Travelogue International! – Page 318

China: Gansu Buddhist ‘Smile of the Orient’ Said to Equal That of the ‘Mona Lisa’! (5.9.2023)

05/09/2023 Adrian (釋大道)

The early Buddhist groups in China mirrored that of the extant Confucian scholiastic system – often forming around married laymen – with disciples taking the surname of the teacher as their ‘Dharma-Name’ and essentially becoming an extension of his family. Grottoes such as that featured below were places where Buddhists could meet, share and practice their understanding of Indian Buddhist philosophy. An understanding of Buddhist monasticism started to arrive and distinguish itself in China from the existing lay-practice around the 5th century CE – the date I believe this ‘smiling’ monk appears to date from. Whereas Buddhist lay-practitioners did not shave their heads (like Daoists and Confucians) – monastic Buddhists (male and female) were required to shave their heads – indicative of their ‘rejecting’ of the desire-laden conventions that define, guide and justify the external world.

Ruckersville [2009]: Chris Chan Is Working On It! (4.9.2023)

04/09/2023 Adrian (釋大道)

Interestingly, Robert Chandler (a US Army Veteran who fought in Korea) – was a very successful engineer in his civilian life – whose many different patents also contributed to the development of the 3-D Printer! Apparently, the family made a comfortable living from these patents whilst Robert was alive and it is something of a mystery as to ‘why’ this income never continued to help Chris and Barbara after his death in 2011. Furthermore, although Chris suffers from Autism – he made an attempt to keep his bedroom relatively free of the clutter that dominated the rest of the living space. Robert Chandler is well aware of the reality (and ‘danger’) of ‘hoarding’ – and explains this to Chris whilst not realising the camera is still running and whilst assuming that the internet is situated in a specific location somewhere in the outer world! He is referred to as the ‘Lumberjack’ – as he once implied he could ‘cut-down’ the internet!

China: Japan Urged to Draw Lessons from 1923 Kanto Massacre! (4.9.2023)

04/09/2023 Adrian (釋大道)

Nearly 800 Chinese residents and more than 6,000 Korean residents in Japan fell victim to the Kanto Massacre orchestrated by Japanese military, law enforcement and nationalist extremists, according to research data.

Also on Saturday, civic groups rallied in front of the National Diet Building in Tokyo. Guest speakers said justice must be served and urged the Japanese government to recognize this historical event, compensate the victims’ families and learn from past mistakes.

China Manned Space Agency (CMSA): Names Sought for Manned Lunar Exploration Vehicles! (1.9.2023)

01/09/2023 Adrian (釋大道)

According to an earlier report, China plans to land its taikonauts on the moon before 2030 to carry out scientific exploration. The plan is to launch two carrier rockets to send a lunar lander and a manned spacecraft, respectively, to a lunar orbit. The craft and lunar lander will rendezvous and dock with each other, and then taikonauts will enter the lander.

The names solicitation process is open to the public and will run until September 30. It is aimed at those who are enthusiastic about China’s manned space program, said the CMSA.

Also on Thursday, the CMSA began to solicit logos for four missions of China’s manned space program in 2024, including the launches of the cargo crafts Tianzhou-7 and Tianzhou-8, and the crewed spaceships Shenzhou-18 and Shenzhou-19.

Email: Torquay Museum – Japanese Battle Kite! (29.8.2023)

29/08/2023 Adrian (釋大道)

At the above link I have added a blog post to our family martial arts website regarding this medieval Japanese battlefield ‘kite’! It resides in the Torquay Museum in South Devon and even when we visited – there was not the usual plaque giving the provenance of this piece – other than a description of what it is. I have written to the Museum to see if I can clear-up the mystery as to the origins of this artefact. As maters stand, this is a bamboo and material device that acts as a ‘kite’ able to lift a grown man of the era into the air whilst carrying a bow and supply of arrows! He is barefoot and stands on a single bamboo pole whilst his body is held in place by two crossed baboo poles in the centre of the device!

London: St James Palace! (25.8.2023)

26/08/2023 Adrian (釋大道)

We had to head South-West from Trafalgar Square around 0.6 miles toward Buckingham Palace. Our intention was to show the children – Mei-An and Kai-Lin – how the soldiers carry-out their duties in an orderly and well-organised manner. Although the frontline ‘Guards’ had been drawn back away from the crowds decades ago at Buckingham Palace – I knew that the general public could still get reasonable close at the nearby St James Palace – but on the day of our visit – the soldiers were not to be seen in their usual places! Indeed, most were absent except for the side-gate which is used for the main entrance (pictured above) – but even here – the soldiers had been pulled-back behind the metal fence and away from the public.

« 1 … 316 317 318 319 320 … 331 »