2020/07/24

Tenzin Palmo Cave in the Snow : A Western Woman's Quest for Enlightenment Why Buddhism?: Westerners in Search of Wisdom

https://www.scribd.com/book/250021645/Cave-In-The-Snow




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<나 여성의 몸으로 붓다가 되리라>   
텐진 빠모 (지은이), 세등(世燈) (옮긴이)
김영사 2011
원제 : Cave in the Snow (1998년)
360쪽
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책소개
한 서양 여성이 머리를 깎고 히말라야의 깊은 설산 속으로 들어갔다. 그리고 12년. 이 책은 그 긴 시간 동안 외부세계와 철저히 차단된 좁은 동굴 속에서 궁핍과 금욕, 고독을 견디고 여성 앞에 놓인 편견의 벽을 넘어 영적 스승 '톈진 빠모'가 되기까지의 삶과 수행을 낱낱이 기록했다. 달라이 라마는 그녀의 치열하고 경이로운 구도에 감동의 눈물을 흘리며 "톈진 빠모, 당신은 정말 용감하군요"라고 말했다고 한다.
책은 크게 세 부분으로 구성된다. 
인도로 떠나기 전까지 영국에서의 어린 시절, 
불교에 귀의하고 티벳 수도원과 동굴에서 수행했던 시절, 
동굴에서 나와 영적인 깨달음을 추구하는 젊은 여성들을 돕는 시절이 그것. 
고된 수행을 견뎌내는 모습도 감동적이고 경이롭지만, 종교에서 배척당에온 '여성'이란 굴레를 거부하고 종교의 벽을 넘어 마침내 여성을 긍정하는 모습이 무척 인상적이다.
현재 북인도 히말라야의 줄기에 자리한 타시 종 사원 부근에서 티벳의 여승들과 외국인 여성 수행자들을 위한 수도원 건립에 힘쓰고 있는 그녀. 오직 '여성의 몸으로 깨달음을 향해 나아가리라'는 목적이 생이 끝나는 날까지 영원할 것이란 말이 두고 두고 남는다.
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목차
  1. 첫 만남
  2. 낯선 고향
  3. 길을 발견하다
  4. 첫발을 내딛다
  5. 구루와의 해후
  6. 보이지 않는 장벽
  7. 라홀
  8. 동굴
  9. 죽음의 위기
  10. 여성 수행자
  11. 여성의 길
  12. 세상 밖으로 나오다
  13. 전망
  14. 스승의 길
  15. 도전
  16. 동굴은 필요한가
  17. 지금은

역자 후기
참고 문헌

저자 및 역자소개
텐진 빠모 (Vicki Mackenzie) (지은이) 
샤카디타 인터내셔널 회장. 영국 런던에서 태어나서 1964년 20세 때 정신적인 구도의 길을 찾아 인도로 건너가 티베트 스님 제8대 캄툴 린포체를 만났고, 서양 여성으로서는 최초의 티베트 비구니가 되었다. 12년간 히말라야 동굴에서 은둔 수행한 감동적 이야기가 『Cave in the Snow』라는 제목으로 엮어져 나왔다(한국에서는 『나는 여성의 몸으로 붓다가 되리라』라는 제목으로 번역되었음).
최근작 : <불교 페미니즘과 리더십>,<나는 여성의 몸으로 붓다가 되리라>,<텐진 빠모의 마음공부> … 총 19종 (모두보기)
세등(世燈) (옮긴이) 
1954년 경북 김천에서 태어나 19살에 동화사 내원암으로 출가했다. 이후 운문사 강원, 동국대학교 불교학과, 동경 고마자와 대학교 불교대학원에서 공부했다. 1994년부터 4년동안 불교 여성학 연구를 위해 UC 버클리에 객원연구원으로 머물렀다.
지은 책으로 <그들은 마음으로 보고 있었다>가 있고, 옮긴 책으로는 <나는 여자의 몸으로 붓다가 되리라>, <이 땅에 오신 석가모니> 등이 있다. 2004년 현재 운문 승가대학 강사.
최근작 : <그들은 마음을 보고 있었다> … 총 5종 (모두보기)



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Cave In The Snow
by Vicki Mackenzie

4.26 · Rating details · 1,686 ratings · 139 reviews

This is the incredible story of Tenzin Palmo, a remarkable woman who spent 12 years alone in a cave 13,000 feet up in the Himalayas.
At the age of 20, Diane Perry, looking to fill a void in her life, entered a monastery in India--the only woman amongst hundreds of monks---and began her battle against the prejudice that had excluded women from enlightenment for thousands of years.
Thirteen years later, Diane Perry a.k.a. Tenzin Palmo secluded herself in a remote cave 13,000 feet up in the Himalayas, where she stayed for twelve years. In her mountain retreat, she face unimaginable cold, wild animals, floods, snow and rockfalls, grew her own food and slept in a traditional wooden meditation box, three feet square. She never lay down.
Tenzin emerged from the cave with a determination to build a convent in northern India to revive the Togdenma lineage, a long-forgotten female spiritual elite.
She has traveled around the world to find support for her cause, meeting with spiritual leaders from the Pope to Desmond Tutu. She agreed to tell her story only to Vicky Mackenzie and a portion of the royalties from this book will help towards the completion of her convent.

Paperback, 256 pages
Published November 26th 2003 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (first published September 15th 1998)

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Popular Answered Questions
Can anyone else tell me if this is a straightforward bio or more of a brag-worship-disguised-as-biography? I like the authors to have it in them to ask questions rather than just towing the party line.
Like 4 Years Ago See All 2 Answers
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Lauren
Mar 03, 2009Lauren rated it it was amazing
ever since reading this as a teenager, I've thought I could be a Buddhist Monk.
I still wish for that sometimes.
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Karan Bajaj
Apr 06, 2015Karan Bajaj rated it it was amazing
What a brilliant book! An incredibly inspiring story of a female monk seeking enlightenment in its truest, most undiluted sense. I admire the remarkable level of detail with which the biographer captured Tenzin Palmo's time in the cave. My wife and I ran into this book at a guest house in the high Himalayas - it was the perfect setting to read it and we both lapped up the story. The idea of meditating in a cave in the Himalayas sounds like a nice escape fantasy, but the reality is quite harsh, grueling, unglamorous, cold and damp. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the genre of "enlightenment quest." (less)
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Mina
Jan 04, 2009Mina rated it really liked it
"Cave in the Snow" is the biography of Tenzin Palmo, a British woman, who became a Tibetan Buddhist nun at an early age. In her attempt to seek enlightenment, she endured 12 years in solitary isolation in a barren cave in the Karakoram mountains. For 12 years, she slept upright in a 2' X 3' "meditation box", endured cold, wild animals, and near starvation.

Surprisingly, I found this book to be a real page turner. It was an uplifting book, and accessibly written by Vicki Mackenzie. I got a real sense for Tenzin Palmo's vibrant, spirited personality. She does not have the hermit-like personality one would think she would have for isolating herself in a cave for 12 years.

The book was also eye-opening. I gained insight into the makeup of a person who is more spiritually inclined than the rest of us. Tenzin Palmo was exceptionally single-minded in pursuing her spiritual goals, more inclined to break societal expectations, and felt more passionately towards Buddha and her gurus than the rest of us.

Through her eyes, I got a sense for how spiritually barren our Western society is compared to the impoverished areas of Northern India where she spent many of her years. We are surrounded my material goods, but are still depressed and lost for all of our material goods, wondering, "What is the meaning of life?" In reading about Tenzin's Tibetan Buddhism learnings, I also gained a surface impression of the depth and learning of certain Buddhist practices, as well as the superficiality of other of the Buddhist practices.

I found the book's message to be uplifting as well. After all of her soul searching, Tenzin Palmo came to the conclusion that all religions seek the same spiritual goal, which is to be "in the moment". Also, we don't have to retreat into a cave to progress spiritually. We can spend 15 minutes a day in the grocery line, washing dishes, or cleaning to calm the chatter in our minds and to attempt being in the present. This book has inspired me to learn more about meditation and its benefits, and more about Buddhism. (less)
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Ananya Ghosh
Jun 17, 2020Ananya Ghosh rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Recommends it for: female sadhakas
Shelves: favourites, spirituality, feminism, 2020, practice-manual
14 highlights
I was recommended 'Cave in the Snow' when I complained that I cound't find writings of spiritually enlightened women. "Why didn't Devi Lopamudra and Devi Gargi and other realized women write any instruction manual for women? All I see are scriptures written by men and experiences of male sadhakas and siddhas", was my question and reason for disappointment.


This book is a biography of bhiksuni Tenzin Palmo. Palmo came to India from England in 1963, following her calling for Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. She was 20 back then. As she pursued her path, she was shocked to discover the patriarchal mindset of fellow male Buddhist practitioners who considered female body to be inferior to reach enlightenment. She was so appalled by the discrimination that she vowed to be enlightened in the female body, irrespective of the number of births it would take her.


On her lama's (guru) instructions, Palmo lived in solitude in a cave in Himachal Pradesh and practiced meditation for 12 years before coming back and helping others with the Dharma practice. Now she also runs a nunnery in Himachal Pradesh to support female monastics of Kagyu lineage.


To my delight, Cave in the snow not only raised the questions which I had, but in Palmo's emotional challenges during her early days, I discovered a woman with whom I can relate. It gave me clarity, comfort and inspiration which I was unable to find reading the experiences of men.


