TheParableoftheSadhu- assignment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

TheParableoftheSadhu- assignment - Coursework Example But this is just one side of the interpretation, for the various other key factors also have to be considered. (1) All the members of the group were fully exhausted and still had to cover a fair amount of distance, at such a high altitude. Had they decided in favor of taking the sadhu along with them, their progress on that treacherous snowy path would have been hindered. Their very lives would have then been endangered. Perhaps, the most vital factor, based on which, the group’s decision cannot be totally termed as being an unethical one is attributable to a key fact. Both McCoy and Stephen were vulnerable to altitude sickness, and in fact, the former already started to feel some of the symptoms, by the time the sadhu came into the picture. Overall, it (the decision) can be rated to be an intense dilemma related to ethical choice. (1) Owing to the decision of deserting the sadhu, the group went on to promptly finish their trek with minimal hassles. But that is just one side o f the coin, and there indeed was something that can be described as a kind of loss, for the group. All of them would have surely been bogged down by guilty feeling. As a matter of fact, McCoy himself admitted that the approach adopted towards the sadhu went on to prick his conscience, for a very long time.

Write a proposal up to 4,000 words in length to start a business of Assignment

Write a proposal up to 4,000 words in length to start a business of your choice - Assignment Example The business will be located along the busy Oxford Street on the western end of London city. The location has been found to be favorable for the business because it is very busy and is frequented by visitors including tourists drawn from all over the world. London city has also been found to be the best for this type of business because it is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.K., and presently has a population of over 8 million people according to the latest population census. The number is also projected to grow in the near future thereby favoring a coffee industry. The premises where the business is to be located has been acquired by owners through a ten-year lease but with the possibility of extension. The analysis of the location established that the business major competitor is found half a mile way. However, the owners intend to provide quality prepared products, services, and fair prices in order to build customer loyalty and compete favorably in the industry. London Coffee will strive to establish a peculiar and comfortable place where its customers can freely meet and socialize as they enjoy the best-prepared coffee in London. The environment will be established in a manner that promotes relaxation by ensuring that the rooms are well equipped with soft music plays at the background, as well as rooms fitted with television where customers can watch their preferred programs as they socialize. In addition, the restaurant through its teams of experts will ensure that customers receive the best customer experience and products of high quality. The owners also understand that the key to better performance lies on satisfaction level of its employees and other stakeholders. In this regard, London Coffee intends to invest significant part of its profits in areas that improves satisfaction of its workers. London Coffee also intends to ensure that the environment is adequately protected and concerned through its

Aristotles How To Live Your Life Philosophy Essay

Aristotles How To Live Your Life Philosophy Essay Aristotle, was born in Macedonia in 384 BC. Aristotles father, whose name is Nicomachus, was a court physician. When Nicomachus died, Aristotle had a heritage from his father and according to ancient sources, he spent it in a very short time. Thereafter, he attended the Platos Academy in Athens when he was 17. At the beginning, Aristotle agreed with Platos doctrine. In the process of time when he found a contradiction in Platos doctrine, he had argued with Plato. In other words, Aristotle had opposed to Platos doctrine. On the other hand, Aristotle was the first person who had his own special library. Aristotles book which is Nicomachean Ethics, touch on two basic points. What is the best life for a man to lead? What is the standard of moral virtue? Every art and every inquiry, and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought to aim at some good; and for this reason the good has rightly been declared to be that at which all things aim. These words of Aristotles from the Nicomachean Ethics, clearly explain that, as a human being, we can not live without any goals. All human activities have some purposes which aim to get something good for human being. Good is the aim of all inquiry and actions. Furthermore, every action has a purpose which are the meaning of the real and complete life and this purpose is the goodness. So the biggest goodness and our lifes last aim is to reach at point eudomania which means happiness in a very wide meaning in all parts of life. To reach the highest point of eudomania we have to be virtuous and always aim goodness in our complete life. I believe that as Aristotle has mentioned: Since happiness is an activity of soul in accordance with perfect virtue, we must consider the nature of virtue; for perhaps we shall thus see better the nature of happiness. Human good is the soul s action with virtue and I think that Aristotle has added purposely the word complete life because there are people who live their life without thinking and only pass the days to expand their life. But in a complete life, human being is in acknowledgement of his or her life and he or she does not focus only on one perspective of his or her life. Life has different kinds