Buddhism

Shakespeare, a treasure trove of masterpieces

Synopsis and Thoughts on "Musashi" by Hisashi Inoue - Can one break the chain of retribution? A play for the stage directed by Yukio Ninagawa

Still, this story is brilliant...!

First of all, it was bold to write a sequel to the duel between Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro, which is well known to all Japanese people. Then, it was the exact opposite of what one would expect from a duel between these two brave men! Normally, one would be tempted to write a blood-curdling rematch. It's amazing!

The big circle at the end is also good. I was very moved by it. I'm sorry I can't tell you about it here because it would be a spoiler.

I love this piece. It was also a great opportunity for me to rediscover how fucking serious I am lol.
Shakespeare, a treasure trove of masterpieces

Yoshihiko Amino, "Atypical Kingship" - Recommended to learn about medieval Japanese culture, which is also connected to Bakhtin's theory.

We have been studying "Shinran and Dostoevsky" as our theme, including world literature, but at the end of the day, it is also connected to Japanese history and culture. I am sure that by reevaluating Japanese history and culture after learning about other countries, we will be able to see something new. I am looking forward to it.

This was an interesting read, connecting Shakespeare, Yukio Ninagawa, Bakhtin, the Japanese Middle Ages, and various other figures and cultures. It is quite geeky, but also an interesting look into Japanese culture. Why not pick up a copy?
Dostoevskyism

Mutsumi Yamashiro, "Dostoevsky" - A recommended reference book full of sharp explanations for deep reading of the five great works!

This work is an overwhelmingly deep and incisive discussion of the Five Great Lengths from a wide range of perspectives. I was immediately impressed by this book. In the beginning of the book, Futabatei Shimei talks about Dostoevsky and Russian literature. This book, which began with the words of Futabatei Shimei, is a wonderful work that is exactly as he said it would be.

In particular, Bakhtin's explanation of polyphony is very clear.

Mr. Yamashiro's explanation makes very clear the difficult concept that we often see in Dostoevsky's commentaries that "Dostoevsky's novels are polyphony," which seems to be understandable but not understandable. I recommend this book!
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Roman Catholicism

Ignatius de Loyola, "Spiritual Manipulation" - A meditation instruction book by the founder of the Jesuits. Commonalities with Zen and connections to Bernini.

The meditative methods of Ignatius de Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, had a great influence on Bernini's original work.

This was very interesting to me as a student of religion.

And in the translator's commentary of this work, a surprising fact was mentioned. To my surprise, it pointed out the similarities between Loyola's method of meditation and Zen Buddhism.

In fact, as I read this "Spiritual Manipulation," I see, indeed, there are similarities in the meditation method and its process.

And I felt the very connection to Bernini that inspired me to read this book.

This is interesting!
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Roman Catholicism

Shoichi Sato, "Europe in Mission" - Recommended to learn about the founding of the Jesuits and Xavier! And the connection with Bernini.

The meditative methods of Ignatius de Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, had a great influence on Bernini's original work.

This was very interesting to me as a student of religion.

And if so, I would like to know more about that Ignatius de Loyola and the Jesuits themselves.

It was with these thoughts in mind that I picked up a copy of "Missionary Europe" by Shoichi Sato.

I highly recommend this work to anyone interested in the Jesuits, Ignatius de Loyola, or Xavier.
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Roman Catholicism

Takashina Shuji, "What Beauty Means to the Japanese" - What Characteristics of Japanese Beauty are Revealed by Comparing Western and Japanese Art

One cannot see one's own face directly. Only when it is reflected in a mirror can its features be captured. The image in the mirror is not only one's own, but also from the outside, from the viewpoint of others. Artistic expressions such as fine arts (architecture, painting, crafts) and literature (stories, poetry, drama) can be better characterized by accepting and contrasting the perspectives of different cultures (e.g., Western culture).

The author's words are the best I can say! Japanese culture" is not easy to be aware of when you are in Japan.

The book explains very clearly what their characteristics and uniqueness are.

It was just exciting and fascinating. It is a great book that I would highly recommend!
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Roman Catholicism

F. Chamoux, "Hellenistic Civilization" - A recommended commentary on what is the Hellenistic civilization, which is also connected to ancient Rome and Buddhism!

Why are we so fascinated by "Venus de Milo" and "Nike of Samothrace"? There was the cosmopolitan character of Hellenistic civilization.

Studying the Greek and Hellenistic civilizations gives us an idea of the major trends in "history and culture. These civilizations created the soil for the modern society in which we live. Learning about them is of great significance to us living in the modern world.

I strongly recommend reading this book as a set with "Greek Civilization" which I introduced in the last issue. It is extremely interesting. This is a great book. I can recommend it with confidence. Why don't you pick up a copy?
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Roman Catholicism

Marcus Aurelius, "Self-Reflections" - Life lessons from the Stoic philosopher emperor of ancient Rome. A treasure trove of quotes!

宇宙規模で世界を捉え、それに対置して自らが「今、ここ」で何をしているのかを問いかける圧倒的なスケール！

あまりに巨大な人間観に私は度肝を抜かれました。これが古代ローマの哲人皇帝です。

今から１９００年以上も前に、これほどの偉人がいたのです。

そしてこの『自省録』を読めば気づくことになるのですが、この作品、実はものすごく原始仏教の思想に近いのです。

僧侶である私にとって古代ローマの哲人皇帝とブッダのつながりには非常に興味深いものがあります。

そんなストア哲学と仏教との繋がりを考えながら読むのはとても刺激的な体験になりました。
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Roman Catholicism

Epictetus, "Life Discourse" - What is true freedom? An amazing theory of life by a slave-born Stoic philosopher. And the connection with Mitsuyuki Kiyosawa.

Epictetus was an ancient Roman Stoic philosopher with a surprising origin: he was born a slave. His ideas are known to have greatly influenced the later Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

『人生談義』の中で有名なのはやはり「君は私の足を縛るだろう。だが、私の意志はゼウスだって支配することはできない」という言葉でしょう。エピクテトスはこの作品で自由とは何かについて述べていきます。奴隷という最も自由のない人間だったエピクテトスが一体何を語るのか。これは非常に興味深かったです。
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Roman Catholicism

Seneca, On the Shortness of Life - Roman Stoic philosopher's philosophy of life that warns against wasting time and tells us to live in the present.

Seneca consistently states, "Live in the moment. And he insists that we should not lose time to things outside of ourselves.

This is no time to waste. How do you live your life, Seneca asks?

I felt that there are elements of Buddhism in this work, so much so that I wondered if Seneca was Buddha. Not only the teachings themselves, but also the style of writing, which seems to ask questions to each reader, is similar.

The similarities between Roman Stoic philosophy and Buddhism were very interesting to me as well.