he means that mental immunity is not able to deny the negative thoughts but people are able to observe, accept and overcome. It also means mental immunity is an ability to react to the pain and recover the emotion, which helps them to rediscover happiness.

"The book of Joy" book by Dalai Lama,etc, July 31, 2018
https://www.paulist.org/the-conversation/book-review-the-book-of-joy/

Twenge, Jean M.Generation Me: Why Todays Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled--and More Miserable than Ever Before.Atria, 2014.

• This book is for reading class that mentioned many different aspects between Millennials (named GenMe) and Baby Boomers such as characteristics, values and belief. Twenge provided many evidences to prove her opinions why there are many differences in Baby Boomers’ and GenMe’s cognition, behaviors and belief. This book is quite fun and helpful to understand myself and others. Personally, it looks like s psychological survey report.

Bresnan, Patrick. Awakening: An Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought. 5th ed., Pearson. 2013.

• This book focuses on India, China, and Japan, while showing the relationships that exist between Eastern and Western traditions. Patrick Bresnan consistently links the past to the present, that helps us easily understand what are the differences and ancient Eastern origins, are living traditions and relevant to modern times. To me, I learn something new about tradition of some countries in the book. It’s quite clear and easy to read if someone want to learn about history.

Hesse, Hermann. Siddhartha. 7^thed. 1996

Siddhartha- Hermann Hesse

• I read this book on this summer. This is my second times. I realize the differences when I read it at high school and on this summer. I have a new awareness of enlightenment. When I first read it, I had concerns about the deliverance that the driver had mentioned such as what enlightenment is, how to find it. Now I realize it comes from the heart. It is the tranquility when people experience profound events in life like Siddhartha.

 What did you like best about the project? My research project is about the significant of religion on learning history. I really enjoy this subject. To me, the religion is a special aspect of a country. No country does not have religion because it serves as a spiritual teacher. Our team paid a lot attentions on this project. Personally, I think I spend around 10 hours to do this project. 

 I was excited to apply for this humanities class to learn the history of some countries in Asia, especially China and Japan. I thought this class will had many thing for me to search for. I think the knowledge is various, so I cannot learn all things about it during a short time. It needs a long time maybe 5 years, 10 years or even all life. My goals of this class is to know the way to learn history such as the website that I can use, the book that I can read, the eBook or reference that are good. My goal also is to learn the basic knowledge of history such as the period or stage of each countries. My goal also is learn some new skills such as communication skill, presentations skill and team work skills because I think these are the thing that I would learn in humanities class. Now, at the end of the semester, I mostly completed my goals but it is not enough. I have some sources that I can read but I did not finish some parts of it because of some reasons.

Since I was young, I have an interested in ancient Chinese and Japanese as well thorough the movies, and the music. I was curious how China can affect the Vietnamese thought several years and how they live during the ancient period. I remember the word when I learn history subject at secondary school is assimilation policy. Vietnam is a country that origins of the ancient China. However, what the ancient China come from was regularly existed in my mind. The thing that I was interested in this class is the knowledge that provided to me about the Chinese history.

The differences between Soto Zen and Rinzai Zen

According to the chapter 19 of the book “Awakening: An introduce to the history of Eastern thought”, we know some informations of the Zen Buddhism, one of the kind early Buddhism in Japan. In addition, it tells us the differences between Rinzai and Soto Zen through some three "The seeds of Zen would fall on extremely fertile ground in Japan and would repro- duce the two great schools already existing in China. In Japan, they would come to be known as Rinzai and Soto. We will examine these by looking at the contributions of three historically great figures: Eisai, Dogen, and Hakuin." (Bresnan 328) 

Zen Buddhism

Rinzai and Soto Zen are started from China and spread to Japan by Eisai and Dogen. They are different thinking to disseminate Buddhism in Japan. Therefore, the perspective of people who receive them is different .For example, Rinzai was the Zen of the aristocratic class, and Soto was the Zen more favored by common people. That is because “ Rinzai Zen monasteries became, among other things, the training grounds of the samurai. This is certainly not to say that that was the only function they served, but it definitely was an important one. Samurai families were typically associated with a particular Rinzai monastery, at which the men trained from time to time in the disciplines of Zen, especially when young.” ( Bresnan 431). In addition, Rinzai took a dynamic, energetic approach to Zen, whereas Soto was more contemplative. For example, "A person might join a Rinzai commu- nity for a short period, but the Soto monastery was more likely to attract the dedi- cated person who wished to make the way of the monk his life’s work" ( Bresnan 435). One thing that makes them different is some ritual habbits such as meditation. Both Soto and Rinzai held zazen in high regard, but Soto emphasized the practice of zazen to a far greater degree than did Rinzai. The author said "If we could enter his meditation hall we would see rows of monks dressed in the familiar black, loose-fitting monk’s robe. Unlike a Rinzai meditation hall, in which the monks sit facing inward, Dogen’s monks would be facing the wall." (Bresnan 432)

Meditation of Soto Zen Buddhism

If we give two kinds of Zen Buddhism in school, it create some different consequences. However, the goal is not coved and more and more be maintained and developed.