of parts to live and to reach the highest end of that parts. After living the life properly, the person will be satisfied and can reach to goodness on every single part. But it is obvious that person will not reach goodness with same level on each part. Some will be stronger than the other, but the essential point is human being must be satisfied and reach to goodness not only on one point but also in each point of life. Because human being s last and the most important aim is to reach to eudomania. Eudomania has a wider meaning then the happiness. That is the reason that the human must be reach ed to goodness on every part. For instance, he must have enough money, success, love, respect, health, etc.. All of them and more. Being reached to eudomania points means human must be satisfied physically, psychologically and mentally all in one time. For instance, a person is healthy and rich but he hasnt got any respect from other people. Is it possible to say that he has reached to eudomania or even to happiness? Its not. Or is it possible to think a person is happy who has got a lot of money, respect, and love without health? Obviously not. The reason is that as Aristotle has mentioned, the person must be satisfied totally. That is the reason of why Aristotle has added the term complete life. Additionally, related to this, other comment of this term can be explained by the reality that people must aim goodness and act virtuously not only in one area but also in all parts of thier lives. On the other hand, there are some people who live their life spending the days without planning with any kind of aim. What will be the meaning of life? Why we were born ? Why are we living or dying? The answer would be for nothing. This is a starting point of chaos. At this point, a person cannot find the reality of life and if the life has no meaning and no aim, a person can not live a complete life virtuously. Besides, the goodness is not the basis of each action, so why people should not harm to each other or not commit a murder. To aiming the goodness is the biggest educator of the community life. As I mentioned above, getting the highest ending is the terminal stage of the real life which should be lived virtuously for understanding the meaning of it or there are people who believes that money and respect can worth everything. Without health, how can people be happy? As a result, there are the reasons why I agree with Aristotle that human being must be aimed at goodness by being virtuous and the essential point is to having goal goodness in all parts of life. Its very important to think about a complete life because if only one part could be excellent while others couldnt it has no meaning. Human being have to be satisfied with himself or herself in all parts of his or her life.

Five Different Types of Knowledge That I Nurse Can Use to Care for Pati

The nurse, Allison, in the case study used a wide variety of knowledge in order to best care for her patients in a holistic approach. In this section, five different types of knowledge will be discussed and explained how Allison used each type to nurse her patients. Carper, Van der Zalm, Bergum and Wolfer described empirical knowledge as â€Å"the knowledge we consider to be â€Å"fact,† such as what we read in textbooks, or what has been demonstrated through research† (as cited in Bungay, 2005). Allison consistently applied empirical knowledge throughout the beginning of her shift. A few examples of when empirical knowledge was applied in her nursing included listening to report and gathering all the information on the patients in order to determine her priorities of care. Explaining the benefits of a nicotine patch to Mr. Nelson as well as when she determined Mr. Nelsons oxygen supply and demand was adequate due to her assessment of the cardiac monitors, his work of breath and by observing the colour of his skin. Another type of knowledge that Allison used in her patient care was ethical knowledge. Van der Zalm and Bergum determined that â€Å"ethical knowledge represents knowledge that supports us to choose and be responsible for the right action in a situation† (as cited in Bungay, 2005). An examples of when Allison used ethical knowledge in her care was when she made the ethical decision on which patient she should visit first, that being Mrs. Johnson. This is an example of ethical knowledge because since Mrs. Johnson was the newest admit, and had had a cardioversion forty-five minutes prior, she was the most unstable patient of Allison’s. Had Allison made the choice to assess her other patient’s first it would have not been the re... ...to her about how they were feeling regarding their hospitalization. Finally, the effects of the immediate environment play a role in the interactions between a nurse and then patient. Being in the hospital, there are many foreign sounds such as call bell and codes going on all the time. Although Allison may have use to the loud noises on the ward, for the patients, this is new to them. This could have played a factor in Mr. Nelson’s inability to sleep, which altered his mood. Being in a new environment, especially a hospital can be unnerving for patients taking them out of their comfort zones. References Bungay, V. (2005). Module 1 High Acuity Nursing Practice [PDF document]. J.L. Dehaan, 2012, (Ed.). British Columbia Institute of Technology, School of Health Sciences. Retrieved from https://learn.bcit.ca/d2l/le/content/188743/viewContent/1059245/View

Marginalized Indian women in Inner Courtyard Essay

