(Clearwisdom.net) Master has talked about in his Fa lectures the relationship between China's dynasties and some countries around the world. England was paired with the Great Tang, France the Great Qing, Japan the Sui, Sweden the Northern Song, Taiwan the Southern Song, and Italy the Yuan. I would like to reflect on Master's Fa with my understandings about the cultures of the dynasties as compared to the countries.
From a superficial point of view, there are a lot of differences between Eastern and Western cultures. Western culture emphasizes the pursuit of accomplishment at the surface level. Chinese culture pursues inner meanings that may not be readily expressed externally. However, the corresponding artistic characteristics are similar. Different nationalities have different forms of beauty that all come from Dafa.
The culture of England places importance on capability and nobility. Its people like to see things that are full, high-class, and strong. Aristocratic characteristics are generally respected. The culture of the Tang Dynasty also preferred grandness, richness, and nobility. Tang Dynasty poems often describe "high, big, long, and far" images. Fine art works also reveal the characteristics of openness, abundance, richness, and nobility. Peonies, which were a favorite flower during the Tang Dynasty, also possess similar characteristics. In the way in which they work, English people tend to pay great attention to having a rigorous plan well in advance, which also conforms to the characteristics of Tang poems. Of all the Chinese literary styles, the form of Tang poems is the neatest and more grandiose.
The cultures of both the Qing Dynasty and France advocate magnificence and complexity. Both of them are gorgeous and ostentatious. People around the world generally think that French people have an especially high self-esteem and feel superior to others. This special personality can also be found in people from Beijing, a trait which was handed down from the Manchu troops. The French language is considered to be the most magnificent and pleasing to the ear. Similar to Mandarin, the pronunciation is intricate and the usage is complex.
Japan was the Sui. Although I am not too familiar with the culture of the Sui Dynasty, it is well known that Japanese people advocate compactness and preciseness. The people of the Sui Dynasty preferred to use a single character for names, which is also an example of using compactness to display beauty. Current Japanese names are normally written with more than one character, which seems inconsistent with the Sui. However, from another point of view, Japanese names still express the same characteristic. Four or five short characters can often display creative artistry. A name is often similar to a literary work, which displays the characteristic of Japanese people in pursuing perfection and attention to detail.
Sweden was the Northern Song Dynasty. The Swedish people have a quiet disposition. The characteristic of the culture of the Northern Song Dynasty is also very quiet. This is the only thing I know.
Taiwan was the Southern Song. The mainstream culture of the Southern Song Dynasty is similar to Li Qingzhao's poetry: restrained and soft. However, it also has vigorous and unrestrained branches. The Taiwanese culture advocates fineness and gentleness but it also possesses roughness and freedom from constraint. This is an expression of the duality of the Taiwanese people.
Italy was the Yuan. Italians focus on living in small groups and on their personal lives. Of all the people around the world, they pay the least attention to politics. The culture of the Yuan Dynasty was the most varied in Chinese history. In the Yuan verses, the rise and fall of the different dynasties were all made fun of. Apathy to the nation's affairs was widespread in the Yuan Dynasty.
Currently in different regions of China, people have different characteristics, and their cultural styles are greatly diversified. From studying the Fa, I realized that the current Chinese people are reincarnated from nations around the world. They carry over their respective cultural characteristics to China.
The more we understand Chinese and foreign histories, the better that we can discover that Master was reincarnated in all countries and nationalities, in the most honorable portion of their histories and the most magnificent periods of time. Master established predestined connections with all sentient beings, and guided and created the concepts and culture that human beings should have, as well as the behavioral guidelines for practitioners to validate Dafa.
November 7, 2006
Category: Traditional Culture
