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War is the focused use of coercive force in extreme conflict. Modern Euro-American thinking about war converges strategy with politics in Aristotle’s “instrumental distinction between ends and means. War is seen as an instrument for obtaining a specific end, usually one that is political.” China’s strategic culture has regarded war as an inescapable, unpredictable evil that disturbs universal harmony. When war occurs, rulers must manage it carefully. Whereas European strategists [ Read More ]
The White Lotus was a syncretic sect, combining elements of Buddhism, Taoism, and Manicheanism. Its practices included medical healing, sitting and breathing exercises, martial arts, and the chanting of spells and charms. Socially speaking, the Society was a haven for poor and disaffected peasants of the North China plain. It provided a source of material aid and an otherworldly refuge from their difficult lives. The fact that this association managed to retain its spirit of resistance down [ Read More ]
An Introduction of Taoism I. Brief History of Taoism Taoism, an indigenous traditional Chinese religion, dates back to some 1,800 year’s ago when Master Zhang Taoling of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220AD) formerly organized a religious Taoist group. In the long years of its evolution, Taoism had profound influence politically, economically, culturally and ideologically in ancient Chinese society and it is still functioning today. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Taoling went and [ Read More ]
Sometimes I want to post really hyperbolic marketing stuff. Sometimes I want to post ideas that I have. Sometimes I want to post more academic/research oriented stuff. So, here’s that, for anyone interested in Taoism. Note: This is from a book I worked on while I was living at Wudang Mountain in China. At that time the World Wushu championships were taking place there, and the book that this material [ Read More ]
Does Your Current Level Of Success Equal Your Potential? Are the actual results you’re getting in each of the 4 Quadrants of power – Physical Power, Social Power, Mental Power and Post-Personal Power – equal to its potential? Do you believe your current levels of growth and accomplishment are all that you’re capable of? If you can honestly answer “Yes!” to those questions – if you know in your heart [ Read More ]
Note: The following is the second part of the booklet on Wudang that I helped edit while living there during the World Wushu festival or competition. It should go without saying that I don’t personally believe in kitchen gods and the like, but I’m including all of the cultural/historical/mytherial content in order to maintain a clearer picture for the reader
Sun Tzu (541?–482? BC) said, “Seek victory through Shih, not reliance on men.” Sun Bin (380–316 BC) urged his king to build Shihfor national defense. Lin Wu (third century BC), a Zhao general said, “What is valued in military affairs is strategic advantage (Shih).” Instead of using military force to subjugate another society or to defeat an enemy’s army, Shih operates to convince an opponent to yield without battle. Instead [ Read More ]
Aztec Warriors The Aztec army was composed of a variety of classes and ranks, from this they build a hierarchy structure to their army allowing them to organize and go into battle and into war with confidence. The Majority of the army was built around commoners who had the basic training of fighting behind them and were often outside of the warrior ranking system. A smaller part of the army [ Read More ]
Zen Buddhism An interesting but exceedingly difficult problem is the one as to what place Zen Buddhism has in Japanese culture. The answer to this question is peculiarly difficult because Zen Buddhism is not and has not been the sole religion of Japan, but during the greater part of its long history in this land it has been closely bound up with Shinto and Confucianism; so that even today, though [ Read More ]
The Two Great Thinkers of China The two great thinkers of China are Confucius (K’ung Fu Tzu) and Lao Tzu; they represent the two main areas of Chinese thought, the two great aspects of the Chinese character, two great gifts from China to the world. Amazingly, they lived in the same era, and are believed to have met each other. By all accounts, they did not get on all that [ Read More ]
Spread And Development Of Buddhism In Burma, Cambodia, Thailand And Laos Development in Burma In Burma, Buddhism reached its golden era in the reign of King Anurudh (or Anawrata; B.E. 1588 -1621 or 1044 – 1077 C.E.), when Burma was first united into one country and its capital city of Pagan became a great centre of Buddhist culture. After the end of the Mongol occupation under Kublai Khan (from B.E. [ Read More ]