I definitely recommend this book to women sadhakas of all path. (less)
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Tracy
Feb 01, 2009Tracy rated it really liked it
Vickie Mackenzie's tone in this book is a little too breathless and reverential for my taste, but the story she has to tell is quite amazing. What struck me about Tenzin Palmo, aside from her ability to live in a cave/hut on a mountain in the Himalayas by herself, is how she seems to have been totally self-assured about her priorities and choices in life the whole way through. How many people get to be this sure about anything, let alone devotion to a sexist, byzantine religious order belonging to Asian mountain-people? Not that there's anything wrong with Tibetan Buddhism.. I'm just saying, the lady is formidable. (less)
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Sian Lile-Pastore
Dec 08, 2014Sian Lile-Pastore rated it liked it
A really interesting story let down by some clunky ol' writing. This is about a buddhist nun who lived in a cave for twelve years, although it isn't written by the nun (which would have been better) but by a journalist who met up with her. The nun's story is fascinating, but I could have done with more cave and less talking about a whole pile of other seemingly unrelated stuff in the last few chapters. Onwards!
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Mark Robison
Jun 11, 2017Mark Robison rated it it was amazing
I’m not sure I would've read this book so fast if not for the audio version. The writing is very plain and contains lots of attributions such as “she stated” and “she commented,” like a newspaper article. Also, for those who are unable to read books that take the supernatural seriously (and I’m one such person), it can be difficult to accept all of the Tibetan Buddhism mysticism. All that said, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and learning about Tenzin Palmo’s journey from young woman in England to Buddhist nun. What makes the book so engaging, in addition to adventures like being buried in her cave under an avalanche, is its strong and unapologetic feminism. She vows to attain enlightenment in female form “no matter how many lifetimes it takes.” I especially liked when she made the Dalai Lama cry when she explained all of the sexism women must face when pursuing Tibetan Buddhism. Excerpt: “What she had promised was to become a female Buddha, and female Buddhas (like female Christs and female Mohammeds) were decidedly thin on the ground. Certainly there had been plenty of acclaimed women mystics and saints in all parts of the world, but the full flowering of human divinity had, for the past few thousand years at least, been deemed the exclusive domain of the male. The female body, for some reason, had been seen as an unfit or unworthy vessel to contain the most sacred. Now Tenzin Palmo was publicly announcing she was intending to overthrow all that.” The audio version includes two half-hour talks given by Tenzin Palmo in Israel. Grade: A (less)
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James Allen
Apr 19, 2017James Allen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Shelves: favorites, buddhism
Tenzin Palmo's life story is inspirational.
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PhebeAnn
Jul 15, 2018PhebeAnn rated it really liked it
Shelves: buddhism
What I expected from this book was essentially a biography of British woman who came a Tibetan Buddhist nun and contemplative long before it was fashionable to do so, but there's a lot more to it.

What I enjoyed most were the later sections of the book where it delved more into the role of women in Buddhism (and particularly Tibetan Buddhism), the relationship between Buddhism and feminism, and the idea of Western Buddhism as a form that is coming-int0-being, and one of its greatest contributions (argues Tenzin Palmo) will be giving women a greater spiritual role.

At times, I disagreed with Tenzin Palmo's feminism (if she'd even call it that - though she is fighting for the equality of women). I felt she is overly critical of the anger of some feminists and that she lets some abusers, such as her teacher Choygam Trungpa, off the hook too easily. Yes, I know Buddhism doesn't like anger. But I also think many women have had to work to claim/express anger even when it's warranted, as we live in a culture where women are not supposed to get angry. So women must be given time to work through that anger. And while I want to leave open the possibility that women have agency to choose union with a non-celibate monk, I still think it's unethical for a monk in a position of power to make advances on young women coming to learn from him.

While I may disagree with her on some points, I nevertheless appreciated Tenzin Palmo's logical, unwavering position on women in Buddhism and the ability of women to attain the same spiritual depth as men. The fact that she lived in a cave for 13 years proving everyone wrong who said women could not withstand such hardship had me cheering. I also appreciated both her refusal of the idea that marriage and childbearing are always longings for women, as well as the depiction of her younger dating life and how she 'integrates' this passion into other parts of her life when she chooses celibacy.

Tibetan Buddhism doesn't resonate for me the way it does for Tenzin Palmo - raised a Spiritualist. Re-incarnation (particularly the lineage of incarnate lamas), hell realms, the rainbow body phenomenon, and other such mystical/religious concepts tend to draw me away from Buddhism rather than the more philosophical traditions of Western Buddhist thinkers such as Stephen Batchelor (who is discussed briefly in the overview of the tensions within Buddhism in the west). That said, it was interesting to learn a bit about Tibetan buddhism.

I particularly enjoyed Tenzin Palmo's teachings at the end of the audiobook, which were very practical if not radically different from those of other western teachers (e.g. Jack Kornfield, Pema Chodron). I am curious to seek out more of her teachings. (less)

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Katrin
Apr 28, 2008Katrin rated it really liked it
This is a fascinating account of one of the first Western women to be ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun. She was also one of the few women, ever, to vow to reach enlightenment in a female form. Historically nuns have had to be satisfied with learning as much as possible then hoping to be reborn into a male form, whereby they might be given the higher teachings. Tenzin Palmo basically demanded the teachings. She was a recognized reincarnation of a close friend of one of the high lamas. She eventually went to meditate in a cave in the Himalayan foothills for 12 years!! Besides being a really great story, this book is very informative about some of the history of Tibetan Buddhism and especially what it has been like for women who wish to achieve a really advanced Buddhist practice. (less)
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Happyreader
Apr 10, 2011Happyreader rated it it was amazing
Shelves: spirituality, bio-and-memoir, women-of-interest, favorites
I’ve always been fascinated by Ani Tenzin Palmo. Twelve years meditating in a Himalayan cave!! And during the “prime” of her life too!! Who does that, you wonder? This engrossing biography answers that it’s a woman so dedicated to spiritual attainment that, despite the considerable obstacles of being a woman and a Westerner in the 1960s, she’s willing to commit and give her life to attaining enlightenment in female form. Her purpose in allowing the author access to her life was to inspire others to commit to their own spiritual attainment and this book achieves that. (less)
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Supriya Dhaliwal
Jan 18, 2015Supriya Dhaliwal rated it really liked it
This book unveils a tale of a revolutionary Western Tibetan nun whose eye is focused on a horizon too distant for most of us to see. Mackenzie has done an amazing job. She has crafted the different chapters in such a reader friendly manner that they not only act as the blackboard of the biographic tales of Tenzin Palmo but also introduce us to the diverse realms of Tibetan Buddhism.
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Product description

About the Author
Vicki Mackenzie has been a features writer for The Daily Sketch and The Daily Mail and has written for The Sunday Times, The Observer, The Daily Express, The Mail on Sunday, and many national Australian magazines.
--This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Book Description
How an English woman, the daughter of a fishmonger from London's East end, has become a world-renowned spiritual leader and a champion of the right of women to achieve spiritual enlightenment --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.
From the Back Cover

"In 1976 Diane Perry, by then known by her Tibetan name, Tenzin Palmo, secluded herself in a remote cave, 13,200 feet up in the Himalayas, cut off from the world by mountains and snow. There she engaged in twelve years of intense Buddhist meditation. She faced unimaginable cold, wild animals, near-starvation and avalanches; she grew her own food and slept in a traditional wooden meditation box, three-foot square - she never lay down. Her goal was to attain enlightenment as a woman."--BOOK JACKET. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

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Product details
Customer Reviews: 4.6 out of 5 stars181 customer ratings


Top Reviews

Vanessa
5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you Tenzin Palmo
Reviewed in Australia on 27 August 2014
Verified Purchase
What a blessing for us all to be living on the planet at the same time as this precious teacher.

Liam J Madden
4.0 out of 5 stars Beatifically inspiring book and deeply fascinating
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 April 2017
Having seen the documentary 'A Cave In The Snow' on YouTube as well as various talks given by Tenzin Poulmo, this is a worthwhile read and an impressive introduction to Buddhism and the incredible experiences of a brave and truly beatific nun. It's a slim read but an enjoyable one and a good companion to any talks you might see - inspiring and deeply fascinating.
4 people found this helpful

Jay
5.0 out of 5 stars Yes
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 January 2019
Verified Purchase
When you read a book and think 'Yes'


This is one of those books. I read it, I gained power from it , I learned.
One person found this helpful

C. Serginson
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating life story
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 October 2018
Verified Purchase
It was great to learn more about Tenzin Palmo. A very inspirational Buddhist. The book was also thought provoking in its discussion of feminism and Buddhism. Some of the writing was a bit magaziney but engaging nonetheless.
One person found this helpful

David West
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 April 2020
Verified Purchase
One woman's lifelong, intuitive, courageous and committed search for Truth. An amazing, fascinating story which has resonance for me and which I do not wish to undermine with further comment. A worthwhile read.

ZERO DREADZ
5.0 out of 5 stars Hare Krishna a really Great book and some of my family knew her when ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 January 2018
Verified Purchase
Hare Krishna a really Great book and some of my family knew her when she lived in London and it gives you a good sense of what she went through in the cave in the Snow ❄️
One person found this helpful
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Why Buddhism?: Westerners in Search of Wisdom

by Vicki Mackenzie
3.98 · Rating details · 58 ratings · 4 reviews
Vicki Mackenzie, bestselling author of Cave in the Snow, investigates this question with the insight of a journalist who has explored Buddhism for 25 years. Among those who speak candidly about the effects of Buddhism in their lives are counselors and writers, a woman lama, a terminal cancer patient, a diamond merchant, composer Philip Glass, Professor Robert Thurman, and Buddhist luminaries Sharon Salzberg and Stephen Batchelor. The stories present intriguing responses to the Buddhist way -- to its ideas about consciousness and compassion, work and worldly success, family and relationships, nature and death, reincarnation, and other faiths. At a time when Western culture seems overwhelmed by materialism and individualism, Buddhism is attracting thoughtful people seeking a wiser way to live, inspiring them with tolerant and practical ethics and joyful spirituality. (less)
Why Buddhism?: Westerners in Search of Wisdom


