Savour and Cherish: A Daddy-Daughter Moment to Cherish

I have to remind myself every now and then of the purpose of this blog which is expressed in its name "Ippo-ippo" (step-by-step): We have to take every step in life with deliberation and mindfulness because, as the Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us, "Mindfulness is a source of happiness."

Related with this is a wonderful passage from Franciscan spiritual teacher Richard Rohr: 

Fearful, negative, hateful thoughts are like velcro; the neurons just grab around them and solidify. (My comment: That's why it's hard to let go of a grudge.) Positive, grateful and loving thoughts are like Teflon. They just slide off unless you savor them consciously (me: this is a major component of contemplation) for at least 15 seconds

For the full passage, see: Rohr on turning toward the good

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With that, let me resume this practice in this blog more regularly (since I'm on sabbatical!) and share something, a life "ippo" (Japnese, one step) today about one of my favorite topics - dad-daughter moments.

Our dear daughter KH is 10 years old. She's grown up to be a fine 10-year-old so far - respectful, having a fine sense of right and wrong, smart, athletic, musical ... She has far surpassed what I dreamed of in an ideal daughter. One thing that I really treasure and cherish though is our unique bond as dad and daughter. At this point in time, I can say, that KH and I are in a wonderful dad-daughter relationship - easy, friendly, affectionate, respectful. She can joke with me, tease me even, but I know that deep within she respects and loves me. When I am annoyed, hurt or even angry with her, she perceives that and seeks to address it swiftly for the better. The same is true of myself toward her, with her different moods. We can readily apologize to each other.

The other day, when I picked her up after her second choir concert (of that day), we were walking toward where the car was parked. She was in a happy mood and she was chatting away merrily as we walked. As we turned onto the street where the car was (it was a side street and at that time of the night [after nine], there were practically no other people around), she just naturally twirled her hand and arm into mine as she was chatting happily. 

KH doesn't really like public displays of affection but when we are by ourselves as a family, she is the sweetest young lady there could be! I don't exactly remember what she was saying but that moment of daughter-dad walking hand-in-hand, sharing the happy experiences of the day is something that really gave me such a deep and immense joy. My heart was just full to the brim. When your child is affectionate this way, doesn't it just melt your heart? 

I savour and cherish this "ippo" (one step)!

The Sublime and the Mundane - Planting lettuce and writing poetry

This is a delightful vignette from Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh that shows how life is connected with poetry, that the mundane and the sublime are like yin and yang, inseparable and necessary in order to live a life of depth that is squarely rooted in everyday realities.

One day in New York City, I met a Buddhist scholar and I told her about my practice of mindfulness in the vegetable garden. I enjoy growing lettuce, tomatoes, and other vegetables, and I like to spend time gardening every day. 

She said, "You shouldn't spend your time growing vegetables. You should spend more time writing poems. Your poems are so beautiful. Everyone can grow lettuce, but not everyone can write poems like you do."

I told her, "If I don't grow lettuce, I can't write poems."

(From Your True Home #103)

Of course, the quote in the image from the Sufi master Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan is also noteworthy.
I savor and cherish this teaching. A beautiful mosaic is composed of so many little yet uniquely wonderful pieces. Let's take care to make those little pieces count!

My Initial Thoughts on 'The Handmaid’s Tale', Season Two

I completed viewing Season Two recently. This season is significant because it is a creative departure from the novel by Margaret Atwood which closely guided Season One. The novel and season one end about the same point – the capture of the protagonist, June/Offred.

One thing that stands out for me is that the Republic of Gilead (the fictional dystopic society that has replaced the USA) is supposed to be a theonomic (divine-law) state that stands on biblical principles and laws. The result of this, however, is the spectre of a country that is in fact so terribly unethical and oppressive that it could very well be described simply as "evil" because it condones and actively performs things such as systemic rape, flagrant disrespect of various human rights, murderous suppression of dissidents, random killings and so on and so forth.

Gilead and the Bible
I walked away from Season 2 just flabbergasted at how the Republic of Gilead (and all what it stands for) really reflects badly on the kind of entity the Bible is. This leads me also to ask the very troubling question: what type of person or group does the Bible, when taken and read in a serious yet very misguided way, actually produce? Is the Bible, as the Christian tradition claims, the words (or "the Word”) of God? Hmmm… Didn’t Jesus say, “By their fruits you shall know them” (Mt 7:20)? Or is the Bible just, on the whole, a product of a very malignantly ethnocentric and savagely primitive level of culture that has to be transcended and corrected by the advances that have happened in human history?

