Interconnections Between Eastern and Western Cultures

Interconnections Between Eastern and Western Cultures
Author: 张戬坤
Publisher: 光大出版社
Total Pages: 452
Release: 2018-01-28
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 9881998786

Chapter Zero The Substitute Preface Ⅰ The Civilization of Sages and Worthies and Modern Civilization Ⅱ Knowledge of Wisdom Chapter One The Level of Worlds Ⅰ The Three Great Worlds of Matter, Energy and Information 1. The Relationship between Matter, Energy and Information 2. The Law of Period and Cycle 3. The pure information structure with no information structure II Altruism is Human Nature III The Universe is Unified in Ground State Information IV All Appearances are Empty and False. Chapter Two The Generation of All Things in the Universe Lecture One Concerning the Evolution of the Universe Lecture Two Theories and Mechanism of Evolution I Evolutionary Theories in Eastern and Western Cultures The Cosmic String theory and Taiji Tu Shuo Exposition on the great wisdom in Yi Jing Emptiness is produced in the great perception. Dao produces one; the one produces two; the two produces three. II All Dharmas are the Creation of the Mind. Chapter Three Problems Related to Epistemology I Several Problems concerning Epistemology 1. “Water Knows” proves the non-duality of subject and object and unity of heaven and man 2. The pollution of human mind leads to environmental pollution 3. The “Sudden insight” in the History of Science 4. Direct manifestation and comparative manifestation II Understanding Concerning Time and Space III Sages’ Theories Concerning Knowledge Understanding of differences Turn consciousness into wisdom; go from difference to non-difference 3. Zhuang Zi’s theory on knowledge 4. Desire-based and desire-free cognitive channels 5. The pursuit of learning and the pursuit of Dao 6. There is only one; “Only the self is solely honored.” Chapter Four Order and Disorder I The Open System II Stay Away from the Equilibrium State III Nonlinear Effect IV Fluctuation Effect V The Division of the Ten Dharma Realms VI Brief Introduction to the Four Basic Laws of Thermodynamics VII Development and Evolution VIII The Phenomenon of Self-organization and Others Chapter Five The Phenomenon of the World is Discovered According to Karma I Everything is an Upside-down perception displayed by Consciousness only. II All Appearances Are Empty and False. III The World Discovered is Based on the Karma Created. 1. The information structure of the “S” line 2. Greed, anger and stupidity result in flood, fire and wind. 3. Discovery made according to karma; capacity measured based on knowledge. 4. Show kindness and compassion for creatures and be a vegetarian. 5. Stop doing evil but do good IV The Great Wisdom of Sages Chapter Six Life Forms and the Value of Life Part 1 The Phenomenon of Life I The Phenomenon of Life 1. The software-- the core of life 2. The cycle of life 3. Improve your software and upgrade your life form. 4. Four Types of Life Form II Correct Outlooks on Life and Values Part 2 The Essence of Life I The Composition of Life 1. The relationship between software and hardware 2. Information structure determines life form. 3. The value of life and the summoning of goodness and evilness II The Value and Significance of life III Self-reflection and Practice Chapter Seven Polarization and Depolarization I. The Sages’ Theories on Evolution and Return 1. “Dao” is zero and Wuji 2. Zhou Dunyi: Wuji transforms into Taiji; Taiji is originally Wuji. 3. “The two produces three.” “The three produces all things.” II What is “interact in unseen force to achieve harmony”? 1. Inductions and feelings are “unseen force” 2. The whole universe is connected through feeling and induction. III Polarization and Evolution of the World in the Eyes of the Buddha Chapter Eight The Way of Great Learning I Eastern and Western Cultures are to be integrated II Three States of World Existence 1. The three states embodied by the human body 2. Different systems of the human body III The Way of Great Learning, a Means of Increasing the amount of Information 1. