Wednesday, 16 October 2013

The Philosophy of a Noachide Chinese

I absolutely loathed the term Noachide, as it has a connotation of a new religion. In fact what we are doing now is nothing new, we are just going back to our root, rediscovering our heritage. As now I am advantageous enough to know of a few people of different religious background, I have come to a conclusion that actually we are just not that different from others. Well, we could have different perspective on various issues, the solution is often the same. Figuring out the Godhead that is...

The discovery
What made me realise this point is my current involvement with the Hanfu innovators movement. I termed them innovators as they accept new elements readily and though they do practice traditional rituals and decorums, they do add and subtract to the rituals as they seem fitting in modern society. In my opinion, this is not something that is arduously wrong. It is rather an honest remark and a practical way to reintroduce what had lost for generations.

Well, knowing myself, I am someone who prefers things to be 'original' so to speak. Even if it is NOT original I would like to know from which source it derives from, and which formulaic principle is used to create it. I am not someone who would take things that are plausible in every way but are created out of no where.

The discovery I have made so far, corresponded to my belief (as a 27 years old that is...), that each and every belief is much closer than you think. Why we are different is because we differ from each other habitually, culturally, and philosophically. Deep down, we are the same. We have the same yearning for the basic things in life. Water, food, oxygen, and Divinity.

What we should do is, instead of proclaiming anyone being greater than anyone, it is better to acknowledge that everyone is as equal as everyone else. Why we are different culturally? It is because we do things different from each other. Something that has go on for at least a few thousands years couldn't be VERY wrong. My argument is always that, as a Chinese, we have everything in a complete set and why would we want to vouch for others' when we have our own way of doing things?

Religion aside, as this is a complete different matter. Religion entails belief and when it comes to belief, it is a rather personal thing. Culturally, we can choose but before we choose, why don't we try exploring something closer to home first?

The Realisation
That music cultivates the mind and soothe the soul is true. I would like to quote my own personal experience, whee I believe that proper music conditions the mind in a fitting way. What we feed ourselves with tell a lot to others. Our Chinese Sages talk about proper music or elegant music, if you may, condition a person to act accordingly. What entails proper music is the thing that I am currently interested in.

May I find what I am looking for.

Sunday, 31 March 2013

菁菁者莪 (Luscious is the Tarragon)


Though modified from a marriage poem, this shi is used to celebrate the audience given by a feudal lord to a vassal.

菁菁者莪
菁菁者莪、在彼中阿。
旣見君子、樂且有儀。

菁菁者莪、在彼中沚。
旣見君子、我心則喜。

菁菁者莪、在彼中陵。
旣見君子、錫我百朋。

汎汎楊舟、載沈載浮。
旣見君子、我心則休。

Luscious is the Tarragon
Lusciously the tarragon grows,
In the midst of the slope.
The audience with our lord,
Blissful but yet courteous.

Lusciously the tarragon grows,
In the centre of the islet.
The audience with our lord,
Gladdens my heart.

Lusciously the tarragon grows,
In the middle of the mound.
The audience with our lord,
Bestows me much prosperity.

Unsteadily the osier boat rocks,
Oft-times it plunges and bobs.
The audience with our lord,
Has set my heart to rest.

Thursday, 26 July 2012

天君之名

您好,


第一期用漢文來寫文章,希望大家可原諒如小弟用錯字。




讀者當然知道我一如來都稱自己爲猶太教徒。其實這是一個方便,猶太教不屬於華人的,也不屬於其他人的教。猶太教是猶太人的宗教。


華人也有自己的宗廟系統,當然這系統跟猶太人的否一樣。但如說,我們有共同點:天和先祖。如你們在Google找‘敬天法祖’(Revering Heaven and emulating the ancestors),你會看到的都是猶太人的輸入。


爲什麼?很容易,猶太人跟我們一樣,也是‘敬天法祖’


那我們跟他們有什麼不一樣呢?


歷史,人貌,地點,除都是大同小異。


在托拉 (Torah) 裡有寫到的一神概念也是華夏的天君。華夏子孫有供奉不止天還有地,托拉裡有提到‘地生萬物’。


托拉又是什麼呢?托拉的意思是‘法律’,就代表做人的道理。華夏的四書五經內容也教人生道理。


讓我們回去‘敬天法祖’的時候吧!忘天就是忘因忘祖就是忘本。