Surprising Shinto Texts

Well, I'm shortly back off to Japan, for a school trip with students from the place where I teach. I was interested recently to discover some Shinto texts, which were from a different perspective than I expected. Not that I have actually read a lot of Shinto writings. See if they surprise you!

Ise Teijo, who lived from 1715-1784, said, ‘Never make an image to represent the Deity… an image made by mortal hands is of no use in Shinto Worship.’[1]

Another text:

'If one ceremoniously invited me to his abode by hanging up sacred straw ropes for thousands of days, yet would I not cross his threshold were he dishonest, harsh or greedy.'[2]

A third text, written by Shima-shigeoyu, Shinto priest of Izumo Shrine in the Tokugawa period goes as follows:
'Deem not that only in this earthly shrine the Deity doth reign; The Earth entire and all the Heavens divine, His presence do proclaim.'[3]

These passages resonate with me, as a follower of Christ, as fitting with biblical principles.

Perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise that religious groups around the world have developed many similar principles to each other. I wonder whether this could also contribute to dialogue between Shinto and Christian groups.

[1] Genchi Kato, A Study of Shinto: The Religion of the Japanese Nation, (London: Curzon Press, 2nd Edition, 1971), 185.
[2] Attributed to the Oracle of the Deity of Kasuga (Perhaps written by Shinto priest Urabe-no-kanetomo), in Kato, A Study of Shinto,(1971), 179-80.
[3] Kato, A Study of Shinto,(1971), 187.

An enjoyable ramble

For Anzac Day, avoiding the rush at the Shrine, we took a peaceful ramble from the Collingwood Children's Farm across to Dight's falls. It was a beautiful walk, not at all spoilt by the number of bikes out, even if they mostly forgot to use their bells!

The kids fed the horses and donkeys at the farm and we finished up by going down to the Convent, where we found "Lentil as Anything", an impressive veggo cafe. At "Lentil as Anything", there is no cashier, nothing but a box, to drop your cash in at the end. You "Pay as you like", according to what you think the food is worth. We ate Udon, which was obviously Japanese cuisine influenced and a "curry platter", great food and good coffee - much impressed.

Learning geography from Asterix

Amongst the householders at our place, this set of French cartoons has become a popular one recently, and the whole set has been gradually picked up from the library and read voraciously. Actually, Asterix seems like quite a good geography lesson, (if mainly restricted to Europe) doesn't it, and the puns are good for the average adult. I actually fell to reading Asterix in Japanese, when I lived in Japan, which was quite enjoyable, especially when you remember them as well as I do. The official website is worth a look, if you're into this crew.

And, here's the English version of the latest typically hollywoody music for the most recent Asterix movie:

Foetal position

As I lead a Catholic retreat this week, I am reminded of the way I get caught up in activity. Frenetic activity consumes me until I am uncomfortably numb, as opposed to the Pink Floyd song. This picture, my partner's, sums it up well. The bright lights, (have you ever been to the casino?), attract us - at least at first. Eventually we succumb and assume the position we held in the womb.

Year 12 students, who I will take on retreat, need to avoid this reaction to the violence of the push for results and the pressures of the year. How they can avoid this is perhaps by following some Leunig strategies.

For there are some who desire to know only for the sake of knowing; and this is disgraceful curiosity.
And there are some who desire to know, that they may become known themselves; and this is disgraceful vanity....
And there are also some who desire to know in order to sell their knowledge, as for money, or for degrees; and this is disgraceful commercialism.
But there are also some who desire to know in order to edify; and this is love.

- Bernard, Abott of Clairvaux 12th C

Passing the buck

I wouldn't say that my move from a public educational institution into a private one was a shock - it was rather the opposite, a change that is easy to get used to. After around 8 years in a a public institution, I can see the difference and it is one I feel quite ambivalent about. In the end, students are students, some have good study habits, some not and there are no guarantees, even if their parents are paying an arm and a leg.

My ambivalence is due to the apparent ease with which the government(s) pass the buck on the poor resourcing and support offered to teachers in the tough schools, where there are none of the perks, or even just the support of the time needed to do a really good job. In the end, too, part of the reason I am really comfortable with the change is related to the fact that the new place, is just around the corner from me.