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Johannes Bertus
Dec 21, 2013Johannes Bertus rated it really liked it
Some very inspiring stories. The author's views come through somewhat in the interviews, but she is sincere enough that it didn't bother me too much.
If I had to raise criticism, I would say is somewhat prone to equate Buddhism with Tibetanism, treating the many (legitimate) alternatives as oddities or even aberations. For instance she seems genuinely dumbfounded by Stephen Batchelor's skepticism of rebirth, while I would argue Batchelor merely takes the Buddha's teachings of non-self to their logical conclusion.
But when all is said and done, this is an inspiring overview of some dedicated Western Tibetan Buddhists. (less)
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Dean
Aug 09, 2013Dean rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: buddhism
Some interesting interviews with a wide range of Western background Buddhists over different traditions. Some well known, others not. Gives quite a good overview of the ways that Western people have taken on Buddhism and adapted some of the practices. It is good that the author also included both sides of views on issues such as karma, rebirth etc.
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Duncan Reed
Jun 15, 2019Duncan Reed rated it it was amazing
Shelves: 2019, spirituality
A really interesting and quite diverse group of Western Buddhist practitioners (many well known, some not so) explain why they find Buddhist practices personally beneficial. Mainly focuses on Mahayana, but does include Theravada too. The book is well written, based on interviews with the subjects which have been presented very clearly, and easy to read.
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Belle
Apr 26, 2017Belle rated it it was amazing
This was so inspiring. I started meditating more in hope of experiencing even something in the slight that others in this book. It opens your eyes to another life. Another way of existing in this world that carries you through everything imaginable and not so imaginable.
I really enjoyed getting the different perspectives from all the people interviewed because they each said something valuable and unique and equally important for the understanding and progress of someone hoping to embark on the same path. I felt excited to meditate reading it. The concepts were well explained with many stories and anecdotes along the way to help cement your understanding and to some extent the profundity these people have experienced. As a practical person I very much identified with Buddhism. There were some things I didn't agree with quite as much but that's the beauty of it - it's not an all or nothing "religion" which denotes true authenticity for the benefit of every individual whom partakes. I can't wait to continue my journey of discovering the Buddhist philosophy. (less)
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1.

  • 이 책의 전자책 : 16,000원 전자책 보기
2.
  •  판권 소멸 등으로 더 이상 제작, 유통 계획이 없습니다.
3.
  •  출판사/제작사 유통이 중단되어 구할 수 없습니다.



4.





국내도서] <나는 여성의 몸으로 붓다가 되리라>
텐진 빠모 = 비키 메킨지 (지은이), 세등(世燈) (옮긴이) |
김영사 | 2011년
판권 소멸 등으로 더 이상 제작, 유통 계획이 없습니다.



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Tenzin Palmo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, September, 2006.

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo (born 1943) is a bhikṣuṇī in the Drukpa Lineage of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. She is an author, teacher and founder of the Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery in Himachal PradeshIndia. She is best known for being one of the very few Western yoginis trained in the East, having spent twelve years living in a remote cave in the Himalayas, three of those years in strict meditation retreat.

Vicki Mackenzie, who wrote Cave in the Snow about her, relates that what inspired the writing of the book was reading Tenzin Palmo's statement to a Buddhist magazine that "I have made a vow to attain Enlightenment in the female form - no matter how many lifetimes it takes".[1]

Early life[edit]

Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo was born Diane Perry in Woolmers Park, Hertfordshire, on 30 June 1943.[1][2] Although spiritualist meetings were held in her childhood home, she realized at the age of 18 that she was a Buddhist when she read a library book on the subject. She moved to India at 20, where she taught English at the Young Lamas Home School for a few months before meeting her root lama, the 8th Khamtrul Rinpoche.

Career[edit]

In 1964 she became only the second Western woman to be ordained in the Vajrayana tradition, receiving the name Drubgyu Tenzin Palmo, or "Glorious Lady who Upholds the Doctrine of the Practice Succession". The ordination was as a śrāmaṇerī, or novice nun, the highest level of ordination available for women in the Tibetan tradition at the time because the bhikṣuṇī sangha had never been established there. However, with the support of her teacher, in 1973 Tenzin Palmo received the full bhikṣuṇī ordination in Hong Kong, one of the first Western women to do so.

Living at Khamtrul Rinpoche's monastery as the sole nun among 100 monks provided Tenzin Palmo with first-hand experience of the discrimination that restricted women’s access to information that was imparted freely to men. Eager for instruction, she felt frustrated by the fact that she was kept out of most monastic activities because of misogynistic prejudices.[3] She recounts,

When I first came to India I lived in a monastery with 100 monks. I was the only nun... I think that is why I eventually went to live by myself in a cave... The monks were kind, and I had no problems of sexual harassment or troubles of that sort, but of course I was unfortunately within a female form. They actually told me they prayed that in my next life I would have the good fortune to be reborn as a male so that I could join in all the monastery's activities. In the meantime, they said, they didn't hold it too much against me that I had this inferior rebirth in the female form. It wasn't too much my fault.

This phase lasted for six years. Then Tenzin Palmo left the monastery at her teacher’s suggestion to go to Lahaul in the higher reaches of the Indian Himalayas, where she would eventually enter the cave and launch herself into uninterrupted, intense spiritual practice.[4]

The cave[edit]

In 1976 Tenzin Palmo commenced living in a cave in the Himalayas measuring 10 feet wide and six feet deep and remained there for 12 years, for three of which she was in full retreat. The cave was high in the remote Lahaul area of the Indian Himalayas (nearby Tayul Gompa), on the border of Himachal Pradesh and Tibet. In the course of the retreat she grew her own food and practised deep meditation based on ancient Buddhist methods. In accordance with protocol, she never lay down, sleeping in a traditional wooden meditation box in a meditative posture for just three hours a night. The last three years were spent in complete isolation. She survived temperatures of below −30° Fahrenheit (−35°C) and snow for six to eight months of the year.

Activism[edit]

Tenzin Palmo emerged from the cave in 1988 and travelled to Italy as visa problems meant she needed to leave India. Since her retreat Tenzin Palmo has taken on the cause of equal rights and opportunities for Buddhist nuns. In support of this, she spent several years travelling the world fundraising for a new Buddhist nunnery, as her root lama had asked her to do. In 2000, the Dongyu Gatsal Ling Nunnery was opened with the purpose of giving education and training to women from Tibet and the Himalayan border regions. At this nunnery, Tenzin Palmo also plans to re-establish the extinct lineage of togdenmas, a Drukpa Kagyu yogini order.[5]

Tenzin Palmo is a member of the six member "Committee of Western Bhikshunis", an organisation of senior Western nuns supported by two Advisors from Taiwan – the Ven. Bhiksuni Heng-ching Shih, Professor of Philosophy at Taiwan National University [Gelongma ordination 1975 in San Francisco] and Ven. Bhikshuni Wu-yin, Vinaya Master. It was formed in the autumn of 2005, after the Dalai Lama told Bhikshuni Jampa Tsedroen that the Western bhikshunis should be more involved in helping to establish the bhikshuni ordination in the Tibetan tradition.[6]

Recognition[edit]

On 16 February 2008, Tenzin Palmo received the title of Jetsunma (reverend lady) in recognition of her spiritual achievements as a nun and her efforts in promoting the status of female practitioners in Tibetan Buddhism by the head of the Drukpa Lineage, the 12th Gyalwang Drukpa,.[7][8]

Books[edit]

  • A collection of her teachings was released as the book Into the Heart of Life by Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo, Snow Lion Publications, 2011. (ISBN 978-1-55939-374-4).
  • Her life was profiled in the book Cave in the Snow by Vicki Mackenzie (ISBN 1-58234-045-5).
  • Tenzin Palmo released a book containing some of her teachings: Reflections On A Mountain Lake: Teachings on Practical Buddhism (ISBN 1-55939-175-8).
  • Three Teachings is a compilation of talks given by Tenzin Palmo in Singapore, in 1998. Three Teachings - Three Teachings

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Online texts[edit]

Media[edit]


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김동춘 국가권력에 의한 고문 학살 의문사 피해처리

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Sejin Pak

usrtnSS24puon SiJoulsosy ere2014hsd  ·

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[박근혜정부의 문제] [박유하 소동]

- 김동춘 교수는 박유하 교수 고소 건과 반일감정에 대하여는 어떻게 생각하는가 궁금하다.

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김동춘



usrtnSS24puon SiJoulsosy ere2014hsd  ·



세월호 참사 100일. 



  저의 책 [전쟁정치]의 내용 중 과거 국가권력에 의한 고문 학살 의문사 피해처리 과정의 일부를 소개합니다.



  "국가는 사건을 무조건 은폐하고 부인한다. 그런데 도저히 부인할 수 없는 불법 사실이 확인되면 그것은 당시의 관행이었다거나 전쟁 등 급박한 상황 때문에 불가피했다고 변명한다. 법정에 가게 될 경우 사법기관은 권력의 의중에 따라 움직인다. 검사들은 권력의 입맛에 따라 기소를 하거나 기소를 포기한다. 법원은 공권력 집행의 정당성을 여러 논리를 들이대며 정당화한다. 불법구금, 고문사실이 있어도 그것을 묵살한다.



변호사들은 이러한 사건의 변호를 대체로 기피한다. 일부 양심적인 판사들이 있어 피해자를 옹호하는 결정을 내리면 빨갱이 판사라고 집중 공격을 가한다. 언론은 보도 기피한다. 피해자는 아무런 조력을 받을 수 없어서 자포자기 상태에 빠진다. 그런데 유족들이나 목격자들이 침묵하면 영원히 없는 사건이 되어버린다. 일부 유족이나 피해자들이 죽음의 진상을 공개하라고 외친다. 정부는 묵묵부답하거나 혹은 유족들의 요구도 국가안보에 위태롭다고 말하고 때로는 그러한 주장을 하는 유족까지 체포하거나 구속한다. 일부 유족은 소송을 제기하거나 투쟁한다.



정부는 보상안을 내세워 유족을 분열시킨다. 이웃을 이들을 철저하게 차별화하고 소외시킨다"



 지난 87년이전까지 수없이 반복되었던 일입니다.

그렇다면 국가 재난이라는 다른 성격의 사건 처리 방식은 얼마나 달라졌을까 ?

