Powered By Blogger

Search This Blog

Followers

Friday, September 26, 2008

2 pics of me



The top image was taken in 2006 (during the summer I think) and the bottom was image was taken towards the end of summer in 2008.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Today's Mandarin Exercises

我对他的工作表现很失望。
(I am very disappointed with his work performance.)
wo dui (toward) ta de gongzuo
biaoxian (performance) hen shi wang (disappointed).


没有收到他的礼物,我很失望。
(I didn't receive his gift, I'm very disappointed.)
Mei you shou dao (to receive) ta de liwu (gift),
wo hen shi wang (disappointed).


这个城市没我想象的好,我有点儿失望。
(This city isn't as good as I imagined it would be. I'm a little disappointed.)
Zhe ge chengshi mei wo xiang xiang (to imagine)
de hao, wo you dianr (slightly) shi wang.


我们分手吧,不要再互相伤害了。
(Let's break up, and not hurt each other anymore.)
Wo men fenshou (to split up) ba, bu yao zai (again)
hu xiang (each other) shanghai (to hurt) le.


大家一起学习,互相帮助,过得很愉快。
(Everyone learn together, help each other, and enjoy it.)
Da jia yi qi (together) xue xi, hu xiang (each other) bang zhu (to help),
guo (to spend) de hen yukuai (happy).


情侣之间互相信任是最重要的。
(The most important thing for lovers is that they trust each other.)
Qinglu (lovers) zhijian (between) huxiang xinren (trust) shi zui zhongyao de.


我来中国是为了跟我女朋友在一起。
(I came to China to be with my girlfriend.)
Wo lai Zhong guo shi weile (in order) gen (with)
wo nu peng you zai yi qi (together).


为了有个好身体,我坚持每天锻炼。
(In order to have a good body, I stick to a daily workout routine.)
Weile you ge hao shen ti, jianchi (to persist) mei tian duanlian (to exercise).

Monday, September 15, 2008

The Pali Canon

The Pali Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pali language.[1] The Canon was written down, transcribed from the oral tradition, during the Fourth Buddhist Council (in the usual Theravada numbering), in the 1st century BCE, in Sri Lanka[2] on ola (palm) leaves.[3] Passed down in writing and to other Theravadin countries, this originally largely North Indian[4] Canon is the most complete surviving early Buddhist canon and one of the first to be written down.[5]
The Canon was not printed until the nineteenth century, and is now also available in electronic form.[6]
The Pali Canon falls into three general categories, called pitaka (piṭaka, basket) in Pali. Because of this, the canon is traditionally known as the Tipitaka (Tipiṭaka; three baskets).The three pitakas are as follows:[7]
Vinaya Pitaka, dealing with rules for monks and nuns
Sutta Pitaka, discourses, mostly ascribed to the Buddha, but some to disciples
Abhidhamma Pitaka, variously described as philosophy, psychology, metaphysics etc.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Tao Te Ching Chapter 1

The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name.(Conceived of as) having no name, it is the Originator of heaven and earth; (conceived of as) having a name, it is the Mother of all things.Always without desire we must be found,If its deep mystery we would sound;But if desire always within us be,Its outer fringe is all that we shall see.Under these two aspects, it is really the same; but as development takes place, it receives the different names. Together we call them the Mystery. Where the Mystery is the deepest is the gate of all that is subtle and wonderful.

This morning's Mandarin.

她昨天买了很多东西。
Ta zuo tian mai le hen duo dong xi.
(She bought a lot of stuff yesterday.)


你桌子上没有东西。
Ni zhuozi shang mei you dong xi.
(There isn't anything on your table.)


我没见过那个东西。
Wo mei jian guo na ge dong xi.
(I've never seen that thing before.)


她带了很多吃的东西。
Ta dai le hen duo chi de dong xi.
(She brought a lot of things to eat.)


我忘带钥匙了。
Wo wang dai yaoshi le.
(I forgot my keys.)


你带雨伞了吗?
Ni dai yusan le ma?
(Did you bring an umbrella?)

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Today's Chinese Exercises

比赛的时候他太紧张了。
Bi sai de shi hou ta tai jinzhang le.
Bi sai/ competition, de shi hou/when, ta/he, tai/too, jinzhang/nervous(He was so nervous during the match.)