I guess I have to be careful in the place where I am that I too, am not throwing around the money, or even trashing it, but that I have a greater responsibility, where I have responsibility for more, to use it wisely and with compassion for the growth of others. What a challenge this is...

Being a pasta's husband

Yes, my daughter said, "Mum, you'll be the pasta and I'll be the fettucini!", when my other half got a job recently at a melbourne church. Its always interesting being the husband, where the role of the pastor's wife in many a church has been pretty narrow... But I'm pretty lucky really, since people don't really seem to know what to expect of the pastor's husband. One thing is for sure, if people think things are hunky dory and all easy in these days post women's lib for a woman in leadership, it ain't necessarily so, in church circles! But ah well, things are a changing and there are a lot of positives too...

Wilson's Promontory

On the weekend I got away with the fam to WP - what a place! I can't believe it had been about 9 years since I got down there. Our friends booked a campsite which was good because they knew which one to put as a preference...

Here is a pic of the male Gang Gang Cockatoo we saw.

We spent a lot of our time out at the beach... we've all got wetsuits now, so we enjoyed the time out not too cold as we would have been otherwise.

We made one walk around to Little Oberon beach... but mostly enjoyed being out of Melbourne on the Melbourne cup long weekend- a public holiday for a horse race!

Leadership

Its enough to make you sick, isn't it! The way Australia is being governed, is pretty shocking. Tonight, I heard Brian Howe, former Deputy PM of Australia speaking at a small theological college in the city. I hadn't realised that Brian is also a Uniting Church minister. His formative years were spent in social advocacy for multicultural issues in Melbourne. He fought against high rise and freeways and for acceptance of refugees. In his view, the Australian government currently is 'experimenting' with its people... He was passionate about housing, and has seen Public Housing stocks in Australia, reduce from 5% to about 4% in Victoria today. Compare that to 40% in the UK about 15 years ago.

It appears reasonably easy to see the current Aussie government's priorities. Today, Howard announced a 10 billion dollar boost to the army.

Anglican Bishop's letter to the World, from Gaza

Here is a link, provided by Ship-of-Fools website to a document which outlines the destruction so far at Gaza in the latest attacks.

The bishop pleads for pressure to be put on both sides to stop the killing and the fighting...

Write to your MP (UK) or Representative (US) to tell them your views on the current Middle East conflict and to urge action for peace. And here is a fact sheet if you are in Australia, for contacting politicians...

God trying to cover up the mess we made!

Yes, I know its ages since I've blogged here, but I just had to put this picture on - just found it using Picasa to locate my photos. You can see my bike in the foreground, this was when I was living in Japan... It is hard to believe the way such a mess can look OK! 

Kerryn McCann's marathon

Yesterday, I went to the MCG with my family to watch the first day of the C'wealth/Stolen?wealth games Athletics meet. Along with 80 000 others, we watched various events, among which the women's marathon stood out, as always a particularly gruelling competition. Here are some snaps we took at the end of the women's marathon.

I loved the marathon as a child and watching Robert De Castella in the 1984 LA Olympics was a major reason for my taking up of running at a young age. I ran a half marathon at 12, and again at about 24. I suppose I am getting close enough to 36 to have to consider what is next, but that is getting off the topic!

Anyway, Kerryn McCann is 38 and was virtually written off as past it by the stadium commentators at the beginning of the race. She has two kids, a six year old and a young one - and we were encouraged to give her encouragement, as she approached the stadium, a young Kenyan athlete just behind her. This is a competition so different from others, like gymnastics, which seems to be given over to younger and younger athletes. She looked spent as she entered the stadium on the large TV screen and sure enough the Kenyan athlete ran past her as she was running in. But the roar of the crowd egged her on.

From somewhere, Kerryn found the strength to sprint back past the Kenyan athlete, and as she later related, she was carried the last 300 metres of the track by the strength of her crowd support. I can vouch for that- it was a roar.

