AsiaYouthMedia亚青传媒sinazen.com

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This website consolidates all my blog content and makes it easier to find the material.

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scene from my home

sinazen  Sina 支那  Zen 禅

Sina means China in a number of languages; 支那unfortunately used to be employed derogatively, especially in Japan, and sina remains ambiguous in status. Today it is more commonly known as the name of a widely subscribed Chinese web portal.

Zen禅 is a branch of buddhism with the main tenet that each person is to seek enlightenment through meditation; unfortunately I find its underlying thought processes rather authoritarian, relying on master-disciple dialog whose origin presumably lies in the Pure Conversation 清谈 practice of Southern Dynasty circa 500AD. An example

One Finger Zen: a great Zen master used to answer every question by raising one finger; one day his discipline tried to imitate him, by answering questions that way; when the master saw this, he chopped off the disciple's finger; as the disciple ran away bleeding, he looked back at the master, who raised one finger, and at that moment he was enlightened.

My reaction upon reading the story: it is a small step from chopping off finger to chopping off head. This is  master-disciple relationship supposed to be like? 

(I am not a follower of any religion. The following is just a poetic expression, not belief.)

绿丝红粉铅华浓， 若水桑林苦海深。

千年面壁修正果， 一日悟思脱肉身。

a photo of the NUS campus where I used to work; news search buttons: 中文新闻: NUS English News: NUS