재난이 아니라 '교통사고'라고..? 유병언 술레잡기하면서 물타기?




일본, 위안부 피해 여성 국가배상 호도… 받은 사람도 못 받은 사람도 상처 - 김부자

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[토론자료] 여성을 위한 아시아평화국민기금 1

국민기금 위로금이 사죄라고?

일본, 위안부 피해 여성 국가배상 호도… 받은 사람도 못 받은 사람도 상처

- 김부자(도쿄외국어대대학원 교수) 

위안부 문제에 대한 일본 정부의 공식 주장은 법적으로는 1965년 ‘청구권·경제협력에 관한 협정(대한민국과 일본국 간의 재산 및 청구권에 관한 문제의 해결과 경제협력에 관한 협정)’으로 해결했으며, 인도적으로는 1995년 ‘여성을 위한 아시아평화국민기금’(이하 국민기금)으로 해결했다는 것이다. 이 가운데 국민기금에 대해서는 한국에 그 실체가 잘 알려지지 않았다.

최근 노다 요시히코 일본 총리는 미국 신문과의 인터뷰에서 “일본 정부는 국민기금으로 위안부 문제에 성의를 표했다”고 강조했다(홋카이도 신문 9월 28일자). 앞서 아사히신문은 8월 29일자에서 “일본은 (위안부 문제가) 법적으로 해결됐음에도 국민기금으로 보상하려고 노력했다. 평화헌법을 가진 일본의 전후 노력을 알아줬으면”이라고 보도했다.

그렇다면 국민기금이란 무엇이며, 피해자에 대한 사죄 혹은 보상으로 볼 수 있는지 살펴보자. 1993년 8월 일본 정부는 위안부제도에 대한 일본군의 관여와 강제성을 인정하면서 ‘사과와 반성’을 표명한 ‘고노 담화’를 발표했다. 그리고 사과의 마음을 표현하는 방식을 검토하겠다고 밝혔다. 문제는 사죄를 표명하는 방식이 ‘보상’이 아니라 ‘보상에 대신하는 조치’였다는 점이다. ‘이미 법적으로는 문제를 해결했다’고 주장해온 일본 정부가 1995년 7월 19일 도의적 책임을 지는 ‘츠구나이(償い·위로) 사업’으로 설립한 것이 바로 ‘보상에 대신하는 조치’인 국민기금이다.

그 내용은 위안부제도 피해자를 대상으로 △민간모금에 의한 츠구나이금(200만 엔) △총리의 사과편지 △국고로 의료복지 지원 사업(한국에서는 300만 엔 규모)을 실시한다는 것이었다. 국민기금에 따르면 일본 국민에게서 실제로 모금한 총액은 약 5억6500만 엔(목표 10억 엔), 국고에서 지출하기로 한 의료복지 지원금은 7억5000만 엔이다.

이를 기반으로 한국, 필리핀, 대만 피해자 285명에게 위 3가지 조치를 모두 취하고, 네덜란드 피해자 79명에게는 총리의 사과편지와 의료복지 지원만 실시했다(2002년 종료). 인도네시아에서는 고령자사회복지추진사업을 시행했으며(2007년 3월 해산), 중국과 북한, 동남아시아 국가 피해자들은 제외됐다. 구체적인 국가별 내역은 공개하지 않았으나 9월 28일자 홋카이도 신문은 한국 정부가 인정한 위안부 피해자 234명 중 61명이 ‘츠구나이금’을 받았다고 보도했다.

한국 위안부 61명 ‘츠구나이금’ 수령

여기서 짚고 넘어가야 할 점이 있다. 바로 ‘츠구나이금’이라는 일본말의 애매함이다. 한국의 주요 언론보도와 출판물에서 이를 ‘보상금(補償金)’ 혹은 ‘보상(補償)’이라고 번역한 경우가 적지 않은데, 엄연한 오역이다. 최근 한국의 한 일간지는 “일본 정부는 아시아 여성기금을 통해 군위안부 피해 여성에게 보상하려 했지만 당사자들과 한국정신대문제대책협의회 (정대협)가 일본 정부의 관여와 사죄와 보상을 법으로 정해달라고 요청했다”고 보도했다. 이렇게 되면 일본 정부가 국민기금을 통해 ‘보상’하려고 했음에도 피해자와 운동단체가 반대한 것으로 오해할 수 있다.

국민기금에 의한 ‘츠구나이금’은 민간에서 모금한 것으로 ‘보상에 대신하는 조치’라고는 하지만, 일본 정부에 의한 개인 보상(국가배상)과는 분명한 차이가 있다. 그러니 일본어 ‘츠구나이금’을 한국어로 번역할 때는 ‘위로금’ 혹은 일본어 발음 그대로 ‘츠구나이금’이라고 해야 한다.

짚고 가야 할 점이 또 있다. 위에서 결정한 3가지 조치, 즉 위로금과 총리의 사과편지, 의료복지 지원을 세트로 실시했다는 점이다. 그래서 총리의 사과편지는 피해자 모두에게 오지 않고 위로금을 받은 피해자에게만 전달됐다. 위로금을 받지 않은 피해자는 사죄 대상에서도 제외된 것이다.

한국이나 대만에서는 국민기금의 모호한 성격 때문에 대다수 피해자가 위로금을 거부했다. 홋카이도 신문이 보도한 대로 한국인 피해자 234명 중 61명이 위로금을 받았다면, 4명 중 3명이 이를 거부한 셈이다. 1991년 한국에서 위안부 문제를 최초로 고발한 김학순 씨는 1997년 세상을 뜰 때까지 국민기금에 단호히 반대했다. 또 다른 피해자 강일출 씨는 “일본 정부가 져야 할 책임을 국민에게 미루고 있다. 국민에게서 돈을 모아 나눠준다는데 그건 이상한 이야기다. 어떤 사람은 받고 어떤 사람은 안 받고 사람들 사이에 균열이 생겼다. 일본 정부는 왜 이런 짓을 하는가”라고 말했다(2009년 11월 28일).

위로금 전달 방식에도 문제가 있었다. 1997년 국민기금 측이 피해자들의 거부에도 위로금 전달을 강행하면서 위로금 사취 사건이 벌어지기도 했다. 피해자들이 글을 읽을 줄 모른다는 점을 악용한 피해자 주변인이 정부로부터 받은 피해자인정증을 복사하는 등의 방법으로 국민기금 측으로부터 위로금을 받아 빼돌린 것이다. 위로금을 받은 적 없는 위안부 피해자 심달련 씨는 제삼자가 위로금을 챙겼을 수도 있다는 생각에 국민기금 측에 사실 확인을 요청했으나 계속 거부당했다. 그러다 국민기금이 해산된 2007년 3월 말에야 일본 변호사로부터 심씨의 위로금이 김모 씨 계좌로 입금됐다는 사실을 확인했다. 심씨는 계좌주인 김씨가 누구인지 전혀 알지 못했다. 국민기금이 피해자 본인 확인을 게을리한 결과인 만큼 비슷한 사례가 더 있을 개연성이 높다.

한국 정부는 법적 책임 요구

국민기금의 위로금은 피해자가 요구한 국가보상이 아니며, 총리의 사과편지가 위로금을 받은 피해자에게만 한정됐다는 점, 위로금을 둘러싸고 피해자 혹은 피해자와 지원 단체 사이에 균열을 초래했다는 점, 결정적으로 위로금을 받지 않은 피해자가 대다수며, 위로금을 받은 피해자조차 그 사실을 공표할 수 없어 궁극적인 ‘존엄의 회복’을 가져오지 못했다는 점에서 일본 정부의 사죄라고 보기 어렵다. 위로금을 받은 사람이나 받지 않은 사람 모두에게 슬픔과 혼란, 노여움과 불신을 초래했기 때문이다.

더욱이 국민기금은 일본 정부가 법적 해결을 촉구하는 피해국의 요구나 유엔 등의 권고를 등한시하는 ‘알리바이’로 작용했다. 위로금 지급 실적 올리기에는 분주하면서 정치인이나 역사수정주의자들의 언동에는 침묵했다. 일본 내 여성·시민단체들이 입법 해결을 요구하는 운동을 전개했으나 이를 막은 것도 국민기금이다.

유엔 인권소위원회 특별조사관 맥두걸은 보고서(1998)에서 “피해 여성에게 법적 배상을 한다는 일본 정부 책임이 국민기금으로는 달성되지 않았다”며 “국민기금의 위로금 지급은 일본이 제2차 세계대전에서 일으킨 범죄에 대한 법적 책임을 인정한 것이 아니다”라고 평가했다. 2007년 7월 미국 하원이 채택한 일본 정부에 대한 위안부 사죄 결의안도 국민기금에 대해 “공인 및 민간인의 노력과 정열은 인정하나 근본적인 해결이라고는 볼 수 없다”면서 “명쾌하고도 애매함이 없는 형태로 공적 사죄와 역사적 책임을 다할 것”을 촉구했다. 같은 해 12월 유럽연합(EU)은 일본 정부 측에 역사적, 법적 책임을 다할 것을 요청하면서 피해자 및 그 유족에게 배상할 것, 개인이 정부에게 배상을 요구하는 권리를 인정할 것을 요구했다.

한국 정부는 1997년 1월 국민기금이 관계자를 서울에 파견해 기금사업을 강행하자 “너무나 유감스럽다”며 불쾌감을 표명했다. 이듬해 4월에는 위로금을 거부한 피해자에게 지원금을 지급할 것을 결정하면서 국민기금에 사업 중지를 요구했다. 한국 정부는 피해자들의 의사를 반영해 국민기금에 반대해왔고, 지금은 명확하게 일본의 법적 책임을 요구하고 있다.

한국 정부도, 국제사회도 국민기금이 사죄로서 불충분하다는 점에 인식을 같이하며, 일본 정부 측에 피해자 개개인에게 사죄와 법적 배상을 할 것을 요구하고 있다. 피해자가 바라는 사죄란 일본 정부의 국가배상을 동반하는 사죄임을 잊지 말아야 할 것이다.