Inner Courtyard is a large compilation of short stories which is basically based upon the female issues in particular subjugation under the patriarchal order. The stories are written by women about women hailing from all corners of India and Pakistan – Assam to Kerala and Pakistan to Bengal. With the title of the collection, it gives readers an apparent impression about women’s freedom radius is only the inner courtyard of house. So is in the Vedas, the Gita and other Hindu religious scriptures, women are posed as the beings of house, crossing the threshold of house is rigorously outlawed. Equality between sexes is beyond imagination. Education remained a dream for the women and the conception of human beings as morally and intellectually capable of being educated and civilized is refused, and the conviction of the moral and intellectual advancement of humankind would result in greater happiness for everybody is deliberately sidetracked. This and many more lifeblood threads are far stretched and inconsiderate with regard to women and their rights. The book introduces with the first story highlighting this very theme. The editor of the book Laxmi Holmstrom brings out a fabulous collection of short stories from very diverse walks of life dealing each of the stories with single theme of women being marginalized, harassed, humiliated – female discrimination. In this line, many stories are powerful on their own; most have some element that reflects on the position of the society. Male ascendancy is always at honour while female’s is at stake. There is a vast disparity between an Indian woman and that of the developed nations across the world. The female honour and rights rest upon the basics of respective nations’ culture, in this respect India as a nation of strong and prehistoric culture bound by the religious scriptures cited above abandon women lamenting every moment. Their identity is always subject to the male mercy than that of the natural human rights. They are left pondering over the negligible status in the Indian set up as in Revenge Herself; the Tatri; a Brahmin woman of lowest strata in Brahmin community in Kerala, mothers in Girls, Summer Vacation, My Beloved Charioteer and Her Mother or even Sakina of The Meeting. The First Party is also an analogous illustration which encounters the husband’s vanity being modern and wise person while his wife an odd one out in the party. The first story Revenge Herself by Lalitambika Antarjanam in the collection is a powerful tale of a fallen Nambudiri woman of the 19th century. Her name itself has become a synonym for shameful among the patriarchal Nambudiri. According to the Tatri traditional, such woman’s life is giving away herself to husband in everything without any self for herself. So does she, she marries a man whom she offers herself in order â€Å"to please him in his taste of sex with the same attention I have for his taste for food†. But one point of time, he disregards her for other women and leaves her. Further he even brings a prostitute into the house and asks to become like her, â€Å"If you could be like her, I might like you better†. This results in her rebellion to revenge against her husband. She leaves his house, sets out to become a whore, working hard to learn how to please a man and eventually becomes an admired courtesan and one day her husband visits her then she reveals herself as the same Tatri; his wife who he has expected to become like a whore. In this case who would Tatri have teamed up for executing her rebellion? Society has so trained its peers that it would be impossible for anyone to entertain even remotely the ideas that she puts into execution. Summer Vacation by Kamala Das is a sweet childhood story narrated by Muthassi (grandmother) whom she visits alone. Her father drops her off at the station of Muthassi’s place. Vaidehi Akku is a story of Akku; a husbandless daughter of the patriarchal family. She exposes herself wherever her beauty can be exhibited by wearing new saris and jewelry at weddings or whatever which seems like a social objection in terms of the cultural and conservative norms. The other major story of the book is Girls by Mrinal Pande it is about three sisters and their mother who is pregnant for the fourth time for a son. They go to her Nani’s (maternal grandmother) for having the baby while their father stays back. At the outset itself, the mother refrains with, â€Å"I hope it is a boy this time. It will relieve me of the nuisance of going through another pregnancy†. Even the Nani prays god for protecting her honour so that at the fourth time she would take a son back from her parents’ home. Taking the thread of Nani, neighbour comments that the last time her skin had a pinkish tinge, now it is yellow; it is sure to be a son. Another feature of the story shares the issue with marginalization in the family, this relates to the masi of the sisters. She complains about her endurance in the house and put to work as a dog so is duly responded by all women. In continuance of the first issue of gender discrimination, the following statement carries serious social consideration when their father assures that there is a bright star in the sky and they work hard they can become anything they want to just as Dhruva star, the author in the girl’s character asks, â€Å"But I can’t become a boy, can I? † This marks grave place in girls’/women’s hearts and pains for longer or perhaps lifelong. In case of the girl in the story, the girl rebels at the occasion of Ashtami (kanyakumari) puja calling the society if they do not love girls they should not pretend to worship them either. This story illustrates the scenario of a male dominating world and how female gender is subjugated. The opening introduces characters of the story. Despite the fact that how the story is set in a male dominating there is very little to mention of the male gender. The first sentence is bold and exasperated, desensitized mother who thinks that girls have no visage and always looks forward to the boys. Yellow Fish by Ambai – a simple two page story compares the torture a fish feeling on being tossed out of the sea to the anxiety of a woman’s feelings. The story shares any