[Marina Forbes]

 

Page  46. Each nation has its own myth of the arrival of Buddhism. In the case of China, it is said that the emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty (who reigned from 58c.e. to 75c.e.) had a dream in which he saw a golden spirit outside of his palace, emitting rays of light from the top of his head. When he told his ministers about his dream, they reported that they have heard about the sage called "Buddha" who was able to fly. The emperor dispatched a party of envoys, who journeyed westward into Central Asia and the eastern end of the vast and vague region that the Greeks called "Scythia", returning with a copy of the Scripture in Forty-two Sections (p. 496).

In Tibet, the king received a Chinese princess in a marriage as part of the treaty between the nations.

 

The Russian Primary Chronicle reports that in the year 987, Vladimir the Great (Vladimir the Red Sun) sent envoys to study the religions of the various neighboring nations: Islam, Judaism, The Latin Church and Eastern Christionanity, and his emissaries came with detailed reports. In Constantinople (Tsargrad is a Slavic name for the city of Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, and present-day Istanbul in Turkey) they reported: "We no longer knew whether we were in heaven or on earth", describing a majestic Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine Church Hagia Sophia "nor such beauty, and we know not how to tell of it." Ultimately Vladimir chose to adapt Eastern Christianity and married the Byzantine emperor Basil II's sister Anna. Returning to Kiev in triumph, Vladimir exhorted the residents of his capital to the Dnieper river for baptism. This mass baptism became the iconic inaugural event in the Christianization of the state of Kievan Rus. Every year on July 28 Russia celebrates The Day of Baptism of Russia.

[Marina Forbes]

I just wonder if you are talking about the difference between Buddha and Budai who is according to the wikipedia a semi-historical Chinese monk who allegedly lived around the 10th century in the Wuyue kingdom. His jolly nature, humorous personality, and eccentric lifestyle distinguish him from most Buddhist masters or figures. He is almost always shown smiling or laughing, hence his nickname in Chinese, the "Laughing Buddha". As he is traditionally depicted as fat, he is also referred to as the "Fat Buddha", especially in the Western world.

[Marina Forbes]

I really enjoyed watching the 2 videos, readings and the live presentation of Dr. Meeks.

One of my favorite museums in New York, NY is the Rubin Museum of Art.

https://rubinmuseum.org

 

In the summer of 2010 during my trip to China and Tibet through Yale University, I was able to explore the traditional Tibetan Buddhist art of Thankga painting. This led to my participation in a conference at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City. The conference and its accompanying exhibit, Embodying the Holy: Icons in Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Tibetan Buddhism, absolutely reflected my understanding of the iconographic, conceptual, and customary similarities between the sacral representations in Tibetan Buddhism and Orthodox Christian traditions. 

 

I am forwarding you the message I’ve received from the Rubin Museum today (please see below) and you might be interested in their weekly Mindfulness Meditation program and free Family Sunday programs (please see below):

 

Art and Practices for Navigating Our World

In this time of great instability, our global community is experiencing growing fear, loss, isolation, and stress. When faced with uncertainty and turmoil, Buddhists rely on traditional practices developed over two thousand years to harness the mind and help change perspectives, manage emotions, and cultivate compassion.

Inspired by the practices reflected in Buddhist visual culture, our resources may help you handle stress and foster peace of mind wherever you are.

Practice the art of attention at our free weekly meditation sessions this August

Mindfulness Meditation Online Mondays at 1:00 PM, beginning August 3 Free for all in August and always free for members

Throughout the pandemic we've developed new digital offerings so that the Rubin's art and resources can provide comfort and inspiration wherever you are. Now we're excited to reintroduce our weekly Mindfulness Meditation program, which will take place online starting next week. Our new live meditation sessions are free for everyone through the month of August and always free for members. Whether you’re a beginner, a dabbler, or a skilled meditator, join expert teachers for a 45-minute weekly program, each inspired by a different work of art from the Rubin Museum’s collection. The program includes an opening talk, a 20-minute sitting session, and a closing discussion. View all upcoming meditation programs and register today.

 

[Marina Forbes]

After the discussion I wanted to learn more about the religions in Mongolia, here’s what I found and I will continue my research.

The Mongol Empire invaded and conquered Kievan Rus' and other Russian principalities in the 13th century, destroying numerous cities. A full-scale invasion of Rus' by Batu Khan was from 1237 to 1242. All Rus' principalities were forced to submit to Mongol rule and became vassals of the Golden Horde empire until 1480.

In religious matters, the Mongols were extremely tolerant. When they invaded Russia they were shamanists, and as such they had no religious fanaticism. After adopting Islam, and the khan of the Golden Horde became a Muslim first, they remained as tolerant as before.

