- Apr 29 Sun 2007 16:52
-
[Poems] A List of Poems up to Now
- Apr 29 Sun 2007 12:52
-
[Book] Light on Life - Illuminate Yourself
By B.K.S. Iyengar
Light on Life is a book no yoga practitioners should ever miss out. The wise and more than experienced octogenarian shares with us his own stories and gives advice to his yogic readers. It is full of wisdom, yet just as enjoyable as any other book. The journey every yogi or yogini has to take may be long and difficult. This is when the book certainly comes in handy in helping to boost up one's spirituality.
I remember that first asana session after having begun the book. It was the most delightful session I think I have ever had in my entire yogic experience. The final resting asana was so profound that it took me a few minutes after to realize that I was back in the real world. Afterwards, i was physically light and spiritually unbound.
Then when I saw that the guru refers to himself only as a person who is 'close' to becoming a yogi, I realized that I, myself, did not deserve the title 'yogini'. I quickly changed all the profiles on the internet from 'yogini' to 'yogini becoming'.
Even if you have no experience and do not intend to begin your yogic experience, you may still find the book more valuable than it seems. After all, the man has lived a longer life than a lot of us. Surely anybody can learn something from him.
Light on Life is a book no yoga practitioners should ever miss out. The wise and more than experienced octogenarian shares with us his own stories and gives advice to his yogic readers. It is full of wisdom, yet just as enjoyable as any other book. The journey every yogi or yogini has to take may be long and difficult. This is when the book certainly comes in handy in helping to boost up one's spirituality.
I remember that first asana session after having begun the book. It was the most delightful session I think I have ever had in my entire yogic experience. The final resting asana was so profound that it took me a few minutes after to realize that I was back in the real world. Afterwards, i was physically light and spiritually unbound.
Then when I saw that the guru refers to himself only as a person who is 'close' to becoming a yogi, I realized that I, myself, did not deserve the title 'yogini'. I quickly changed all the profiles on the internet from 'yogini' to 'yogini becoming'.
Even if you have no experience and do not intend to begin your yogic experience, you may still find the book more valuable than it seems. After all, the man has lived a longer life than a lot of us. Surely anybody can learn something from him.
- Apr 25 Wed 2007 23:37
-
[Books] A List of Old Reviews
Here is a list of the earlier book reviews. Click on the title of the book to read the review posted on my old blog.
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
Mrs.Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
Mrs.Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
- Apr 14 Sat 2007 01:19
-
【留學】Unconditional Offer
前兩個禮拜就收到系上寄來的通知說願意接收我。不過我卻為了信裡頭一的一行字搞昏了頭！信上請我以書寫方式確認是否要接受這個offer。寄了兩三封email去確認說這個到底要怎麼辦後，終於寫了一封簡短的信告知他們我願意接受他們的offer。結果今天卻意外的來了一份大驚喜！
Offer Pack
這文件袋裡大部分都是介紹校園啦、城市等的相關資料。其中我卻看到了一份表格，請我填完寄回去。這表格是幹嘛的？就是confirmation用的～昏倒！結果我email寄來寄去，又打了一封信根本就是白忙了一場。
Pack 內容
馬上就來研究看看有些什麼東西。現在全世界都走在科技的前端。竟然還附上一片關於學校的影片！真是有趣。
不過對我來說，這些東西都不是最重要的喔！
Unconditional Offer
這個盼了十年才等到的unconditional offer才是這整個package的重點！
另外還有個小小的驚喜：
Scholarship Application Form
其實上次跟Jenny碰面他就跟我提過了。說我有資格申請。但親眼看到申請表格就在眼前，還是給他高興了一下。不過我也不想高興的太早。因為只是『有資格』，還不代表一定會有獎學金。
我三月初才在跟Jason說，如果這offer letter能在我生日那天寄到，那就太神奇了！那就會是最好的生日禮物。
回頭看看那offer letter上的日期，不正是我生日前一天？
這份遲來的生日禮物，我盼了十年才等到的offer letter，我喜極而泣的告訴自己：
Your Dream Has Come True!
