The Gaddis Annotations

https://www.williamgaddis.org/




"I feel like part of the vanishing breed that thinks a writer should be read and not heard, let alone seen. I think this is because there seems so often today to be a tendency to put the person in the place of his or her work, to turn the creative artist into a performing one, to find what a writer says about writing somehow more valid, or more real, than the writing itself."

Shang Jun Shu -> Encouragement of Immigration

https://ctext.org/shang-jun-shu/encouragement-of-immigration



地，方百里者：山陵處什一，藪澤處什一，谿谷流水處什一，都市蹊道處什一，惡田處什二，良田處什四，以此食作夫五萬。其山陵藪澤谿谷可以給其材，都邑蹊道足以處其民，先王制土分民之律也。
Encouragement of Immigration:...:
In a territory of a hundred square li, a tenth should be occupied by mountains and hills, a tenth by glades and morasses, a tenth by valleys, dales, and running water, a tenth by cities, towns, and highways, a tenth by barren fields, and four-tenths by fertile fields. In this way 50,000 workmen can be fed; those mountains and hills, glades and morasses, valleys and dales, are able to provide the required material, and the cities, towns and highways are sufficient to accommodate the people concerned. This was the proportion according to which the early kings regulated the land and divided the people.


今秦之地，方千里者五，而穀土不能處什二，田數不滿百萬，其藪澤谿谷名山大川之材物貨寶，又不盡為用，此人不稱土也。秦之所與鄰者，三晉也；所欲用兵者，韓魏也。彼土狹而民眾，其宅參居而并處，其賓萌賈息。民上無通名，下無田宅，而恃姦務末作以處。人之復陰陽澤水者過半。此其土之不足以生其民也，似有過秦民之不足以實其土也。
Encouragement of Immigration:...:
Now, the territory of Qin comprises five times a thousand square li, but the soil fit for growing corn cannot occupy more than two-fifths. The area of the fields does not come up to a million mu, and the produce and treasures of its glades and morasses, of its valleys and dales, and of its famous mountains and big rivers, are also incompletely utilized. This means that the population is illproportioned to the territory. The neighbours of Qin are the three Jin states, and of these Han and Wei are fond of employing soldiers. Their territory is narrow, but their population is numerous; their dwellings are built higgledy-piggledy, and they live close together; their grain production is small, and merchants charge interest. The people on the one hand do not have their names registered and on the other hand have no fields or houses, so that for subsistence they rely on evil occupations and pursuits of minor importance, with the result that those who are exempt from taxation because they live in steep and inaccessible places, in morasses and by streams, are more than a half of the population. Therefore, it would appear that a condition where the territory is not sufficient to support the population is still worse than that where, as in the case of Qin, the population is insufficient to fill the territory.



來民:
意民之情，其所欲者，田宅也；而晉之無有也信，秦之有餘也必，如此而民不西者，秦士戚而民苦也。臣竊以王吏之明為過見，此其所以弱。不奪三晉民者，愛爵而重復也。其說曰：「三晉之所以弱者，其民務樂而復爵輕也。秦之所以強者，其民務苦而復爵重也。今多爵而久復，是釋秦之所以強，而為三晉之所以弱也。」此王吏重爵愛復之說也，而臣竊以為不然。夫所以為苦民而強兵者，將以攻敵而成所欲也。兵法曰：「敵弱而兵強。」此言不失吾所以攻，而敵失其所守也。今三晉不勝秦四世矣，自魏襄以來，野戰不勝，守城必拔，小大之戰，三晉之所亡於秦者，不可勝數也。若此而不服，秦能取其地，而不能奪其民也。
Encouragement of Immigration:...:
In reflecting upon the nature of the people, what they desire are fields and houses. Now, whereas it is probable that these are what Jin does not have, it is beyond doubt that Qin has them in surplus. If, this being so, people do not, nevertheless, come west, it is because the soldiers of Qin are in sad plight and the people suffer hardships. I venture to think that the intelligence of Your Majesty's officials takes a mistaken view: that is, the reason why we remain weak and do not succeed in enticing the people of the three Jin states, is that we are sparing in granting titles and regard the exemption from taxes as a serious matter. They argue as follows: 'The three Jin states are weak because their people are concerned with pleasure and because exemptions and rank are treated lightly. Qin, on the other hand, is strong because its people are concerned with hard work, and exemptions and the conferment of rank are treated seriously; should we now confer many titles and grant exemptions from taxation for long periods, then we should be letting go of the principle by which Qin has become strong and should be doing exactly that which has made the Jin states weak.' This is the argument that causes Your Majesty's officials to regard the conferring of titles as a serious matter, and to be sparing in the granting of exemptions from taxation. I venture, however, to think that this is wrong. The object in causing the people hardship and in strengthening the army is to attack the enemy and to realize one's desires. The "Art of War" says: "If the enemy is weak, the army is strong." This expression means that one does not fail in attack, but the enemy fails in defence. Now for four generations the Jin states have gained no victory over Qin. Since the time of King Xiang of Wei, the times that the three Jin states have been defeated by Qin, in small or big battles, in open battle or in storming defended cities, have been innumerable. The reason that in spite of this they do not submit to Qin is that Qin has been able to conquer their territory, but unable to captivate their people.

