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This blog explores my life as a father, Buddhist and Japanophile among other things. I like to share information and help make the Internet a better place.
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Author Archives: Doug 陀愚
Different Strokes
The “sir, yes sir” business, which would probably sound like horseshit to any civilian in his right mind, makes sense to Shaftoe and to the officers in a deep and important way. …he has come to understand the [military] culture … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, General, Politics, Religion
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Understanding Rinzai Zen Lineage
Zen, along with esoteric Buddhism (Shingon, Tibetan, etc), places a heavy emphasis on lineage. I never really understood this since lineage is not an important part of Pure Land Buddhism, but then when I started going to a Rinzai Zen … Continue reading
New Perfume Video: “Magic of Love”
For all you Perfume fans (a surprising number of blog readers are), here’s the latest song by Perfume: Magic of Love. Similar to their video for Voice, it includes a lot of cool room-shifts and visual tricks. My daughter loves … Continue reading
Expressions in Japanese and American Culture
I’ve noticed an interesting thing while watching Japanese TV with my wife. We like to watch certain variety shows together (which are very common in Japan, unlike American TV). And sometimes, they have foreign guests. Either Hollywood actors, or famous … Continue reading
Posted in Japan, Korea, Travel
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Pride
Self-esteem and pride are two challenges in my life. Maybe other readers too. It’s frustrating because even though friends and family tell you that you are a good person, or smart, etc., you still don’t feel like it. I was … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Religion
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Alan Watts Compares Buddhism and Christianity
Something I was watching lately. This is by the famous philosopher Alan Watts, who helped popularize Buddhism (especially Zen) for Western audiences. In this show made in the 1960′s, he talks about the role of religion in traditional society using … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Christianity, Religion, Zen
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AJATT Hall of Fame
I’ve been following the website AllJapaneseAllTheTime.com (AJATT for short) for ideas and inspiration on learning Japanese and Korean. I also follow the site author, Khatzumoto, on Twitter as well. AJATT has been really helpful in keeping me motivated and not … Continue reading
Posted in Japanese, Language
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Dandelions
It is now the month of Satsuki (皐月) in the traditional Japanese calendar and the weather in Seattle has been very comfortable lately,1 so I’ve been taking photos in the yard again. This is in my backyard, just outside the … Continue reading
Writer’s Block
Hi all, I’ve been concerned about my struggles to keep up the blog lately, when I finally figured out the problem: I have writer’s block. I have about 8 unfinished posts right now, but I can’t finish them for some … Continue reading
Posted in Family
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Beginner Buddhism S2, Lesson 8: Buddhism and Monasticism
Hi all, Busy weekend, but I did find time to post another episode on season 2 of the Beginner Buddhism series on YouTube: This one helps explore the notion of monasticism in Buddhism, what are monks and nuns, etc. Apologies … Continue reading
Posted in Buddhism, Religion, Theravada
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