Podcasts about Confucianism

CW: Suicide This episode we are talking about Law and Order--where Ritsuryo system gets its name.  We are going to look at some of the underlying theory of how the government was set up and then some of the new laws people were expected to follow and examples of punishment--as well as pardons and general amnesties. For the blogpost, check out:  https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-145 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua, and this is Episode 145:  Law and Order in the Reign of Temmu     The sound of struggle could be heard, as a man, hands bound behind him, was roughly brought into the courtyard by several sturdy men.  They thrust him roughly to the bare ground in front of the pavilion.  The man's clothes were disheveled, his hair was unkempt, and his right eye was swollen shut.  He was a stark contrast from the four officials standing over him, and even more from those who stood in the pavilion, above, prepared to dole out judgment.  A clerk was handling the paperwork at a nearby desk, but the court official already knew this case.  He had read the reports, heard the testimony of the witnesses and, to top it all off, he had read the confession.  It seems it had taken some coercion, but in the end, the criminal before him had admitted to his wrongdoing. And thus the official was able to pronounce the sentence with some sense of moral clarity.  After all, if this man was innocent, why would he confess?  On the other hand, if he were truly innocent, how would he even have come to their attention?  Even if he was not guilty of this crime, if he had been such an upstanding citizen, why would his neighbors have accused him in the first place?  One way or another, justice was being done.     We remain—for at least the next couple of episodes—firmly in the reign of Ohoama, aka Temmu Tennou.  There is a lot more in this reign, and we are reaching a period where we won't be able to cover nearly as much as previously, so we'll have to summarize some things, but there is still a lot here to discuss.  Last episode we looked at what was happening outside of the court.  This episode we turn our attention back to the center, and specifically, what law and order meant in Ohoama's time. This period is called the Ritsuryo period, and as the name indicates, it is characterized by the set of laws and accompanying penal codes, the ritsu and the ryo.  Most of these codes are no longer extant, only known to us by other sources which contain only fragments of the originals.  But it was this adoption of a continental style of law that seems to most characterize this period.  So this episode, we are going to look at the project Ohoama kicked off to establish  one such law code —possibly even the first actual—for Yamato, as well as some of the examples of how law and order were enforced. In Episode 143 we talked about Ohoama's  historiographical project, which kicked off in the third month of 681 and culminated in the very chronicles we have been poring over.  However, a month before that, we see the start of a different and likely more immediate project, as the sovereign ordered work to begin on a new legal code.  This task was decreed from the Daigokuden to all of the Princes and Ministers -- who were then cautioned to divide it up and take it in shifts, since after all, they still needed to administer the government.  And so this division of labor began. The code would take years to compile, so, like so many of the ambitious projects of this reign, it was not quite ready by the time of Ohoama's death in 686.  In fact, it wouldn't be promulgated until 689, and even then that was only the "Ryou" part of the "Ritsuryou"—that is to say it contained the laws, the "ryou", but no the penal code, or "ritsu".  Still, we are told that the total body of laws was some 22 volumes and is known today as the Asuka Kiyomihara Code.  It is unfortunately no longer extant—we only have evidence of the laws based on those edicts and references we see in the Nihon Shoki, but it is thought by some to be the first such deliberate attempt to create a law code for Yamato.  We do have an earlier reference to Naka no Ohoye putting together a collection of laws during his reign, known as the Afumi Code, but there is some question as to whether that was actually a deliberate code or just a compilation of edicts that had been made up to that point.  These various codes are where the "Ritsuryo" period gets its name, and the Asuka Kiyomihara Code would eventually be supplanted in 701 by the Taihou code—which is one of the reasons why copies of previous codes haven't been kept around.  After all, why would you need the old law code when you now have the new and improved version? This also means that often, when we don't have other evidence, we look to later codes and histories to understand what might be happening when we get hints or fragments of legal matters.  The Chronicles often make note of various laws or customs, but they can be sparse on details.  After all, the main audience, in the 8th century, would be living the current law codes and likely understood the references in ways we may have to work out through other sources. As for the Kiyomihara Code, there are further notes in the Chronicles that seem to be referencing this project.  Besides the obvious—the new laws that were promulgated through various edicts—we see a few entries sprinkled throughout that appear to be related to this project.  First, I would note that in the 10th month of the same year that they started the project, 681, there was issued an edict that all those of the rank of Daisen on down should offer up their admonitions to the government.   Bentley notes that Article 65 of the Statutes on Official Documents provides a kind of feedback mechanism via this admonitions, where anyone who saw a problem with the government could submit it to the Council of the State.  If they had a fear of reprisals they could submit anonymously. This entry for the 10th month of 681 could just refer to a similar request that all those who had a problem should report it so it could be fixed, but in light of several other things, I would also suggest that it was at least in line with the ongoing efforts to figure out what needed to be figured out vis a vis the laws of the land.  Later, in the 8th month of 682 we see a similar type of request, where everyone from the Princes to the Ministers were instructed to bring forward matters suitable for framing new regulations.   So it looks like that first year or so there were, in a sense, a lot of "listening sessions" and other efforts going on to give deliberate thought to how the government should operate.  A few days later in 682 the Chronicles tell us that the court were working on drawing up the new laws, and as they did so they noticed a great rainbow.  Bentley suggests that this was an auspicious sign—even Heaven was smiling on the operation. So we know that there was lawmaking going on.  But what did these laws actually look like? This episode we are going to look at both criminal law – crimes and punishments, and gow they could be mitigated as well as those laws that were less about criminal activities and more about how the state itself was to be run. As I just stated, a lot of the laws and edicts are not necessarily about criminal activities.  Many of them are about the government and how it works—or at least how it is supposed to work.  Some of this helps to reveal a bit about the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of this project.  That said, I'm not always sure that Ohoama and his officials were necessarily adherents to those philosophies or if they saw them more as justifications fro their actions.  And, in the end, does it matter?  Even if they weren't strict Confucianists, it is hard to argue that Confucian theory didn't loom large in their project, given its impact on the systems they were cribbing from.  Furthermore, if we need to extrapolate things that go unsaid, we could do worse than using Confucianism and similar continental philosophies as our guide, given what we see in the record.  A particularly intriguing record for understanding how that government was supposed to work is a declaration that civil and military officials of the central and provincial governments should, every year, consider their subordinates and determine what promotions, if any, they should receive.  They were to send in their recommendations within the first ten days to the judges, or "houkan".  The judges would compare the reports and make their recommendations up to the Daibenkan—the executive department of the Dajokan, the Council of State.  In addition, officers who refused orders to go on various missions for the court were ineligible for promotion, unless their refusal was specifically for genuine illness or bereavement following the loss of a parent. This feels like an important note on how the whole bureaucratic appointment and promotion system worked.  It actually follows early ideas of the meritocratic bureaucracy that was at the heart of how the government was supposed to work.  It isn't quite the same as magistrates roaming the land and seeking out talented individuals, but it still demonstrates a promotion system that is at least nominally about the merit of the individual and not solely based on personal patronage—though I'm sure the sovereign, the sumera no mikoto, or tennou, could still issue promotions whenever he so wished. And as cool as I find all that to be, I think the piece that I find particularly fun is the fact that they had to specify that only a "genuine" illness was a valid excuse.  That suggests to me that there were people who would feign illness to get out of work.  In other words, faking a sick day is nothing new and you could totally have a ritsuryo version of "Ferris Buehler's Day Off". This meritocratic idea seems to be tempered a bit a few years later, in 682.  We see an edict that not only describes the language and character of the court ritual, but also talking about verifying the lineage and character of anyone who applies for office.  Anyone whose lineage was found to be less than sufficient would be declared ineligible, regardless of whatever else they had done. And this is the tension of trying to overlay a theoretical system, based on the idea of merit, on a hereditary aristocracy.  In a meritocracy, one wouldn't blink twice at a person from a "lesser" ranked family making their way up and above those of "superior" families.  Then again, you probably wouldn't have families ranked in a hierarchy, anyway.  I feel like we've touched on this in a past episode, somewhere, but it isn't the last time we'll be talking about this.  After initially adopting the system as it theoretically should be, the cultural pressures of the elite nobles would start to shape the government into something that was not quite so threatening to the power of those elite families.  After all, those families held a lot of power—economic, political, and otherwise—and, as elites throughout history have done, they would do whatever they could to hold onto that power. This is actually something we see on the continent.  Whatever sense of justice or equality may have lay at the heart of the theory behind good governance, it was always going to be impacted by those with resources and the familial connections that bind people together.  For instance, it was the wealthy who would have the money and leisure time to be able to hire tutors, acquire books, and spend time studying and learning—something that is hard to do if you have to help your family work in the fields.  And the court would always be a place of politics, which was fueled by wealth and connections.  No doubt, if you asked someone of the time, they would say that the "correct" thing to do would be to work your way up from the bottom, starting from a low ranked position and climbing up based on their good deeds.  That's all well and good, but then we see preference given to the highest nobles, with their own progeny getting a jump on things by being automatically placed higher in rank.  With only a finite number of positions in the government, this meant  that climbing through the ranks would be almost impossible at some point, as there just weren't enough positions for those qualified to take them. This is an all-too-common problem, regardless of the actual system of government.  The powerful and wealthy have always had a leg up—though sometimes more than others. That isn't to say that those less fortunate were always ignored.  For instance, early in his reign, Ohoama made a decree to divide the common people—those who were not members of the royal family, so not princes or princesses—into three different classes, Upper, Middle, and Lower, all based on their wealth or financial status.  Only the two lower groups were eligible for loans of seed rice, should they need it.  That isn't so different than a lot of modern, means-tested government assistance programs, when you think about it.  The idea of breaking up groups into an "Upper", "Middle", and "Lower" category is found elsewhere—Bentley notes Article 16 of the Statutes of Arable Land dividing up families who planted mulberry.  "Ryou no Shuuge", a 9th century commentary on the Yoro law-code, notes that, at least by that time, the three categories were based on the number of people in a given household, not just the total wealth, it would seem.     Other decrees help us understand the make-up of the court, such as decree in the 8th month of 679, with the sovereign requesting that various houses send women to work in the court.  Bentley notes that this is very similar wording to Article 18 of the statutes of the Rear Palace, where the sovereign's consorts lived.  He also mentions a note in Ryou no Shuuge stating it was specifically women from noble families in the capital city and nearby who were employed for low-level tasks in the palace.     Continuing with the ordering of the government, in the third month of 681, Ohoama went to the well of the New Palace—the Nihi no Miya—and he ordered the military drums and other instruments to be played.  In the continental style, music was an important part of the military, with certain instruments and tunes that would be played for a variety of purposes.  It is unclear that the archipelago had such a detailed history of military music, and so it seems that this is in emulation of the continental practice. Then, in the 5th month, Ohoama had to crack down on another practice that was apparently taking off with the various public functionaries.  As we noted, earlier, public functionaries were reliant on their superiors, the judges, and then the Council of State for their promotion.  However, some appear to have found another way to garner favor, and that was through female palace officials—those working in the private quarters.  Those palace officials would have access to the sovereign and his families—his queen and various consorts.  And of course, if Ohoama heard good things about a person, then perhaps he would put them forward for promotion.  At the very least, if that person's name came forward, it might be well thought of.  And so public functionaries had taken to paying their respects to the women working in the palace.  Sometimes they would go to their doors and make their case directly.  Other times they would offer presents to them and their families.  This was clearly not how the system was intended to work.  As such, Ohoama told everyone to knock it off—should he hear about anyone trying this in the future, then the offenders would be punished according to their circumstances. Of course, I would note that this only would be a problem if the individuals were caught.  If the rest of Japanese history—heck, world history—is anything to go on, then humans are going to human and the court was no doubt deeply steeped in political maneuvering of all kinds.  I imagine that this practice never fully stopped, but it probably stopped being quite as blatant—for now. Continuing with the development of how the government operated, we get the entry for the 28th day of the 3rd lunar month of 682.  It starts with various sumptuary laws, with Princes down to public functionaries no longer wearing specialized caps of office—effectively getting rid of the idea of "cap-rank".  They also would no longer wear the aprons, sashes, or leggings that were part of the previous outfit.  Likewise the Uneme and female palace officials would no longer wear the elbow-straps or shoulder-scarves.  This appears to have moved the court closer to what the continent was wearing at the time, with belted garments based on clothing not too dissimilar from what was found across the Silk Road, to be honest.  They also discontinued all sustenance-fiefs for Princes and Ministers.  Those had to be returned to the State.  Presumably their salaries would then come from any stipends associated with their rank, instead.  This doesn't seem all that connected with the other edict, focused on clothing and rank, except that is part of the further centralization of power and authority—all taxes were to go to the central government and then get parceled out, and everyone—or at least those in the court—were to conform to a standard uniform.  That said, for all that it may have been the intent, as we shall see, the court would never fully get rid of the idea of privately held tax land—it would just take different forms over time. Later, we get more sumptuary laws, some about what the people of the court would wear, but others that were more general.  Sumptuary laws are laws specifically focused on controlling things such as expenditures or personal behavior—including what one wore and how they expressed themselves--and they are generally made to help order society in some way.  There were a lot of cultures where purple, for instance, was reserved for royalty—often because of how expensive it was and difficult to make.  Wearing an expensive purple fabric could be seen as an expression of wealth—and thus power—and that could feel like a challenge to those in power themselves.  It probably also meant that there was enough dye for the royal robes and it was not nearly so scarce. In other instances, we see sumptuary laws to call out people of certain groups.  Some laws are to distinguish an in-group, and others to call out a group to be set apart from society.  Other such laws were made to distinguish between social constructs such as caste or gender.  Even today we have a concept of "cross-dressing" as we have determined that certain clothing or styles are seen as either more masculine or feminine, and there are those who call out such things as somehow perverting society.  And yet, the clothing is simply pieces of fabric, and what may have been considered masculine or feminine in one time or place may not bee seen as such in another. In this case, the sumptuary laws in question focused on hairstyles.  Ohoama decreed that all persons, male or female, must tie up their hair—they couldn't leave it hanging down. This was to be done no later than the last day of the year—the 30th day of the 12th lunar month, though it could be required even before that.  We are also told that women were expected to ride horses in the saddle similar to the way men did. This appears to mean they would sit astride a saddle, with their legs on either side, and not in something akin to side saddle.  This also likely meant that women riding horses would want trousers, similar to what men wore, at least for that part of it.  Trying to wear a long skirt with your legs on either side of a horse does not strike me as the most comfortable position to put yourself in, not that people haven't figured it out over the centuries in various ways.  Indeed, in some Tang statuary, women are often depicted riding horseback with trousers.   In the 9th month of 682 we get a fun entry.  Well, I find it amusing.  We are told that the practice of ceremonial crawling and kneeling was to be abolished and that they would adopt the ceremonial custom of standing, as had been practiced in the Naniwa court.  And a part of me thinks of some old courtier who was having trouble with all of the kneeling who was suddenly very happy with this new ordinance.  On the other hand, it is fascinating to think of the other implications. First, we are being told that there was a custom of standing at the Naniwa court, while in Asuka there was a tradition of ceremonial crawling and kneeling.  Bentley's translation makes it apparent that this was specifically as you entered through the gates: that you would bow and then crawl through the entranceway. I'm assuming that the standing custom was based on continental tradition, since that seemed to be what the Naniwa palace was built to emulate, and that in returning to Asuka they were partaking in a more local ritual—though I'm not entirely certain as I just don't have enough information to know at this point.  Aston does claim that it was custom in the Tang court, though I'm not sure of his source for that. In 683 we get more information on how the court functioned.  