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire; Manifest the bright virtue 2. “Love the people”- the great mind of same-body compassion 3. “Rest in the supreme goodness” Chapter Nine Movement and Change I The Mechanism of Movement 1. All movements are expressions of difference 2. The shadow of the flying bird does not move. 3. Study the culture of sages and worthies to open wisdom. II How do movement and change occur? 1. Things spring up in the very spot where they also come to an end. 2. The ultimate goal of human civilization III The Law of Movement and Change 1. The chain of cause and condition 2. Spot the reality through the dharma of cause and condition. 3. The law of cause and effect 4. The heaven’s net casts wide and has big meshes, but nothing can slip through. IV As soon as One Dharma Arises, the Ten Thousand Dharmas will Follow. Chapter Ten The Relativity of Polarity and Absoluteness of True Emptiness I All Movements and Changes are Transformations of Appearances. II Understanding the one-appearance of absolute vacuum 1. The characteristics of relativity and absoluteness 2. The truly empty absoluteness of one-appearance and non-duality 3 Everything moves in the absoluteness of true emptiness. III The Existence of Relative Things. IV The Information Structure of the “S” Line 1. It is information structure that makes us have to do. 2 Penetrate the cause of everything under heaven through “S” lines 3. Only the absoluteness of true emptiness exists. V Three Suggestions to Transform a Mortal into a Sage Chapter Eleven Witness the Absolute Truth I The Revelation of Color Blindness II How to Spot the True Appearance 1. Seeing, hearing, sensing and knowing are all empty and false. 2. There is no falseness outside trueness; there is no trueness outside falseness. 3. Personally certify the absolute truth III The Mind is Correspondent to the World IV Purify the Mind and Sublimate the State. Chapter Twelve The Grand Unified Field I The Mechanism and Principle of the Grand Unified Field 1. The principle of the “S” line 2. The unification perceived from the appearance of things II Expressions of the Sages’ Great Wisdom 1. The still and unmoving Yi 2. “Neither production nor extinction”, “Suchness” and “The interdependence of the two ways.” III Enter the Realm of Freedom from the Realm of Necessity Chapter thirteen Step into the Way of Sages I Influence of the Correct Three Outlooks II The Wisdom of Sages and Scientific Discoveries 1. The perfect and ultimate wisdom of sages 2. The theory of relativity proves no existence of subject and object. 3. Open up the original conscience 4. Inherit and carry forward the Way of sages III Some statements from Sages and Science 1. Concerning the composition of matter 2. The sages’ theories on the evolution of the universe 3. Water moons and water have the same body and are not dualistic. IV The Common Understanding of Sages and Worthies 1. Zero is all numbers and all numbers are zero. 2. There is only one. 3. The universe is not evolution but direct manifestation 4. “Stick-or-yell”, a superb teaching method V Mankind is in Movement and Change 1. Two types of spontaneity and their applications 2. The importance of nucleation 3. Which do you refer, egoism or altruism? 4. The Mode of motion and relative existence 5. Understand cause and condition, and return to the original source VI Enter the Primary Meaning; Turn a Mortal into a Sage 1. All dharmas have no production, no destruction, no appearance and no action. 2. Zhuang Zi’s theory on equalizing things Chapter Fourteen The Comprehensive I Fu Xi’s Great Wisdom II Eastern Tathagata and Western Tathagata III The Interconnection of the Sages’ wisdoms IV The Three Lectures on Confucianism 1. The Three Outlines in Great Learning 2. The “Nature”, “Way” and “Teaching” in Zhong Yong 3. The Mind-Method of Confucianism V A Lightless Flower VI Achievement at Ease VII Change the Software Programs of life VIII Appendix (1): The Flower Adornment Sutra