- Mar 27 Tue 2007 23:40
-
【公告】初步計畫
- Mar 16 Fri 2007 23:56
-
[LDB] Reading List
- Mar 14 Wed 2007 12:10
-
[LDB] Wordsworth and Lao-tzu
William Wordsworth and Lao-tzu:
the Similarities between a Philosophical Poet and a Poetic Philosopher
[NO PART of this essay may be reproduced or cited without the prior consent of its author! ]
At first glance, the ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao-tzu may seem completely unrelated to the Poet Laureate of the nineteenth century, William Wordsworth. However, similarities can be found, through meticulous scrutiny of the teachings and the work of Lao-tzu and the poetry and ideals of the Romantic poet Wordsworth. Their likenesses lie in their poetic creativity, their wisdom, and the ideas which they wished to promulgate.
At around three hundred B.C., a man by the name of Li Erh [李耳] wrote a book that set the foundation of the Chinese Taoist philosophy called Tao-te Ching[道德經]. Li Erh was also known as Lao-tzu[老子]. He based his teachings on the simplicity of life and the harmony between man and the natural world. The word ‘tao’ means ‘the way’. In Lao-tzu’s perspective, it is the ultimate reality: it is empty, yet it paradoxically contains ‘ten thousand things’ [萬物], which refers to all material existence in the universe. The concept of ‘tao’ is so deep, that even Lao-tzu confessed to not having come to a complete understanding of it. For the purpose of this essay, this ‘ultimate reality’ shall be referred to as ‘the way’. The ‘te’ deals with the concept virtue, i.e. the morality of man. The ‘te’ aspect demonstrates his concern for social and political matters. The Tao-te Ching was written in eighty-one chapters in poetic forms, and it is mainly through this essential Taoist text that the similarities between this Chinese sage and the Romantic bard shall be drawn.
‘Taoism’, according to Signet’s Reader’s Companion to World Literature, “stands for spiritual freedom, naturalism, simplicity”. Lao-tzu, being the founder of Taoism, no doubt followed this motto and effortlessly lived the kind of life that consisted of the above-mentioned elements. Similarly, Wordsworth is known in the literary world as the ‘Prophet of Nature’ and had comparable ideas that he wished to spread amongst his readers.
The ‘Nature Prophet’ glorified the natural world, and saw it as supreme. Most of his poems were written using imagery of the natural world, and he himself has stated that nature is ‘the guard, the guardian of my heart and soul’. [Gill] He perceived the power of nature, understood and appreciated its beauty, and reconciled with it. He mourned when he realized “the things which I have seen I now can see no more”.
Since the Tao-te Ching was constructed poetically, it can be enjoyed simply as poetry. At the same time, it can also be regarded as a masterpiece of philosophy. Simliarly, Wordsworth weaves his philosophy into his poetry. Both, then, offer more than merely one or the other. As Gill points out in his essay ‘Wordsworth as a Philosopher’, the poet wished to depict the relationship between man and the natural world, and to illustrate the relationship of nature to the development of morality. This is very similar to how Lao-tzu uses natural objects, such as trees, flowers, and rivers to communicate his ideas. In chapter thirty-two of his Tao-te Ching, he says, “The Way’s presence in the world/Is like the relationship of small valley steams to rivers and seas.” These subjects, taken from nature, are used to help his followers to gain a better understanding of abstract concepts and ideas. The difference between the philosopher and the bard is this: Wordsworth claims these objects of nature to be something beyond our understanding as human beings, while Lao-tzu, instead of glorifying nature, uses it as a tool that allows the grasp of deeper ideas. The lines “The sunshine is a glorious birth/Yet I know/Where’ver I go/ There hath past a glory from the earth” illustrates something natural, yet the poet goes beyond that, and embellishes and glorifies even the most common things which we see every day.