We are told that there was a decree that all persons of rank in the Home Provinces were expected to present themselves at Court at some point in the first month of each quarter.  You were only excused if you were sick, at which point an official would need to send a report up to the judicial authorities.  So every noble in the Home Provinces had to travel to the court once every four months.  And if they couldn't, they need to be able to produce the equivalent of a doctor's note, saysing so. We aren't told why this was implemented.  I suspect that there had to be some compromise between nobles being at and working at the court and going back to their hometown to also keep an eye on things there.  It is possible that there were plenty of people who just weren't coming to the court unless they had to—living off their stipend, but not necessarily doing the work.  So this may have been a "return to office" type order to make sure that people were there, in the "office" of the court at least once every four months. This brings to mind the Edo period practice of alternate attendance, or Sankin-koutai, where daimyo would have to attend on the Shogun for a time and then could return home.  Of course, that was also done as a means to drain their coffers, and I don't believe this was meant in quite so punishing a manner. Having a permanent city, where the nobles had houses in the city, would likely fix these issues, allowing the court to be more regularly staffed.  Sure enough, that same decree included the decree that there would be a Capital City at Naniwa as well as other places, while the work at Nihiki, on what would become the Fujiwara capital, was already underway. Speaking of the capital, that work would require labor and people to oversee it.  In 10th month of 684, we see a note that gives us a glimpse into the management of corvee labor, as Prince Hatsuse and Kose no Asomi no Umakahi, as well as officials down to facilities managers, 20 people in all, were set up as corvee labor managers for the royal region.      Next, let's talk criminal matters.  What kinds of things were people being accused of or what laws were being set up to constraing the activities of individuals.   We'll start by looking at how justices was handled, generally speaking.  Some of it seems almost obvious, like in 675, when we are told that the sovereign ordered that nobody—whether a minister, a functionary, or a citizen—should commit an offense lest they be punished accordingly.  'But what was happening previously to make such a proclamation necessary? On the one hand, I suspect that this was a warning to the elites of the archipelago more than anything else, especially those who might not have been in direct fealty to the Yamato sovereign previously.  Those elites farther out in the provinces were probably used to a looser hand, and fewer consequences for their actions.  Back in Taika years, in the late 640s, just as everything was kicking off, the court had had to bring the hammer down on the governors and various kuni no miyatsuko, local elites who had been doing things their own way.  I suspect this was just a similar attempt to bring people into line and a reminder of who actually wore the hakama in this administration.  It also seems to be a straightforward statement that the law applied to every person—or at least every person outside of the sovereign, himself. That was likely a novel idea for many people, where those in positions of power were likely able to get away with murder, quite literally, because who was going to stop them?  We've seen how many of the more powerful families controlled what were essentially private armies. At the same time, 675 is before these new formal law codes and punishments were in place.  Presumably there was tradition in place and some understanding that the sovereign could declare laws and punishment, but I also wonder if this isn't part of the reason that they felt that centralized, authoritative, written law codes were required in the first place.  After all, communicating laws and punishments verbally across the archipelago, even with the potential for written edicts, likely relied a lot on local administrators to interpret the edicts and figure out what was going on. This seems to align with an edict from the 10th month of 679, which decried that there were many people guilty of crimes and violence hanging around the capital.  This was blamed on the Princes and Ministers, since the edict claimed that these high officials heard about it but didn't do anything, instead treating it like a nuisance that was too much trouble—or perhaps too personally expensive—to do anything about.  Alternatively, those same princes and ministers would see people that they knew were guilty, but they didn't want to go through the trouble of actually reporting them, and so the offenders could get away with it.  The proposed solution was to exhort those in higher stations to punish the offenses of those beneath them, while those of lower stations were expected to remonstrate with their superiors when those superiors were rude or violent.  In other words, if everyone just held everyone else accountable, then things would work out. This seems like a great sentiment, but I have to imagine that there was something more beyond the high-minded ideals. Again,  I suspect that it was probably as much Ohoama putting people on notice.  Still, this seems aspirational rather than definitive.      A clear example of the kind of thing that was being prohibited is likelye the decree about fishermen and hunters, who were forbidden from making pitfalls or using spear traps or similar devices.  Also, from the beginning of the 4th month until the 13th day of the 9th month, no one was to set fish-weirs, or himasakiri—an unknown device, but probably another type of fish trap.  Ohoama also prohibited the eating of cattle, horses, dogs, monkeys, or chickens.  Other animals, including boar, deer, fish, etc., were all fair game, as it were. The prohibition on traps is likely because they were a hazard to anyone walking through the area.  In the Tang dynasty they did something similar, but they did make exceptions for hunters in the deep mountains, who were supposed to put up signs warning any travelers.  As for the weirs and himasakiri, whatever that might be, I have less context, but likely it did have some reasoning—possibly similar to our modern concepts of having certain seasons for various types of fishing.  Fish weirs do create obstructions, and between the 4th and 9th lunar months Japan does see the summer monsoon rains—could that be the reason?  Tsuyu, or rainy season, is often around July to mid-June, today.  Or perhaps there is another motivation for that particular prohibition. As for the eating of various animals—of the animals listed, all but the monkeys are domesticated animals who generally weren't considered as food animals.  Cattle were used for working the fields, horses were ridden, and dogs were used for hunting.  I wonder if monkeys were just too close to people. The chicken prohibition may seem odd to us, today.  The word for chicken, "niwatori", literally means garden bird, though the Nihon Shoki uses something more like "barn door bird".  We know that cock-fighting was a thing in later periods, and that chickens were associated with Amaterasu, possibly for their legendary habit of crowing as the sun comes up.  We can also note the lack of some animals, like cats, from the list.  Perhaps cats were never in danger of being seen as a food source, or perhaps cats just weren't as prevalent at the time—we know cats were around from at least the Nara period, but there isn't much evidence before that.  There are examples of bones thought to be from a cat from the Yayoi period found on Iki island, but it is hard to say from that if they were fully established across the archipelago. Still,  I do find it curious they are not on the list.Continuing on, we later see where see the court issued an edict that prohibited the cutting of grass or firewood on Mt. Minabuchi and Mt. Hosokawa.  Furthermore they prevented any indiscriminate burning or cutting on all of the mountains in the Home Provinces.  This feels somewhat religious—after all, the mountains were often considered the domain of the kami.  Perhaps there were some religious restrictions.  On the other hand, some of it sounds like they were trying to just ensure that with a growing population they didn't denude the mountains around the capital. This whole incident brings to mind problems that occurred in and around Chang'an, the western Tang capital.  The palace itself—not to mention all of the houses and temples—took so much wood that it was a drain on the nearby forests.  And that is without taking into account the simple harvesting of wood for cooking fires, tools, etc.  In fact, the logging industry of that time devastated the local environment, meaning that they had to travel farther and farther to find suitable wood for the monumental buildings they wished to create.  It is also thought to have contributed to various natural disasters in and around the capital.  Perhaps Yamato was worried that unrestricted logging in the Home Provinces could likewise cause problems?  Or was that simply an added benefit gained from the idea that mountains were sacred spaces?   Later in the 10th month of 679, there was an edict determining sumptuary rules for monks clothing, as well as what kind of retinue could accompany them when they went out.  We talked about this back in Episode 142.  That same month, there was an edict that, while monks and nuns might normally be expected to stay at a temple—such as in the quarters identified in the ruins of Kawaradera—that it became a problem when older monks became bed-ridden.  After all, if they couldn't leave their bed, then one can only imagine how it must have been.  Not to get overly graphic, but they couldn't exactly make it out to the latrine at that point, either.  So it was determined that if an elderly monk were to reach the stage that they were bed-ridden, and unlikely to recover, then the temple would seek out relatives or laypersons to help build a hut or two in vacant spaces on the temple grounds.  There, the sick and bed-ridden monks could be cared for in a more sanitary manner. Now the way this is written, on the one hand it seems they were worried about ritual purification as much as anything, but I imagine that this was also practical.  After all, as you get all of those monks living together, one can only imagine that disease and illness could easily spread in those close quarters.  So separating those who were quite sick only makes sense, like an early form of quarantine. A lot of these prohibitions seem to be fairly practical.  Don't put traps where people could accidentally fall into them.  Don't chop down the nearby forest—we may need that later.  And even: don't leave a sick or elderly monk in a crowded dormitory situation.But what about the penal codes? If you lived in the latter part of Temmu's reign and you did violate one of the rules mentioned above, or one of the many others at play, what would happen to you, and how did that vary based on your place in society? Unfortunately, most of what we get on this is kind of bare bones.  We often see the punishment, but not t he crime.  We are just told that someone was found guilty, or condemned.  Take, for example, the Buddhist Priest, Fukuyou, of Asukadera, who was condemned and thrown into prison.  We aren't told what he did to deserve confinement, but it wouldn't last long.  Apparently Fukuyou cut his own throat, ending his life, rather than face other consequences or live with the shame of whatever crime he had committed. By the way, the term "prison" here is interesting.  We certainly see people being imprisoned in some way, shape, or form—locked up and unable to freely travel.  That isn't exactly the same, however, as a prison complex or system.  There may have been buildings used a jail—a temporary holding facility while the actual punishment was determined.  And we also see the equivalent of house arrest.  Later, there would be formal "prisons" set up for the detention of individuals, who were often then forced to labor as part of their punishment.  However, they had many other forms of punishment, many of which required much fewer staff.  After all, a prison requires that you have guards constantly watching the prisoners to make sure nothing gets out of hand.  Instead, you could just exile them to an island or even just another province, with a lot less manpower. A less drastic punishment was handed out back in the 4th month of 675, when we are told that Tahema no Kimi no Hiromaro and Kunu no Omi no Maro were both forbidden from attending the court—for what purpose we aren't immediately told.  However, six days later, Kunu no Maro was held accountable for offering resistance to a royal messenger—maybe the one who communicated that he was banished from the court.  As a punishment, he was stripped of all of his offices and dignities.  Both Tahema no Hiromaro and Kunu no Maro appear to have been pardoned at a later date, though we aren't sure when.  It could have been one of the various general amnesties—and we'll talk about that in a moment.  Hiromaro passed away in 685, but he was provided a posthumous promotion in rank and is noted for his efforts supporting Ohoama during the Jinshin no Ran.  Meanwhile, Kunu no Maro—also known as Abe no Kunu no Maro is seen delivering a eulogy in 686.  Perhaps somewhat ironically, he did so on behalf of the Office of Punishments—later the Keimu-shou, or Ministry of Punishment.  These actions certainly seem to be at odds with them being punished, let alone banished from the court. We also see an example where  Prince Womi, who was of the 3rd princely ranks—even higher than Prince Kurikuma, whom we discussed last episode—was guilty of some kind of offense and banished to Inaba.  One of his children was also banished to Izushima and the other to Chikashima.  Aston suggests that this means Ohoshima and Chikashima may be in Hizen.  Again, very little to go on as to what was happening, though it seems that all three were punished together and sent away from each other, perhaps so that they could not plot or scheme together.  Later amnesties would probably have resulted in pardons for them.   Speaking of pardons—the punishments that we are speaking about all appear to be permanent, other than imprisonment, which may have been more of a temporary situation.  It wasn't like being sent away for so many years.  However, on the other side of the coin was the option for a pardon or amnesty.  While I imagine that the sovereign could always provide a pardon directly, we more regularly see general amnesties declared, sometimes with very specific guidelines. One of the most illuminating such instances, and possibly where Kunu no Maro and Tahema no Hiromaro were pardoned, came in the 7th month of 676.  That month the court issued a general amnesty, likely to increase the merit accrued to the State through an act of mercy and forgiveness, given the drought and famine that had been reported earlier that summer.  Perhaps paradoxically, this act of leniency gives us an interesting view into the types of punishments that were made, as well as how severe each was considered.    The amnesty mitigated all sentences of death, enforced servitude, or the three classes of banishment, and they would all be mitigated by one degree.  So anyone sentenced to death would instead just become enslaved.  Those who were sentenced to enslavement would be banished to a distant province.  Those banished to a distant province would only be banished to a province at a medium distance.  Banishment to a medium province would be downgraded to a nearer province.  And Banishment to a nearer province would be downgraded to banishment—or removal—to a place in the same province.  For anyone who committed a crime for which they would be removed to a place in the same province—or for any lesser crime—would be completely pardoned, whether or not the crime was actually known.  So you couldn't be held responsible, retroactively. This gives us a kind of hierarchy to use as far as the kinds of punishment that might be handed out.  Of course, there are also a few others, which I generally assume were considered lesser.  For instance: banishment from the court, or being stripped of government rank, that sort of thing. There was a caveat that this amnesty would not apply to those who had already left for their place of banishment—nor, obviously, to those who had already been executed.  So if you had already settled in to your new life, this amnesty didn't exactly matter.  This could be where Tahema no Hiromaro and Kunu no Maro were pardoned and thus allowed to find their way back into the court's good graces.  On the other hand, others probably wish that this amnesty happened a bit later—one month later, to be exact.  We are told that Prince Yagaki, the current viceroy of the Dazaifu, was accused of some offense and banished to Tosa, in Shikoku.  As usual, the record does not feel the need to tell us what the offense was or try to justify it anyway.   This is all well and good, but what exactly did the justice system look like?  How were criminals accused, and how would they investigate and prove your guilt?  In the 11th month of 682, we see a rather detailed description of how trials and punishment were to be carried out.  For any offense against the law, whether it was in the palace or the court, it would be immediately examined, and nobody was allowed to conceal information about it.  If the offense was grave enough, then the next step would depend on the rank of the individual.  For individuals of high birth, their guilt would be reported to the court, presumably for whatever punishment they deemed appropriate from there.  For others, they would be arrested.  If they resisted arrest, then the palace guards would be sent after them.  A typical punishment was flogging, which was not to go beyond 100 blows.  Finally, if the individual were clearly guilty, but yet continued to profess their innocence, then that would be considered perjury and added to their sentence. It should be noted that in East Asia at this time, there was no concept of innocent until proven guilty.  If you were accused of a crime, then it was up to you to prove that you were innocent.  It was not uncommon for an arrest to occur, and then for the authorities to then torture a confession out of the individual.  Since they already had assumed the individual's guilt, this was just meant to get them to admit it.  Even into modern times, Japan has had a high conviction rate, but there are accusations that this is simply because of the presence of coerced confessions.  A coerced confession helps to demonstrate that the system is correct, and working as designed, whilst protestations of innocence call into question the validity of the system. There is another type of guilt and punishment—and leniency, for that matter—mentioned in the 6th month of 677: We are told that the Yamato no Aya no Atahe were considered guilty of the "seven misdemeanors", which seems like it is more an indictment of their moral failings rather than any kind of direct criminal behavior.  Furthermore, they were accused of pushing back against the rightful sovereigns from the time of Kashikiya Hime down to the time of the Afumi court.  This would seem to indicate that they had been supporting the Soga and the Afumi court, but if so, I wouldn't say that the Chronicles help to clarify it in any way.  Perhaps they just were willful and not showing the right amount of loyalty to the throne.  Whatever they did, Ohoama was none too pleased, but he also didn't want to completely destroy the uji.  Instead, as a compromise, he offered them clemency for any past actions, pardoning them, but also claiming that if they stepped out of line again, then their offense would be unpardonable.  This whole entry is a vibe.  It is less of a punishment and more of a sword of Damocles being set up above them. Several years later, in 682, we see the Yamato no Aya being granted the title of Muraji.  In consequence of the appointment, the entire household—all the men and women alike, presented themselves to the court.  They rejoiced and praised Ohoama, thanking him for raising them in status.  This doesn't feel like a normal entry—it isn't like every family was coming into court and giving thanks every time that a promotion was handed out.  This feels like classic "kissing the ring" to get back into good graces with someone who was, effectively, an autocratic ruler.  While there was a bureaucracy, based on everything we've seen Ohoama had bent it largely to his will by appointing family members and other members of the elite princely class—those with at least nominal familial connections—to positions of power and authority.   And with that, I think we will bring this episode to a close.  Next episode we'll finish out this reign with a few projects and various other miscellaneous events. Until then if you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  