Cultural Patterns And Neurocognitive Circuits: East-west Connections

Cultural Patterns And Neurocognitive Circuits: East-west Connections
Author: Jan Wouter Vasbinder
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 213
Release: 2016-09-16
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9813147504

Our age is characterized by global access to information, places and cultures: we can gain more and more knowledge about 'the others': other people and their cultures by 'indirect knowledge' — learning about them via the global information net assisted by electronic and other high-tech communication channels, as well as by 'direct knowledge': personally visiting various parts of the world and meeting local people in their own natural and social environments.East and West, two major worlds of aspirations, cultures, world-views, theoretical and practical approaches to life and death, have come closer by personal experiences of both Westerners and Easterners. But do we really understand the similarities and differences between the cultural-cognitive-behavioural-emotional patterns of the East and the West, with special regard to their neurobiological underpinnings in the human brain?The contents of this book focus on cultural patterns and cognitive patterns in the East and West, with special regard to those patterns which are determined by our natural-genetic endownments in contrast to those patterns which are influenced by our cultural ('East-West') influences, and within this context a unique flavour is given to the 'good life' aspects of adapting to this global community.Published in collaboration with Institute Para Limes.

Narratives of Place in Literature and Film

Narratives of Place in Literature and Film
Author: Steven Allen
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 355
Release: 2018-12-12
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1351013815

Narratives of place link people and geographic location with a cultural imaginary through literature and visual narration. Contemporary literature and film often frame narratives with specific geographic locations, which saturate the narrative with cultural meanings in relation to natural and man-made landscapes. This interdisciplinary collection seeks to interrogate such connections to probe how place is narrativized in literature and film. Utilizing close readings of specific filmic and literary texts, all chapters serve to tease out cultural and historical meanings in respect of human engagement with landscapes. Always mindful of national, cultural and topographical specificity, the book is structured around five core themes: Contested Histories of Place; Environmental Landscapes; Cityscapes; The Social Construction of Place; and Landscapes of Belonging.

The Life of Dedication (Book one)

The Life of Dedication (Book one)
Author: 张戬坤
Publisher: 光大出版社
Total Pages: 381
Release: 2018-12-01
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 9881998700

Foreword Words for the Second Edition Get to Know the Life of Dedication ---Extracts from Talks at the Symposium in Xinjiang Extracts of the Talks at the Symposium on Returning to Naturalness Mental and Physical Health and Returning to Naturalness ---Excerpts from the talks at the symposium in Urumqi An Extract of the Talk in the Symposium of Xinjiang Human Body Science Society Returning to Naturalness and the Perfection of Personality ---Extracts from Talks in the Symposium Held by Retired Cadres Talks in the Symposium on Returning to Naturalness (Extracts) Operations to Purify the Mind ---Extracts from the speech at a symposium in Wujiaqu, Xinjiang The Life of Dedication and Returning to Naturalness ---Extracts from talks in the symposium at Wujiaqu in Xinjiang Self-perfection in Cultivation and Tempering --- Extracts from the Talks made in Urumqi, Xinjiang The Inspiration of the mind ---By Dong Zhongrui, a retired cadre in Urumqi The Light of Jiaolong Culture Shines in the Universe ---By Dong Zhongru Ode to Lingshan Mountain The Three Operative Procedures on the Transformation of Different States and Levels By Shi Tiantang Shakyamuni Buddha’s Life of Dedication Lao Zi’s Life of Dedication The Life of Dedication(I) The Life of Dedication (II) The Life of Dedication and the Purification of the Mind Establish a Dedicational Life and Cultivate Upright Energy Purify the Mind, Perfect the Personality, Develop the wisdom and Sublimate the state ---A Talk at the First Session of the Fifth Symposium on Jiaolong Culture and traditional Culture Cultivate the Mind and Nourish the Nature by Living a Dedicational life Strive to Do Profitless Work and Be Willing to Take a Loss Build up the lofty aspiration for a dedicational Life The Purification and Dedication of a human Life A Blood Donator’s Dedicational Life Have a mindset of Selfless Dedication Dedication--- A Necessary Step to Upgrade the Mind and Personality Be willing to Do Profitless Work and Take a Loss

Conceiving Migration and Communication in a Global Perspective

Conceiving Migration and Communication in a Global Perspective
Author: Armando Aliu
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 347
Release: 2019-11-04
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1527542750

Migration and communication are issues of major concern in today’s world. This volume examines diversified approaches to migration and communication, and explores policy dialogues, migration governance, transnationalism, cross-border circular migration and many other viewpoints of importance today. It sheds lights on recent debates in Europe associated with cross-national perspectives, socio-economic challenges, welfare rights and social cohesion, multi-scalar applications and policy-driven migration. The text synthesises various complex arguments and recent debates in migration and translation studies.

Cultural Patterns And Neurocognitive Circuits Ii: East-west Connections

Cultural Patterns And Neurocognitive Circuits Ii: East-west Connections
Author: Balazs Gulyas
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 224
Release: 2017-12-26
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9813230495

The contents of this book continues the theme as in the previous volume on cultural patterns and cognitive patterns in the East and West, with special regard to those patterns which are determined by our natural-genetic endownments in contrast to those patterns which are influenced by our cultural ('East-West') influences, and within this context a unique flavour is given to the 'good life' aspects of adapting to this global community.The chapters written by leading neuroscientists, give an overarching picture from the elementary organisational principles of the human brain through the basic perceptual and motor functions of the brain to the highest levels of cognition, including aesthetical or moral judgments, with an eye on what can be called 'good life' in both Eastern and Western cultures. A unique compilation of state-of-the-art overviews of how the human brain is organised and functions in order to achieve high level of social, moral or aesthetic thoughts across cultures.Published in collaboration with Institute Para Limes.