Indian woman’s feelings and her freedom of choice and life is at the patriarchal order. The next finest story of the collection is Ismat Chughtai’s Chauthi ka Jaura. The greatest mission of the Siddiqui in life is to provide a husband for the elder daughter Naseema who is not gifted in matters of health or features. She is frail and un-voluptuous and has a thin hair. When the daughter’s cousin comes to stay with them for some time as part of his professional training, it proves to be a godsend to them. They begin plotting to arrange the cousin’s interest in the elder daughter but instead, the younger and more daring daughter is sent as the messenger with the proposition. Due to this circumstantial misunderstanding, the cousin agrees to marry, but with the younger sister, without knowledge of the fact, the ladies of the house rejoice. The cousin can no longer control himself and grabs the younger girl. The elder daughter commits suicide at that. After some time, the ladies continue to stitch the Chautha ka Jaura while the younger daughter sits and looks at them without response and careless. Another beautiful story is the First Party by Attia Hossain which depicts in marvelous manner the conventional or orthodox women being put to stake at the cost of sophistication and modern life traits. The woman in the story is just married and taken to a modern party to be introduced wherein all sophisticated people gather and enjoy, drink, eat and dance with their or different partners. The woman is not used to it though she hails from an equally affluent family. She feels embarrassed among the people involved in partying. Being pressed by her husband and others, she refuses to involve but keep sitting aside with a glass in hand. At such demeanor, he feels being humiliated and dishonoured having such unrefined and orthodox wife as the partying people laugh at his wife. Should education, if imparted to women, not play major and vital contribution in women’s life in totality as in the case of this woman of the First Party? Or who should be responsible for her being orthodox and traditional, respecting the culture which in many terms is treasured the patriarchal order or the women or even the culture itself? The Meeting by Shama Fatehally also comes out with similar male mindset in the Indian social set up. The protagonist of the story; a Muslim unmarried girl is given a marriage proposal which incredibly unexpected for Sakina who is so fat like ‘elephantine’ and nothing in looks to mention. She is nostalgic by the thought of the proposal. She is apprehensive about the person to be ‘a real man’. It gives way out to dreaming about the boy to be a handsome person like a dream hero etc. Her father criticises her for daydreaming. True to it, it proves to be a foil to her dream as her partner is not a boy but a middle aged man. Father forgets that a human being dreams and marriage of either female or male is dreamt about the partner. A general question can be posed to the society, should the women looking ugly or whatever not have right to dreaming like the counterparts in boys and men who may be equally looking ugly or so. If men hold the right, women should also possess. Shashi Deshpande’s My Beloved Charioteer and Mahasweta Devi’s Dopdi picturise the similar stories of women being victimised at every stage of life whether as a girl, married woman, mother or even old woman. Grandmother in the former story is a sheer victim of the patriarchal order even before her marriage till her husband’s death. She feels envious at her daughter’s happy married life and when her affliction for her dead husband for whom she gives up her own and her daughter’s life. It is a shock to the readers. The latter story deals with the extreme brutality of human beings towards the woman. It relates to Mahabharata’s Draupadi on how she was humiliated publicly which added to the pride of the then men folk. All this went for no fault of Draupadi. This cruelty ever since continues witnessing and spreading the message. Dopdi of this story is a tribal woman revolts against the society at large but beaten by the treachery of the militancy and raped inhumanly. L. Vishwapriya’s the Library Girl is an impressive story and only optimistic story of the book where woman is honoured and let free to read and roam around the town though a Muslim girl. But it does keep the thrust of dishonoring the girl as she comes of age. She is put into golden cage; a Persian robe (burqa). She thinks the robe adding beauty to her personality but hidden it in the guise of the robe. Her budding beauty is hidden from the malicious eyes about which she is unaware. The book offers both detailed argumentation and passionate eloquence in opposition to the social inequalities commonly imposed upon women by a patriarchal culture. Just as in revolutionary Lalitambika Antarjanam defends the emancipation of women on utilitarian grounds. The legal subordination of one sex to another is immoral in itself and now one of the chief hindrances to human improvement; and that it ought to be replaced by a system of perfect equality, admitting no power and privilege on the one side, nor disability on the other. Women are brought up to act as if they were weak, emotional, docile – a traditional prejudice. If tried equality, the results can be seen benefitting to individual women. They would be free of the unhappiness of being told what to do by men. And there are benefits for society at large doubling the mass of mental faculties available for the higher service of humanity. The ideas and potential of half the population would be liberated, producing a great effect on human development. These marginalised women have today set their feet on all fields and corners of life with regard to education and professional assignments. A long way witnesses many such destinations, if she is equal and free.