A Summary of The Mahabharata

Georgy Sviridov (1915-1998) : Time, Forward - film music suite (1967)

If it sucks... hit da bricks!

 

Красная Селёдка [Naroden Genesis Evangelion]

The Thing by Chesterton G.K

Koufax's perfect game called by Scully

Unreal Engine 5 Train Station

Studio Ghibli

 

Alexander the Great’s Empire

Mogami picture taken after Midway

John Everett Millais - The Blind Girl

 

Empire of the Sun (4th edition)

 

Wisdom of the Ages

 

Friedrich Schlegel

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/schlegel/




Friedrich Schlegel (1772–1829) is of undisputed importance as a literary critic, but interest in his work among philosophers has until recently tended to be confined to a rather limited circle. However, as scholars have come to reassess in the last several years the philosophical importance of early German Romanticism—both as something of a counter-movement to German Idealism and as a contributing factor within idealism’s development—so interest in Schlegel’s distinctive philosophical contribution to his era has increased. The entry below will consider the philosophical aspects of Schlegel’s development and their relation to his contributions to literary theory and practice.

Standard Ebooks

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Rabana-Merquly: a fortress in the kingdom of Adiabene in the Zagros Mountains

Mycenae : a narrative of researches and discoveries at Mycenae and Tiryns by Schliemann, Heinrich, 1822-1890

Alec Soth (rhymes with both)

 https://alecsoth.com/photography/

The Discourses on Salt and Iron

Titanic

 

Westworld Score

 

Amitābha

Many people in the West interpret Buddhism as a path of meditation leading to enlightenment.

What many may not know is that this interpretation differs vastly from its practice in East Asia.

I have spent many years observing Buddhist temples in Taiwan and mainland China, and my research culminated in the book “Chinese Pure Land Buddhism.” This form of Buddhism teaches people to call upon a buddha named Amitābha in the expectation that when they die he will take them to his pure buddha-land, an ideal place to pursue the practices that will lead them to become buddhas, or fully enlightened and liberated beings.

This form of practice – central to Pure Land Buddhism – arose from Mahayana Buddhism, a branch of Buddhism that emerged in the first to sixth centuries A.D.

Buddhism in China

One of the innovative teachings of Mahayana Buddhism was that the cosmos is inhabited by millions of buddhas, not just the historical founder of the religion. Since all these buddhas had to reside somewhere, and their environments had to be as pure as they were, it followed that there are many buddha-lands.

Pure Land Buddhism taught that the pure land of Amitābha was accessible to regular people after they died. Prior to the development of Pure Land Buddhism, the only way to enlightenment lay through an arduous path of study and practice that was out of reach for most people.

In China, the Pure Land teaching made the prospect of liberation from suffering and the attainment of buddhahood feasible for ordinary people. While Pure Land Buddhism spread and became dominant in other East Asian countries, China is the land of its birth.
The theory of karma

Buddhists believe that all living beings are stuck in an endless loop of birth and rebirth and the good or bad fortune they experience results from karma. Karma is a moral force created by the deeds one does: Virtuous deeds give one better fortune, while evil or even just ignorant deeds bring misfortune.

Karma is said to determine the future life in terms of gender, intelligence and other personal attributes as well as one’s environment.

As a buddha is believed to have completely purified his karma, his body and mind are free of all defects and the land he inhabits is perfect. Several Buddhist scriptures describe “buddha-lands” as paradises with no moral evil and free of all taints.