Tony Kushner's Postmodern Theatre

Tony Kushner's Postmodern Theatre
Author: Hussein Al-Badri
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2014-10-21
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 1443870331

The book is an insightful and thorough examination of one of the most prominent political dramatists in the US today, Tony Kushner, and his theatricalization of politics. Moreover, it draws heavily on Kushner’s wide range of themes and techniques. As such, it will be beneficial for graduate students and scholars who are concerned with the realm of contemporary American drama at the threshold of the twenty-first century. In addition, the book will appeal to anyone who wants a deeper understanding of Kushner and his major influences such as Bertolt Brecht, and will also be valuable for readers with a general interest in American drama. This book is primarily concerned with exploring and analyzing political discourse as dramatized in the work of Tony Kushner. The author’s point of departure is the concept of political theatre as developed by Erwin Piscator and Bertolt Brecht. This theoretical exploration serves a double purpose: first, it is meant to provide a statement of the definitions and concepts central to this study, such as political discourse, political theatre, and postmodern theatre; second, it offers the tools of analysis by which to read and analyze Tony Kushner’s postmodern, politically-oriented texts. Through this, the book defines the major features of Kushner’s postmodern theatre and explores how he theatricalizes politics. American drama in the 1980s and the 1990s witnessed a noticeable thematic shift from the exclusively personal plays and musicals that once dominated American theatre for a long period of time to an increasing number of plays which put greater emphasis on exploring issues and questions of socio-political interest. As a result of this thematic shift, the predominantly private settings and familial character relationships of the traditional family play have been replaced by a great variety of public settings and non-familial characters. Tony Kushner’s theatre is a pioneering attempt in this respect. In Kushner’s theatre, there is no room for the traditional family plays which dominated the American stage in the 1960s and 1970s. Kushner has found that there is not enough political discourse in contemporary American Theatre. For this reason, he writes his plays to shed special light on the politics of American society in the 1980s, the 1990s, and in the beginnings of the 21st century.

Medieval Warrior Cultures of Europe and Japan: Body, Mind, Sword

Medieval Warrior Cultures of Europe and Japan: Body, Mind, Sword
Author: Michael DeMarco
Publisher: Via Media Publishing
Total Pages: 110
Release: 2015-11-17
Genre: Sports & Recreation
ISBN: 1893765237

There are simularities and differences between the European and Japanese medieval warrior traditions that reflect the social evolutions within those cultures. Over the years publishing the Journal of Asian Martial Arts, we published articles that presented the main themes found in this unique area of comparitive studies. The most important of these writings are assembled in this anthology for your convience. Chapters 1 and 2 are by Dr. Willy Pieter, a leading scholar with a thorough grasp of European and Japanese martial art traditions. His first chapter examines the feudal system and how aspects of social organization helped form the warrior ethic, resulting in a mix of scientific and intuitive elements. In the second chapter Dr. Pieter illustrates how the perception of the human body and mind are culturally different in the East and West. Westerners have a long tradition of dualism, which separates the body and mind, while the Eastern approach has been wholistic. The author discusses scientific and medical histories for insight, particularly Chinese and European influences on Japan. In the third chapter John Michael Greer presents the esoteric side of a European sword tradition as found in the writings of Dutch fencing master Gerard Thibault (ca. 1574–1627). He notes that Asian and Western combat systems havebeen understood in sharply different ways over the last century or so. Asian combatives came to be associated with Eastern spiritual traditions and seemed to be very different than any Western combative system. However, this short chapter shows that there is actually much in common. In the final chapter Matthew Galas compares and contrasts the sword arts in Germany with the classical Japanese martial traditions. The period covered by this inquiry reaches from approximately 1350 until 1600. The focus is on general principles and combat philosophy. The study reveals that German sword techniques were as effective as their counterparts in feudal Japan. The content in this anthology is usefull for anyone interested in either or both European and Japanese martial art traditions exemplified during their medieval periods. Enjoy reading this special anthology dedicated to two leading warrior traditions.