Anthropology in relation to Disney’s “A Bug’s Life” Essay

When viewing Disney’s A Bug’s Life with the critical eye of an anthropologist, it is hard to truly believe that it is a children’s movie. This movie is an introduction to the complex world of anthropology and it’s concepts. One finds elements of culture in many different lights throughout this film. A Disney masterpiece shall be proven in this paper to not only intrigue the younger audience, but it shall verify the fact that the way humans function is so easily portrayed, even in the simplest behavioral patterns. As the film opens, the ants are preparing for the coming of the ravenous grasshoppers by filling a leaf with food products. For this food collection the ants stack the food following a straight line one after the other until an autumn leaf descends to the ground separating one ant from the line. This causes mass confusion and disorder. The ants learned behavior caused them to lose their self-control and allowed them to break the division of labor. Had the ants not been so set in their â€Å"assembly line† ways, they might not have had the problem they did. Flik (the main character of the movie) holds intelligence like none of the other ants in the production. He uses his brain as opposed to learned behavior in order to try and assist the colony. His numerous inventions are advanced, yet still unrefined enough to go wrong. The other ants frown upon his differences showing ethnocentrism at it’s finest. Within their own culture, Flik is looked down upon. One could view Flik’s intelligence as a mutation of the ant colony, but an even better example is that of the grasshopper’s psychotic mutation known as Thumper. Thumper is used to frighten the ants even more. His intimidation factor is used against the ants so they will work harder and faster to appease the tribal grasshopper’s needs. Flik, being beyond that of his fellow ants, confronts the hierarchy of his people to make a request that he traverse to the city in search of â€Å"warrior bugs† to save the colony once and for all from the big, bad, grasshoppers. After receiving approval, he sets off for the city not knowing what to  expect or who to encounter. By being able to leave the colony on his own free will, Flik proves he is adaptive and able to think freely for himself. His fellow ants look on in amazement as Flik begins his journey. The other ants’ cultural restraints did not allow them to even truly process what he was doing. The ants could not see passed the taboo of leaving the island, and therefore, were stuck to the island and unable to mentally push themselves away. Upon entering the city, it is made immediately obvious the vast amount of sub-cultures that flourish throughout. Flik is taken aback and is not very aware of what exactly is occurring. He is different from the others because he is a country bumpkin. He is from the country and does not know any better than his country boy ways. Cultural relativism is shown here, as he is not accepted for his beliefs and actions in the city. Many things separate him from the city culture in yet another example of ethnocentrism against Flik. Even language makes Flik distinctive from the other bugs and he is somewhat wary of what he is doing. Unfortunately his judgment is not all there and he chooses circus bugs over warrior bugs to come back and save his people. This confusion shows Flik’s urban inexperience and how easily it can be for one sub-culture to be mistaken with another. Luckily enough for Flik, he was a more advanced ant and not the type of â€Å"noble savage† the rest of his colony might be confused for. He is willing to take the initiative and get to the place he wants to go. When Flik returns the unknowing â€Å"warrior bugs† to the colony, he is met with praise and admiration (as are the â€Å"warrior bugs†). The â€Å"warrior bugs† begin to realize what they are getting involved in and they grow frightened. Soon, they begin to come along and appreciate the colony and their worth to the ants of the colony. This integration of culture is the main reason that the revolution the ants would soon develop worked. Another example of sub-culture in this movie is that of the queen’s youngest daughter and her friends. They form a club that is based upon childhood innocence but is able to do well for the whole colony. Without the work they  did, the anthill might not have been saved. After gaining the trust and earning the help of the â€Å"warrior bugs†, the ants are able to begin their revolution. This revolution contains much evolution in it. The ants are able to drop their learned behavior in order to come together and build the giant bird that will scare off the grasshoppers and save the day. Working together and breaking tradition, everything does end up working until the rest of the colony discovers the true identity of the warrior bugs. This leads to trouble again for Flik, but all ends up working out. Cultural relativism is seen again at the end of play when the humorous grasshopper Moulder leaves his tribe in order to stay with the â€Å"stronger and smarter† group of circus bugs. He also follows Darwin’s survival of the fittest concept in desiring to go with the better plan. There are examples of individual variation as well throughout the entire movie. Flik is the