(주간동아 2012.11.05)



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[토론자료] 여성을 위한 아시아평화기금 3

* 기부자로부터의 메시지 

- The Asian Women's Fund 아시아여성기금

아시아여성기금의 호소에 부응해 기부해 주신 여러분들이 메시지를 곁들여 보내 주었습니다. 이 메시지에는 (일본)국민의 심정이 표현되어 있습니다.

(1997년 기금의 팸플릿에서)

<인간으로서의 사죄>

-논의가 있어도 행동하는 것이 중요하다고 생각해, 조금이나마 협력합니다.

-위안부였기 때문에 불행한 삶을 보내신 분들에게 부디 정중한 사과와 함께, 앞으로의 행복을 빌어 드리고 싶습니다. 충분한 도움은 못 드리지만 하루 2시간 정도 집에서 할 수 있는 자원봉사가 필요하시면 말씀해 주십시오. 조속한 보상을 마음으로부터 기원합니다.

-이러한 아시아여성기금이 생기는 것을 고대하고 있었습니다. 일본인으로서 답답했던 마음이 조금은 가벼워진 것 같습니다. 기쁜 일입니다.

<조금씩이라도. 할 수 있는 일부터>

-전쟁 당시, 저는 어린아이였습니다만, 나중에 '종군위안부'의 존재를 알고, 희생이 되신 여성들의 억울함을 헤아리면서, 이러한 무모한 시책을 실행한 일본군대에 대한 분노로 몸이 떨려왔습니다. 이 죄의 보상은, 일본인 한 사람, 한 사람이 해 나가야 한다고 생각합니다. 그 구체적 행동의 일환으로 이 기금의 의의를 인정합니다.

-상대국의 입장, 일본정부의 이유도 있겠지만, ODA(정부개발원조)보다도 우선적으로 보상해야 한다고 생각합니다.

-위안부였던 분들의 명예회복에 도움이 되는 형태로 활용해 주었으면 합니다. 동시에, 이것으로 일본정부 책임이 끝나는 것이 아니라, 사실 규명 등, 각종 노력을 계속해 나가도록 요청해 주십시오.

<전쟁을 모르는 젊은이로부터>

-이 나라의 국민인 이상, 이 나라의 과거의 잘못, 역사로부터 벗어날 수 없습니다. 종군위안부로서 희생되신 여러분께 일본인으로서, 인간으로서 마음으로부터 사죄 드립니다. 아시아여성기금의 성공을 기원합니다. --그 전쟁을 모르는 27세의 젊은이로부터.

- '민중의 전쟁책임'을 자각하며 참여합니다.

<제대로 된 과거 청산을>

-'종군위안부'로서 강요 당했던 여러분들에게, 저는 깊이 머리 숙여 사죄 드립니다. 이 분들에 대한 보상은 '국가'가 '국가'로서 해야 한다고 강력하게 생각합니다. 그러나, 50년이 지난 지금, 노령이 되신 분들에게 남겨진 시간은 적다는 것을 생각할 때, 저는 원칙론을 거두어 들이겠습니다. 일본국민의 한 사람으로서 보상을 위해 사용해 주시길 바라며 송금합니다. 이 분들에 대한 고통이 조금이라도 덜어질 수 있기를 바랍니다. 그리고 두 번 다시 이러한 역사를 만들어서는 안 된다고 절실하게 생각합니다.

<군인연금 일부를 기부>

-과거 병사였던 사람으로, 군인 연금의 일부를 기부합니다. 그러나 한마디 말씀 드리자면, 전쟁터의 심리는 현장에 있던 사람밖에 이해할 수 없는 것. 가볍게 보지 말아 주십시오.

<전후50년, 새로운 출발점에>

-국가의 사죄와 보상이 좋다고 생각합니다만, 그를 향한 과정으로의 민간기금에 찬성합니다. 얼마 안되지만 가족 4명의 모금입니다. 활용해 주십시오. 제 아버지는 지금 77세로, 만주(満州), 오키나와(沖縄)에서 전쟁에 참전했습니다. 기금의 성공을 기원합니다.

-아시아 각국과의 좋은 관계를 구축하기 위해 아주 조금이지만 협력할 수 있었으면 합니다.

-참혹한 일을 당한 여성은 오늘날도 많이 있습니다. 힘내십시오.

-전쟁책임의 처리뿐만 아니라, 지금도 어떤 무책임한 일본인 남성 때문에 피해를 입고 있는, 아버지가 없는 아시아 국가의 아이들을 위해서도, 구원의 손길을 부탁 드립니다.

(2007년 기금 홈페이지로부터)

아시아여성기금의 뉴스를 보고, 처음에는 먼 일처럼 생각했지만, 열심히 활동하는 것을 알게 되면서, 여러 문제를 안고 있는 여성을 위해 열심히 해 주셨으면 하는 생각을 하게 되었습니다. 여성에게 있어 대단히 마음 든든한 활동이므로 계속해 주셨으면 합니다. 다양한 프로젝트가 좋은 방향으로 발전되기를 바랍니다. (가나가와현 가와사키시(神奈川県川崎市)∙여성)

위안부였던 분들의 심정을 생각하면 가슴 아픔을 금할 수가 없습니다. 아주 적은 금액이지만, 일본인의 한 사람으로서 사죄와 보상의 마음을 보내드립니다. (도쿄도 스기나미구(東京都杉並区)∙여성)

전쟁에 의해 얼마나 많은 여성이 상처 입고, 남자들의 폭력으로 심신 모두 엉망진창이 되었는가를 생각하면, 더더욱 '평화'의 중요성, 소중함, 두 번 다시 전쟁을 일으켜서는 안 된다고 생각, 남성의 폭력을 허용해서는 안 된다는 마음이 강해졌습니다. (도쿄도 스기나미구(東京都杉並区) ∙여성)

저도 소년시대 전쟁을 경험했습니다만, 당시를 되돌아보면서, 적지만 기부를 합니다. 부디, '위안부'였던 분들이 즐거운 여생을 보내실 수 있기를 바라 마지 않습니다.(지바현 나라시노시(千葉県習志野市)∙남성)

'위안부'였던 분들에 대한 보상을 위해 사용해 주십시오.(사이타마현 우라와시(埼玉県浦和市)∙여성)

두 번 째입니다. 일본국민으로부터 기금을 모금하고 있다는 것에 의의가 있으며, 이런 점이 이해를 받을 수 있도록 노력해 주십시오. (쿄토부 나가오카쿄시(京都府長岡京市)∙남성)

많이 늦어서 죄송합니다. 드디어 취직이 돼서 협력할 수 있게 되었습니다. (도쿄도 시부야구(東京都渋谷区)∙남성)

침략전쟁이, 무엇과도 바꿀 수 없는 개인의 인생에 돌이킬 수 없는 비참한 죽음과 고통, 슬픔을 가져온 것을, 우리 일본인은 직시하고 후세에 전해야만 한다고 생각합니다. (도쿄도 나카노구(東京都中野区)∙남성)

적지만 희망하시는 '위안부'였던 여성분들에게 하루라도 빨리 전달되기를 기원합니다. (2001년 2월19일 도쿄도 스기나미구(東京都杉並区)∙여성)

힘든 시대를 헤쳐 오신 분들의 마음을 생각하면, 아무 말도 할 수 없습니다. 약소하지만, 제 마음을 받아주시면 기쁘습니다. (지바현 마쓰도시(千葉県松戸市)∙남성)

'기금뉴스'를 받았습니다. 반성과 보상의 사업은 힘든 일이라 사료됩니다. 저도 중국에 2년간 종군했습니다만, 다행히 귀국을 할 수 있어서 지금 80살입니다. '위안부' 문제에 대해서는 여러 가지로 생각하게 되었습니다. 약소하지만 도움이 되었으면 합니다. (사이타마현 오가와쵸(埼玉県小川町)∙남성)

일본인이 '위안부'였던 분들에게 저지른 일은 어떤 죄보다도 심한 것이라고 생각합니다. 아무것도 모르는 순수한 소녀들에게 평생 가도 지울 수 없는 정신적인 고통과 육체적 고통을 주었으며, 전쟁의 피해자가 되어 비참한 일을 당한 여성들. 그 사실을 지금 살아 있는 우리들은 더욱 더 알아야 된다고 생각합니다. 그리고 두 번 다시 되풀이하지 않도록, 제대로 전하고 바른 교육을 하는 것이 중요합니다. 그리고 그 분들의 마음의 무거운 짐이 조금이라도 가벼워질 수 있도록, 살아 있는 동안에 적으나마 보상, 사죄와 사죄금을 전해 주십시오. 신속하며 오랫동안 지속적인 활동을 해 주시기를 바랍니다. 또, 홍보를 더욱 확대해 모금액∙기한도 늘려 주십시오.(도쿠시마현 고마쓰시마시(徳島県小松島市)∙여성)

아시아여성기금의 활동에 경의를 표합니다. 번영 속에서 과거를 직시하지 않는 사상이 확산되고 있지만, 인간의 존엄, 평화, 행복과 삶에 대해 서로가 깊이 생각하고, 과거에 대한 도의적 책임을 지는 것도 21세기가 진정으로 사람들의 세기로서 아시아 전체가 공생하며, 협력해야 되는 사명이라고 생각합니다. 얼마 안되지만 세라초(世羅町)관청 직원들의 모금을 보내드리오니, 보탬이 되면 기쁘겠습니다. (히로시마현 세라쵸(広島県世羅町)∙관청)

정말 적은 금액이지만 송금합니다. 저는 4급 장애인으로 병역의 경험은 없습니다만, 전쟁 당시의 일은 잘 기억하고 있으며, 마음 아파하고 있는 한 사람입니다. (오사카부 가도마시(大阪府門真市)∙남성)

수고 많으십니다. 지방에서 조금씩 확대하기 위해 노력하겠습니다. (시즈오카현 가케가와시(静岡県掛川市)∙남성)