Gilead and “Pro-Life”?
Another disturbing aspect of the story is that the Republic of Gilead (i.e., the elites in power therein) exhibits an obsessive concern for the production of "precious" new life (in the form of babies - hence, the creation of the class of "handmaids") but systemically tramples on and destroys life in other areas because of its hypocritical disregard for life (taken in a more holistic sense) and the quality of life of many of its people, as well as the rights of many in its realm. Talk about a warped tunnel-vision or fixation! This aspect reminds me a great deal of some unbalanced attitudes of some Catholic pro-life elements.

A quote I saw on FB from Barbara Brown Taylor (priest, theologian, professor) eloquently summarizes my strong feelings after my viewing:
"Jesus was not killed by atheism and anarchy. He was brought down by law and order allied with religion-which is always a deadly mix. Beware those who claim to know the mind of God and are prepared to use force, if necessary, to make others conform. Beware those who cannot tell God's will - from their own."

The Theme of Hybridity in "Aquaman" and "The Legend of Mowgli"

     I saw a few noteworthy references to the promise and power of hybridity in two films I saw recently. First, there was Aquaman. My daughter and I really enjoyed this movie and its telling of the origins and growth of Aquaman as a hero. I was particularly struck with the prominence of the theme of hybridity. Arthur Curry (Aquaman) is constantly called a "half-breed". There is a constant tension between "land" and "sea." He is not accepted in Atlantis and particularly by his brother, Orm, because he is a "half-breed mongrel." But only when Arthur learns to accept, embrace and live in two worlds is the harmony achieved. Only then does his hero's journey go into full throttle.

Some particularly noteworthy quotes that touch on this theme:

Mera: [speaking to Aquaman] You think you’re unworthy to lead because you have two different worlds. That is exactly why you are worthy.
[Queen Atlanna speaks to baby Arthur]
Queen Atlanna: You could unite our worlds one day.
Queen Atlanna (to her son Orm): You have been misguided. There are not two worlds;  the sea and the land are one!

Mera tells Arthur: Atlantis has always had a king. Now it needs something more.

Arthur: “What could be greater than a king?  

Mera: A hero.  A king fights for his nation.  A hero fights for everyone.

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The Legend of Mowgli also has a significant message about hybridity.

Mowgli is raised by wolves after his family is killed by Sheer Khan, the tiger. However, since he is not a real wolf but a man-cub, he cannot run as fast as the wolves. More significantly, he is always torn between his "different" status in the pack although his mother tells him that he is not a freak but "special."

He eventually makes peace in some measure with his hybrid identity as "neither wolf not man" and in that hybrid capacity, he is able to secure peace for the jungle.

My Thoughts on 'Wonder Woman' (the movie): Hero Journeys

(Original piece written on June 17, 2017)

My thoughts on the movie Wonder Woman starring Gal Gadot.

My daughter and I went to see Wonder Woman today June 17th (2017) as a Father's Day weekend daddy-daughter date. We both agreed that it was an awesome film.

Some of my reasons: First of all, almost all the elements of the hero's journey (Joseph Campbell, Diane Pearson) could be observed clearly in the film. Particularly poignant for me was the farewell scene between Diana's mother and her when she leaves the island. Diana is convinced that she has a mission to fulfill. Her mother holds her back out of fear for Diana's safety and that she may never come back. Despite that, the lure of the hero's journey eventually makes Diana leave her mother and her island. 

On that occasion, her mother says, 
"You have been my greatest love. Today you become my greatest sorrow. Be careful, Diana. They do not deserve you."

Of course, along the journey Diana grows and matures in stages from a very naïve girl to a more mature superhero who now knows what one can and ought to do, what the limitations are and what the most important things in life are.

I was particularly impressed at the anthropology that was expressed here and there in the movie particularly by WW and was clearly seen in the contrast between Ares, the god of war, and Diana. Ares's view of humankind was very negative: humans are just so messed up because they are filled with hate and rancor that they would just ultimately destroy themselves by mutual fighting and war.