The poetic form of the Tao-te Ching is symmetric, and miraculously remains just as beautiful even after translation. Without even understanding the language, one can perceive its uniformity by the alignment of the characters and the placing of the different punctuation marks. Nonetheless, the philosophy that lies behind these poetic verses is deep beyond its simple surface appearance.
the Similarities between a Philosophical Poet and a Poetic Philosopher
[NO PART of this essay may be reproduced or cited without the prior consent of its author! ]
At first glance, the ancient Chinese philosopher, Lao-tzu may seem completely unrelated to the Poet Laureate of the nineteenth century, William Wordsworth. However, similarities can be found, through meticulous scrutiny of the teachings and the work of Lao-tzu and the poetry and ideals of the Romantic poet Wordsworth. Their likenesses lie in their poetic creativity, their wisdom, and the ideas which they wished to promulgate.
At around three hundred B.C., a man by the name of Li Erh [李耳] wrote a book that set the foundation of the Chinese Taoist philosophy called Tao-te Ching[道德經]. Li Erh was also known as Lao-tzu[老子]. He based his teachings on the simplicity of life and the harmony between man and the natural world. The word ‘tao’ means ‘the way’. In Lao-tzu’s perspective, it is the ultimate reality: it is empty, yet it paradoxically contains ‘ten thousand things’ [萬物], which refers to all material existence in the universe. The concept of ‘tao’ is so deep, that even Lao-tzu confessed to not having come to a complete understanding of it. For the purpose of this essay, this ‘ultimate reality’ shall be referred to as ‘the way’. The ‘te’ deals with the concept virtue, i.e. the morality of man. The ‘te’ aspect demonstrates his concern for social and political matters. The Tao-te Ching was written in eighty-one chapters in poetic forms, and it is mainly through this essential Taoist text that the similarities between this Chinese sage and the Romantic bard shall be drawn.
‘Taoism’, according to Signet’s Reader’s Companion to World Literature, “stands for spiritual freedom, naturalism, simplicity”. Lao-tzu, being the founder of Taoism, no doubt followed this motto and effortlessly lived the kind of life that consisted of the above-mentioned elements. Similarly, Wordsworth is known in the literary world as the ‘Prophet of Nature’ and had comparable ideas that he wished to spread amongst his readers.
The ‘Nature Prophet’ glorified the natural world, and saw it as supreme. Most of his poems were written using imagery of the natural world, and he himself has stated that nature is ‘the guard, the guardian of my heart and soul’. [Gill] He perceived the power of nature, understood and appreciated its beauty, and reconciled with it. He mourned when he realized “the things which I have seen I now can see no more”.
Since the Tao-te Ching was constructed poetically, it can be enjoyed simply as poetry. At the same time, it can also be regarded as a masterpiece of philosophy. Simliarly, Wordsworth weaves his philosophy into his poetry. Both, then, offer more than merely one or the other. As Gill points out in his essay ‘Wordsworth as a Philosopher’, the poet wished to depict the relationship between man and the natural world, and to illustrate the relationship of nature to the development of morality. This is very similar to how Lao-tzu uses natural objects, such as trees, flowers, and rivers to communicate his ideas. In chapter thirty-two of his Tao-te Ching, he says, “The Way’s presence in the world/Is like the relationship of small valley steams to rivers and seas.” These subjects, taken from nature, are used to help his followers to gain a better understanding of abstract concepts and ideas. The difference between the philosopher and the bard is this: Wordsworth claims these objects of nature to be something beyond our understanding as human beings, while Lao-tzu, instead of glorifying nature, uses it as a tool that allows the grasp of deeper ideas. The lines “The sunshine is a glorious birth/Yet I know/Where’ver I go/ There hath past a glory from the earth” illustrates something natural, yet the poet goes beyond that, and embellishes and glorifies even the most common things which we see every day.
The poetic form of the Tao-te Ching is symmetric, and miraculously remains just as beautiful even after translation. Without even understanding the language, one can perceive its uniformity by the alignment of the characters and the placing of the different punctuation marks. Nonetheless, the philosophy that lies behind these poetic verses is deep beyond its simple surface appearance.
- Feb 15 Thu 2007 22:30
-
【資訊】2007英國大學排行
1 Oxford
2 Cambridge
3 Imperial College
4 London School of Economics
5 University College London
2 Cambridge
3 Imperial College
4 London School of Economics
5 University College London
