Tatami mats are woven straw mats closely associated with Japanese culture, where they have been an enduring feature for centuries. The densely woven mats are traditionally used as a floor covering, and a number of traditions surround their use. The classic size of a tatami mat is three by six feet (one by two meters), although a wide assortment of shapes and sizes are available in addition to custom mats. This standard size is often used as a room measurement, much as square footage is used in many parts of the West. Thus, one may hear a room described as “four and a half mats.” Many Japanese import stores stock tatami mats, and they can also be ordered directly. The early roots of tatami mats were probably simple rushes strewn on the floors of rooms to keep them more dry and clean. Gradually, rushes were replaced with woven mats, which evolved an inner layer of stuffing such as straw or rice bran. Tatami mats are traditionally edged in fabric such as brocade to keep the layers together. Today, the filling for tatami mats is often a synthetic material, designed to resist wear.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ July 11, 2011
Get the Tatami mug."Cooled" or "quenched," the unconditioned state of liberation, release from the cycle of rebirth-redeath; Pali: Nibbana.
When someone reaches nirvana, it means that he or she has broken free of samsara, the cycle of reincarnation and suffering which characterizes all life on Earth. In addition to being free from suffering, the individual is also beyond obsessions and earthly concerns. He or she has a high level of wisdom and compassion, and has reached a state of perfect peace with all life. For Buddhists, nirvana is the highest state one can attain, and it can take a very long time to reach this state. The term “nirvana” literally means “to extinguish,” although the term refers to the extinction of life as one knows it, not to a final end. Buddhists strive to attain nirvana by following the Eightfold Path and other precepts of their faith, and many believe that they have no way of knowing how long they have been on Earth, working towards eventual nirvana. It is also believed that people must achieve enlightenment in order to reach nirvana, but that enlightenment is not necessarily an automatic ticket to nirvana.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ September 15, 2010
Get the Nirvana mug.Because of this god's association with the successful King Nebhepetre Montuhotep I (or II, same king), who ruled during Egypt's 11th Dynasty, Montu (Mentu) achieved the rank of state god. Montuhotep I reunited Upper and Lower Egypt after the chaos of the First Intermediate Period. His association with Montu is obvious from his name, which means, "Montu is satisfied.” However, by the 12th Dynasty, Montu became subordinated to Amun, another deity who probably originated in Upper Egypt, and would later be known as the "King of Gods". It was during this period that Montu's role in Egyptian religion took on the true attributes of a war god.
Actually, Montu's veneration as a war god can be traced originally to the Story of Sinuhe, where Montu was praised by the tale's hero after he defeated the "strong man" of Retjenu. By the New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty pharaohs, some of whom followed a very military tradition, sought specifically to emulate Montu. For example, the Gebel Barkal Stele of Tuthmosis III, often referred to as the Napoleon of Egypt, describes the king as "a valiant Montu on the battlefield". Later in the New Kingdom, he became so personally identified with the Ramesses II that a cult statue bearing the king's throne name, Usermaare Setepenre, with the epithet, "Montu in the Two Lands", was venerated in Ramesses II's honor during his lifetime. When kings such as Ramesses II are referenced as "mighty bulls", they are claiming the association with Montu as his son. It should also be noted that Montu had a connection with Egyptian households and was probably considered a protector of the happy home. He was often cited in marriage documents. One document from Deir el-Medina invokes the rage of a husband to his unfaithful wife with, "It is the abomination of Montu!"
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ August 04, 2010
Get the Montu mug.The Tale of Genji was authored by a female courtier. The tale is about life in the Japanese medieval court.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ July 07, 2011
Get the Tale of Genji mug.What Arabs in the Middle East refer to the United States as. They refer to Israel as "Little Satan."
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ August 05, 2011
Get the Big Satan mug.A divine or an especially authoritative revelation (or the person who delivers it), often an ambiguous or enigmatic utterance spoken through a medium in a trance state.
An oracle was a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinion, predictions or precognition of the future, inspired by the gods. As such it is a form of divination.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ August 14, 2010
Get the Oracle mug.The attribution of a discrete indwelling spirit to every material form of reality such as plants, stones, and so on, and to natural phenomena such as storms, earthquakes, and the like.
Animism is a religious belief imputing spirits to natural forces and objects.
The rock has a spirit; the tree has a spirit, etc.
The rock has a spirit; the tree has a spirit, etc.
by ♫ Highway to Hell ♫ July 24, 2010
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