2009: Year Of Herding The Ox
Wishing you all the very best for 2009! Thank you so much for reading Kurashi - News From Japan, a humble blog that started in 2005 when I was working for a not-so-profitable NPO and had to attend a United Nations meeting in Seoul, South Korea, which was very memorable and changed my life in a lot of ways. In 2008, I have been on my own, working also for Consumers Union of Japan, where I do editing and translation, and participate in meetings about everything from food safety to G8, energy issues and peace activism. I have also been fortunate to start working with greenz.jp, a media-savvy Tokyo-based group with a lot of potential. Through greenz.jp, I got into blogging for Treehugger, the juggernaut US environmental blog, with thousands of readers. (I have also been busy with Kodansha in Gokokuji, Tokyo, to publish a food guidebook in May, 2009) Through it all, Kurashi has been my hibaki (fireplace), a spot of calm (mostly) where I could chat and write and think and present some of my other doubts and inspirations. And all of your comments have been very much appreciated.
Today, on December 31, I posted a small meditation on the ox, and a famous parable called Herding The Ox. Hope you enjoy it and take it to heart. Happy New Year!!
According to the ancient Chinese calender, that is popular all over Asia, 2009 is the year of the ox. This calm and trustworthy animal is a symbol of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. When even the Wall Street Journal follows the lead of Treehugger, and introduces frugal advice for How to Fix Your Life in 2009, it may be a good time to take a moment and heed the wisdom of the ages. Herding the ox:
Herding the ox is a parable for students of Zen Buddhism. The story draws a parallel between the individual path to enlightenment and the story of the herder and his missing ox. There are 10 stages in the parable, beginning with the search for the ox.
Common titles of the pictures in English, and common themes of the prose, include:
1. In Search of the Bull (aimless searching, only the sound of cicadas)
2. Discovery of the Footprints (a path to follow)
3. Perceiving the Bull (but only its rear, not its head)
4. Catching the Bull (a great struggle, the bull repeatedly escapes, discipline required)
5. Taming the Bull (less straying, less discipline, bull becomes gentle and obeyant)
6. Riding the Bull Home (great joy)
7. The Bull Transcended (once home, the bull is forgotten, discipline's whip is idle; stillness)
8. Both Bull and Self Transcended (all forgotten and empty)
9. Reaching the Source (unconcerned with or without; the sound of cicadas)
10. Return to Society (crowded marketplace; spreading enlightenment by mingling with humankind)
But the story also seems to fit with our age, and how we deal with having to live with less, enjoying nature more, and generally trying to find values and ideas that can shape the future. Of course we hope that legislators and bankers will figure out how to fix the global financial system, so we can continue working towards sustainable energy and food solutions. If they can't herd in the Wall Street bull, we will quickly have to find local solutions that work better...
Today, on December 31, I posted a small meditation on the ox, and a famous parable called Herding The Ox. Hope you enjoy it and take it to heart. Happy New Year!!
According to the ancient Chinese calender, that is popular all over Asia, 2009 is the year of the ox. This calm and trustworthy animal is a symbol of prosperity through fortitude and hard work. When even the Wall Street Journal follows the lead of Treehugger, and introduces frugal advice for How to Fix Your Life in 2009, it may be a good time to take a moment and heed the wisdom of the ages. Herding the ox:
Herding the ox is a parable for students of Zen Buddhism. The story draws a parallel between the individual path to enlightenment and the story of the herder and his missing ox. There are 10 stages in the parable, beginning with the search for the ox.