An interview on humor and amoral ethics in a Daoist classic, the Zhuangzi - and its relation to Confucianism and Legalism. 

Jonathan Clements returns to talk about his book on the First Emperor of China and the man who was sent to kill him: facts and fictions in Zhang Yimou's movie Hero (2002), the evil mirror-universe version of Confucianism, an impossibly well-endowed “eunuch”, the construction of the Terracotta Army, the politics of archaeology, and how to spent a slave labour dividend. And what to do when you had the Mandate of Heaven a minute ago but can't remember where you put it.

“Life is the fuel of art and art is basically what grows out of it.” - Regina Linke The Boy, the Ox, and Questions That Shape Life In this thoughtful and quietly luminous conversation, Jim Wills sits down with Taiwanese American author and illustrator Regina Linke to explore the unlikely journey that led her from nonprofit technology work to creating a philosophical children's book series rooted in ancient wisdom. What began as a personal art practice in Taiwan soon blossomed into The Oxherd Boy; a contemplative illustrated world inspired by Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and sparked by the profound curiosity of her young son. At the heart of the conversation lies a deeper question; how do we help children navigate fear, compassion, responsibility, and belonging without handing them easy answers? Through the gentle adventures of a boy, an ox, and eventually a rabbit, Linke's stories invite young readers to wrestle with life's biggest ideas in the spirit of ancient philosophy; patience, humility, and the quiet power of small actions. Part creative origin story and part meditation on culture, parenting, and artistic devotion, this episode is a reminder that sometimes the most profound wisdom arrives in the simplest form: a child's question, a brushstroke, and the courage to follow curiosity wherever it leads. images: ©regina linke regina linke website oxherd boy instagram Subscribe: iTunes | Android | Spotify | Email | RSS MORE ART UNKNOWN PODCASTS

10 Life Lessons From Confucius (Confucianism). In this podcast, we will be talking about 10 life lessons that we can learn from Confucius. Confucius was one of the greatest Eastern philosophers of all time, whose teachings deeply influenced East Asian life and thought. His philosophical movement, Confucianism, emphasizes morality, honesty, the importance of social relationships and the belief that man is fundamentally good and capable of changing, evolving and improving. So here are 10 lessons we can all learn from Confucius - 01. Learn to see beauty in everything02. Moral values starts at home03. Never do anything half-heartedly04. Never give up 05. Everyone has wisdom to share06. Ignore gossips07. Think of the consequences08. Practice the art of silence09. Practice Filial Piety10. Embrace getting olderHope you enjoyed this podcast and find these insights helpful.Confucianism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. It is described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or simply a way of life. It was founded by  China's most iconic historical figures, Confucius. 