입원 때문에 송금이 늦어졌습니다. (오사카부 히라카타시(大阪府枚方市)∙남성)

기본적으로는 일본정부가 보상해야 하는 문제라고 생각합니다만, 독일에서는 유태인의 홀로코스트 보상을 정부와 관련 회사∙기업이 했다고 들었습니다. 또 미국에서는 전시중 일본인 강제수용에 대해서 뒤늦게나마 보상을 했습니다. 일본은 일본국적의 병사들에게만 은급을 지급하고 오키나와를 비롯해 피해를 입은 민간인에게는 일체 보상하지 않았습니다. 조금이지만 기부합니다. (오사카부 오사카시(大阪府大阪市)∙남성)

'위안부'였던 분들께 바칩니다. 부디 우리 일본인을, 그리고 저희 선조가 저지른 죄를 용서해 주십시오. 여러분들의 마음의 상처가 하루라도 빨리 치유되고, 하느님께서 평안을 주시길 진심으로 기원합니다. (사이타마현 우라와시(埼玉県浦和市)∙여성)

앞으로는 아름다운 그림을 보고 아름다운 음악을 듣고, 조금이라도 마음이 평안한 여생을 보낼 수 있기를 마음으로부터 기원합니다. (오카야마현 와게쵸(岡山県和気町)∙여성)

지난 3일, 아내가 70살로 생을 마쳤습니다. 공양이라 생각하고 기부합니다. 전세계 여성에게 평안과 안식이 있기를 기원합니다. (후쿠오카현 후쿠오카시(福岡県福岡市)∙남성)

소액이지만 모금합니다. '사과금'의 1인당 금액은, 그 사람의 인생을 짓밟은 데 비하면 얼마 되지 않겠지만, 일본인의 양심을 증명하기 위해 마지막까지 열심히 해 주십시오. (미야기현 센다이시(宮城県仙台市)∙남성)

공민관 창구에 모금함을 설치해서 모금했습니다. 소액이지만 도움이 됐으면 하는 생각에 보내드립니다. (후쿠오카현 나라하마치∙공민관(福島県楢葉町•公民館))

돈으로 보상이 되리라고는 생각하지 않습니다만, 조금이라도 보탬이 되었으면 합니다. (가나가와현 가와사키시(神奈川県川崎市)∙여성)

서울에 있는 아들이 부탁해서 송금했습니다. (오카야마현 오카야마시(岡山県岡山市)∙여성)

지난 달은 사정이 별로 좋지 않아서 송금하지 못했습니다. 계획한 2개월 분이니 받아주십시오. (에히메현 단바라쵸(愛媛県丹原町)∙남성)

보상사업에 참여합니다. (2001년4월24일 이바라기현 도리데시(茨城県取手市)∙남성)

이번에 '남자와 여자의 인권'이라는 테마로 DV, 아동학대에 대해 4회 연속 세미나를 처음으로 개최했습니다. 이 때 입구에 모금함을 설치했습니다. (이바라키현 기타이바라키시(茨城県北茨城市)∙여성연맹)

일본인의 책임으로서 보상을 해야 한다고 생각합니다. 가난한 사람의 작은 정성입니다. 활용해 주십시오. (지바현 사와라시(千葉県佐原市)∙남성)

조금이라도 마음이 평안해지기를 기원합니다. (아이치현 도요하시시(愛知県豊橋市)∙여성)

힘들 것으로 생각되던 사업이 여러분들의 성의 있는 활동으로 인정 받게 된 것을 기쁘 게 생각합니다. (도치기현 우쓰노미야시(栃木県宇都宮市)∙여성)

소액이지만, 조금이라도 일본이 저지른 죄의 보상이 되길 바라며… (니가타현 아라이시(新潟県新井市)∙남성)

역시나 공평한 조사와 국가에 의한 정식적인 사죄배상을 희망합니다. 그리고 깨끗하게 된 다음 재출발 하고 싶습니다. (구마모토현 구마모토시(熊本県熊本市)∙남성)

얼마 안됩니다만, 문화제에서 모금을 해서 보내드립니다. (이바라키현(茨城県)∙고교자원봉사부)

*출처: The Asian Women's Fund 아시아여성기금

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David Suzuki, Wade Davis, Ronald Wright: We Must Change the Way We Look at the Natural World - EcoWatch

David Suzuki, Wade Davis, Ronald Wright: We Must Change the Way We Look at the Natural World - EcoWatch



David Suzuki, Wade Davis, Ronald Wright: We Must Change the Way We Look at the Natural World

 EcoWatchJun. 28, 2016 02:54PM ESTPOPULAR

By James Hoggan



In my last blog I reported some dire warnings from several of the world's top scientists, experts who are able to present facts about species extinction and climate change in ways we can all absorb. I have never been a pessimist, but we cannot ignore these alarm bells or allow ourselves to get bogged down in denial and acrid debate. These problems are serious and they won't go away on their own.



As I explain in my new book, I'm Right and You're an Idiot, the driving mechanism behind significant social change is an urgent sense of the moral challenge combined with a credible path forward. Social justice advocate Marshall Ganz stresses that both dissonance and hope must be present if we are to spark change. MIT Sloan School of Management's Otto Scharmer adds the success of any intervention depends less upon the specific actions taken, and more upon the inner condition of the intervener.



So clearly, if we want to solve these global environmental problems we need to change the way we see the world and the way we interact with nature. And we also need to shift not only our attention but also our intention.



In this blog I highlight the insights of three experts who urge us to do this by tapping into mankind's extraordinary gift of foresight, the lessons of history and the wisdom of indigenous cultures.





Ronald Wright, Canadian author of the bestseller, A Short History of Progress, who studied archaeology and anthropology at Cambridge, sees a pattern in our refusal to take our collective foot off the accelerator and slow the greedy advance of civilization. He said we North Americans are heavily invested in selling hydrocarbons but are in denial about it because of, "controversies stirred up by massive funding from big oil companies that create bogus scientific institutes."



Civilizations rise and fall, prosper then collapse when the very technologies that created prosperity and success in the first place become liabilities, said the scholar who described this in his Massey Lectures. He calls this downfall of societies the progress trap and refers to examples in Easter Island, ancient Rome, Sumer and more, where innovations created new problems of their own, conditions that were worse than those that existed before the innovation.



It can start with something as seemingly simple as irrigation. People run canals into the desert to grow more food, but that leads to more people, more houses and other concerns. After many centuries, the ancient Sumerians found their fields were turning white because salts were building up when water evaporated. They didn't deal with the problem because they had expanded to a point where it was beyond their ability to change. They were locked into the system and ignored the warnings. "In a matter of 1,000 years, start to finish, they ended up producing only a quarter of the food that the fields had produced in the beginning and of course large parts of southern Iraq had to be abandoned. The land hasn't recovered even after thousands of years," he said.



Discoveries and technologies that start out being beneficial can end up being detrimental. For instance, when you move from a spear to a rifle you've made real progress in your ability to kill animals and other people, but when you move from a rifle to the hydrogen bomb you've made too much progress. You've built a weapon you cannot use without destroying most of the higher life on Earth.



He explains how the Mayans fell into a similar progress trap when their rulers followed a similarly self-serving and shortsighted path. The Maya built bigger and bigger temples at the end, just as our civilization is creating taller and taller skyscrapers. Evidence from Maya skeletons shows that while members of the ruling class became fatter and taller, peasants became shorter and thinner. There was a transfer of resources upwards over time, as we see in our society today, along with a "great reluctance to face up to the fact that the party was over." He sees similar cynical manipulations of tax structures today by those who are absurdly wealthy and reluctant to share any of that wealth.



The historian said we only have to look back 30 years to see staggering changes in the ratio of income between the CEO of a major American corporation and a shop floor worker in the same corporation. Three decades ago it was about 40 to 1; today it's more than 1,000 to 1. "We see fabulous amounts of wealth in a few hands and almost a third of the human race living in dire poverty," he explained. This pattern of the super rich avoiding taxes was seen towards the end of the Roman Empire too, when great landowners received huge tax exemptions. The tax burden was moved down the social pyramid and the state had to debase the coinage to meet its financial obligations. Meanwhile, there was increasing social unrest and Rome was rapidly turning into a city of slums.



Civilizations that have prospered and achieved brilliance in the past got into trouble because they were unable to change their ways of thinking and operating, and the very things that created their initial prosperity and success became liabilities. Wright sees the same happening now and his dystopian vision of the future leads to his warning that this will threaten not only our civilization but also the natural world on which it depends.



"There's an absolute inability to face up to the fact that there are limits … It goes against the cultural grain of North Americans who are used to having endless plenty, used to the idea that the future will always be bigger and better," Wright said. This is the thinking of a plunderer, not a wise steward. He explained, "One of the absolutely clear essences of history and archeology is that a healthy economy depends on a healthy environment and once you start eating into the environment to grow your so-called economy you are on a path to ruin."



He said our rapid technological advances have made it possible to suck more and more out of the environment and have made it seem as though human prosperity is detached from natural systems. "Of course the reverse is true. What we've been doing by these very sophisticated means of extracting things is actually taking out stuff that can never be replaced," he said.



Canadian geneticist, science broadcaster and environmental activist David Suzuki couldn't agree more and said the problems we face regarding energy and environmental issues are not technological, political or economic. They are psychological, and the path forward lies in learning to see the world differently.



"The environmental movement has failed," he said, because although we now have laws that protect clean air, clean water, endangered species and millions of hectares of land—we have not changed the way people think. "The failure was, in winning these battles, we didn't change the way we see the world ... We didn't get across the idea that the reason we wanted to stop logging here, or this dam, or this offshore drilling is we're a part of the biosphere and we've got to begin to behave in a way that protects the most fundamental things in our lives—air, water, soil and other species. That's the lesson of environmentalism and we failed to inculcate that in society," he said.



