Hanuman was the supreme ruler of the monkey kingdom. According to the Hindu epic, Ramayana, Hanuman had formidable powers and was the most famous monkey god. Hanuman, who had four heads and eight arms, was both wise and brave. He was in a quest for the wife of Rama, the prince of Ayodhya, who was the embodiment of Hindu god Vishnu. Hanuma successfully rescued her from ten demonic kings in Lanka, or present day Sri Lanka. He is popularly worshipped as the monkey god.
Incidentally, China’s monkey king Sun Wukong could also ride clouds in the sky. According to Journey to the West, he caused havoc in heaven, which resembles Hanuman’s battle in Lanka. Although many experts have different opinions about the resemblance between these two characters, the late Hu Shih, a well-known intellectual, believed that the all-powerful Chinese monkey king was not “made in China,” but was an in fact imported product from India. It is highly likely that Sun was created in the image and likeliness of Hanuman. (Translated by Ethan Zhan)
猴界至尊以印度史詩《羅摩衍那》裡法力高強的神猴哈奴曼最為著名。四臉八手的祂智勇雙全,為印度三相神之一毗濕奴化成的阿逾陀國王子羅摩尋妻,成功把她從位於現今斯里蘭卡的楞伽城十頭魔王手中救出,被民間奉為「猴神」。
Photo: Chan Shih-hung, Taipei Times
照片:自由時報記者詹士弘攝
無獨有偶,中國齊天大聖孫悟空也有騰雲駕霧武功,祂在《西遊記》裡大鬧天宮的事蹟,與哈奴曼大戰楞伽城行徑如出一轍。儘管不少專家各持己見,知名學者胡適還是認為,神通廣大的中國美猴王「不是國貨,乃是一件從印度進口的」,極可能參考哈奴曼形象而來。(自由時報綜合報導)
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too