As she matured, Diana, on the other hand, comes to know both the lights and shadows present in humans: Yes, there are lots of shadows in humans - hate, war, mutual destruction, etc. 

However,  there are also lights - that is, humans have the touching and powerful capabilities for self-transcendence and love as well. This Diana experienced through her relationship with Steve in the movie and how he sacrificed himself to save others. That was, therefore,  the basis for her to commit herself to continue to help human beings to choose love, to choose the light (and not darkness) in order to save themselves and make this world a better place.

In this way, Diana redefines the role of the superhero: The superhero isn't really the one who saves humanity. The superhero is just there to help others choose the right path - the path of love, because humans have that innate capacity already present in themselves (Imago Dei, the Buddha nature)! And so, in the end, it is humans themselves who can save themselves by choosing the right path.

My Thoughts on ‘Solo – A Star Wars Story' - Imago Dei Allusion?

My daughter and I watched this movie recently before Father's Day. I think a daddy-daughter Father's Day date is fast becoming a tradition (I'm delighted!). We watched Wonder Woman last year, as my journal says. 

Good background story. It didn't impress me as "super awesome" though.

Things that stood out for me:

** Qira is the only one that knows who Han really is - that he is, deep within himself, a good guy. This ties in with the character of Padme knowing that "there is still good in him (in Anakin after he turns into Darth Vadar).”

Isn't that the Buddha-nature or the Imago Dei (Image of God in Gen 1:27)? "Buddha-nature", "Imago Dei" --- those are examples of religious jargon (language) that religions have used in history to convey a deep truth that, for example, Solo: A Star Wars Story conveys in more simple, easier-to-understand (for this generation) language. In the words of Qira

"I might be the only person who knows who you really are" (despite Han proclaiming that he's a "bad outlaw"). And then, as I remember, she whispers to someone later, "He's a good guy."

** We finally see how Han wins the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissan

** We finally know the origins of the deep friendship between Chewbacca and Han

Things that intrigued me:

What's with Darth Maul's reappearance?

What happens to Qira after?

Restoring Balance in Our Souls As Portrayed in 'Birth of the Dragon'

A while ago, I saw a Bruce Lee movie entitled Birth of the Dragon. It told the story of an encounter of the pre-fame Bruce Lee with a Shaolin monk named Wong Jack Man...  The movie portrayed this encounter between the two kung-fu masters as full of mutual animosity in the beginning. However, it eventually resulted in Bruce Lee learning valuable lessons that he put into practice in his life and teaching soon after his showdown with the Shaolin monk.

Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birth_of_the_Dragon

What struck me particularly was the character of Wong Jack Man. Earlier in the story, he severely injured a Tai Chi master in a supposedly no-contact martial arts encounter and he attributed that to his ego. After this, he went to San Francisco in order to wash dishes and, in so doing, "restore the balance in his soul."

The message of the movie spoke powerfully to me, particularly because when I saw it, I still feeling burned out after a tough and very hectic school year 2017-18.

‘Restoring balance in one’s soul’ seems like a very Eastern (as opposed to ‘Western’) concept. It is commonly expressed by the yin and yang (陰陽). This is arguably the way by which the East expresses what “wholeness” or “fullness” is all about. It’s curiously different from the way Christianity (or the West) has traditionally expressed “wholeness” as seen in the concepts of “Salvation” and “Redemption.”

Intriguingly, “restoring the balance” seems to be a dominant theme in popular culture. For instance, one of my favorite animated series, the Nickelodeon series Avatar as well as The Legend of Korra also deal with this theme in a major way. There, we learn that the avatar’s primary mission is “to restore balance” to the whole world. However, we also see the avatars having to restore balance first and foremost in their own souls before they can restore the balance in the world at large.

Star Wars also speaks of “restoring balance in the force” between the dark and light sides. Hence, the “chosen one” (presumed to Anakin Skywalker) is the one who will bring balance to the force.

“Restoring our interior balance” is not only an important theme in popular culture. In fact, religious and spiritual masters through the ages have affirmed that it is an important component of spirituality. So, what exactly is “restoring the balance” and how does one go about restoring the balance in one’s soul? This is a burning question that must be answered by each and every one of us.