best example in that he is the main â€Å"individual† of the colony. His views are separate from anyone else and he strives to make things better for his people. Each one of the circus bugs has a strong sense of individuality. It is their differences to their own kind that brings them together to form their posse. And no matter what situation they are brought into, they are very individual from the larger group they are around. The grasshopper’s were a group who practiced and accepted a strong generalized reciprocity from the ants. The ants toiled all day trying to appease the evil one’s appetites, and got nothing in return. Hopper (evil leader of the grasshoppers) made empty promises about the ants losing their colony if they weren’t â€Å"protected† by the grasshoppers. But this would all be proven otherwise, when the ants realized their potential and saw that they did outnumber the grasshoppers 10 to 1. Coming to this conclusion is what truly allowed the ants the break their learned behavior and defend themselves. The difference in the cultures of the ants and the grasshoppers is something else of interest for this movie. The grasshoppers are a lazy culture that relies upon anyone but themselves to do work. The ants on the other hand, are hard workers. They not only perform the food gathering each year for them, but they also do enough for the grasshoppers as well. They work hard and long not realizing that they do not have to work for the grasshoppers too. The grasshoppers depend upon the fact that the ants do not know any better and hope it remains that way. Luckily for the ants, Flik’s intelligence is beyond that of the grasshoppers and it leads to revolution. In comparison to that of humans, Flik is a key human rights activist. He is strong about the will of the people and the freedom of his fellow ant. His spiritual strength is beyond that of anyone (even the queen of the colony) and he does end up making up for all of the mistakes he makes along the way. A Bug’s Life not only lives up to anthropological expectations, it lives up to childhood entertainment purposes. Its uncanny and smooth combination is of award merit. Taking the best examples of culture and its components, Disney is able to put that into a simple context that anyone can understand and relate to. Under the critical eye of an anthropologist, this movie not only meets standards, it creates it’s own. Children will be learning anthropology thanks to movies like this even before they can pronounce the word.

Zhong Kui, the Keeper of Hearth and Home Japanese Myth with Buddhist Philosophy

Zhong Kui, the Keeper of Hearth and Home Japanese Myth with Buddhist Philosophy Introduction: The Mystery of Zhong Kui Mystery is what the entire Japanese culture is veiled with for a European or American gaze. Intertwining with the peculiar philosophy, the local mythology can make one’s head spin – this is true even for connoisseurs of Japanese mythology and culture.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Zhong Kui, the Keeper of Hearth and Home: Japanese Myth with Buddhist Philosophy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Due to the religion reigning in the Land of the Rising Sun, namely, Buddhism, the local beliefs and superstitions take the most curious shapes, giving birth to the most mysterious and unusual creatures. Zhong Kui, the Demon Queller, or Shoki, as foreigners call this creature, is the keeper of the hearth and home in Japan and one of the most picturesque characters of Japanese legends. Casting a glance at the work by Gong Kai, Zhong Kui Traveling, one can see the peculiar way the ancient legend is intertwined with just as old philosophy and religion of Japan, Buddhism. Due to the specific Buddhist settings in the background, the picture looks ever more expressive and filled with the spirit of mystery and magic. However, these two elements are not as incompatible as it might seem. The character taken from the ancient Japanese legends, Zhong Kui can be labeled as a mythological creature, yet he is an element of the Japanese beliefs as well. What is the most incredible is that the fairy-tale character does not come into conflict with the Buddhist ideas – it turns out that the two elements of the Japanese culture can peacefully coexist. Gong Kai’s Demon Queller: Getting Acquainted with Zhong Kui One of the most intriguing and mysterious in its Japanese way artwork depicting the Demon Queller, Zhong Kui Traveling by Gong Kai creates one of the most peculiar visions of the mythological character, intertwining Zhong Kui with Buddhist religion . Though these two elements might seem somewhat incompatible, it turns out that the philosophy underlying the both creates completely incredible mixture, all shot through with the Japanese folklore vision of the world: ShÃ… ki typically appears as a portly bewhiskered man. He wears scholars robes, a hat, and heavy knee-high boots and carries a large sword. His large eyes, bulbous nose, and fierce expression are also characteristic features. In this print ShÃ… ki rounds a corner in hot pursuit of a demon. His eyes bulge out as he spies his prey.