Rugby 7s training

This morning I was going for a jog when we saw that the Aussie 7s team was training at the oval where I normally do yard duty. So the whole family took a walk down there, where we enjoyed watching the rigours of training before the Commonwealth games. In one of the most injurious sports you'll every come across, even when they weren't doing full tackles by any means, someone did get hurt and had to sit out the rest of the day.

We aren't really rugby followers, true Melbournites after all, but when they had been given a sticker of the Wallabies, the kids stuck it in their project books and asked for autographs! We discovered later, that the guy who really stood out has played for Fiji as well as Australia and for a long time at the Brisbane Broncos. His name? Lote Tuqiri...

The True Royal Family (Black GST)

What are the groups that are feeling excluded from the party that seems to be the Commonwealth Games? Well, the Black GST is an example. This group is calling for "Genocide to end, Sovereignty to be acknowledged and a Treaty to be made". Wouldn't it be about time?! Here is their news:
Where: Kings Domain Garden

When: 8.30am around the Sacred Fire
Each morning we sit around the Sacred Fire and plan out the days actions according to the vibes of the day. Come along and visit the campsite to learn something from the oldest known culture on the planet. It is rumoured the next big action will be Sunday March 19th Countless smaller, maybe more pertinent & original actions will occur between now and then - especially if you join in. Just walking down the street is causing enough commotion for Aboriginal people in Melbourne at the moment. In the meantime the cultural floodgates are open with the learning 24/7. Between smoking ceremonies, welcoming ceremonies, live bands & the occasional film, this would have to be the best opportunity for Australians to visit and learn about a culture that feels it has little respect. Also, some have noted just how lucky we are to be on not only sacred land , but also in heart of all the action. Come and set up camp in this proudly non-violent "dry" zone. A real community bond is growing - imagine how good life could be if white Australians no longer suffered from 'Whiteman's Whiplash' - that frozen look that comes across the guilty party when their head snaps the other way as they walk past an Aboriginal human being, subconsciously realising that they know nothing of the people that have lived on this planet for longer than any other. Time Is Now!
Another group excluded from this celebration is the homeless of Melbourne. Urban Seed has said that marginalised and homeless people have experienced prejudice, misunderstanding and fear because of the increased public scrutiny of the Games. See the full article here.

Whaling くじらをかうこと

Well, I got in trouble recently for emailing a letter encouraging people to sign a petition lead by Greenpeace
Anyway, I forwarded the letter to a Japanese Teacher's Network and got howled down. One guy even emailed me, assumed I wasn't a Japanese teacher and asked me who put me onto the network.

So, what of whaling?! Greenpeace says on that link that Sealord tuna, which we can buy in Aussie Supermarkets is 50% owned by Nissui, who is a major owner of the commercial whaling operation. I am now studying an Environmental subject and just might use this issue for my tut presentation. Its not a completely cut and dry issue... Here is a picture of a Southern Right Whale, of which, according to some estimations there are less than 300 left in the world.

The Commonwealth Games

Yes, they're coming to our neighbourhood - all of 6 km from where i live. And yeah, we're going to go along for a few events. Apparently, Melbourne will be shutting down for the Commonwealth games. School holidays have been re-organised, so we only have a six week first term. At the school where I work, this has been shortened to five weeks (Activity week in week 6), so that teams that want to can practise on our esteemed ovals! The Education department has put out a map of the world for the Commonwealth Games to the local primary schools. Unfortunately they forgot to put down most of the countries which have emerged in the last 10 years. Sorry Croatia, Latvia and Estonia.

The whole city centre will be shut down for some events, but at least us lucky ticket holders will have free public transport on the day of the event. And me? I too could have been in an event, except for a broken rib, scored a week ago on the basis of a ridiculous game on the beach. And i hadn't even been drinking. Anyway, some of our friends are saying that they're going to rent out their house for $1000 a week while the games are here.

It makes me ashamed to be Australian

...when the PM watches a riot influenced by race and says, "but I do not want to say that Aussies are racist"

It makes me sick

...when people take "Waltzing Matilda" and sing it as a war cry to attack fellow Australians.

It makes me angry

...when an ocker bloke grabs a young girl's head scarf and runs off with it as if its a trophy.