Welcome to RIMScast. Your host is Justin Smulison, Business Content Manager at RIMS, the Risk and Insurance Management Society.   In this episode, Justin interviews Cynthia Garcia about her career journey. She credits mentors and sponsors for paving the way for her success. Justin and Cynthia discuss the demands of the Chief Risk Officer role and how Cynthia works with stakeholders who have competing priorities. Cynthia shares her perspective on construction risk and safety. She is seeing more diversity in the rising generation of risk professionals, with amazing opportunities for all.   Cynthia shares how her Confucianist upbringing still makes it a struggle for her to receive recognition. Despite that, she posted on LinkedIn about receiving the 2025 Bill McIntyre Leadership Award at the International Risk Management Institute (IRMI) Construction Risk Conference. That post led Justin to reach out to her. Cynthia speaks of her involvement with the Spencer Educational Foundation, including being a Risk Manager on Campus. Justin and Cynthia talk about the March 6th Webinar, "Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management", that she joins as a featured panelist. Listen for tips on careers in risk management for construction.   Key Takeaways: [:01] About RIMS and RIMScast. [:16] About this episode of RIMScast. Our guest is Cynthia Garcia, the award-winning Chief Risk Officer for Bernards. We will talk all about her career in construction risk and get some "inspirado." But first… [:44] RIMS Virtual Workshops. On March 10th and 11th, we have a two-day course led by John Button for the RIMS-CRMP Exam Prep. [:55] On March 17th and 18th, RIMS will align with AFERM for a two-day RIMS-CRMP-FED Exam Prep Course. [1:02] On March 4th and 5th, we have a virtual workshop, "Facilitating Risk-Based Decision Making", with Joe Milan. On April 15th, we have a virtual workshop covering "Emerging Risks", led by Joseph Mayo. [1:20] Register today and strengthen your risk knowledge. RIMS members always enjoy deep discounts on the virtual workshops. [1:27] Webinars. On March 6th, RIMS presents "Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management". We'll be joined by a Chief Risk Officer, an underwriter, and a broker. [1:42] They will explore their career paths, risk and safety philosophies, and lend some insight as to why this is the time for the next generation of leaders to rise. [1:53] On March 12th, Global Risk Consultants returns with "Don't Waste the Soft Market: Where to Reinvest Insurance Savings Before the Window Closes". Register for these and other webinars by visiting RIMS.org/webinars and the links in this episode's show notes. [2:14] On with the Show! Our guest today is Cynthia Garcia. She is the Chief Risk Officer for Bernards. [2:22] Cynthia made a big impact on the risk landscape in 2025 when she received the Bill McIntyre Leadership Award from the International Risk Management Institute during its Construction Risk Conference. [2:35] I wanted to learn all about her career and what it's like to be the risk officer for a major construction company. [2:42] Earlier, I mentioned the March 6th RIMS Webinar, "Hard Hats and High Stakes," and Cynthia will, in fact, be the Chief Risk Officer mentioned there. [2:51] If you like what you hear in this episode and want to learn more about career development, construction risk, and why rising risk professionals should seize the opportunities in the construction sector, you can register for that Webinar. [3:04] Cynthia is a fascinating individual, and I am so pleased to present this interview! Let's get to it! [3:09] Interview! Cynthia Garcia, welcome to RIMScast! [3:27] Justin and Cynthia are going to be collaborating on a RIMS Webinar on March 6th, "Hard Hats and High Stakes." It's all about how women have and can continue to thrive in construction risk management. Cynthia is the ideal Chief Risk Officer to have on that panel. [3:46] Justin thanks Cynthia in advance for being on that panel and being a guest on RIMScast. [4:07] Cynthia is the CRO for Bernards, based in California. [4:33] Like many in her generation, Cynthia stumbled into risk management. She started as an administrative assistant for Morley Builders, an amazing employee-owned general contractor in Santa Monica, California. [4:52] She was fortunate to have several sponsors and mentors within the organization. They helped her see that she belonged at the table. They saw something in her that she hadn't seen in herself, which is the beauty of a mentor. [5:16] In spaces she was not in, they advocated for her and said, Why don't we give this to Cynthia? That's the beauty of a sponsor. Cynthia says she was blessed to be in the right place at the right time. She was able to lean in. [5:32] Cynthia says that the thing that attracts her about risk management and what she does is finding the hard yes. Risk management doesn't say, "No." [5:50] Risk management, when practicing its craft, is fully integrated with operations and understanding what the business needs. It is strategically aligned and helps make sure the organization is making those thoughtful business decisions that allow taking risks. [6:11] Then, risk management takes it to the next step to ask how this adds to our shareholder equity, how this aligns with who we want to be as a company and as people. Risk management threads the needle between entrepreneurship and "cowboyism." [6:28] Risk management leads with "Help me understand, and help us get to the hard yes. We can do it, but here are some of the things we need to do to make sure that it's successful."  [6:50] Cynthia always likes to start by making sure she is coming in with a lot of curiosity. She asks for help to understand what she's not seeing to try to connect the dots. If Cynthia doesn't understand the needs of her business partners, she's not creating value. [7:11] Cynthia joined Bernards as Chief Risk Officer four years ago next month (March). Bernards created the position for her. She says she's blessed to work with talented people. She credits an amazing group of rockstar individuals. She says a rising tide lifts all boats. [8:00] Cynthia says her team carries the weight and does it beautifully. She says the genius of true leadership is understanding we're paving the way for our replacement. Leaders who are afraid of talent need to pause and rethink what that means. [8:26] Cynthia's Risk and Safety team has 13 staff members. [8:45] Cynthia has a VP of Risk and Safety who is definitely a genius at making the wheels turn. He is Cynthia's only direct report. He does an amazing job setting the tone and the pace. [9:03] Cynthia says, We focus on listening to the voices of our internal and external customers. As an employee-owned company, we try to understand what our business partners need, whether it's accounting, finance, human resources, operations, or estimating. [9:22] Cynthia focuses on what our business partners need from risk management to help achieve mission success. [9:27] Cynthia says, from day to day, it's everything from safety to claims, to insurance issues, to coverage questions, but a fair part of the job is when business teams proactively reach out with questions about issues that have come up. [9:50] Cynthia says the beauty of being in a smaller organization is that Risk Management is not siloed. It's not just insurance and claims but also litigation management and contracts. Risk partners closely with the CHRO on policies and employment practices. [10:13] Risk partners closely with Finance and Accounting on a variety of issues. Cynthia feels it is fortunate that Risk is viewed and valued as an internal resource to its business partners and part of the critical strategy to achieve the company's goals. [10:41] Bernards has a little fewer than 400 employee-owners. Cynthia credits Finance and Accounting for paying vendors on time and treating trade partners fairly. She credits Marketing for helping the brand, highlighting company accomplishments, and creating community buzz. [11:30] Cynthia credits the very customer-centric Tech team, who have helped her a lot, and the Virtual Construction Design team, who help with clash detection and getting ahead of constructability issues early on. [11:59] She notes the estimating team getting ahead of what's out there and making sure we have the right projects to go after. It takes a village. [12:14] Cynthia says we like to think all of us employee-owners have a vested interest in mission success. We're all in construction. [12:27] Quick Break! RISKWORLD 2026 will be held from May 3rd through the 6th in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. RISKWORLD attracts more than 10,000 risk professionals across the globe. It's time to Connect, Cultivate, and Collaborate with them. [12:45] Booth sales are open now. General registration and speaker registration are also open right now. Marketplace and hospitality badges will be available starting on March 3rd. Links are in this episode's show notes, and be sure to check out RIMS.org for more information. [13:04] Save the dates March 18th and 19th, 2026, for the RIMS Legislative Summit, which will be held in Washington, D.C.! Join us in Washington, D.C. for two days of Congressional meetings, networking, and advocating on behalf of the risk management community. [13:20] Visit RIMS.org/advocacy for more information and to register. Also, check out the prior episode of RIMScast, Episode 378, featuring RIMS General Counsel and Vice President of External Affairs, Mark Prysock, as we discuss the top priorities for RIMS in 2026 and beyond. [13:41] Let's Return to Our Interview with Bernards' Chief Risk Officer, Cynthia Garcia! [13:58] When Cynthia joined Bernards, there were about 10 people on the Risk and Safety team. Then they went into remodel mode, with a different strategic vision. Continuous improvement is a Bernards core value. It's a 52-year-old company with processes and talent in place. [14:27] Cynthia says we've been looking at the areas where we can have the greatest impact, picking off the low-hanging fruit first, and then building out processes that allow us to scale without reinventing ourselves every few years. [14:57] Cynthia says safety is our priority. Bernards added safety to its core values this year. Cynthia says it was a grass-roots movement. It percolated up through Operations and said, This is who we need to be. [15:24] Cynthia says a risk management team's job is to safeguard all the resources of the organization. That includes people and things, clients, and trade partners. The Risk and Safety team has a holistic view. They can't be good by themselves. They can't be safe by themselves. [15:42] For Cynthia, safety takes on a larger meaning than physical well-being, including creating spaces where people are allowed to be vulnerable. [15:57] Cynthia talks about leading with empathy, with top priority not only for physical safety but also for a psychologically safe environment, where you can show up, be seen, heard, and thrive. [16:41] Cynthia says she works on building connections through conflict. For what could be tough conversations, it helps if you are willing to check your ego at the door and come in curious. Cynthia often states her intention up front. [17:01] Cynthia might say, "My intention isn't to challenge you, it's to have you help me understand your perspective and help me see what I'm missing." Cynthia says she asks a billion questions because there is so much she doesn't know. She always tries to get with the "why." [17:32] Cynthia says, When I try to understand what it is that my counterpart needs to happen, then we can figure out the path forward together. As employee-owners, our goals are aligned. We're looking in the same direction. [17:52] Cynthia says, We may fuss with the GPS a little bit, but we know the destination is set and we have a commitment to one another. Once we are willing to shut up, listen, and ask the questions to learn, then we can figure out how to be of service. [18:16] Cynthia says her job isn't to convince, it's first to understand. [18:22] A Quick Break! The Spencer Educational Foundation's Risk Manager on Campus application period will open on April 1st, 2026, and it will close on June 30th. Grant awardees, colleges, and universities are typically notified in September. [18:51] The Course Development Grant application deadline for Interval Number 2 will be on June 15th, 2026. Award notifications will be sent out in late July. [19:06] General Grant applications will open on May 1st, 2026, and the application deadline is July 30th. Internship Grant applications open on August 15th and close on October 15th. [19:18] Links to each of these grants are in this episode's show notes. Visit SpencerEd.org for more information. [19:27] Let's Conclude Our Interview with Bernards' Chief Risk Officer, Cynthia Garcia. [19:41] As Cynthia mentioned earlier, Bernards is employee-owned. Cynthia thinks that Bernards being 100% employee-owned makes all its employee-owners better businesspeople. The heart of risk management is making those good choices. [20:27] Looking across the table and knowing she is betting with her fellow owner's retirement, makes Cynthia think about that a little bit differently. She thinks the employee ownership structure lends itself to amazing risk management. [20:49] Cynthia says you have to be disciplined. You're not spending somebody else's money on this. We're working together, and when we all make good choices, we are ultimately rewarding ourselves and impacting future generational owners, too. That's quite meaningful. [21:09] Cynthia says it's the best of both worlds. You have the umbrella of a big company paying the bills, but you're rewarded for smart entrepreneurism. [21:27] Cynthia has a long-term view when making decisions. It's not about what's in it for her. It's how does this support who we want to be today, and who we want to try to be tomorrow? It makes us look further into the horizon. [22:24] May 4th through May 8th, 2026, is Safety Week, here in the U.S. That coincides with RISKWORLD 2026. Cynthia will be at RISKWORLD. [22:41] Cynthia says for Safety Week, Bernards has planned activities on each job site to highlight the good things that men and women are doing to build the communities in which they work and live, and doing them in such a way that they go home to families and loved ones. [23:01] Justin notes that settlements from construction site accident injuries can be astronomical. Part of Cynthia's job is to minimize accidents from the outset, which connects to Bernards' core value safety-first mindset. [23:34] Cynthia says client response has been amazing. Recently, one of the project executives at Bernards was invited to the school district and won an award acknowledging their efforts on safety. That felt good because it wasn't Bernards saying it, but the clients saying we see it. [23:58] Bernards has trademarked "A Better Experience." It's a phrase they are proud of. They're building not only to create a better experience for their employee-owners, but also for project success for owners who value safety. [24:15] Bernards is a large school builder, working on many programs up and down the state. Bernards is cognizant of the impact they are having on the future generation of leaders and citizens. They're very grateful to have that acknowledgement from their clients. It's special. [25:29] Cynthia says she is absolutely seeing more opportunities for women in risk management and in construction. Construction tends to be inclusive. It's an industry filled with optimists. Its people bring that can-do attitude. They are very generous and gracious with their support. [26:13] Cynthia says she has been in the risk profession for about 30 years. The demographics have changed, and she sees diversity in the new young talent permeating the industry. [27:10] Cynthia thinks the work that the Spencer Educational Foundation does in partnership with RIMS is tremendous. She says it is amazing that colleges and universities are offering the Risk Management and Insurance degree and concentration. Cynthia never heard of that before. [27:35] Cynthia says that people her age moved into risk management from adjacent areas. She is pleased that now people come into risk management intentionally. She talks about risk managers trying to figure out how to help businesses thrive and grow to the next level. [28:47] Cynthia is one of Spencer's Risk Managers on Campus. She explains how the grants to colleges work. Spencer works tirelessly to make sure the next generation of leaders know what an amazing career this is and the opportunities it offers. Cynthia is grateful to be part of it. [30:15] Justin mentions that other Risk Manager On Campus risk professionals have been guests on RIMScast, and they have inspiring stories to tell. They love reaching the young people who are going to be the future of the profession. [30:35] Megan Miller, Spencer CEO, was a recent RIMScast guest. Check out SpencerEd.org for grants and opportunities. If you know somebody interested, send them the link to explore. If they connect with people like Cynthia through the RMOC grant, their experience will be richer. [31:28] Cynthia came to Justin's attention through a LinkedIn post about her being honored as the 2025 Bill McIntyre Leadership Award recipient at the International Risk Management Institute (IRMI) Construction Risk Conference. [32:08] Cynthia says you're always a little bit surprised but so pleased when you get acknowledged by your peers. As IRMI is pre-eminent in the construction risk management space, it was more special to Cynthia, as she knew of the great work they did. [32:33] Cynthia remembers starting in risk management and going to them as a resource. She knows the people who make IRMI thrive. They're people Cynthia looks up to. She is very grateful that it was her turn to be acknowledged. She feels there are way more qualified folks out there! [33:41] Cynthia says she is an immigrant. English is her second language. She is Korean and grew up in a Confucianist household. In terms of philosophy, you should be seen, not heard. The collective win is celebrated. [34:06] Cynthia has had to work to get over the heebie-jeebies about self-promotion or what could be viewed as arrogance. She's working on it and doing better at accepting compliments. It's an opportunity to show others who are coming up behind her that diversity exists. [34:45] Cynthia says it's hard for us to visualize ourselves in a role without models who came before us. What are the opportunities that exist? Can I also think about this? Cynthia said the marketing team is genius. Justin said that was what caught his eye on LinkedIn. [35:19] Cynthia says she is very fortunate to be supported by so much talent and such a community that helps uplift you. [35:27] Justin comments that the "seen and not heard" thing is not just Confucianism, but also old-world Brooklynism. His old relatives said, "Children should be seen and not heard." [35:52] Cynthia says we all have shared experiences within our collective. People tend to focus on the differences. It is important to celebrate our differences, but there's so much more in common, regardless of the geography and the generation in which we were raised. [36:10] There is so much in shared value. Cynthia says she is constantly inspired by those stories of people who saw a different future or leaned into a hand up. That motivates her to try to be better and drives her. [36:35] Justin says posting is a networking opportunity too. If that post had not gone up, Justin would not have met Cynthia. It's a way to broaden your network and meet more people. Justin says it's OK to do a humblebrag. Justin is known as the shameless self-promoter. [37:11] Justin says it is very special when you are acknowledged outside your company. [37:20] Cynthia's post triggered a series of events, one of which is, in recognition of Women's History Month, RIMS will present the webinar on March 6th, "Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management", with Cynthia as a featured panelist. [37:38] Cynthia will provide the CRO perspective. Also on the panel are Danette Beck from Astrus and Jessica Risullo from WTW. Cynthia shares how she knows these amazing, trailblazing women. Cynthia is grateful to be on a panel with them. They're rockstars! [38:47] Justin says it's going to be excellent! The link is in this episode's show notes, or visit RIMS.org/webinars. Megan Miller, the CEO of the Spencer Educational Foundation, will kick things off with a special introduction. [39:15] It's going to be a wonderful way to observe and celebrate Women's History Month, ahead of RISKWORLD and Construction Safety Awareness Week. [39:30] Justin thanks Cynthia for joining us on RIMScast, sharing with listeners her construction risk perspective and career path. There's a lot to take away. Justin thanks Cynthia for her perspective and her time. [39:45] Cynthia says she appreciates Justin and the work RIMS is doing to put a spotlight on our amazing industry and the opportunities that exist. She says she is grateful for the opportunities Justin and RIMS are creating and thoughtfully curating. [40:04] Special thanks again to Cynthia Garcia for joining us here on RIMScast. You can hear more from her directly on March 6th during the RIMS Webinar "Hard Hats & High Stakes: Women Leaders Shaping Construction Risk Management". [40:17] RIMS members, keep in mind that RIMS Webinars are complimentary for you. That is one of the many benefits of a RIMS membership. Visit RIMS.org/webinars and the link in this episode's show notes to register. That's going to be a fantastic session! [40:34] Plug Time! You can sponsor a RIMScast episode for this, our weekly show, or a dedicated episode. Links to sponsored episodes are in the show notes. [41:03] RIMScast has a global audience of risk and insurance professionals, legal professionals, students, business leaders, C-Suite executives, and more. Let's collaborate and help you reach them! Contact pd@rims.org for more information. [41:21] Become a RIMS member and get access to the tools, thought leadership, and network you need to succeed. Visit RIMS.org/membership or email membershipdept@RIMS.org for more information. [41:38] Risk Knowledge is the RIMS searchable content library that provides relevant information for today's risk professionals. Materials include RIMS executive reports, survey findings, contributed articles, industry research, benchmarking data, and more. [41:55] For the best reporting on the profession of risk management, read Risk Management Magazine at RMMagazine.com. It is written and published by the best minds in risk management. [42:09] Justin Smulison is the Business Content Manager at RIMS. Please remember to subscribe to RIMScast on your favorite podcasting app. You can email us at Content@RIMS.org. [42:21] Practice good risk management, stay safe, and thank you again for your continuous support!   Links: RIMS Legislative Summit — March 18‒19, 2026 on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. | Register now! RISK PAC | RIMS Advocacy RISKWORLD 2026 Registration — Open for exhibitors, members, and non-members! Reserve your booth at RISKWORLD 2026! 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In this episode of the Crazy Wisdom podcast, host Stewart Alsop sits down with Kelvin Lwin for their second conversation exploring the fascinating intersection of AI and Buddhist cosmology. Lwin brings his unique perspective as both a technologist with deep Silicon Valley experience and a serious meditation practitioner who's spent decades studying Buddhist philosophy. Together, they examine how AI development fits into ancient spiritual prophecies, discuss the dangerous allure of LLMs as potentially "asura weapons" that can mislead users, and explore verification methods for enlightenment claims in our modern digital age. The conversation ranges from technical discussions about the need for better AI compilers and world models to profound questions about humanity's role in what Lwin sees as an inevitable technological crucible that will determine our collective spiritual evolution. For more information about Kelvin's work on attention training and AI, visit his website at alin.ai. You can also join Kelvin for live meditation sessions twice daily on Clubhouse at clubhouse.com/house/neowise.Timestamps00:00 Exploring AI and Spirituality05:56 The Quest for Enlightenment Verification11:58 AI's Impact on Spirituality and Reality17:51 The 500-Year Prophecy of Buddhism23:36 The Future of AI and Business Innovation32:15 Exploring Language and Communication34:54 Programming Languages and Human Interaction36:23 AI and the Crucible of Change39:20 World Models and Physical AI41:27 The Role of Ontologies in AI44:25 The Asura and Deva: A Battle for Supremacy48:15 The Future of Humanity and AI51:08 Persuasion and the Power of LLMs55:29 Navigating the New Age of TechnologyKey Insights1. The Rarity of Polymath AI-Spirituality Perspectives: Kelvin argues that very few people are approaching AI through spiritual frameworks because it requires being a polymath with deep knowledge across multiple domains. Most people specialize in one field, and combining AI expertise with Buddhist cosmology requires significant time, resources, and academic background that few possess.2. Traditional Enlightenment Verification vs. Modern Claims: There are established methods for verifying enlightenment claims in Buddhist traditions, including adherence to the five precepts and overcoming hell rebirth through karmic resolution. Many modern Western practitioners claiming enlightenment fail these traditional tests, often changing the criteria when they can't meet the original requirements.3. The 500-Year Buddhist Prophecy and Current Timing: We are approximately 60 years into a prophesied 500-year period where enlightenment becomes possible again. This "startup phase of Buddhism revival" coincides with technological developments like the internet and AI, which are seen as integral to this spiritual renaissance rather than obstacles to it.4. LLMs as UI Solution, Not Reasoning Engine: While LLMs have solved the user interface problem of capturing human intent, they fundamentally cannot reason or make decisions due to their token-based architecture. The technology works well enough to create illusion of capability, leading people down an asymptotic path away from true solutions.5. The Need for New Programming Paradigms: Current AI development caters too much to human cognitive limitations through familiar programming structures. True advancement requires moving beyond human-readable code toward agent-generated languages that prioritize efficiency over human comprehension, similar to how compilers already translate high-level code.6. AI as Asura Weapon in Spiritual Warfare: From Buddhist cosmological perspective, AI represents an asura (demon-realm) tool that appears helpful but is fundamentally wasteful and disruptive to human consciousness. Humanity exists as the battleground between divine and demonic forces, with AI serving as a weapon that both sides employ in this cosmic conflict.7. 2029 as Critical Convergence Point: Multiple technological and spiritual trends point toward 2029 as when various systems will reach breaking points, forcing humanity to either transcend current limitations or be consumed by them. This timing aligns with both technological development curves and spiritual prophecies about transformation periods.