[1] Advertising Looking for term paper on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Fig. 1. Kochoro Kunisada, n.d. Shoki, the Demon Queller, available from: onmarkproductions.com/html/shoki.shtml Zhong Kui seems to be quite popular among other scholars – there have been a number of studies devoted to this specimen of Japanese mythology. Treated rather like a spirit with a character of its own, Shoki, or Zhong Kui, has gained great popularity with those admiring Chinese culture. As Richard Von Glahn explained, â€Å"Zhong Kui was a popular motif in literati painting during the Song and subsequent dynasties†[2]. However, Von Glahn also mentions that the common idea of Zhong Kui’s image is quite different from the one depicted in the numerous paintings. Thus, h warns, it would be a mistake to consider Zhong Kui as â€Å"an alter ego of the neglected and despised scholar†[3]. On the contrary, Con Glahn claims that the image of Zhong Kui must have been more imposing, and even threatening, since he was the hunter for evil spirits. However, the spirit was not considered to be a boo for the Japanese, since the latter used to honor this creature as the protector of their home. Defending the place from all kinds of evil spirits and guarding the peace in Japanese houses, this was rather a talisman for the local people: The use of ima ges of Zhong Kui as protective talismans to guard the home against demonic invasion recalls the legend that Huangdi had portraits made of his fearsome lieutenant Chiyou in order to intimidate criminals and instill a proper fear of the law.[4] It is also worth noticing that the image of Shoki is closely connected to the ideas of Buddhism, which a number of scholars have already proved. Zhong Kui Framed by Buddhist Setting: Mystique and Care Because of the interconnection between the Japanese mythology and belief system, their art is filled with spirituality and all kinds of religious allusions. Gong Kai’s piece of art is no exception – Zhong Kui’s image and the ideas of Buddhism merge in the picture; in fact, Zhong Kui becomes Buddhism itself, embodying the spiritual values of the Japanese people and filling the picture with the sacred sense.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Zhong Kui, the Keeper of Hearth and Home: Japanese Myth wit h Buddhist Philosophy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Buddhism as a belief takes its roots so deep that even the wisest cannot trace its origins. However, the core idea of Buddhist religion is as mystic as its origins. Embodying the very essence of Buddhist, Zhong Kui can be the path to cognizing the complicated yet filled with wisdom Japanese religion. It is peculiar that even the way he sits is close to Buddha’s pose taken to reach the state of nirvana: Fig. 2. Gong Kai, Zhong Kui Traveling. https://www.wikipedia.org/ Taking a closer look at what the philosophy of Buddhism is for the Japanese people, one realizes that the picture of Gong Kai is breathing with the ideas of Buddhism and that Zhong Kui impersonates the essence of Buddhism – in fact, in the given picture he can be even compared to Buddha himself. Thus, Eliot claims that the shapes that the religion took in Japan could be called rather patriarchal. With help of religion, the Japanese managed to maintain the existing structure of society for an endless number of decades! According to Eliot, this was rather natural process in Japan: In Japan, there has survived the old pagan spirit (pagan for want of a better word and in no sense a reproach) which identifies religion with Government, with law, with family duties and festivities. They are identified in the strictest sense: religion does not regulate them: they are religion.[5] Taking a closer look at the picture, one can see the typically patriarchal features in it, with the caste system which has obviously come from India into the Japanese culture. Thus, it can be concluded that the picture also provides another missing link between the Indian and Japanese cultures. Indeed, the crowd that surrounds Zhong Kui and carries him towards the light of cognition reminds of the Indian processions led by the rajah.Advertising Looking for term paper on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another trait that connects the image of Zhong Kui to Buddhism and the Buddhist theories is the calm and peaceful atmosphere that surrounds the procession. Despite the agitation caused by the presence of the Demon Queller, there is certain air of Buddhist meditations. According to Alldritt, â€Å"he performs a Taoist dance to chase off ghosts who are hesitant to go back to the world of darkness†[6]. What also must be noted is the specific way in which Shoki and the demons around him are depicted. In spite if the fact that one might be surprised with the lack of palette tints, the cast of colors which the painter used can be explained rather easily. Because of the fact that the Japanese art was subject to the influence from the other countries, the Japanese artists were trying to preserve their national identity as far as they could, which resulted in the typical Japanese palette, the tints of yellowish with the strokes of black on the sandy surface. Famous for their minimalis m in art, namely in painting, the Japanese artists could maintain the balance between the valuable ideas which the West brought to them and the national identity which they were so eager to preserve. This predetermined the use of such palette