Gassho合掌 The Japanese word gassho means “to bring the palms together.” It is a form of greeting in Zen, or an expression of gratitude, with the hands joined, palm to palm, fingers pointing upward, as in prayer, and sometimes made with a bow. The Titles in this Zen Category will directly point you to essays and… Continue reading Zen Category Introduction
Month: April 2023
Goethe’s Way of Seeing: The Poetics of Perception
Norwood Russell Hanson, a philosopher of science, offers for our consideration this tantalizing thought: “There is more to seeing than meets the eye.” The truth of this was vividly brought home to me when I discovered that Goethe, the great German writer, developed a way of seeing that can be a powerful addition to everyone’s… Continue reading Goethe’s Way of Seeing: The Poetics of Perception
Chiasmus: An Introduction
“Ask not what your country can do for you,ask what you can do for your country.” That sentence, spoken by President John Kennedy in a famous speech, is a good example of chiasmus, a rhetorical figure that reverses the terms of the two clauses that make up a sentence, or a part of a sentence.… Continue reading Chiasmus: An Introduction