Wanchain's Space

Once upon a time, there lived a blind man who was a very experienced zen master.  He had cultivated a heighten sense of awareness.  He was able to discern whether the vibrations from a set of flapping wings came from a fly or a mosquito.  He was also able to discern the species of ants that were crawling on the ground, based on the vibrations caused by their footsteps. One day, he went to a temple to listen to a famous painting by a highly respected Buddhist monk.  The monk explained the painting to him in detail.  He listened intently and appreciatively, then said, "Although your painting is very beautiful, it oozes a very strong sense of pride and ego." This was a sharp criticism to the monk, as monks are supposed to cultivate non-ego and humility. Nonetheless, the monk maintained his grace and composure.  He thanked the blind man for his feedback. After the blind man left, a junior monk expressed his displeasure at the criticism. The painter mo...

In an average acupuncture treatment session, the practitioner may use 30 or more needles.  He tries to hit as many acupoints as possible, in hope that at least one of them will be the critical point. On the contrary, there's a less well-known style of acupuncture where the practitioner uses no more than four needles.  He only treats the critical acupoint.  Sometimes, one needle is enough.  This style, although much harder to learn, is the most effective. Underlying message:   Less is more .   精准高妙 

Purpose & Definition The Crusades were a series of expeditions carried out by the Christians in Europe, to reclaim the holy land controlled by the Muslims in Jerusalem . Reasons In Clermont of southern France, Pope Urban II told the Christians that the Ottoman Turks (Muslims) were advancing against the Christians, mistreating pilgrims, and desecrating holy sites in Jerusalem. Hence, Urban told all Christians in the West to eradicate the "evils", to prove their faith to God. Urban called it a "just war", "an act of love", etc. Benefits There were a few benefits to the crusaders for going to war, eg. sins forgiven, entry to heaven, waiver of interests on their debts, respect/honour for fighting for their God, etc. First Crusade Hence, the first crusade began on November 27, 1095. After it began, the church continued the propaganda, targeting innocent God-fearing believers, and recruited women, children, adolescents, etc. The crusaders i...

The practice of slavery dates back to the Bronze Age.  Slaves in Rome were slightly better off than the slaves in Greece, in the sense tat they could buy back their own freedom. In ancient Greece, a domestic slave was a ktema empsychon , meaning a piece of property that breathes. Because the Romans considered that 1) the master owned the slave, therefore 2) the slave had to indemnify his master for her loss after the slavery service was over. The liberation process, called manumission , is done in front of a public official.  The ex slave is called a libertus , meaning a freed man. Due to the hardship, poverty, and disease in the ancient world, being a slave might still be better off than being a free man. In ancient China, some girls were sold into the brothel, and could only buy back their freedom if they could afford it.  The girls were a revenue-generating asset to the brothel, hence to uninstall this piece of asset from service, the asset had to indemnify ...