Suzuki explains that for most of human existence we knew we were part of nature and understood we had to be careful not to jeopardize our place in the natural world. Back in 1900 there were only 1.5 billion human beings on the planet and just 14 cities with populations of more than a million. Most lived in rural communities and were involved in farming.



Today, just more than a century later, we have more than seven billion people on Earth and hundreds of gigantic cities, dozen with populations of more than 20 million. "In cities we create our own habitat and as long as we have a park somewhere to go to camp and play in, who needs nature? The important thing in the city is your job and making money," Suzuki said. We have seen a fundamental shift from an understanding that we are part of and dependent on nature, to becoming urban dwellers whose priorities are economic.



"Humanity has grown so powerfully that we've become a geological force," he said. "There have never been so many people with the ability to affect the chemistry, the physics and the biology of the planet. A crunch is coming, because the biosphere has been so altered that there are going to be collapses and an inability to sustain the number of people on the planet."



Human beings are now co-opting 40 percent of what's called the net primary productivity of the planet. All of the energy captured by plants through photosynthesis is what powers life on Earth, he explains. We are in a species extinction crisis, because we're co-opting all the land for ourselves. "Environmentalists used to demonstrate for things like clean rivers and pristine forests, but now we're fighting for the future of the biosphere—all of the globe's ecosystems," he explained.



"We keep hearing about the bottom line and the economy, but the bottom line is actually the air that keeps us alive, that gives us our climate and weather. And it's the same with water. If we see the world through economic eyes, the things that matter most to us are worthless."



Suzuki moved into television in 1962—his program The Nature of Things has aired in nearly 50 countries—because he believed people needed more information. "I thought, the more information, the better information they have, the better decisions people will make," he said. However, he no longer believes that.



"People today have unprecedented access to information," he said, but we're going backwards and science itself is being discredited. There has been a huge investment in neo-conservative, right wing think tanks that claim a lot of environmental concerns are part of the left-wing movement toward socialism. "Scientific integrity and credibility have been undermined, and that is the greatest disappointment to me," said the former professor who has received 25 honorary degrees for his efforts to save the environment.



When 15,000 people died in Chicago one summer because of a heat wave; when 33,000 people died in Europe as a result of a heat wave; when New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane Katrina—each time he thought, "This has got to be it. I mean, people can't deny the fact that billions of dollars worth of pine trees have been destroyed in British Columbia because of the mountain pine beetle. The best sequester of carbon is our forests and we have the largest, last, intact forest on the planet in the boreal forest of Canada. What does it take for us to accept that something is going on?"



Suzuki notes that 150,000 years ago when we emerged as a species, our one brilliant advantage was a brain that invented the concept of a future. Based on our knowledge and experience, we could look ahead and anticipate threats. "It is this ability to avoid danger and exploit opportunity that has been at the heart of our success, that led us to take over every continent of the planet and become the dominant species," he said.



We have a huge population of scientists, and super-computers to aid them, who have spent the last four decades acting in the best tradition of our species, looking ahead, seeing where the dangers are and telling us we've got to change. "And now, we are being deliberately stalled … that's the tragedy," he said. "The success of our species is based on foresight, and now, we are turning our backs on that survival strategy."



Modern cultures are famously myopic when it comes to their world view, concurs Canadian anthropologist and ethno botanist Wade Davis, a National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence whose work has taken him from Peru to Polynesia, from the Amazon rainforest to the Mali desert. "That kind of cultural myopia has been the curse of humanity, and today it is evident in the way we think about the natural world," Davis said.



Most traditional cultures and indigenous people have a reciprocal relationship with the world. "They don't see it as just a stage upon which the human drama unfolds," he said. "They see it literally as a series of reciprocal exchanges in which the Earth has absolute obligations to humanity, and humanity has obligations to the Earth."



We in the western world were raised to believe the mountains are there to be mined, "which is completely different from a child of the Andes raised to believe that that mountain above his community was an Apu spirit, a deity, that would direct his destiny for the rest of his life." Here on the west coast of British Columbia, Davis said, we grow up believing forests exist to be cut. That makes us very different from a First Nations elder raised to believe those forests are the domain of spirits.



The interesting thing isn't who's right or wrong, he stresses, it's how the belief system mediates human interaction with the environment. "It reveals two profoundly different belief systems: One with a relatively benign ecological footprint for thousands of years, another which has razed the forests in three generations," Davis explained.



When the British first arrived in Australia, they saw people who looked strange, and had a very primitive technology. "But what really offended the British was that the aboriginal people had no interest in self-improvement, in progress, in changing their life," he said. "That was the fundamental ethos of 18th and 19th century Europe. As recently as 1902, it was debated in parliament in Australia as to whether aboriginal people were human or not. As recently as the 1960s, a school book called A Treasury of Fauna of Australia, included the aboriginal people amongst the interesting wildlife of the country." The entire purpose of life in Australia, for the civilization of the aboriginal people, was the antithesis of progress, said Davis. The whole purpose in life was to not change anything.



"What I find so moving when I go around the world is seeing the way indigenous people are dealing with the demonstrable evidence of climate change, whether in the Amazon or in the Andes, the Himalayas or the Arctic," he said. In Southern Peru there is a legendary pilgrimage called the Qoyllur Rit'I that involves tens of thousands of Indians from all over the Southern Andes converging on a sacred valley dominated by a glacier called the Colquepunku. The ritual involves, among other things, crawling up to the ice and chipping off small blocks, which are then carried back to elders who are incapable of making the pilgrimage.



"Watching the degree of recession of those glaciers, the people have unilaterally decided it's their fault, and this is a key thing," Davis said. "We think of climate change as a technical problem, a scientific problem, perhaps a controversial, political issue. They see it as their fault. So, these people, in this poignant act, have ceased chipping trivial blocks of ice from the glacier, breaking the sacred cycle of the ritual that goes back at least 2,000 years."



This is not their problem. This is a problem created by a narrow subset of humanity with a specific ideology and a specific attitude toward the world, Davis said. He does not suggest we return to a pre-industrial past, but that we recognize the existence of different ways of being alive on the planet and change the fundamental way we interact with it.



"In our lifetimes, we've seen Black people go from the woodshed to the White House; women go from the kitchen to the board room; gay people from the closet to the altar. Through space exploration we've reconfigured our entire notion of what the world is, and now we are being asked to re-think our integration into the natural world," Davis explained.



The scholars I interviewed here have elegantly revealed the story of our counter-evolutionary behavior, and they have offered a more enlightened and ethical way of looking at our natural world and interacting with it. As Otto Scharmer explained at the beginning of this blog, we have to change the inner condition of the intervener if we are to affect change and deal with the problems we face.



James Hoggan is president of the Vancouver PR firm Hoggan & Associates, chair of the David Suzuki Foundation and founder of the influential website DeSmogBlog. He is also the author Climate Cover-Up, Do the Right Thing and the recently released I'm Right and You're an Idiot.


2020/07/21

장유유서 - 위키낱말사전 長幼有序 일어

장유유서 - 위키낱말사전

장유유서



어원: 長幼有序(장유유서).

장유유서



1. 어른과 아이 사이에는 차례와 질서가 있어야 한다.



長幼有序 ちょうよう-ゆうじょ

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意味 年上と年下の間にある、守るべき社会的、道徳的な秩序のこと。

「長幼」は年齢が上の人と下の人。

「序」は順序、席次のこと。

儒教の五つの道徳法則、五倫のうちの一つ。

[역사와 현실]장유유서(長幼有序)의 오해 - 경향신문

[역사와 현실]장유유서(長幼有序)의 오해 - 경향신문




[역사와 현실]장유유서(長幼有序)의 오해장유승 단국대 동양학연구원 책임연구원

입력 : 2018.11.07



우리나라 사람들, 나이를 많이 따진다. 학교는 한 살 차이로 학년이 달라지니 그렇다 쳐도, 직장은 엄연히 직급이 있는데도 나이를 따진다. 처음 만나는 사람들은 서로 나이부터 확인하고, 모르는 사람과 싸움이 붙어도 반드시 나오는 말이 “너 몇 살이야?”다. 나이차가 많으면 모를까, 몇 살 차이 나지 않는 사람들도 나이를 따진다. 이로 인해 세대 간 갈등은 물론 세대 내 갈등까지 빚어진다. 노인끼리 나이를 따지며 노약자석을 다투는 사태가 벌어지는 것이다. 청년들도 나이에 민감하다. 취업시장에서는 한 살이라도 어려야 유리하다는 것이 정설이다. 나이 많은 신입사원을 꺼리기 때문이다. 중장년층의 재취업이 어려운 것도 나이 따지는 문화 때문이다.



나이 따지는 문화의 원흉으로 지목되는 것이 ‘장유유서’다. 나이순으로 서열을 정하는 유교적 잔재가 이 모든 문제의 근원이라는 것이다. 하여간 나쁜 건 전부 유교적 잔재란다. 한국 사회의 모든 문제를 유교적 잔재 탓으로 돌리는 건 게으른 사회학자의 핑계에 불과하다. 문제를 해결하려면 원인을 정확히 파악해야 한다. 결론부터 말하면 장유유서는 나이와 무관하다.


장유유서는 <맹자>에 나오는 말이다. 먼 옛날 순임금이 다섯 가지 유형의 인간관계에서 지켜야 할 윤리를 제시했다. 부자유친은 부자관계, 군신유의는 상하관계, 부부유별은 부부관계, 붕우유신은 수평관계, 그리고 장유유서다. 장유유서는 어떤 관계에 적용되는 윤리일까? 형제관계, 조금 더 확대하면 친족관계의 윤리다. 사회윤리가 아니라 가족윤리라는 말이다. 그러니 장유유서를 찾고 싶으면 집에 가서 찾든가 명절에 친척들 모인 자리에서 찾는 것이 좋겠다.


