(no subject)

[flemmings]

I don't get around to no-sword's blog often enough, because the reminder of how much Japanese I don't know, will never know, and/or have forgotten, is depressing. But sometimes one discovers delights, like the poems of a failed hermit-poet of the late Tang.

I don't stay at the summit that long myself
The air's too thin, it's not good for you
So there I sleep, far below the clouds
With a pillow for my pillow and a nice soft blanket

See also, and again, why I shall never be a Buddhist. Lack of pillows and nice soft blankets, also having to get up at 3 am, also not eating after noon.

Comments

[incandescens]

I love that poem. Thank you for sharing it!

One of the plotlines in the new season of The Legend of Korra is that airbending (elemental manipulation of air, previously associated with a highly monastic (pseudo-Buddhist) culture) has returned. One of the few remainders of that culture is now travelling around the place, assuming that all the people who have manifested new powers will also want to take up the pseudo-Buddhist culture too. They don't. :)

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Such a disappointment when people fail to meet default expectations.

[i-am-zan.livejournal.com]

Lovely ... also thank you for that link. It was an interesting browse around this morning and have bookmarked it for further perusal later, whenever.

And ... ahahaha speaking of not eating ... it is Ramadan at the moment.

A couple more weeks to go. It's considerably earlier this year than previous years. So the advent of Syawal does not (sadly) herald mooncakes this time. Instead coinciding with Ghost Month this year. Still there will be mooncakes after then. ^__^

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, Ramadan. Our observing staff member is back in Ethiopia visiting her mom, so I'm less aware of it than usually. But I thought it moved at a set pace through the year so would only coincide with the moon festival once a decade-plus-change? Then again, moon festival is lunar too, so moves in its own fashion... Seriously, lunar festivals confuse me.

(As in, 2003, 2008, 2014 have dates on the same days. In '03 and '14 Easter was the same date. In '08 it was a month earlier.)