tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19108210.post113513546687133266..comments2023-07-22T06:42:24.121-04:00Comments on One foot in front of the other: Paving stones on the path to hellMichaelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15133620064728357184noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19108210.post-1135378047034953262005-12-23T17:47:00.000-05:002005-12-23T17:47:00.000-05:00Hi Lone Wolf and RNI,Lone Wolf, yes, Toshiyo is an...Hi Lone Wolf and RNI,<BR/><BR/>Lone Wolf, yes, Toshiyo is an amazing woman. My life is that much better for knowing her. She is gradually losing her eyesight, yet the way she accepts this reality with such poise and grace is an inspiration to me.<BR/><BR/>RNI, thank you so much for the kind words! I'm grateful and humbled.<BR/>Yes, it seems unnecessary to have one's feelings and interpretations "validated" by external means. To share these feelings and observations, yes; to be open to having them criticized in a constructive way, definitely.<BR/>But to give them more weight because they have some sort of seal of approval, why?<BR/>I remember that when I was preparing for jukai (a process I never completed) with the Zen sangha to which I once belonged, the teacher said that going through the ceremony of receiving the precepts and being given a kaimyo (Buddhist name) and wearing a rakusu was a public affirmation that one was making a vow to live in a Buddhist way. Having made one's intentions publicly known is a way to reinforce that decision on the part of the precepts receiver.<BR/>But I don't think the ceremony would have made me any more or less sincere. Sure, if I had gone through with it I probably would've been on my best behavior for a while, but I don't think I would've been somehow protected against backsliding.<BR/>For me, the bottom line is that I don't need a new name and wardrobe to follow a path. And, if I break a vow to walk that path, I'll still have myself to live with, even if I no longer see the members of the sangha.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15133620064728357184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19108210.post-1135321234251509032005-12-23T02:00:00.000-05:002005-12-23T02:00:00.000-05:00Thanks for sharing this story Michael. Toshiyo see...Thanks for sharing this story Michael. Toshiyo seems very selfless and compassionate but with Strength and Wisdom. <BR/><BR/>I have been also enjoying more of your photos.Lone Wolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07739255494988270462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19108210.post-1135314923571578022005-12-23T00:15:00.000-05:002005-12-23T00:15:00.000-05:00Hi Ali,Yes, kindness is a matter of perspective.Hi Ali,<BR/><BR/>Yes, kindness is a matter of perspective.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15133620064728357184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19108210.post-1135301609052777282005-12-22T20:33:00.000-05:002005-12-22T20:33:00.000-05:00I am so happy to have your words to travel to... ...I am so happy to have your words to travel to... this story touched me as it did so many others... <BR/><BR/>Today, as I let an extra car in line and the person behind me honked, I became somewhat annoyed... I was being kind! BUT, not so kind to the hurried person (and perhaps with good reason) behind me I fear!Mommy and Addiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00266969068785941468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19108210.post-1135222118376554602005-12-21T22:28:00.000-05:002005-12-21T22:28:00.000-05:00Hi Greenbean,Yes, and it's not just the elderly ha...Hi Greenbean,<BR/><BR/>Yes, and it's not just the elderly handicapped who are shunned. Younger people with disabilities are discriminated against routinely, and are often put in special classes for handicapped students (even though nothing is wrong with their intellect) rather than being mainstreamed. I'm sure the Japanese have a rationale for this, though I can't imagine what it would be.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Hello Anu,<BR/><BR/>Indeed, I often think that the title "Zen master" is just a formality that many true masters decide not to apply for, so to speak.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15133620064728357184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19108210.post-1135179532442134742005-12-21T10:38:00.000-05:002005-12-21T10:38:00.000-05:00Hello Ifje,Very nice to hear from you!I never saw ...Hello Ifje,<BR/><BR/>Very nice to hear from you!<BR/>I never saw a retirement home while I lived in Japan, but I lived in a rural area where social values were more conservative than in the big cities.<BR/>Typically, elderly parents live with their children, or close by. And child day-care, at least where I lived, is nearly non-existent; that's what grandparents are for.<BR/><BR/>I noticed a different attitude, however, toward the mentally ill and physically handicapped. I did volunteer work at a home for people with severe handicaps, mostly physical. Some of these physical handicaps also affected mental capacity.<BR/>In Japan, shame still plays a significant role in society, and undoubtedly some of the people in this home were put there by relatives who couldn't bear the stigma. Of course, most were undoubtedly put there because their families were just overwhelmed by the level of care these people required and the expense involved.<BR/>Still, discrimination against these people is rather common, and once "filed away" in these homes, that's where they usually stay.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15133620064728357184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19108210.post-1135178931322188562005-12-21T10:28:00.000-05:002005-12-21T10:28:00.000-05:00Good morning, LB,Well, I call 'em like I see 'em, ...Good morning, LB,<BR/><BR/>Well, I call 'em like I see 'em, and my friend Toshiyo is one of a kind. She has a sister, too, and a niece who are equally lovely people. As for driving, Toshiyo used to ride a small motorcycle in her younger days.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15133620064728357184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19108210.post-1135178811927809502005-12-21T10:26:00.000-05:002005-12-21T10:26:00.000-05:00Thanks for your kind comments, Greenbean! Hope you...Thanks for your kind comments, Greenbean! Hope you're feeling well.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15133620064728357184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19108210.post-1135177496108251082005-12-21T10:04:00.000-05:002005-12-21T10:04:00.000-05:00Everyone needs a friend like you. Having a story l...Everyone needs a friend like you. Having a story like that written about you would really be an honor.<BR/><BR/>I have a good friend from Japan, myself. I adore her, but she keeps getting tickets for her bad driving!LBseahaghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05797945283850468976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19108210.post-1135163713504313142005-12-21T06:15:00.000-05:002005-12-21T06:15:00.000-05:00Seems like a very wise lady to me :)By the way, a ...Seems like a very wise lady to me :)<BR/><BR/>By the way, a small question: do they have retirement houses for old people in Japan? It thought/think that families still take care of their elderly, while we (in Western countries) dump them in such a house. I don't know if this has chanced recently in those Asian countries (since they started to live more Western)?<BR/><BR/>ifje from Belgium<BR/>(sorry for my unperfect English) :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com