We're going to play our favorite game, GUESS THAT EASTERN RELIGION BASED ON THE QUOTE PROVIDED!!! In order to do this, I need to provide a very basic intro for Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism.

fWotD Episode 3171: Political philosophy Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia's finest articles.The featured article for Friday, 9 January 2026, is Political philosophy.Political philosophy studies the theoretical and conceptual foundations of politics. It examines the nature, scope, and legitimacy of political institutions, such as states. The field investigates different forms of government, ranging from democracy to authoritarianism, and the values guiding political action, like justice, equality, and liberty. As a normative field, political philosophy focuses on desirable norms and values, in contrast to political science, which emphasizes empirical description.Political ideologies are systems of ideas and principles that outline how society should work. Anarchism rejects the coercive power of centralized governments. It proposes a stateless society to promote liberty and equality. Conservatism seeks to preserve traditional institutions and practices. It is skeptical of the human ability to radically reform society, arguing that drastic changes can destroy the wisdom of past generations. Liberals advocate for individual rights and liberties, the rule of law, private property, and tolerance. They believe that governments should protect these values to enable individuals to pursue personal goals without external interference. Socialism emphasizes collective ownership and equal distribution of basic goods. It seeks to overcome sources of inequality, including private ownership of the means of production, class systems, and hereditary privileges. Other strands of political philosophy include environmentalism, realism, idealism, consequentialism, perfectionism, nationalism, individualism, and communitarianism.Political philosophers rely on various methods to justify and criticize knowledge claims. Particularists use a bottom-up approach and systematize individual judgments, whereas foundationalists employ a top-down approach and construct comprehensive systems from a small number of basic principles. One foundationalist approach uses theories about human nature as the basis for political ideologies. Universalists assert that basic moral and political principles apply equally to every culture, a view rejected by cultural relativists.Political philosophy has its roots in antiquity, such as the theories of Plato and Aristotle in ancient Greek philosophy, with discussions on the nature of justice and ideal states. Confucianism, Taoism, and legalism emerged in ancient Chinese philosophy, while Hindu and Buddhist political thought developed in ancient India, each offering distinct views on the foundations of the social order and statecraft. Political philosophy in the medieval period was characterized by the interplay between ancient Greek thought and religion in both the Christian and Islamic worlds. The modern period marked a shift towards secularism as diverse schools of thought developed, such as social contract theory, liberalism, conservatism, utilitarianism, Marxism, and anarchism.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:15 UTC on Friday, 9 January 2026.For the full current version of the article, see Political philosophy on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Joanna.

The Taiping Rebellion (1850–1864) stands as the bloodiest civil war in human history, claiming an estimated 20–30 million lives and reshaping 19th-century China. It was ignited by Hong Xiuquan, a failed civil service exam candidate from Guangdong, who experienced profound visions in 1837. Interpreting these as divine messages, Hong believed he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ, tasked with establishing a "Heavenly Kingdom" on Earth. Influenced by fragmented Christian teachings from Protestant missionaries, he converted and began preaching a unique blend of Christianity, Confucianism, and anti-Manchu sentiments. The rebellion's roots lay in widespread discontent against the Qing Dynasty, fueled by economic hardships, opium addiction from the Opium Wars, corruption, overpopulation, and ethnic tensions between Han Chinese and Manchu rulers. Hong's Taiping Heavenly Kingdom attracted millions of followers, including peasants, women, and ethnic minorities, promising land reform, gender equality, and the abolition of foot-binding and opium. Starting in Guangxi, the Taiping forces rapidly expanded, capturing Nanjing in 1853 as their capital. They implemented radical reforms but faced brutal opposition from Qing armies, aided by foreign powers like Britain and France, who intervened to protect trade interests despite initial neutrality. The conflict featured massive battles, sieges, and atrocities on both sides. The rebellion weakened the Qing Dynasty, paving the way for its eventual fall in 1911. Hong's death in 1864 and the recapture of Nanjing marked the end, but the Taiping legacy endures in discussions of millenarian movements, religious fervor, and social upheaval.

Understanding Taoism with Jason Gregory Jason Gregory is a student of the world's spiritual traditions. He is the author of The Science and Practice of Humility. Jason Gregory is an author, philosopher, and teacher whose work draws from Eastern philosophy, comparative religion, psychology, cognitive science, metaphysics, and ancient cultures, bridging timeless wisdom with contemporary understanding. Jason Gregory explores the essence of Taoism, emphasizing its critique of social conditioning and its guidance toward naturalness, spontaneity, and effortless being. He explains how Taoist ideas intersect with Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, and wider metaphysical traditions, revealing a shared vision of an undivided reality beneath cultural structures. Gregory also discusses practices such as wu wei, aimless wandering, and inner alchemy as pathways for aligning with the Dao in modern life. New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in “parapsychology” ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). He is also the Grand Prize winner of the 2021 Bigelow Institute essay competition regarding the best evidence for survival of human consciousness after permanent bodily death. He is Co-Director of Parapsychology Education at the California Institute for Human Science. (Recorded on **** 00, 2025) Check out New Thinking Allowed’s AI chatbot. You can create a free account at awakin.ai/open/jeffreymishlove. When you enter the space, you will see that our chatbot is one of several you can interact with. While it is still a work in progress, it has been trained on 1,600 NTA transcripts. It can provide intelligent answers about the contents of our interviews. It’s almost like having a conversation with Jeffrey Mishlove. For a short video on How to Get the Most From New Thinking Allowed, go to For a complete, updated list with links to all of our videos, see https://newthinkingallowed.com/Listings.htm. Check out the New Thinking Allowed Foundation website at http://www.newthinkingallowed.org. There you will find our incredible, searchable database as well as opportunities to shop and to support our video productions – plus, this is where people can subscribe to our FREE, weekly Newsletter and can download a FREE .pdf copy of our quarterly magazine. To order high-quality, printed copies of our quarterly magazine: https://nta-magazine.magcloud.com/ If you would like to join our team of volunteers, helping to promote the New Thinking Allowed YouTube channel on social media, editing and translating videos, creating short video trailers based on our interviews, helping to upgrade our website, or contributing in other ways (we may not even have thought of), please send an email to friends@newthinkingallowed.com. To join the NTA Psi Experience Community on Facebook, see https://www.facebook.com/groups/1953031791426543/ To download and listen to audio versions of the New Thinking Allowed videos, please visit our new podcast at https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/new-thinking-allowed-audio-podcast/id1435178031. You can help support our video productions while enjoying a good book. To order a copy of New Thinking Allowed Dialogues: Is There Life After Death? click on https://amzn.to/3LzLA7Y (As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.) To order the second book in the New Thinking Allowed Dialogues series, Russell Targ: Ninety Years of ESP, Remote Viewing, and Timeless Awareness, go to https://amzn.to/4aw2iyr To order a copy of New Thinking Allowed Dialogues: UFOs and UAP – Are We Really Alone?, go to https://amzn.to/3Y0VOVh To order a copy of Charles T. Tart: Seventy Years of Exploring Consciousness and Parapsychology, go to https://amzn.to/41jIX1o To order a copy of Charles T. Tart: Seventy Years of Exploring Consciousness and Parapsychology, go to https://amzn.to/4oOUJLn Download and read Jeffrey Mishlove’s Grand Prize essay in the Bigelow Institute competition, Beyond the Brain: The Survival of Human Consciousness After Permanent Bodily Death, go to https://www.bigelowinstitute.org/docs/1st.pdf To order a copy of The Science and Practice of Humility: The Path to Ultimate, by Jason Gregory, goto https://amzn.to/4400PQj

In this second episode of our series on Korean Cults, we trace the tangled roots of Korea's modern messianic movements—shaped by Jeong Deuk-eun (“The Great Holy Mother”) and Kim Baek-moon—gave birth to a new religion that blended Confucianism, Taoism, and Christian language into a syncretic gospel of bloodline purification and “True Bloodline Lineage. We then follow how this ideology influenced later leaders like Jung Myung-seok (JMS) and Park Tae-seon of the Olive Tree Movement, revealing the disturbing legacy of Korean messiahship and political infiltration that continues today through groups like the Moonies, Shincheonji, and WMSCOG. We're joined by Pastor Yang, Adjunct Professor of New Testament at the Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary in Seoul, who holds a Doctor of Theology in New Testament and served as a Visiting Scholar at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (2023–2024). Also joining us is Chris, a former member of Shincheonji and returning Cultish guest, who shares his firsthand experience and ongoing efforts to raise awareness about the growing global influence of Korean cults. Together, we expose how the False Christs of Korea: The Unification Church and the Olive Tree Legacy which redefined the Gospel, replaced biblical revelation with self-proclaimed messiahs, and continue to shape Korea's—and the world's—spiritual landscape today.Partner With Us & Be Part of the Mission to Change Lives: HERESHOP OUR MERCH: HEREPlease consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel: CultishTV.comCultish is a 100% crowdfunded ministry. -- Email Chris & Pastor Yang: biblev@daum.net Chris@examiningthecults.org Chris's Website: HEREChris's YouTube: HEREPastor Yang's YouTube: HERE