과거 지역사회는 대부분 집성촌이었다. 혈연으로 맺어진 친족들이 한 마을에 살았다. 여러 사람이 모이면 순서가 있어야 하는 법, 어른과 아이를 구분하여 순서를 정하는 것도 한 방법이다. 그렇다면 어른과 아이를 구분하는 기준은 뭘까? 나이라고 생각하기 쉽지만 천만의 말씀이다. 종법(宗法) 질서가 지배하는 유교사회에서는 숫자에 불과한 나이 따위를 기준으로 위아래를 정하지 않는다. 장유유서는 소목(昭穆)의 순서, 쉽게 말해 항렬의 순서다. 나이 어린 삼촌을 어른 대접해야 하는 이유가 이것이다.


사촌 이내의 가까운 친척이라면 대체로 나이와 항렬이 일치하므로 별 문제가 없다. 하지만 사돈의 팔촌까지 함께 사는 마을에서 나이순으로 위아래를 정하면 순서가 꼬인다. 속된 말로 ‘개족보’가 되는 것이다. 유교적 관념으로는 결코 용납할 수 없는 사태다. 유교사회에서는 나이를 따지지 않는다. 따지는 건 항렬의 상하와 적서(嫡庶) 여부다. 백발이 성성한 노인이 어린이를 존대하는 일이 드물지 않았던 것도 이 때문이다.


취학연령도 취업연령도 없었던 과거에는 나이에 큰 의미를 두지 않았다. 함께 공부하는 학생끼리도 나이가 제각각이었다. 과거에 합격한 나이도, 처음 관직에 오른 나이도 천차만별이었다. 자연히 나이에 상관없이 친구로 지냈다. 역사에 길이 남은 ‘절친’들도 나이차가 제법 많았다. 함께 공놀이하던 김유신과 김춘추는 일곱 살 차이, 동문수학한 정몽주와 정도전은 다섯 살 차이, 오성과 한음으로 알려진 단짝 이항복과 이덕형도 다섯 살 차이다. 지금이라면 친구로 지내기 애매하겠지만 그들은 전혀 상관하지 않았다. 열 살 가까이 차이 나는 친구도 드물지 않았다. 옛날책을 아무리 뒤져봐도 한두 살 차이까지 따지는 엄격한 장유유서 문화는 보이지 않는다. 더구나 같은 유교문화권인 중국과 일본은 우리처럼 나이를 따지지 않는다. 그렇다면 나이 따지는 문화의 원흉은 유교 아닌 다른 데서 찾아야 하지 않겠는가.


나이 따지는 문화는 전근대적 유산처럼 보이지만 아이러니하게도 근대의 산물이다. 근대적 학제의 도입은 취학연령과 교육과정을 법제화했다. 모든 학생이 같은 나이에 입학해서 정해진 기간 동안 공부하고 같은 나이에 졸업했다. 자연히 취업과 결혼, 승진과 정년에 적합한 나이도 대충 정해졌다. 제 나이에 정해진 경로를 따라가면 성공한 인생이고, 따라가지 못하면 실패한 인생이다. 나이에 민감해지지 않을 수 없다.


정해진 경로를 따라가는 인생에서 나이는 사회적 서열을 가늠하는 기준이다. 결국 나이 따지는 문화는 서열에 민감한 우리 사회의 단면이다. 서열이 자주 바뀌면 덜 민감하겠지만, 한 번 정해진 서열은 좀처럼 바뀌지 않는다. 월반과 유급이 사라진 학교, 능력과 성과보다 근속연수가 중요한 직장, 개성과 다양성을 무시하고 획일화를 지향하는 사회, 이것이 나이 따지는 문화가 사라지지 않는 이유다.



원숭이 무리조차 서열이 자주 바뀌는데 그보다 높은 잠재력을 가진 인간의 서열이 바뀌지 않는다면 문제다. 서열이 고착화된 사회는 병든 사회다. 서열을 없앨 수 없다면 최소한 바뀌기 쉽게 만들어야 한다. 하지만 반발이 만만치 않을 것이다. 갑작스러운 서열 변화를 반기기보다는 두려워하는 사람이 많을지도 모르겠다. 나이 따지는 문화가 불만이라면, 엄한 유교를 탓하기 앞서 우리 사회가 교육과 노동의 전면적인 변화를 감수할 준비가 되어 있는지 묻는 것이 순서다.

원문보기:
http://news.khan.co.kr/kh_news/khan_art_view.html?art_id=201811072048005#csidx9b979b75a7bf269978e1fc334dbf5ef 

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Amazon.com: Buddhism beyond Gender: Liberation from Attachment to Identity eBook: Gross, Rita M., Simmer-Brown, Judith: Kindle Store

Amazon.com: Buddhism beyond Gender: Liberation from Attachment to Identity 

eBook: Gross, Rita M., Simmer-Brown, Judith: Kindle Store



Buddhism beyond Gender: Liberation from Attachment to Identity by [Rita M. Gross, Judith Simmer-Brown]

Buddhism beyond Gender: Liberation from Attachment to Identity 

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by Rita M. Gross  (Author), Judith Simmer-Brown (Introduction)  

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Length: 189 pages Word Wise: Enabled Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled 

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A bold and provocative work from the late preeminent feminist scholar, which challenges men and women alike to free themselves from attachment to gender. 



At the heart of Buddhism is the notion of egolessness—“forgetting the self”—as the path to awakening. In fact, attachment to views of any kind only leads to more suffering for ourselves and others. And what has a greater hold on people’s imaginations or limits them more, asks Rita Gross, than ideas about biological sex and what she calls “the prison of gender roles”? Yet if clinging to gender identity does, indeed, create obstacles for us, why does the prison of gender roles remain so inescapable? Gross uses the lenses of Buddhist philosophy to deconstruct the powerful concept of gender and its impact on our lives. In revealing the inadequacies involved in clinging to gender identity, she illuminates the suffering that results from clinging to any kind of identity at all.





Editorial Reviews

Review

“Rita Gross offers readers an amazing example of a lifelong, ongoing commitment to feminist thinking and practice. Her visionary insistence that the path to ending patriarchal domination must lead us beyond gender is a revolutionary paradigm shift, one that can lead to greater freedom for everyone.”—bell hooks



“In terma (treasure) traditions, texts appear in the world, mysteriously, at the precise moment when they will have the greatest benefit. Rita Gross’s posthumously published book, Buddhism beyond Gender—set to be released by Shambhala Publications at a time when clarity around gender is needed more than ever—may be just such a treasure.”—Lion’s Roar



"In Buddhism Beyond Gender, Rita Gross provides her final and most candid assessment of the state of gender dynamics within Buddhism... This book feels as much as a scholarly culmination as it does a call to arms."—Canadian Journal of Buddhist Studies



“The Buddhist scriptures tell us that we are neither male nor female—that gender is an illusion, and that clinging to it just brings suffering. In this, her last book, Rita Gross, one of the founding figures in the feminist study of religion, explains why this is so. One of the few academics to speak from an insider’s perspective, Professor Gross devoted most of her life to challenging the structures of patriarchy and oppression in the Buddhist tradition—to ‘repairing’ the tradition and making it more just. Buddhism beyond Gender is Rita Gross at her very best: clear, direct, insightful, and uncompromising. The book is not just an important contribution to Buddhism and gender studies, it is a practical guidebook on how to see through the fictions of gender identity and free oneself from the prison of gender roles so as to lead a more liberated life.”—José Ignacio Cabezón, Dalai Lama Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara

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About the Author

RITA M. GROSS (1943–2015) was Professor Emerita of Comparative Studies in Religion at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. An important figure in the study of women in religion in general, she was also a Vajrayana Buddhist practitioner and teacher, appointed a lopon by Mindrolling Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche.  



She is the author, coauthor, or editor of eleven books, including her classic Buddhism after Patriarchy: A Feminist History, Analysis, and Reconstruction of Buddhism. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details



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File Size: 1358 KB

Print Length: 189 pages

Publisher: Shambhala (March 27, 2018)

Publication Date: March 27, 2018

Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC

Language: English

ASIN: B076NPZW4F

Text-to-Speech: Enabled 

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars

4.2 out of 5

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Top Reviews

Top Reviews

Amazon Customer

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinarily insightful

Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2018

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I found this book to be extraordinarily insightful. As a Buddhist practitioner--one who cares deeply about the issues of gender but feels they are underrepresented or glossed over--this book was a revelation. The main theme is that attachment to gender roles—of any gender—creates suffering. The author refers to this as the “prison of gender roles.” But ultimately, the view in Buddhism is that attachment to any fixed views or fixed identity leads to suffering. She shows both how we as individuals can find freedom (through emptiness, or egolessness) and how Buddhist traditions can address this. I love the author’s occasional personal anecdotes of how she’s confronted issues related to gender roles in her own life.



As for the one-star review that exists for this book, my impression is that the reviewer missed the forest for the trees, though I wish them the best.

15 people found this helpful

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Lisa Rayner

1.0 out of 5 stars people like my transgender wife

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2018

Shambala Publications has disgraced itself by publishing this book by an openly transphobic author. Transphobia hurts real human beings every day, people like my transgender wife, and me, a non-binary person. Rita Gross gave talks about the book while she was writing it. Even though she died before she could write about transgender people, leaving a placeholder in the book, it is clear that what she would have written would likely have been transphobic. Before her death, she expressed much ignorance about transgender people. She also appeared to conflate gender roles with gender identity, like many 2nd wave feminists still do (trans exclusionary feminists who believe, wrongly, that transgender women are not women). There is plenty of scientific data on the effects of hormone timing in the womb on the sex and gender of developing embryos. The Endocrine Society recently published a position statement that transgender identity is not a mental illness and that biology underlies gender identity. The commenters on this page who are writing transphobic opinions are just making the situation worse. When did science-denialism become “Buddhist” Transphobic Buddhist feminists. What a horrific perspective on Buddhism and 2nd wave feminism. Where’s the empathy and compassion for the real human beings who are discriminated against and treated poorly every day because they were born transgender? Shambala Publications has harmed the public perception of Buddhism. I will never look at this company or Buddhism the same benign way again.

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