autumn

“Weary as I am

Of this world,

When autumn comes

And the moon shines serene,

I feel I should like to survive.”

“Wearied of this world

Why should I be?

Those once despised by me

Today my delight turn out to be.”

Japanese poem

Ways of Thinking of Eastern Peoples p. 372

sweeping discovery

The first lesson of the ascetics of Hinayana Buddhism is to regard one’s body as impure.  Here the body is regarded as the source of all evils, and as a hindrance to the practice of the Way.  Dogen, however, revised this interpretation.  According to him, contemplation should be realized in one’s actions in everyday life.  “So-called contemplations are everyday activities like sweeping the ground and the floor.”  That should be concieved as exactly identical to “recognizing one’s body as impure.”  Moreover, in that case, one is expected to transcend the dichotomy of purity and impurity.”  

Ways of Thinking of Eastern Peoples p. 370 (paragraph 3)

Shamanism

“Shaman,” from which the word Shamanism derived, means a dancing man.

Ways of Thinking of Eastern Peoples p. 584 paragraph 3

Humans one with Heaven

He (Donghak) even went further to say that “human beings are Heaven, and Heaven is Human beings.  Heaven does not exist outside human beings, and human beings do not exist outside Heaven.  Here, Choe identified humankind with Heaven and imbued humanity with the dignity of Heaven.   (Genesis 1.26)

He claimed that because humans are one with Heaven, we mus serve others as if they are Heaven,” saying that prejudices such as the discrimination in the social status system which values sons of wives over sons of concubines and yangban over common people went against Heaven’s will.

Korean Philosophy its Tradition and Modern Transformation (p. 413-14)