In this episode we unpack the ancient Chinese classic, "The Tao Te Ching" by Lao Tzu from circa 400 BCEThis book explores...*The art of not over-doing*The cyclical nature of all things *Acting in accordance with the nature of realityHost: Zach Stehura  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠UnpackingIdeas.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Guest: Amon Greene amonra16.ag@gmail.comIntro Music: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Polyenso⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free PDF of the book: Red Pine TranslationResources MentionedTao: The Watercourse Way by Alan Watts (book)Trying Not to Try by Edward Slingerland (book)Taoism: An Essential Guide by Eva Wong (book)Timestamps0:00 Introduction4:51 Amon's background 10:10 Historical Context of the Tao Te Ching11:50 Confucianism vs. Taoism15:38 Wu Wei22:25 Going with the flow27:26 De37:22 Wu Wei Government39:56 Wu Wei vs. Flow42:33 Restraint of taking action46:29 “The Tao that can be spoken is not the Eternal Tao”51:10 Mistaking the word for the thing 55:37 Yin and Yang1:03:15 The cyclical nature of everything1:10:55 Wrapping up1:15:09 Outro

This lesson presents a presuppositional critique of 'imminent moralism'—a category of religions like Confucianism and Buddhism that prioritize moral codes for this life without appealing to transcendent authority. It argues that such systems fail the PIA (Preconditions of Intelligibility, Inconsistency, and Arbitrariness) test: they lack a transcendent foundation to justify moral absolutes, are inconsistent in their own teachings (e.g., rejecting souls while affirming karma), and are arbitrary in their claims to authority, as no human figure can objectively validate their moral codes. The lesson further shows that these religions cannot account for the uniformity of nature, the reliability of logic, or the possibility of moral transformation, and their historical consequences—such as rigid social hierarchies or suppression of scientific progress—reveal their practical failure. In contrast, Christianity alone provides a coherent worldview grounded in a personal, transcendent God who offers both objective moral law and the transformative grace of regeneration and justification, making it the only system capable of meeting the preconditions of intelligibility and offering true redemption.

In this short (2-8), Master Steenrod unpacks Taoism's elusive stance on morality. What happens when a tradition without heaven or hell meets the moral hierarchies of Confucianism and the rituals of Buddhism?Discover how early Taoism resisted becoming a system of control, how politics turned ritual into power, and why “the noodle got spicy” when belief met bureaucracy.It's a journey through ancient temples, statecraft, and the human need to define right and wrong—told with humor, insight, and unmistakable Taoist calm. Intro music: “Finding Movement” by Kevin MacLeod — licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Source: incompetech.com

Taoism isn't evangelical — it's adaptable. In this short, Master Steenrod explains how the tradition has endured for thousands of years by “spicing the noodle”: blending with Buddhism, Confucianism, and even modern science without losing its flavor. Discover why Taoism calls itself a human method, not a divine truth — and how that flexibility keeps it alive in every age.

This week, we're finishing our time with Kawai Koume by looking at how life in Wakayama had changed by the mid-1870s. Feudalism is no more, Confucianism is a historical relic, and the samurai class are in the midst of being consigned to the dustbin of history; so what is Koume thinking and doing as she's watching the world she grew up with vanish in the final years of her life? Show notes here.  

Jun Bum Sun joins me to talk about Korea's unique energy, pungryo, its history, and the healing power of music. We cover Choi Chi Won, Tangun, the Hwarang, Shamanism, Choe Je-u, Tongdo Sogi, AI, K-pop, North Korea, Taoism, and the world ahead. This episode was recorded in Bum Sun's book shop in Haebangchon. Find the video online and you can see the wonderful setting we recorded in as well as his dog 왕손 walking around.    Find Him Online Jun Bum Sun: https://www.instagram.com/junbumsun/ The Yangbans: https://www.instagram.com/yangbansmusic/   Discussion Outline  0:00 History as Therapy 9:33 The Taeguk 17:35 Where Do We Come From? 26:30 The Power of Music 40:20 Confucianism 48:40 Tangun as a Shaman 55:30 Wind and Flow (Pungryo) 59:40 The Donghak 1:13:10 Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism 1:20:25 North Korea 1:38:40 The Samguk Yusa   David A. Tizzard has a PhD in Korean Studies and lectures at Seoul Women's University and Hanyang University. He writes a weekly column in the Korea Times, is a social-cultural commentator, and a musician who has lived in Korea for nearly two decades. He can be reached at datizzard@swu.ac.kr.   Watch this video next: https://youtu.be/vIbpLfWJoZM?si=srRVQ1vRkLvCV076   Subscribe to the channel: @DavidTizzard/videos  Thanks to Patreon members: Bhavya, Roxanne Murrell, Sara B Cooper Join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/user?u=62047873 Music by Jocelyn Clark   Connect with us:  ▶ Get in touch: datizzard@swu.ac.kr ▶ David's Insta: @datizzard ▶ KD Insta: @koreadeconstructed   Listen to Korea Deconstructed ▶ Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/kr/podcast/korea-deconstructed/id1587269128 ▶Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5zdXkG0aAAHnDwOvd0jXEE ▶ Listen on podcasts: https://koreadeconstructed.libsyn.com 

We are very excited to welcome Prof. Lisa Dombrowski to our podcast! She is a Professor of Film Studies and East Asian Studies at Wesleyan University. She's the author of the books: The Films of Samuel Fuller: If You Die, I'll Kill You! (2008), the editor of Kazan Revisited (2011), and co-editor of ReFocus: The Later Works and Legacy of Robert Altman (2022). (Ben worked on that last one!) We took Lisa's fantastic film classes and she's a big reason this podcast exists, and why we talk about movies the way we do. (You can read more about the podcast's origin story on Patreon!) Together, we preview a newly restored film showing at the upcoming New York Film Festival and M+ Restored programmes, T'ang Shushuen's The Arch, which Lisa teaches in her classes. Lisa shares with us the film's unconventional transnational production context, and we have an in-depth discussion about the film's groundbreaking use of film form to portray female subjectivity. Eli highlights the film's use of deep staging, Wilson compares the film with Ann Hui's A Simple Life (2011), and Ben explains what he means by an “oyako-don” pantheon.Links:Read more about and get tickets for the M+ Restored programmeScreening in NYC for NYFF at Film at Lincoln CenterObey your ancestors at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com Timestamps:00:01:36 Introducing Prof. Lisa Dombrowski00:06:48 M+ Restored00:09:39 Context on director Tang Shu-shuen and The Arch00:11:16 Lisa's relationship with The Arch00:17:16 General reactions00:23:30 Adaptation and subjectivity00:26:06 Subtitles00:28:06 Female gaze and melodramatic situation00:30:28 The opening setup00:33:28 Cinematography context00:40:28 Love triangle and deep staging00:43:34 Plum scene00:52:37 Source material00:55:28 Cultural context and societal norms01:00:04 River scene and Mid-Autumn Festival01:03:39 A Simple Life (2011) sidebar, subjective realism01:07:25 Confucianism and social conditioning01:10:29 Loom scene01:13:04 Editing for meaning01:16:32 The arch, the ending, the takeaway01:24:57 Fractured images and liminal spaces01:30:15 Lisa Lu and casting01:31:32 The film's reception01:33:56 Tang's approach01:39:03 Cultural identity, transnational cinema, aesthetic expectations01:43:32 Tang's career post The Arch01:46:05 Outro

7 Simple Ways To Outsmart Anyone (Win Without Fighting) - Sun Tzu (Taoism). In this podcast we will talk about How To Outsmart Everybody Else from the philosophy of  Sun Tzu. Sun Tzu was a Chinese general, philosopher, and writer who followed ideas rooted in philosophies like Taoism, Confucianism, and elements of Legalism. So with that in mind, here are 7 Simple Ways To Outsmart Anyone from the philosophy of  Sun Tzu-  01. Know Yourself and Know Your Opponent 02. Win Without Fighting 03. Use Deception 04. Control the Terrain 05. Use Speed and Surprise 06. Exploit Emotions 07. Prepare for the Worst We hope you enjoyed listening to this podcast and hope this video, from the philosophy of Sun Tzu, helps you outsmart anyone Sun Tzu was a Chinese general, philosopher, and writer who lived more than 2,500 years ago. Though much of his life remains a mystery, he is said to have followed ideas rooted in philosophies like Taoism, Confucianism, and elements of Legalism. He's best known for a book called The Art of War, a classic text on military strategy and tactics. Even though it was written for military leaders, people still read it today for advice on leadership, business, sports, and personal growth. What made Sun Tzu different was how he thought about winning. He believed the smartest victory is a victory won without fighting. Success came from careful planning, calm thinking, and knowing both yourself and your opponent. He taught that strength isn't always about pushing harder—it's about stepping back, seeing clearly, and acting at the right moment.

In this thought-provoking episode of Fishing Without Bait, Jim Ellermeyer and co-host Mike Sorg engage in a profound exploration of the core values shared by the world's major faiths—from Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Sikhism, Confucianism, to Taoism. Amid global conflict and division, the hosts reflect on the universal threads of compassion, humility, charity, integrity, and justice that connect these traditions. They challenge listeners to look beyond dogma and doctrine and focus on our shared humanity—especially in times of violence and suffering.

In this thought-provoking episode of Fishing Without Bait, Jim Ellermeyer and co-host Mike Sorg engage in a profound exploration of the core values shared by the world's major faiths—from Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Sikhism, Confucianism, to Taoism. Amid global conflict and division, the hosts reflect on the universal threads of compassion, humility, charity, integrity, and justice that connect these traditions. They challenge listeners to look beyond dogma and doctrine and focus on our shared humanity—especially in times of violence and suffering.

******Support the channel******Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenterPayPal: paypal.me/thedissenterPayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuyPayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9lPayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpzPayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9mPayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao ******Follow me on******Website: https://www.thedissenter.net/The Dissenter Goodreads list: https://shorturl.at/7BMoBFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/Twitter: https://x.com/TheDissenterYT This show is sponsored by Enlites, Learning & Development done differently. Check the website here: http://enlites.com/ Dr. Ian James Kidd is an Associate Professor at the Department of Philosophy at the University of Nottingham. Most of his current research concerns epistemology, virtues and vices, misanthropy (on which he is writing a book) and pessimism, and south and east Asian philosophies, especially Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism.In this episode, we talk about philosophical misanthropy. We first discuss what it is, the failing of humanity, and whether most people are decent. We then talk about the relationship between vices, corruption, and misanthropy; and religious and secular misanthropy. We discuss the different types of misanthropes: the activist, the enemy, the fugitive, and the quietist. Finally, we discuss if there could be a fifth type, who would simply embrace the evils of humanity, and how we can deal with humanity's malevolence without losing hope.--A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS/SUPPORTERS: PER HELGE LARSEN, JERRY MULLER, BERNARDO SEIXAS, ADAM KESSEL, MATTHEW WHITINGBIRD, ARNAUD WOLFF, TIM HOLLOSY, HENRIK AHLENIUS, ROBERT WINDHAGER, RUI INACIO, ZOOP, MARCO NEVES, COLIN HOLBROOK, PHIL KAVANAGH, SAMUEL ANDREEFF, FRANCIS FORDE, TIAGO NUNES, FERGAL CUSSEN, HAL HERZOG, NUNO MACHADO, JONATHAN LEIBRANT, JOÃO LINHARES, STANTON T, SAMUEL CORREA, ERIK HAINES, MARK SMITH, JOÃO EIRA, TOM HUMMEL, SARDUS FRANCE, DAVID SLOAN WILSON, YACILA DEZA-ARAUJO, ROMAIN ROCH, DIEGO LONDOÑO CORREA, YANICK PUNTER, CHARLOTTE BLEASE, NICOLE BARBARO, ADAM HUNT, PAWEL OSTASZEWSKI, NELLEKE BAK, GUY MADISON, GARY G HELLMANN, SAIMA AFZAL, ADRIAN JAEGGI, PAULO TOLENTINO, JOÃO BARBOSA, JULIAN PRICE, HEDIN BRØNNER, DOUGLAS FRY, FRANCA BORTOLOTTI, GABRIEL PONS CORTÈS, URSULA LITZCKE, SCOTT, ZACHARY FISH, TIM DUFFY, SUNNY SMITH, JON WISMAN, WILLIAM BUCKNER, PAUL-GEORGE ARNAUD, LUKE GLOWACKI, GEORGIOS THEOPHANOUS, CHRIS WILLIAMSON, PETER WOLOSZYN, DAVID WILLIAMS, DIOGO COSTA, ALEX CHAU, CORALIE CHEVALLIER, BANGALORE ATHEISTS, LARRY D. LEE JR., OLD HERRINGBONE, MICHAEL BAILEY, DAN SPERBER, ROBERT GRESSIS, JEFF MCMAHAN, JAKE ZUEHL, BARNABAS RADICS, MARK CAMPBELL, TOMAS DAUBNER, LUKE NISSEN, KIMBERLY JOHNSON, JESSICA NOWICKI, LINDA BRANDIN, VALENTIN STEINMANN, ALEXANDER HUBBARD, BR, JONAS HERTNER, URSULA GOODENOUGH, DAVID PINSOF, SEAN NELSON, MIKE LAVIGNE, JOS KNECHT, LUCY, MANVIR SINGH, PETRA WEIMANN, CAROLA FEEST, MAURO JÚNIOR, 航 豊川, TONY BARRETT, NIKOLAI VISHNEVSKY, STEVEN GANGESTAD, TED FARRIS, HUGO B., JAMES, JORDAN MANSFIELD, AND CHARLOTTE ALLEN!A SPECIAL THANKS TO MY PRODUCERS, YZAR WEHBE, JIM FRANK, ŁUKASZ STAFINIAK, TOM VANEGDOM, BERNARD HUGUENEY, CURTIS DIXON, BENEDIKT MUELLER, THOMAS TRUMBLE, KATHRINE AND PATRICK TOBIN, JONCARLO MONTENEGRO, NICK GOLDEN, CHRISTINE GLASS, IGOR NIKIFOROVSKI, AND PER KRAULIS!AND TO MY EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS, MATTHEW LAVENDER, SERGIU CODREANU, ROSEY, AND GREGORY HASTINGS!