which could reprint the Buddhist idea of the world, with the careful observation of the world and thoughtful and fruitful meditations. With help of the peculiar philosophy of theirs, the Japanese people managed to keep the most peculiar features of their philosophy intact and safe from the influence of Europe. Shoki as a Part of Philosophy: The Lucky Charm of Japan All shot through with the idea of caste differentiation, the picture of Shoki speaks of the Japanese society with its huge number of social ranks and layers. Explaining the core idea of the Japanese caste differentiation, Gillman helps to clarify the details of the picture by Gong Kai: â€Å"Nonetheless, as in China, Japan wasn’t immune from attacks by the native on the forei gnâ€Å"[7]. It is worth noticing that the paintings depicting the Demon Queller and his miraculous work gained most popularity during the reign of the Yuan Dynasty, as Little claims: The Yuan dynasty (I279-I368) has been described as the greatest epoch of Zhong Kui representation,147 and while this might be disputed were there more surviving examples of Zhong Kui paintings from the Tang, Five Dynasties, and Song periods, it is true that some of the finest known depictions of the Demon Queller are from the Yuan period.[8] It is quite peculiar to see the way culture changes under the influence of the adopted religious beliefs. Being Chinese religion, Buddhism, intertwining with the Japanese vision of the world, gained the traditional Japanese minimalism shade. As Jordan emphasizes, it was namely the Chinese influence that affected the Japanese manner of depicting religious issues: Throughout Japan’s medieval era, many family-centered schools, such as the Takuma, altered their styles under the influence of Chinese Chan (Zen) Buddhism and Began to paint in the fashionable monochrome ink style.[9] Another aspect which is worth paying attention to is the opposition â€Å"man vs. nature† which the Japanese philosophy has always been engaged with. Considered as â€Å"a magical control of and defense against evil†[10], this spirit is the child of the Japanese Buddhism. It is worth noticing that Zhong Kui is positioned neither by the painter, nor by the mythology as the creature attacking the evil spirits – on the contrary, the Devil Queller remains calm until demons start playing their tricks. What Zhong Kui does is protecting, not attack, which is truly Buddhist concept. In the picture, the Demon Queller bends the demons to his will, yet he does not harm them. Conclusion Filled with the air of Japanese refinement and the ancient myths, the picture makes one plunge into the depth of the mythology and philosophy of Japan, the country of mys tery and legends. With help of the peculiar Buddhism setting the picture becomes even more expressive and at the same time mysterious. Creating the cultural and mythological background for the character, the Buddhist ideas add specific flair of safety, grandeur and solemnity to the picture. There is no doubt that Gong Kai created a piece which reprints the peculiarities of Japanese culture like no picture ever did. Bibliography Aldritt, Leslie D. 2005. Buddhism. New York, NY: Infobase Publishing Eliot, Sir Charles. 1935. Japanese Buddhism. New York, NY: Routledge. Guilliman, Derek. 2010. The Idea of Cultural Heritage. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Jordan, Brenda and Victoria Louise Weston. 2003. Copying the Master and Stealing  His Secrets: Talent and Training in Japanese Painting. Honolulu, HI: The University of Hawaii Press. Lee, Sherman. 1993. â€Å"Yan Hui, Zhong Kui, Demons and the New Year.† Artibus  Asiae 53, No  ½: 211-227 Little, Stephen. 1985. The Demon Queller and the Art of Qui Ying (Ch’iu Ying).  Artibus Asuiae 46, No  ½: 5-128  Shoki é  ¾Ã© ¦â€"  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ the Demon Queller. 2010 A to Z Photo Dictionary,  onmarkproductions.com/html/shoki.shtml . Von Glahn, Richard, 2004. The Sinister Way: The Divine and the Demonic in Chinese Religious Culture. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Footnotes . Shoki é  ¾Ã© ¦â€"   – the Demon Queller. A to Z Photo Dictionary, 2010 . . Richard Von Glahn. The Sinister Way: The Divine and the Demonic in Chinese Religious Culture. (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2004), 125 . Richard Von Glahn. The Sinister Way: The Divine and the Demonic in Chinese Religious Culture. (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2004), 125 . Richard Von Glahn. The Sinister Way: The Divine and the Demonic in Chinese Religious Culture. (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2004), 125 . Sir Charles Eliot. 1935. Japanese Buddhism (New York, NY: Routle dge), 189 . Leslie D. Aldritt. 2005. Buddhism. (New York, NY: Infobase Publishing), 136 . Derek Guilliman. The Idea of Cultural Heritage (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 137 . Stephen Little. The Demon Queller and the Art of Qui Ying (Ch’iu Ying) (Artibus Asuiae 46, No  ½: 5-128, 1985), 33 . Brenda Jordan and Victoria Louise Weston. Copying the Master and Stealing His Secrets: Talent and Training in Japanese Painting (Honolulu, HI: The University of Hawaii Press, 2003), 10 . Sherman Lee. 1993. Yan Hui, Zhong Kui, Demons and the New Year. (Artibus Asiae 53, No  ½), 213