Many Buddhists hope for birth in a buddha-land so they can complete their path under a buddha’s direct supervision.
The founding story

According to the Sutra, or scripture, on the Buddha of Infinite Life from no later than the third century, a monk named Dharmākara resolved to become a buddha. After much study and deliberation, he made 48 vows that detailed what kind of buddha he would be and what his buddha-land would look like.

Most of these vows laid out a scene familiar to believers: As a buddha, he would be powerful, wise and compassionate. His land would be magnificent, and the beings who shared it with him would be so accomplished that they would already have many of the powers and attributes of a buddha. These included perfect eloquence and the ability to see and hear from great distances.

But among the vows recorded in the Sūtra, it was the 18th that changed everything. This vow stipulated that anyone who merely brought him to mind before death would be reborn in his buddha-land:

“If, when I attain buddhahood, sentient beings in the lands of the ten directions who sincerely and joyfully entrust themselves to me, desire to be born in my land, and think of me even ten times,” Dharmākara is quoted as saying.

The fact that he realized his goal and became the buddha named Amitābha meant that the vow became reality. However, the term “ten times” referring to thoughts of Amitabha was vague. Another scripture, the Sutra on the Visualization of the Buddha of Infinite Life, clarified that one had only to say this buddha’s name ten times.

In addition, Dharmākara had also said that those who “commit the five grave offenses and abuse the Right Dharma” would be excluded. This Sutra eliminated such restrictions. The two scriptures allowed ordinary Buddhists to aspire to a rebirth in this Pure Land.

Pure Land in China

Buddhism entered China around 2,000 years ago and developed a following slowly as scriptures became available in translation and missionaries learned to communicate their message.

The story of Dharmākara’s vows proved especially popular. The Sūtra on the Buddha of Infinite Life was translated into Chinese several times, and scholar-monks lectured and commented on the Pure Land sūtras.
Chanting the name of Buddha Amitabha.

Monks and nuns chanted the Amitābha Sūtra during their daily devotions. This sūtra, along with the two already mentioned, became the “Three Pure Land Sūtras” that anchored the emerging tradition.

The earlier Chinese commentators on these sūtras held that one needed great stores of good karma from the past to even hear of these teachings. They also preached that if one’s mind was not purified through prior practice, then one could not see the Pure Land in all its splendor.

In the sixth and seventh centuries, three monks named Tanluan, Daochuo and especially Shandao provided new interpretations and practices that gave the ordinary believer complete access to the Pure Land without them needing to earn or deserve it.

First, they said that rebirth in the Pure Land is an “easy path” compared to the “difficult path” of traditional Buddhist practice.

Second, that the Buddha Amitābha helps the practitioner by adding his “other-power” to the believer’s “self-power.” In other words, the buddha’s power assisted the believer directly and brought him or her to the Pure Land. “Self-power,” or the believer’s own effort, might have beneficial effects but it was not enough for liberation. The addition of the buddha’s power guaranteed liberation at the end of this life.

Third, they defined the main practice as calling Amitābha’s name aloud. In the original texts it was not clear whether the practice consisted of difficult meditations or oral invocation, but they made it clear that just repeating “Hail to Amitaqbha Buddha” would cause the buddha to transport one to the Pure Land.

The Pure Land was not a final destination, like heaven in Christianity. The point of rebirth there was to be in the perfect environment for becoming a buddha. One would still need to strive toward buddhahood, but one’s own power with that of Amitābha would guarantee the final result.

Think about being on an escalator. If one cannot walk at all, it will carry one to the top, but if one can walk even a little, one’s speed will combine with the motion of the escalator to get one there more quickly.

Chanting Buddha’s name

Pure Land believers may recite “Hail to the Buddha Amitābha” silently or aloud while counting the repetitions on a rosary; they may participate in group practice at a local Buddhist temple; they may even take part in one-, three- or seven-day retreats that combine recitation with repentance rituals and meditation.

Rephrenology

Phrenology, as everyone knows, is a way of reading someone’s character, aptitude, and abilities by examining the bumps and hollows on their head. Therefore–according to the kind of logical thinking that characterises the Ankh-Morpork mind–it should be possible to mould someone’s character by giving them carefully graded bumps in all the right places. You can go into a shop and order an artistic temperament with a tendency to introspection and a side order of hysteria. What you actually get is hit on the head with a selection of different size mallets, but it creates employment and keeps the money in circulation, and that’s the main thing.

Terry Pratchett, Men at Arms