In this episode, Stewart Alsop speaks with Edouard Machery, Distinguished Professor at the University of Pittsburgh and Director of the Center for Philosophy of Science, about the deep cultural roots of question-asking and curiosity. From ancient Sumerian tablets to the philosophical legacies of Socrates and Descartes, the conversation spans how different civilizations have valued inquiry, the cross-cultural psychology of AI, and what makes humans unique in our drive to ask “why.” For more, explore Edouard's work at www.edouardmachery.com.Check out this GPT we trained on the conversationTimestamps00:00 – 05:00 Origins of question-asking, Sumerian writing, norms in early civilizations, authority and written text05:00 – 10:00 Values in AI across cultures, RLHF, tech culture in the Bay Area vs. broader American values10:00 – 15:00 Cross-cultural AI study: Taiwan vs. USA, privacy and collectivism, urban vs. rural mindset divergence15:00 – 20:00 History of curiosity in the West, from vice to virtue post-15th century, link to awe and skepticism20:00 – 25:00 Magic, alchemy, and experimentation in early science, merging maker and scholarly traditions25:00 – 30:00 Rise of public dissections, philosophy as meta-curiosity, Socratic questioning as foundational30:00 – 35:00 Socrates, Plato, Aristotle—transmission of philosophical curiosity, human uniqueness in questioning35:00 – 40:00 Language, assertion, imagination, play in animals vs. humans, symbolic worlds40:00 – 45:00 Early moderns: Montaigne, Descartes, rejection of Aristotle, rise of foundational science45:00 – 50:00 Confucianism and curiosity, tradition and authority, contrast with India and Buddhist thought50:00 – 55:00 Epistemic virtues project, training curiosity, philosophical education across cultures, spiritual curiosityKey InsightsCuriosity hasn't always been a virtue. In Western history, especially through Christian thought until the 15th century, curiosity was viewed as a vice—something dangerous and prideful—until global exploration and scientific inquiry reframed it as essential to human understanding.Question-asking is culturally embedded. Different societies place varying emphasis on questioning. While Confucian cultures promote curiosity within hierarchical structures, Christian traditions historically linked it with sin—except when directed toward divine matters.Urbanization affects curiosity more than nationality. Machery found that whether someone lives in a city or countryside often shapes their mindset more than their cultural background. Cosmopolitan environments expose individuals to diverse values, prompting greater openness and inquiry.AI ethics reveals cultural alignment. In studying attitudes toward AI in the U.S. and Taiwan, expected contrasts in privacy and collectivism were smaller than anticipated. The urban, global culture in both countries seems to produce surprisingly similar ethical concerns.The scientific method emerged from curiosity. The fusion of the maker tradition (doing) and the scholarly tradition (knowing) in the 13th–14th centuries helped birth experimentation, public dissection, and eventually modern science—all grounded in a spirit of curiosity.Philosophy begins with meta-curiosity. From Socratic questioning to Plato's dialogues and Aristotle's treatises, philosophy has always been about asking questions about questions—making “meta-curiosity” the core of the discipline.Only humans ask why. Machery notes that while animals can make requests, they don't seem to ask questions. Humans alone communicate assertions and engage in symbolic, imaginative, question-driven thought, setting us apart cognitively and culturally.

On today's episode of the Podcast for Cultural Reformation, Dr. Michael Thiessen and Dr. Joe Boot examine Confucianism and how it compares to the Gospel of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

On today's episode of the Podcast for Cultural Reformation, Dr. Michael Thiessen and Dr. Joe Boot examine Confucianism and how it compares to the Gospel of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

On today's episode of the Podcast for Cultural Reformation, Dr. Michael Thiessen and Dr. Joe Boot examine Confucianism and how it compares to the Gospel of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

At the start of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, King Lear promises to divide his kingdom based on his daughters' professions of love, but portions it out before hearing all of their answers. For Nan Da, this opening scene sparks a reckoning between King Lear, one of the cruelest and most confounding stories in literature, and the tragedy of Maoist and post-Maoist China. Da, who emigrated from China to the United States as a child in the 1990s, brings Shakespeare's tragedy to life on its own terms, addressing the concerns it reflects over the transition from Elizabeth I to James I with a fearsome sense of what would soon come to pass. At the same time, she uses the play as a lens to revisit the world of Maoist China--what it did to people, and what it did to storytelling. Blending literary analysis and personal history, Da begins in her childhood during Deng Xiaoping's Opening and Reform, then moves back and forth between Lear and China. In The Chinese Tragedy of King Lear (Princeton University Press, 2025), the unfinished business of Maoism and other elements of Chinese thought and culture--from Confucianism to the spectacles of Peking Opera--help elucidate the choices Shakespeare made in constructing Lear and the unbearable confusions he left behind. Nan Z. Da is associate professor of English at Johns Hopkins University. Caleb Zakarin is the Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

At the start of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, King Lear promises to divide his kingdom based on his daughters' professions of love, but portions it out before hearing all of their answers. For Nan Da, this opening scene sparks a reckoning between King Lear, one of the cruelest and most confounding stories in literature, and the tragedy of Maoist and post-Maoist China. Da, who emigrated from China to the United States as a child in the 1990s, brings Shakespeare's tragedy to life on its own terms, addressing the concerns it reflects over the transition from Elizabeth I to James I with a fearsome sense of what would soon come to pass. At the same time, she uses the play as a lens to revisit the world of Maoist China--what it did to people, and what it did to storytelling. Blending literary analysis and personal history, Da begins in her childhood during Deng Xiaoping's Opening and Reform, then moves back and forth between Lear and China. In The Chinese Tragedy of King Lear (Princeton University Press, 2025), the unfinished business of Maoism and other elements of Chinese thought and culture--from Confucianism to the spectacles of Peking Opera--help elucidate the choices Shakespeare made in constructing Lear and the unbearable confusions he left behind. Nan Z. Da is associate professor of English at Johns Hopkins University. Caleb Zakarin is the Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies

At the start of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, King Lear promises to divide his kingdom based on his daughters' professions of love, but portions it out before hearing all of their answers. For Nan Da, this opening scene sparks a reckoning between King Lear, one of the cruelest and most confounding stories in literature, and the tragedy of Maoist and post-Maoist China. Da, who emigrated from China to the United States as a child in the 1990s, brings Shakespeare's tragedy to life on its own terms, addressing the concerns it reflects over the transition from Elizabeth I to James I with a fearsome sense of what would soon come to pass. At the same time, she uses the play as a lens to revisit the world of Maoist China--what it did to people, and what it did to storytelling. Blending literary analysis and personal history, Da begins in her childhood during Deng Xiaoping's Opening and Reform, then moves back and forth between Lear and China. In The Chinese Tragedy of King Lear (Princeton University Press, 2025), the unfinished business of Maoism and other elements of Chinese thought and culture--from Confucianism to the spectacles of Peking Opera--help elucidate the choices Shakespeare made in constructing Lear and the unbearable confusions he left behind. Nan Z. Da is associate professor of English at Johns Hopkins University. Caleb Zakarin is the Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literary-studies

At the start of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, King Lear promises to divide his kingdom based on his daughters' professions of love, but portions it out before hearing all of their answers. For Nan Da, this opening scene sparks a reckoning between King Lear, one of the cruelest and most confounding stories in literature, and the tragedy of Maoist and post-Maoist China. Da, who emigrated from China to the United States as a child in the 1990s, brings Shakespeare's tragedy to life on its own terms, addressing the concerns it reflects over the transition from Elizabeth I to James I with a fearsome sense of what would soon come to pass. At the same time, she uses the play as a lens to revisit the world of Maoist China--what it did to people, and what it did to storytelling. Blending literary analysis and personal history, Da begins in her childhood during Deng Xiaoping's Opening and Reform, then moves back and forth between Lear and China. In The Chinese Tragedy of King Lear (Princeton University Press, 2025), the unfinished business of Maoism and other elements of Chinese thought and culture--from Confucianism to the spectacles of Peking Opera--help elucidate the choices Shakespeare made in constructing Lear and the unbearable confusions he left behind. Nan Z. Da is associate professor of English at Johns Hopkins University. Caleb Zakarin is the Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/performing-arts

At the start of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, King Lear promises to divide his kingdom based on his daughters' professions of love, but portions it out before hearing all of their answers. For Nan Da, this opening scene sparks a reckoning between King Lear, one of the cruelest and most confounding stories in literature, and the tragedy of Maoist and post-Maoist China. Da, who emigrated from China to the United States as a child in the 1990s, brings Shakespeare's tragedy to life on its own terms, addressing the concerns it reflects over the transition from Elizabeth I to James I with a fearsome sense of what would soon come to pass. At the same time, she uses the play as a lens to revisit the world of Maoist China--what it did to people, and what it did to storytelling. Blending literary analysis and personal history, Da begins in her childhood during Deng Xiaoping's Opening and Reform, then moves back and forth between Lear and China. In The Chinese Tragedy of King Lear (Princeton University Press, 2025), the unfinished business of Maoism and other elements of Chinese thought and culture--from Confucianism to the spectacles of Peking Opera--help elucidate the choices Shakespeare made in constructing Lear and the unbearable confusions he left behind. Nan Z. Da is associate professor of English at Johns Hopkins University. Caleb Zakarin is the Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/chinese-studies

At the start of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, King Lear promises to divide his kingdom based on his daughters' professions of love, but portions it out before hearing all of their answers. For Nan Da, this opening scene sparks a reckoning between King Lear, one of the cruelest and most confounding stories in literature, and the tragedy of Maoist and post-Maoist China. Da, who emigrated from China to the United States as a child in the 1990s, brings Shakespeare's tragedy to life on its own terms, addressing the concerns it reflects over the transition from Elizabeth I to James I with a fearsome sense of what would soon come to pass. At the same time, she uses the play as a lens to revisit the world of Maoist China--what it did to people, and what it did to storytelling. Blending literary analysis and personal history, Da begins in her childhood during Deng Xiaoping's Opening and Reform, then moves back and forth between Lear and China. In The Chinese Tragedy of King Lear (Princeton University Press, 2025), the unfinished business of Maoism and other elements of Chinese thought and culture--from Confucianism to the spectacles of Peking Opera--help elucidate the choices Shakespeare made in constructing Lear and the unbearable confusions he left behind. Nan Z. Da is associate professor of English at Johns Hopkins University. Caleb Zakarin is the Editor of the New Books Network.

What does “Daoism” refer to in a range of contexts, and how have excavated texts changed our understanding of the tensions between Daoism and Confucianism?

My guest for Episode #529 of the Lean Blog Interviews Podcast is Scott Gauvin, CEO of Macresco and co-creator of the Respect for People Roadmap. Episode page with video, transcript, and more With 30 years of experience leading operational transformations across sectors including biotech, pharma, agriculture, and manufacturing, Scott brings both a systems mindset and a people-first philosophy to his work. His journey into Lean began with frustration over leadership that blamed people rather than fixing systems—sparking a personal quest to better integrate continuous improvement with what he calls the “practice” of respect for people. In this episode, Scott shares the evolution of his thinking and how it culminated in the Respect for People Roadmap, a structured learning experience designed to operationalize cultural change through nine actionable behaviors. We explore the difference between “respecting people” as an individual action and “respect for people” as a system-level design principle. Scott also challenges the common notion that respect must be earned, arguing instead that every human being is inherently worthy of it—an idea rooted in his research on Confucian influences within Toyota's founding culture. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone struggling to move beyond Lean tools and truly build a culture of continuous improvement grounded in human dignity. We also touch on how these ideas align with the Shingo Model, why so many transformations fail to stick, and how organizations can design systems that scale respect—without waiting for permission from the top. Check the links below to learn more and access Scott's free “test drive” version of the Roadmap. Questions, Notes, and Highlights: What's your origin story with Lean and operational excellence? What drew you to explore the “respect for people” pillar more deeply? How do you distinguish between “respect for people” and “respecting people”? Why do so many interpretations of “respect” default to hierarchy or politeness? How should leaders approach differences in how individuals define respect? Is it a mistake to assume respect must be earned rather than given? What are your thoughts on the phrase “better to be respected than liked”? How do challenge, kaizen, and respect interrelate in Toyota thinking? What did your research uncover about Confucianism's influence on Lean? How does the concept of “respect for people” show up in system design? What inspired the creation of the Respect for People Roadmap? What are the three key behavioral principles embedded in the Roadmap? What makes this program scalable and sustainable across organizations? Why was it important that the nine behaviors require no leader permission? How do you respond to the idea that “respect for people” should be translated as “respect for humanity”? Are you looking to pilot the Roadmap in healthcare settings? What would transformation look like if it were truly resilient—not dependent on a single leader This podcast is part of the #LeanCommunicators network. 

Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea (1392-1910) (Cambria Press, 2023) is a fascinating book that sits at the intersection of Buddhist studies and premodern Korean literary history. Gregory N. Evon's book unfolds in two parts: the first charts the history of the place, position, and status of Buddhism in Chosŏn Korea, charting how Buddhism went from being outright attacked to grudgingly tolerated. The second part looks at how this background and court intrigue led the Chosŏn official Kim Manjung 金萬重 (1637–1692) — someone typically thought of as a stalwart Neo-Confucian — to find value in Buddhism, so much so that he wove into his novel Lady Sa's Journey to the South (Sassi namjŏng-gi 謝氏南征記) the idea that Buddhism might even hold the key to save Confucianism. Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea should be of interest to those interested in the history of Buddhism, Chosŏn Korea, and premodern literature. It should particularly appeal to readers who might be more familiar with Kim Manjung's more well-known work, A Nine Cloud Dream (Kuunmong 九雲夢). For such readers in particular, this book offers a new and more complex way to think about this author — and the place of Buddhism in early modern Korea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea (1392-1910) (Cambria Press, 2023) is a fascinating book that sits at the intersection of Buddhist studies and premodern Korean literary history. Gregory N. Evon's book unfolds in two parts: the first charts the history of the place, position, and status of Buddhism in Chosŏn Korea, charting how Buddhism went from being outright attacked to grudgingly tolerated. The second part looks at how this background and court intrigue led the Chosŏn official Kim Manjung 金萬重 (1637–1692) — someone typically thought of as a stalwart Neo-Confucian — to find value in Buddhism, so much so that he wove into his novel Lady Sa's Journey to the South (Sassi namjŏng-gi 謝氏南征記) the idea that Buddhism might even hold the key to save Confucianism. Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea should be of interest to those interested in the history of Buddhism, Chosŏn Korea, and premodern literature. It should particularly appeal to readers who might be more familiar with Kim Manjung's more well-known work, A Nine Cloud Dream (Kuunmong 九雲夢). For such readers in particular, this book offers a new and more complex way to think about this author — and the place of Buddhism in early modern Korea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies

Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea (1392-1910) (Cambria Press, 2023) is a fascinating book that sits at the intersection of Buddhist studies and premodern Korean literary history. Gregory N. Evon's book unfolds in two parts: the first charts the history of the place, position, and status of Buddhism in Chosŏn Korea, charting how Buddhism went from being outright attacked to grudgingly tolerated. The second part looks at how this background and court intrigue led the Chosŏn official Kim Manjung 金萬重 (1637–1692) — someone typically thought of as a stalwart Neo-Confucian — to find value in Buddhism, so much so that he wove into his novel Lady Sa's Journey to the South (Sassi namjŏng-gi 謝氏南征記) the idea that Buddhism might even hold the key to save Confucianism. Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea should be of interest to those interested in the history of Buddhism, Chosŏn Korea, and premodern literature. It should particularly appeal to readers who might be more familiar with Kim Manjung's more well-known work, A Nine Cloud Dream (Kuunmong 九雲夢). For such readers in particular, this book offers a new and more complex way to think about this author — and the place of Buddhism in early modern Korea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/buddhist-studies

Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea (1392-1910) (Cambria Press, 2023) is a fascinating book that sits at the intersection of Buddhist studies and premodern Korean literary history. Gregory N. Evon's book unfolds in two parts: the first charts the history of the place, position, and status of Buddhism in Chosŏn Korea, charting how Buddhism went from being outright attacked to grudgingly tolerated. The second part looks at how this background and court intrigue led the Chosŏn official Kim Manjung 金萬重 (1637–1692) — someone typically thought of as a stalwart Neo-Confucian — to find value in Buddhism, so much so that he wove into his novel Lady Sa's Journey to the South (Sassi namjŏng-gi 謝氏南征記) the idea that Buddhism might even hold the key to save Confucianism. Salvaging Buddhism to Save Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea should be of interest to those interested in the history of Buddhism, Chosŏn Korea, and premodern literature. It should particularly appeal to readers who might be more familiar with Kim Manjung's more well-known work, A Nine Cloud Dream (Kuunmong 九雲夢). For such readers in particular, this book offers a new and more complex way to think about this author — and the place of Buddhism in early modern Korea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

Regina Linke was born and raised in Texas, and she always enjoyed the creative arts, but she didn't learn traditional Chinese painting until after moving with her young family to Taiwan in her mid-thirties. Holding management degrees from Washington University in St. Louis and Cornell University, she worked in marketing technology and information systems for the travel and tourism industry. Now, however, she creates and illustrates stories that celebrate East Asian folklore and philosophy in an accessible way. Her most notable creations are the characters from The Oxherd Boy, a single-panel, webcomic that started on Instagram. A young boy, his family ox, and a rabbit living in his garden convey the three core schools of Classical Chinese thought: Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. The best-selling collection of these inspirational pieces called THE OXHERD BOY: Parables of Love, Compassion, and Community released in 2024, and was followed in 2025 by its first original story for children called Big Enough. A second picture book, Little Helper expanding on this world is slated for release in Summer 2026. Here's a link for behind the scenes of her painting: https://oxherdboy.org/pages/digital-painting And here's a link if you'd like to purchase "Big Enough": https://oxherdboy.org/pages/big-enough  

The Doctrine of the Mean (Chinese: 中庸, Pinyin: Zhōngyōng, Korean: 중용, Japanese: 中庸, Vietnamese: Trung Dung) is also one of the Four Books (四書) of Confucianism. It consists of 33 chapters attributed to Zisi (子思), the only grandson of Confucius, with interspersed notes by Zhu Xi. Zhu Xi's master, Cheng Yi, says, "Being without inclination to either side is called Zhong; admitting of no change is called Yong. By Zhong is denoted the correct course to be pursued by all under heaven; by Yong is denoted the fixed principle regulating all under heaven. This work contains the law of the mind, which was handed down from one to another, in the Confucian school, till Zisi, fearing lest in the course of time errors should arise about it, committed it to writing, and delivered it to Mencius. The book first speaks of one principle; it next spreads this out, and embraces all things; finally, it returns and gathers them all up under the one principle. Unroll it, and it fills the universe; roll it up, and it retires and lies hid in mysteriousness. The relish of it is inexhaustible. The whole of it is solid learning. When the skillful reader has explored it with delight till he has apprehended it, he may carry it into practice all his life, and will find that it cannot be exhausted." Scottish translator James Legge was a Hong Kong missionary, Nonconformist pastor of the English Union Church, and the first professor of Chinese studies at Oxford University. Cover: Queen Mother of the West Visits Confucius by cartoonist Robin Bougie (2025), released by him into the public domain.

Dr. Adam Francisco, author, “One God, Many Gods” One God, Many Gods The post Christianity and Other World Religions: Confucianism, Daoism, Shinto and Sikhism – Dr. Adam Francisco, 6/2/25 (1532, Encore) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

Mencius (c. 371–289 BC) was a prominent Confucian philosopher known as the “Second Sage” after Confucius. He emphasized the innate goodness of human nature, advocating for humane governance, moral cultivation, and the welfare of citizens. His teachings greatly influenced Confucianism and later Neo-Confucian thought.

An interview on the contrasting views of Mohists and Confucians on ethical duties and warfare.

We would love to pray for you! Please send us your request here:https://joniandfriends.org/contact-us/?department=Radio --------Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible. Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org. Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

In our final episode on classical Confucianism, our interview guest tells us about the surprising moral depth of the concept of "etiquette"

Breaking free from cause-and-effect and the formal ideas of Confucianism, Alan Watts describes mutual arising as the key idea of the Tao.Today's episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/alan and get on your way to being your best self.This time on Being in the Way, Alan Watts describes:Chinese philosophies of Taoism and ConfucianismOur roles in social life and Confucianism as the way for people involved in the worldTaoism as the way for those who do not prescribe to formal patternsHow the Taoist goes with nature rather than against natureIdeologies of God as a ruler or a lord versus the Taoist perspectiveExperiences in terms of their polar experience (loud vs. soft)Mutual arising as they key idea of the TaoMan as being within nature rather than dominating itHow Taoism gets rid of karma without challenging itThe Chinese philosophy of timeSensing the flow of the present and flow of the TaoThis series is brought to you by the Alan Watts Organization and Ram Dass' Love Serve Remember Foundation. Visit Alanwatts.org for full talks from Alan Watts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Can classical Confucianism be redeemed from its reputation for rigidly hierarchical thinking when it comes to the relationship between men and women?

Dr. Adam Francisco, author, “One God, Many Gods” One God, Many Gods The post Christianity and Other World Religions: Confucianism, Daoism, Shinto and Sikhism – Dr. Adam Francisco, 12/9/24 (3442) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

His name is now a term that means traitor. That's because after two decades of working for the Norwegian government in various roles, he collaborated with Hitler and the Nazi party, welcomed the German occupation of his country. Research: “Biddle Tells Quisling His Power Wanes.” The Herald Press. April 1, 1943. https://www.newspapers.com/image/363504037/?match=1&terms=vidkun%20quisling Boszhardt, Alianna. “The Making of a Norwegian Traitor, Part one of four.” The Norwegian American. March 20, 2018. https://www.norwegianamerican.com/the-making-of-a-norwegian-traitor/ Boszhardt, Alianna. “The Making of a Norwegian Traitor, Part two of four.” The Norwegian American. April 3, 2018. https://www.norwegianamerican.com/the-making-of-a-norwegian-traitor-2/ Boszhardt, Alianna. “The Making of a Norwegian Traitor, Part three of four.” The Norwegian American. April 17, 2018. https://www.norwegianamerican.com/the-making-of-a-norwegian-traitor-3/ Boszhardt, Alianna. “The Making of a Norwegian Traitor, Part four of four.” The Norwegian American. May 1, 2018. https://www.norwegianamerican.com/the-making-of-a-norwegian-traitor-4/ Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Vidkun Quisling". Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Jul. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vidkun-Abraham-Lauritz-Jonsson-Quisling Dahl, Hans Fredrik, and Anne-Marie Stanton-Ife, translator. “Quisling: A Study in Treachery.” Cambridge University Press. 1999. Groot, J.J.M. de. “Religion in China: Universism, a key to the study of Taoism and Confucianism.” New York. Putnam. 1912. https://archive.org/details/religioninchina00groouoft/page/n13/mode/2up Hope, Michael. “Whitewashing a Puppet.” The Bolton News. April 15, 1965. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1052599254/?match=1&terms=quisling Hoyt, Harlowe R. “Gave Treason Another Name.” The Plain Dealer. October 13, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1059633943/?match=1&terms=vidkun%20quisling Jewish Doctor Testifies Today at Quisling Trial.” Macon Chronicle-Herald. Aug. 23, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/81226988/?match=1&terms=quisling%20trial “Judge Irked by Quisling During Trial.” The Salem News. Aug. 21, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/84879107/?match=1&terms=quisling%20trial LoBello, Nina. “Mrs. Traitor's House.” The Courier-Journal. July 6, 1965. https://www.newspapers.com/image/109140240/?match=1&terms=quisling “Praise for Quisling Called False History.” Ottowa Citizen. July 10, 1965. https://www.newspapers.com/image/459202980/?match=1&terms=quisling%20trial “Quisling Denies Having Norwegian Leader Murdered.” Belleville Daily Advocate. Aug. 22, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/768360537/?match=1&terms=quisling%20trial “Quisling Grows Hysterical; Letters Tell of Treachery.” The Sentinel of Winston-Salem. August 22, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/933856899/?match=1&terms=quisling%20trial “Quisling Hysterical at Trial for Treason.” Globe-Gazette. Aug, 22, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/391322402/?match=1&terms=quisling%20trial “Quisling Is as Quisling Does.” Winnipeg Tribune. May 14, 1940. https://www.newspapers.com/image/37529988/?match=1&terms=%22Quisling%20is%20as%20Quisling%20Does%22 “Quisling Sobs Denial of Murder Charge.” St. Cloud Times. Aug. 22, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/222063849/ Quisling's Trial Begins; State Charges Treason.” The Dayton Herald. Aug. 20, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/392367670/?match=1&terms=quisling%20trial “Read German Document at Quisling Trial.” The Bee. August 21, 1945. https://www.newspapers.com/image/962372254/?match=1&terms=quisling%20trial Ueland, Brenda. “Brenda Ueland Sees Ruge, Norway's Hero, at Trial of Quisling.” Minneapolis Daily Times. Aug. 29. https://www.newspapers.com/image/813998739/?match=1&terms=quisling%20trial “Vidkun Quisling.” Holocaust Encyclopedia. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/vidkun-quisling-1 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.