Religion in Mongolia has been traditionally dominated by the schools of Mongolian Buddhism and by Mongolian shamanism, the ethnic religion of the Mongols. During the socialist period of the Mongolian People's Republic (1924-1992) all religions were suppressed, but with the transition to the parliamentary republic in the 1990s there has been a general revival of faiths.

According to the national census of 2010, 53% of the Mongolians identify as Buddhists, 38.6% as not religious, 3% as Muslims (predominantly of Kazakh ethnicity), 2.9% as followers of the Mongol shamanic tradition, 2.2% as Christians, and 0.4% as followers of other religions. Other sources estimate that a significantly higher proportion of the population follows the Mongol ethnic religion (18.6%)

Buddhism in Mongolia began with the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) emperors' conversion to Tibetan Buddhism. The Mongols returned to shamanic traditions after the collapse of the Mongol Empire, but Buddhism reemerged in the 16th and 17th centuries. After the 1990 overthrow of communism, there has been a resurgence of Buddhism in the country, with about 200 temples now in existence and a monastic sangha of around 300 to 500 Mongolian monks and nuns. According to Vesna Wallace, a professor of religious studies at UC Santa Barbara: "Now more people are coming to temples and visiting monasteries. There is also a new interest in meditation among the general public."

Mongolian Shamanism, more broadly called the Mongolian folk religion, or occasionally Tengerism, refers to the animistic and shamanic ethnic religion that has been practiced in Mongolia and its surrounding areas (including Buryatia and Inner Mongolia) at least since the age of recorded history. The Mongolian endonym is Boo Morgol (In Mongolian cyrillic: Бөө мөргөл). In the earliest known stages it was intricately tied to all other aspects of social life and to the tribal organization of Mongolian society. Along the way, it has become influenced by and mingled with Buddhism. During the socialist years of the twentieth century it was heavily repressed and has since made a comeback. Yellow shamanism is the term used to designate the particular version of Mongolian shamanism which adopts the expressive style of Buddhism. "Yellow" indicates Buddhism in Mongolia, since most Buddhists there belong to what is called the Gelug or "Yellow sect" of Tibetan Buddhism, whose members wear yellow hats during services. The term also serves to distinguish it from a form of shamanism not influenced by Buddhism (according to its adherents), called black shamanism.Mongolian shamanism is centered on the worship of the tngri (gods) and the highest Tenger (Heaven, God of Heaven, God) or Qormusta Tengri. In the Mongolian folk religion, Genghis Khan is considered one of the embodiments, if not the main embodiment, of the Tenger. The Mausoleum of Genghis Khan in Ordos City, in Inner Mongolia, is an important center of this worship tradition.

I’ve been fascinated with the Mongolian Throat Singing for a long time (please see some links below). The Beauty of Mongolian Throat Singing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY1qYRhqh04

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhSEKxQjOpY

One of the world’s oldest musical forms, throat singing is a stunning physical feat in which performers use precise movements of the mouth, larynx and jaw to create multiple notes simultaneously. For Mendbayar, throat singing is more than a technically impressive performance style; it’s a source of profound happiness and a way to share the beauty of his native Mongolia. When he’s not performing for audiences across Europe and Asia, he’s training the next generation at his International Throat Singing School in Ulaanbaatar.

[Marina Forbes]

I've just finished reading the article titled "The economics of Korean reunification" from World Finance (July 26, 2019), and I just wonder what your thoughts are on a possibility of bringing the two Koreas together, please see https://www.worldfinance.com/special-reports/the-economics-of-korean-reunification

[Marina Forbes]

Hi Cheryl,

I just wonder what has been a monetary contribution to the BLM by the American selebrities so far?

 

 

[Marina Forbes]

I was very pleased with today’s presentation by Dr. Jung-Kim and the lovely discussion.

I always encourage my students to think about their personal response to the source:

            What feelings and thoughts does the primary source trigger in you?

What questions does it raise?

What do you see/hear that you didn’t expect?

           What more do you want to know, and how can you find out?

So here are my thoughts:

I was introduced to S. Korean culture by Choon-Mi, my friend from S. Korea 25 years ago. She was famous for her lavish parties with delicious Korean food. She would start cooking 3 days prior to the reception, and she would always wear her beautiful Korean national garments and play traditional Korean music softly as a background. “Have you eaten well?” is a common greeting in S. Korea, used the way you may ask “How are you?” I love kimchi, I buy a 32oz jar of kimchi from Kimchi Pride and Foods (Prospect Park, NJ) for $5.99 at the local supermarket. Everybody in our family has a Samsung smart phone, we have a Samsung TV in our living room and an LG refrigerator in the kitchen. Last year when we were shopping for a new car we were considering Kia and Toyota, we ended up buying a Toyota hybrid.