她看起来一点都不紧张。
Ta kan qi lai yi dian dou bu jinzhang.
Ta/she, kan qi lai/to appear, yi dian dou bu/not at all, jinzhang/nervous(She doesn't look nervous at all.)


我一看见他,就紧张得连话也说不出来。
Wo yi kan jian ta, jiu jinzhang de lian hua ye shuo bu chu lai
Wo/I, yi/as soon as, kan jian/to see, ta/he, jiu/then, jinzhang/nervous, lian/even, hua/word, ye/also,
shuo bu chu lai/to be unable to speak(As soon as I saw him, I was so nervous I couldn't even speak.)


她应该快到了。
Ta ying gai kuai dao le.(She should be here soon.)


这件事他应该已经知道了。
Zhe jian shi ta ying gai yijing zhi dao le.
Zhe/this, shi/matter, ta/he, ying gai/ should, yijing/already, zhi dao/know(He should know about this already.)


我觉得你应该好好考虑一下。
Wo jue de ni ying gai hao hao kao lu yi xia.
Wo/I, jue de/ think, ni/you, ying gai/should, hao hao/carefully, kaolu/to consider, yi xia/a while(I think you should consider this carefully.)

E-mail from a student

Your lessons are still the one that helps me.

Your words are still fresh and warm.You've swayed my life so deeply.

You're still my best teacher.

Far across the miles, sending you wishes of love and peace on Teacher's Day.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Ekam

Ekam Tamil: ஏகம் - "the supreme oneness") is the term used in Akilattirattu Ammanai, the holy book of Ayyavazhi,[1] to represent The Ultimate Oneness. In Thiruvasakam-2 it was stated that it was from this Ekam that all objects, including the separate Godheads, Devas and asuras, of the universe formed. As per Akilam, this state of ekam is beyond the consciousness and derived to beyond the state of changing and is the extreme state in which the whole universe exists.
In Saivism, Ekam is used commonly to refer to the oneness of God, but in Ayyavazhi the basic oneness is separately symbolized to be supreme and ultimate beyond all God-heads and powers.
The Ekam is said to be the supreme as well as the ultimate self from which the whole cosmos formed. This formless attribute is said to be defined from the human point of view. But this formless Ekam, without losing its constant and formless nature, is present inside every things in the universe. That is, it remains as infinite within every finite, formless within every definite form. It is the supreme absolute self in which all the substances of cosmos shares their existence.
The derivations of Ekam in Ayyavazhi scriptures are sometime close to the pantheistic form of theology. In the mythology of Ayyavazhi God-heads such as Siva, Vishnu are said to be the godheads who have power to rule this Ekam, varying from time to time, Siva until Kaliyuga and Vishnu from the starting of Kaliyuga. There are separate quotes in Akilam for focusing Siva as well as Vishnu as capable for position. But, still the Ekam is addressed beyond these god-heads.
But when Vaikundar, is jailed in Singarathoppe, he says "I am the one who created the Ekam and the one who is omnipresent everywhere". By this, the theology reveals Vaikundar (God) as beyond the attributes of Ekam, which moves the theology of Ayyavazhi more towards pantheism.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekam

Muisca Mythology Link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muisca_mythology

Brahman

Brahman (bráhman-, nominative bráhma ब्रह्म) is a concept of Hinduism. Brahman is the unchanging, infinite, immanent, and transcendent reality which is the Divine Ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything beyond in this Universe. The nature of Brahman is described as transpersonal, personal and impersonal by different philosophical schools. In the Rig Veda, Brahman gives rise to the primordial being Hiranyagarbha that is equated with the creator God Brahmā. The trimurti can thus be considered a personification of Hiranyagarbha as the active principle behind the phenomena of the universe. The seers who inspired the composition of the Upanisads asserted that the liberated soul (jivanmukta) has realized his identity with Brahman as his true self (see Atman (Hinduism)).
The word "Brahman" is derived from the verb brh (Sanskrit:to grow), and connotes greatness. The Mundaka Upanishad says:
Om- That supreme Brahman is infinite, and this conditioned Brahman is infinite. The infinite proceeds from infinite. Then through knowledge, realizing the infinitude of the infinite, it remains as infinite alone.
Note that "Brahman" is different from "Brahmin," the Priests/Holy Men. In fact Brahmin is derived from Brahman in the sense that a 'Brahmin is the one who knows Brahman'. The confusion between the terms can be dated back to the translation of the Upanishads into modern English.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahman

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Kalachakra Thangka


Lost Horizon

Shangri-La is a fictional place described in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon by British author James Hilton. In the book, "Shangri-La" is a mystical, harmonious valley, gently guided from a lamasery, enclosed in the western end of the Kunlun Mountains. Shangri-La has become synonymous with any earthly paradise but particularly a mythical Himalayan utopia—a permanently happy land, isolated from the outside world. In the novel Lost Horizon, the people who live at Shangri-La are almost immortal, living years beyond the normal lifespan. The word also evokes the imagery of exoticism of the Orient. The story of Shangri-La is based on the concept of Shambhala, a mystical city in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

El Dorado Metaphor

In the mythology of the Muisca today, El Dorado (Mnya) represents the energy contained in the trinity of Chiminigagua, which constitutes the creative power of everything that exists. Chiminigagua is, along with Bachué, Cuza, Chibchachum, Bochica, and Nemcatacoa, one of the creators of the universe.
Meanwhile, the name of El Dorado came to be used metaphorically of any place where wealth could be rapidly acquired. It was given to El Dorado County, California, and to towns and cities in various states. It has also been anglicized to the single word Eldorado.
In literature, frequent allusion is made to the legend, perhaps the best-known references being those in Milton's Paradise Lost (Book xi. 408-411) and in Voltaire's Candide (chs. 18, 19). "Eldorado" was the title and subject of a four-verse poem by Edgar Allan Poe. In the 1966 John Wayne film El Dorado, most of Poe's poem is recited by the character nicknamed Mississippi [1] El Dorado is also referenced in Joseph Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness. Within Conrad's work, the Eldorado Exploring Expedition journeys into the jungles of Africa in search of conquest and treasure, only to meet an untimely demise.
El Dorado is also sometimes used as a metaphor to represent an ultimate prize or "Holy Grail" that one might spend one's life seeking. It could represent true love, heaven, happiness, or success. It is used sometimes as a figure of speech to represent something much sought after that may not even exist, or at least may not ever be found. Such use is evident in Poe's poem "El Dorado". In this context, El Dorado bears similarity to other myths such as the Fountain of Youth, Shangri-la, and to some extent the term "white whale" which refers to Captain Ahab's obsession in the book Moby-Dick. The disillusionment side of the ideal quest metaphor may be represented by Helldorado, a satirical nickname given to Tombstone by a tardy miner who complained that many of his profession had traveled far to find El Dorado, only to wind up washing dishes in restaurants.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Dorado

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Outer Space Treaty

http://www.state.gov/t/ac/trt/5181.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Space_Treaty

Mandarin


乎 [hū] 似乎 sìhu it seems; 几乎 jīhū almost
客 [kè] (=客人 kèrén) guest; 客观 kèguān objective; 客气 kèqi polite
苦 [kǔ] bitter; 艰苦 jiānkǔ arduous; 痛苦 tòngkǔ suffering
照 [zhào] shine; 照相 zhàoxiàng photo
费 (F費) [fèi] cost; 学费 xuéfèi tuition
热 [rè] hot
推 [tuī] push
突 [tū] charge forward, stick out; 突然 tūrán suddenly
选(F選) [xuǎn] (=选择 xuǎnzé) choose, select; 选举 xuǎnjǔ election
亚(F亞) [yà] inferior, second; 亚洲 Yàzhōu Asia
类 [lèi] category, kind, type; 类似 lèisì similar
复 [fù] (F復) 恢复 huīfù recover, (F複) 复杂 fùzá complicated, complex, (F覆) cover
备(F備) [bèi] (=准备 zhǔnbèi) get ready, prepare; 设备 shèbèi equipment
势(F勢) [shì] power; 形势 xíngshì circumstances; 姿势 zīshì posture
星 [xīng] star; 火星 huǒxīng Mars; 星期 xīngqī week
脑 [nǎo] (=脑子 nǎozi) brain; 脑袋 nǎodai head; 脑壳 nǎoké skull; 电脑 diànnǎo computer
故 [gù] cause, therefore; 故事 gùshi story; 故意 gùyì on purpose
句 [jù] sentence
显(F顯) [xiǎn] appear; 显然 xiǎnrán obvious
衣 [yī] (=衣服 yīfu) clothing [yì] wear (clothing), give (clothing) to others to wear