Hasu Transitoire (The Transient Lotus)

FRIDAY APRIL 9, 5:30-6:30  Lindsey DeWitt, Ph.D. Candidate, UCLA (Buddhist Studies) Mt. Kôya and Buddhist Restrictions to Women in Pre-Modern Japan Art Building Room 317, University of Washington Forever Banished: Restrictions Regarding Women at Mt. Kōya  Mt. Kōya has been one of the most sacred pilgrimage, worship, and training sites in Japan since the ninth-century, drawing devotees across geographic, sectarian, class, and gender barriers. This sacred mountain and its religious institutions are regarded as paradigmatic examples of Japan’s rich religious history and culture, yet most Japanese and Western descriptions ignore the fact that one half of the population – women – was excluded for most of its history. This paper examines the history of women’s restrictions at Mt. Kōya by looking at stories about Kūkai’s 空海 (774-835) mother. I argue that gender, as symbolized by this female figure, constitutes a key variable in the construction of sacred space and...

Finally getting up-to-date with my beloved art world after school/fun-business. Thought I'd share some pieces I've fallen madly in love with... tran nguyen "and the world came tumbling after" tran nguyen --- this is often how my I imagine my brain alex young "latex" ---- paint splatter beauty magic!! alex young "nina kate" alexey malina "flowers" (series) david polumba "strawberry popsicle" ---does it get sexier than this? serena cole "black reign" --- copper and painting john brophy "barometric" --- a real think-piece best ever "implosion" tessar lo "beyond the flowers" brandi strickland "everything i need is where i'm going" ---how I envision strong women brandi strickland "secret source" ---- collage magic! byroglyphics "bebecalyx" ---haunting june leeloo nimit malavia "carry all that i am able" ---incredible shading ...

Outside the walls of Huizhou three li, Gentleman for court discussion Wang’s family ancestral grave cloister was there. During the Xiaoxing reign, he invited the monk Huihong to live there and administer it. The monk just ate heartily and peacefully sat and did not chant sutras or make praise to the Buddha. In regard to offerings, he burned incense and did it as briefly as possible. He was merely able to restrain himself, and did not make other mistakes. In the master’s house above and below all was accustomed to this, and this was preserved for twenty years.  In Gandao 2 nd year he was sick and died, and the Wang clan buried him at a nearby mountain. Originally there was a great mulberry tree and its branches were flourishing. Several months later it suddenly withered and died. After a rain, mushrooms grew, and a Wang servant tending goats passed by it, saw its plump white brilliant radiance, and plucked it to present to the master. If fried in the usual fashion, the taste was d...

What a delight to find an old notebook (gold leaf lotus design on the cover no less!) full of travel notes, directions, observations, food memories, and poems. I was instantly transported back to August/September 2009 (time? what time?) with all my senses as I read through the slightly weathered pages. Thought I'd share some... Shibuya at Dusk Orange lights flash in unison…tangerine pulse one, two, three Crimson cab pulling over             Pulled over                         Stopped Lace doily seats and gloved hands coming into full view Teal heals and bubble dress floats away Work weathered faces march fixedly homeward Wide eyed youth warriors just starting their dance Lights effervescent but still subdued. Umbrellas dangle gingerly from wrinkled hands, A push cart…a scooter…shoe shuffling Adorned with digital acc...

目                                  The art of Hans Haveron 口                                  Church & State Bistro 読                                  Tom Wolfe The Purple Decades (1982) – a delicious assortment of short stories 耳                                  Monsters of Folk “Dear God (Sincerely MOF)”   クリックして         ...

Here we have a very old letter from a Chan master that outlines his views of meditation...what do you think? Da hui 大慧宗杲 (1089–1163) I will show you instructions. Beginners gain a little from quiet sitting work, and delight in themselves. Further, I say: I do not dare foolishly form fixed views of quietude. As the yellow-faced old guy (Sakyamuni – related to saying that Buddha is Lao tzu) said, a metaphor would be if there was a person who stopped up their ears to his high sounds and cries loudly and seeks [help] and cannot hear himself. This is truly making trouble for oneself. Supposing the birth and death mind (ignorant mind stuck in samara) is not yet broken, day and night are muddled and ignorant states. It is just like a dead man whose spirit has not dispersed. All the more, how can he find the spare to do the work of understanding quietude, of understanding boisterousness? In the Nirvana assembly, the broad foreheaded butcher tosses away his blade and just then becomes a budd...

My culinary endeavors this twenty-sixth day of two thousand and ten made me very happy. They also, I think, capture my approach to food: no rules, no recipes, make it simple, make it creative, make it spicy! With Ruby by my side, chewing on her new half-lion/half-octopus toy, King Wubba, I continued my love affair with food... #1: An egg over-easy served with a sprouted grain pocket and slices of avocado, tomato, and red onion. A little salt and pepper, drizzle of olive oil, splash of Eve hot pepper sauce from Jamaica (pretty nice kick to it). Sencha. I love a hearty meal like this late in the morning, as a brunch, on days I know I'll be busy until late afternoon. #1.5-1.75: Gingerberry kombucha (my homemade tea is not ready yet!), banana, mini-Snickers (I can’t always avoid temptation, and besides, graduate seminars require snacks if one is to maintain focus… #2: Persian cucumber slices dipped in red miso Carrots, eggplant, and other crudités are excellent in miso …just a ...