It is not surprising that a lot of people, including the media, wish to discern the one central factor which has lead to the Cronulla race-riots last week - and they wonder is it race, alcohol, heat, youth, testosterone... rather than being ready to examine the complex interplay of these factors and more. Whatever the case, reading Bonhoeffer in the lead up to Christmas has been a good choice...

Scarcity vs. Abundance

Photo from Unicef website:
Breaking up bricks in Bangladesh
I was reading Walter Brueggemann yesterday and read some of what he says about scarcity vs. abundance. The Israelites in the wilderness were dependent upon God for manna. When you believe in the 'story of scarcity', you hoard, keep, hide away what you have. If you believe in the 'story of abundance' on the other hand, you can afford to be generous, to give up what you have. God initiated this abundance, and it is played out in the story of Jesus. Joseph presided over seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine. People also experience times of scarcity and times of abundance.

Last week at nightchurch, two guys sat up the front breaking up bricks while the service went on. They weren't very good at it, or perhaps they were trying not to be too loud, but they were reminding us of the over 1 billion people in the world who live on $1 a day. I remember in Bangladesh, seeing people on the side of the road, usually women or children, breaking up bricks. The problem was there were no natural stones in Bangladesh, so the only way to make stones to lay bitumen for the roads was first to make bricks and then to break them.

Our society is fueled by a market ideology that encourages us to take more all the time and to fear scarcity. Sabbath, says Brueggemann is intended to be an antidote to our activity and an acknowledgement of abundance. Grace is not simply a theological thing, it is to be an action of our lives. What is your story? Is it one of scarcity or abundance?

A letter to the Prime Minister

Dear Prime Minister John Howard,

On Friday, 2nd December, Nguyen Tuong Van is due to be executed in Singapore. Nguyen made a terrible mistake, attempting to take drugs back to Australia, was caught and is now on death row.

On Friday, you are planning to play cricket for the Prime Minister's XI. Do you really think this is appropriate? Australia does not support the death penalty. Australians have come out to say Nguyen should not pay for his mistake by losing his life and you too have supported this view.

It is simply a callous act for you to be gallivanting down the pitch, and wearing the baggy green, as Nguyen walks his death walk. Nguyen's mother and Nguyen himself were 'blown away' that you took the time out to meet her. How do you think she is going to feel now? You say you "think the Australian people will understand". Do you think his mother will understand? It is simply a respectful act, Mr Howard to leave the cricket aside on Friday as a protest against the barbarism of the death penalty - which in terms of justice is a lie.

Sincerely,
Gwyn


If you too are interested in emailing John Howard, follow this link..
http://www.pm.gov.au/email.cfm

Striking at the Heart of Melbourne

Melbourne was today the scene of a huge workers’ protest. Helicopter estimates were at about the 175000 level. Thousands of people had obviously decided, like me, that the new Industrial Relations Laws are bad enough news to be docked a days pay and were on strike. Above is the scene as it looked from the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral.

In the photo taken from a helicopter, you can see the church which we were standing in front of.

What is Politics?

According to the Collins English Dictionary, 3rd Edition, politics is the practice or study of the art and science of forming, directing, and administrating states and other political units; the art and science of government; political science; any activity concerned with the acquisition of power, gaining one's own ends. (My emphasis).

Politics may refer to leadership or to the business of controlling or governing. It can be about self-fulfilment and selfishness; in other words my rights over another persons’ rights. What is the difference between good leadership and despotism? The human political sphere, important as it is, is rarely, if ever, all-embracing. It is distorted by self-fulfilling politics, it discriminates, marginalises and disfigures. The Church has been associated with this disfigurement and discrimination frequently.

Jűrgen Moltmann has argued that ‘"monotheistic monarchianism" …has provided a theological justification for structures of domination and subordination in the familial, political, and ecclesial realms of human existence.’ God understood as primarily King has distorted human understanding of how government is to be formed. God understood in this way is above us, the monarch, laying down the law. Too often this is still the case today. Do you agree with Moltmann? How do you think the church can get away from this monotheistic monarchianism? Or can it?