Rinzai zen is rather famous for being, as Alan Watts said, more gutsy than other schools. Get a koan wrong and you're likely to receive one-on-one instruction on beating as a means of focusing attention, to put it nicely. The Rinzai method seems twofold, it confronts the student with the futility of their desire to "make it" by setting up a more rigid and formal system of koans through which they must pass, and by filling it with material designed to confront their tendency to try to think their way out of it. It then pairs this with a willingness to get 'down & dirty' in bombastic elements. If there's a zen master shouting, beating students, trashing someone, etc etc, there's a higher chance it's a rinzai school master. This serves to jar the student right out of whatever comfort zone they think they might be developing. This goes on until they clearly understand the absurdity of their situation in a level more primal than high-minded logic.

Eisai

Soto is, again to quote Alan, more serene. You're apt to get less in the way of koans, but be prepared to spend considerably more time on your keester, since Soto zen still considers zazen to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. Soto zen masters may not beat you... Unless they catch you sleeping when you should be meditating. You're also a bit more likely to end up with a Lao Tzu style answer than Rinzai's more Zhuangzi-like style, if that makes sense. Soto zen contents itself more with the ideas it's presenting than with direct confrontation with a student, even if discussion of the ideas is likely to be met with some consternation. If you see a description of zazen as "just sitting," Soto zen has really taken that and run with it. Soto is the more 'completed,' in that it doesn't really see much point in the bombastic elements of Rinzai. Ego dissolution is Soto's bread and butter, and everything else really doesn't get all that much attention from Soto.

Dogen Zenji

Works cited

Bresnan, Patrick. Awakening: an Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought

Landscape of House

"Landscape with house" by Qi Baishi

The work of art I selected is “Landscape with Houses” by Qi Baishi (Chinese, 1864-1957). I was born in small village with the honest farmer ;and I also have a love about ancient house and landscapes. When I saw this art, I have a sense of belonging. This art reminds me of ancient people. I am curious about their lifestyle, customs, culture and whether these people are my ancestor or not, maybe yes. It makes me vague and have a mystical feeling.

      

Me and my friends

            Qi Baishi was born in 1864 to a poor peasant family in Hunan Province. It was not until he was 27 that he began painting. He started with paintings of gods and portraits, and over time he learned to paint landscapes, birds, flowers, and human figures. After touring the country numerous times to study the works of Xu Wei, Bada Shanren, Jin Nong, and other Ming and Qing artists, he eventually settled in Beijing in 1918. 

Qi Baishi's Landscape painting

 his rustic and unaffected style was not well received by most Beijing connoisseurs, Qi was encouraged by the painter Chen Shizeng to develop his own style rather than imitate masters. He dedicated himself to this and called it “carrying out reform at an advanced age.” The result of his “reform” was his iconic style, one which combined the populist-realist styles with that of the scholar-calligrapher. Qi’s style influenced subsequent generations of painters, such as his student Li Kuchan (1898–1983) and others, including Pan Tianshou (1897–1971) and Li Keran (1907–1989). 
As seen in Lychees and Grasshopper, Qi’s subjects were often seasonal, as one might expect of a careful observer of nature; this painting’s subject suggests late spring or early summer. Qi characteristically contrasts the expressive, boneless (mogu) technique he used on the basket, lychees, and leaves with the sensitively observed grasshopper rendered in the fine-line (bai-miao) technique. Relatively rare in Qi’s oeuvre are landscapes, which, as seen here at left, retain his characteristic charm and embrace the literati ideal of zhuo (awkward).

"Landscape with houses", is a laps cape painting with ink and color on paper, was made by Qi Baishi (Chinese, 1861-1957). It is a work art pf Croker Art Museum, gilf of The Chinese and collected by Sandra and Franklin Yee, 2005.94.7. This charming rural landscape is composed with single forms, allowing one to imagine life in the humble surrounding of a village. Small houses with titled roofs facing different directions are set amid clusters of tall trees, the leaves and branches of which no doubt provide cooling shade to unseen occupants within the dwellings. This may be the way that " Landscape with houses" is represent the era in which it was created. It is their life with the simple things, living in nature make the souls of ancient Chinese more light and peaceful.  There are no reference for this art work at all since it was collected. 

The photo of me and "Landscape with House" 

My ticket of Croker Art Museum on September 25, 2019

This is my second time of this year of visiting the Croker Art Museum. Last time, I went there by light trail but I drove to there by my car this time. Since I received the instruction, I invited my friend to accompany with me, and they agreed. I’m a new driver, this actually was the first time I drived to Downtown of Sacramento by myself. It was quite exciting and nervous. Luckily, we were safe there. I did not bring any 

My drawing of "Landscape with House" 

  so we had to spend time to manage it. Fortunately, our coins helped us to visit this museum 45 mins. I have a remind for new people like me that don't worry if you don't have coin, but remember bring your card because we can pay by card for parking fee. We were there around 4 pm; it was slow that day because of only us and 2 old ladies. We need the tickets to visit this museum; because we are the students, we paid for 8$ each person. The museum employees are quite kind and generous. We met a pretty woman that sell the tickets for us with a lovely smile and she asked us some 

Other work of arts

 like why we wanted to go there and we answered her. We also saw some man who is the security of this museum. They looked us with the serious faces, but I felt it is a grave atmosphere at there. We did visit there before, so this time, we just went directly to the Asian area. I did wear sandal which sound noisy but fortunately nobody is around that area. Although it was not the first time, I felt like this is really strange and special. I wonder how the epigrapher can discovery these products and how their journeys are. This is amazing and difficult. I really admire them. 

Works Cited

China Online Museum. https://www.comuseum.com/painting/masters/qi-baishi/

Croker Art Museum editor, "Landscape with Houses". 2015