Common titles of the pictures in English, and common themes of the prose, include:
1. In Search of the Bull (aimless searching, only the sound of cicadas)
2. Discovery of the Footprints (a path to follow)
3. Perceiving the Bull (but only its rear, not its head)
4. Catching the Bull (a great struggle, the bull repeatedly escapes, discipline required)
5. Taming the Bull (less straying, less discipline, bull becomes gentle and obeyant)
6. Riding the Bull Home (great joy)
7. The Bull Transcended (once home, the bull is forgotten, discipline's whip is idle; stillness)
8. Both Bull and Self Transcended (all forgotten and empty)
9. Reaching the Source (unconcerned with or without; the sound of cicadas)
10. Return to Society (crowded marketplace; spreading enlightenment by mingling with humankind)
But the story also seems to fit with our age, and how we deal with having to live with less, enjoying nature more, and generally trying to find values and ideas that can shape the future. Of course we hope that legislators and bankers will figure out how to fix the global financial system, so we can continue working towards sustainable energy and food solutions. If they can't herd in the Wall Street bull, we will quickly have to find local solutions that work better...
Comments
Happy New Year! No bull.
I was wondering if I could ask you a question about your blog in private. If you could, please e-mail me at joseph.pinciaro@gmail.com.
Thanks!
Joe
My name is John Wilpers. I am the Global Blog Coordinator for GlobalPost, a new international news organization set to launch on Jan. 12 (see www.globalpost.com).
You may have received an e-mail from me or one of my interns last month, but I am so interested in getting your RSS feed onto GlobalPost that I thought I would risk being redundant with another letter.
My job is to build a list of blogs that will appear on GlobalPost where we will have approximately 65 correspondents in some 46 countries. We are looking for enlightening, informative posts from bloggers writing (in English) in those countries.
I am pleased to extend an invitation to you to have the most recent post of "Kurashi - The Eco-Blog" included on the Japan page of GlobalPost.com as part of our “Global Blogs” service.
After reviewing thousands of blogs worldwide, we have found "Kurashi - The Eco-Blog" to be one that is thought provoking and gives readers your unique perspective on what life is really like in Japan.
The way it would work if you accept our invitation is that we would use your RSS feed to place your most recent post on your personal page on GlobalPost.com. We would point back to your actual blog for comments and for archives, hopefully driving lots of traffic to your site. Each time you write a new post, it would replace the older one so only one post would appear on GlobalPost.com.
By appearing on Global Post’s exciting new international news website, your words, viewpoints, and pictures would gain worldwide exposure. Your posts would not only appear instantly on globalpost.com but also possibly on the sites of our partners, including the Huffington Post (7.8 million U.S. and 9.7 million global monthly unique visitors) and other news and information websites.
You don’t need to do anything differently. We do request that you consider pointing back to us from your blog (we will send out logos shortly for your consideration).
You should know that we have a few guidelines that we observe here at Global Post:
1) We do not publish racist, sexist, or misogynist comments (unless those comments are the subject of the post).
2) We do not publish obscene language or photos. While we recognize that obscenity can be difficult to define, we know it when we see it and we will let you know if we think you have crossed our line.
3) We do not permit plagiarism. Any work taken from another source must be attributed to that source.
4) We do not publish libelous or slanderous language.
5) We do not tolerate repeated errors of fact or misrepresentations of facts or quotes.
6) We do not publish work inciting violence.
Failure to observe these guidelines would result in the removal of your blog from GlobalPost. We would contact you, of course, to discuss the post in question.
Because we have a broad multicultural audience holding every conceivable political and religious viewpoint, we want to respect their views while also possibly challenging them. We will host controversial work. We will encourage robust debate of the hottest topics. We will not stifle discussion, only abuse of people, belief systems, and laws.
We hope these guidelines are acceptable to you.
I look forward getting your permission to put your RSS feed on our site. Please reply to: jwilpers@globalpost.com. Thank you!
Sincerely,
John Wilpers
PS If you choose to accept our invitation and would like a photo and a short biography to appear on GlobalPost, please send both to me with your confirmation e-mail or at some time shortly thereafter.
JOHN WILPERS
Global Blog Coordinator
The Pilot House
Lewis Wharf
Boston, MA 02110
617-688-0137
jwilpers@globalpost.com