Watching a presentation I learned that the S. Korean government promotes Korean food as “healthy” and offers free samples to people in the US. I was surprised by a cultural trend of eating alone and watching a TV reality show of young beautiful petite Korean girl eating an enormous amount of food at the restaurant. I was impressed that people are interested in “formal monastic meals” prepared by the monks/nuns.

I can relate to the Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War, a 2004 South Korean wartime action film which portrays the story of two brothers who ended up fighting on opposite sides in the Korean War. It reminded me the Russian Civil War, where the brother was against brother, and father was against son…

I am very impressed how fast S. Korea could contain Covid-19 with the large-scale testing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine procedures. 1.5mil people were tested, 1% positivity rate and only 293 deaths. S. Korean people were trusting the government on doing the right thing to fight the Corona Virus! And success in the battle against Covid 19 helped to elevate the image of S.Korea and its government.

I was also impressed that in the middle of Pandemic South Korea's 21st legislative elections were successfully held on April 15, 2020. All 300 members of the National Assembly were elected, 253 from first-past-the-post constituencies and 47 from proportional party lists. They were the first elections held under a new electoral system.^[1] The two largest parties, the liberal Democratic Party and the conservative United Future Party, set up new satellite parties (also known as bloc parties) to take advantage of the revised electoral system. The reforms also lowered the voting age from 19 to 18.  

I thought that a question “How can S.Korea use its soft power to be a world leader, to be more inclusive and welcoming of diversity and help others?” can be related to a South Korean television series (2019-2020) Crash Landing on You which provides a positive and accurate depiction of N. Koreans. I was watching 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, S. Korea where  North Korea agreed to participate in the Games despite tense relations with South Korea; the two nations paraded together at the opening ceremony as a unified Korea, and fielded a unified team (COR) in the women's ice hockey.

I was happy to share that I am very impressed with the role of Yumi Hogan in the fight of the State of Maryland with Corona Virus and Hogan's artwork, primarily abstract landscapes (blending Maryland and Korean landscapes) in Sumi ink on Korean Hanji paper, which have been shown in the US and around the world. (Yumi Hogan (Korean: 호건 유미) (née Kim; born December 25, 1959) is a Korean–American artist. She is the First Lady of the State of Maryland as the wife of Larry Hogan, the Governor of Maryland. Hogan is the first Korean American first lady of a U.S. state and the first Asian American first lady in the history of Maryland.)

I understand that the popular culture has emerged as a core component of the nation’s economic competiveness which extends to interests in cultural influences and cultural diplomacy. Korea started to penetrate N. American countries with its popular music and online gambling. Korean Wave popular culture can generate a new version of Cultural Imperialism that is deeply embedded in cultural nationalism and its ideological position going against cultural diversity and soft power of attraction.

I would love to learn more about Korean culture, including traditional arts and traditional music, even though K-pop music has successfully entered the continent since 2011.

I just wonder what your thoughts are about some of these popular facts about S. Korea:

1. Children born in South Korea are considered “one year old” when they are born, and will turn two on the next Lunar New Year. 100 days after their birth, a celebration is held for the baby.
2. Red ink is considered bad luck in South Korea. Writing a person’s name in the color signifies the person is dead, or will die soon.
3. The number 4 is considered bad luck as it is written the same way as the Chinese character for death. The number is often replaced with the letter “F,” such as when using an elevator.
4. Teaching is one of the most prestigious and well-paying jobs in the country. On average, teachers make $2,500 per month with teachers at private schools and universities making more.

[Marina Forbes]

 

Hi! My name is Marina Forbes and I am an award-winning artist, Master Iconographer (2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019 awards for Artistic Excellence granted by The National Endowment for the Arts and The New Hampshire State Council on the Arts) and an art historian with 20 years of experience teaching in the US, Europe and Russia. I am listed on the New Hampshire Humanities Council Roster as a speaker on Russian Arts, History and Culture as well as the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts' Rosters for Traditional Arts, Arts in Education, Arts in Healthcare and I offer between 75 and 100 presentations and workshops each year on Russian art, Russian daily life, history, iconography, social issues and culture throughout the New England area.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTfJj8NOpvY , https://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20171015/goldsmith-returns-with-what-artists-look-like
I lead my Cultural Tour to Russia every year, please ask about my Russia Tour 2021!
My award winning art and icons are on display in art galleries, museums, churches and private collections in Russia, Europe and the US.

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