John's gospel is full of dualism images and concepts. This means the community struggles and tries to better understand the meaning of life in the world.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Podcast episode 4: Plain Text or Metaphorical Text in John's Gospel
Plain text and/or Figurative, Metaphorical Text in John's Gospel. How to understand ironies and metaphors in John?
Monday, March 23, 2020
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Podcast episode 1: The Synoptic Jesus
Who is Jesus according to the Synoptic Gospels?
Do we have one Jesus with three images of him?
Which Jesus do you think is close to the historical Jesus?
Do we have one Jesus with three images of him?
Which Jesus do you think is close to the historical Jesus?
Podcasting is fun.
Podcasting may be an easy tool but an effective community in the world. I will familiarize myself. I can reach the whole world this way. Sometimes, the video may be distractive.
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Cross-cultural texts
Ecclesiastes 1:2-3: "Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What do people gain from all the toil at which they toil under the sun?"
The Teacher confesses that all is vanity and that much effort of humans often does not produce good results. Life is harsh and hard. There are not many things that humans can control. Yet they must live and work hard without knowing for sure the good coming in the end. Life is so vulnerable and transient. Ultimately, humans must ask why they live or work so hard because they live so short a time on earth and the true enjoyment of life is impossible given the harsh conditions of the world. So the Teacher exclaims vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
Dao De Jing
自知者明 (zì zhī zhě míng)
This phrase comes from the Dao De Jing (the Book of the Way and Virtue). It means the one who knows the self is wise. The question is what kind of self-knowledge is in view here? If we read the book as a whole, the idea of this knowledge is humbleness and emptiness. One of the important teachings there is to identify with small things. One should think he/she is small or nothing. That is the basis of true wisdom and self-knowledge.
Buddhist Texts
諸行無常 (zhū háng wú cháng)
This phrase comes from the Buddhist text. It means all things/actions do not remain constant. In other words, everything changes. There is nothing in the universe that does not change. All beings, living or non-living, change. A person is born, grows, gets older, and dies. That is also a form of change.
不生不滅 (bu shēng bu miè)
This phrase also comes from the Buddhist text. It means there is no birth or death (destruction). In other words, all the things we see or experience are not new or new birth but came from somewhere, things that existed before in different forms. Likewise, all things, including human life, do not disappear completely; they only change into different forms. This idea is proven in science with the law of conservation of energy.
If we read all the above texts together and in comparison with one another, our understanding of wisdom may be deeper than otherwise. "Vanity" in Ecclesiastes may be understood better and clearer through the Dao De Jing and Buddhist texts as we see above. All in all, I may get the following life lessons:
Live a simple life. Don't expect too much.
Know that your life is limited yet precious.
Wisdom starts with self-knowledge that one is small.
Accept changes in human life and do your best.
Don't despair under any circumstances. Hope is necessary all the time.
The Teacher confesses that all is vanity and that much effort of humans often does not produce good results. Life is harsh and hard. There are not many things that humans can control. Yet they must live and work hard without knowing for sure the good coming in the end. Life is so vulnerable and transient. Ultimately, humans must ask why they live or work so hard because they live so short a time on earth and the true enjoyment of life is impossible given the harsh conditions of the world. So the Teacher exclaims vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
Dao De Jing
自知者明 (zì zhī zhě míng)
This phrase comes from the Dao De Jing (the Book of the Way and Virtue). It means the one who knows the self is wise. The question is what kind of self-knowledge is in view here? If we read the book as a whole, the idea of this knowledge is humbleness and emptiness. One of the important teachings there is to identify with small things. One should think he/she is small or nothing. That is the basis of true wisdom and self-knowledge.
Buddhist Texts
諸行無常 (zhū háng wú cháng)
This phrase comes from the Buddhist text. It means all things/actions do not remain constant. In other words, everything changes. There is nothing in the universe that does not change. All beings, living or non-living, change. A person is born, grows, gets older, and dies. That is also a form of change.
不生不滅 (bu shēng bu miè)
This phrase also comes from the Buddhist text. It means there is no birth or death (destruction). In other words, all the things we see or experience are not new or new birth but came from somewhere, things that existed before in different forms. Likewise, all things, including human life, do not disappear completely; they only change into different forms. This idea is proven in science with the law of conservation of energy.
If we read all the above texts together and in comparison with one another, our understanding of wisdom may be deeper than otherwise. "Vanity" in Ecclesiastes may be understood better and clearer through the Dao De Jing and Buddhist texts as we see above. All in all, I may get the following life lessons:
Live a simple life. Don't expect too much.
Know that your life is limited yet precious.
Wisdom starts with self-knowledge that one is small.
Accept changes in human life and do your best.
Don't despair under any circumstances. Hope is necessary all the time.
Monday, February 17, 2020
Manifesto
A scholarly journey is a solitary one. However, it is my work and life. I will do my best in my field, being resolute in my work. I care what others are saying about me. But they won't keep me from working further innovatively. I may change over time. But my passion for the truth won't change or cease. I am committed to making my scholarship deeply effective, widely accessible, and plainly understandable. I will go my way. Whatever comes along the way, I will face it. I have to run the race until the end to see what is there. Until then, I cannot slow down my tempo or stop trying my potential. I have to make hay while the sun is shining. --Yung Suk Kim
Monday, January 6, 2020
A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step
Things are easier to control while they are quiet.
Things are easier to plan before they manifest omens.
Things break easier while they are still frail.
Things are easier to scatter while they are still small.
Prevent problems before they arise.
Take action before things get too difficult.
The tallest tree begins as a tiny sprout.
A nine-story tower begins with one shovel of dirt.
A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
Things break easier while they are still frail.
Things are easier to scatter while they are still small.
Prevent problems before they arise.
Take action before things get too difficult.
The tallest tree begins as a tiny sprout.
A nine-story tower begins with one shovel of dirt.
A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
If you interfere with things and rush into them, you will fail.
If you hold on to things, you will lose them.
The wise do not fail because they do not interfere,
leaving things to take their course.
The wise do not lose things because they do not hold on to them.
People usually fail when they are about to succeed.
Be as careful of the end by the beginning, and there will be no
failure. Therefore, the wise desire no desire.
They do not value rare treasures.
They learn to unlearn and return to what many have missed,
so all things may be natural without interference.
-From Dao De Jing 64, translation by Yung Suk Kim
If you hold on to things, you will lose them.
The wise do not fail because they do not interfere,
leaving things to take their course.
The wise do not lose things because they do not hold on to them.
People usually fail when they are about to succeed.
Be as careful of the end by the beginning, and there will be no
failure. Therefore, the wise desire no desire.
They do not value rare treasures.
They learn to unlearn and return to what many have missed,
so all things may be natural without interference.
-From Dao De Jing 64, translation by Yung Suk Kim
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| Photo courtesy of Mi Young Yi |
Wednesday, December 11, 2019
Truth
Truth is more than trustable knowledge; it is deeply experiential, confessional, and contextual. It should be engaged in a community that he or she lives, embodied in a world beyond the immediate community, and testified at all costs because of the love of God for all.
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