Home

菜根谭 Vegetable Roots Discourse

Collection of Eastern philosophy for self-cultivation. Just like cultivating plants from seed to harvest, we cultivate and nurture our “roots”. This is akin to tending the roots of wisdom, one of the four cardinal virtues from the stoics.

“A vegetable, which is a food, can be a daily necessity because it is tasty. The taste of the vegetable is, in fact, elicited from its roots. Thus, whoever plants a vegetable must richly nurture its roots, so that the taste of the vegetable will also be rich. In this book, the philosophy for living in and transcending this world is the talk of nurturing roots.” Source Linda Elena Opyr/Chung Hing Sin

  • A Haunting Visit to Greyfriars Kirkyard

    As my child and I wandered the historic streets of Edinburgh, we stumbled upon Greyfriars Kirkyard quite by accident. Little did we know, this unassuming graveyard would soon reveal its dark and haunting secrets. Our first visit to the kirkyard was during a guided tour, where our guide regaled us with tales of the famous…

  • The Athens of the North: Edinburgh and the Power of Ideas

    While some cities trace their origins to ancient Rome, Edinburgh owes its cultural identity more to Scotland’s intellect than military might. Often deemed the “Athens of the North”, this capital has long been a hub of philosophy and learning in the same spirit as Greece. Nowhere is this legacy clearer than on Calton Hill, where…

  • Visiting a chocolate factory, Edinburgh Scotland

    Let’s grab a fake cocoa pod to demonstrate how it should be done. For example, when cracking open a pod, you’d hold it like this, and when you break it apart, it would look something like this. The beans inside will be sticky and white at first—if they’re white and sticky, they’re ripe. If they’re…

When I was young, my school emphasis on gaining virtues

忠 “loyalty”

孝 “filial piety” (translated as “devoted children”) : respect your elders and parents, duty to your parents, care for the elderly

仁 “kindness” : being benevolent, kindhearted, humane

Stoic virtues to practice daily

智 “wise”: stoics virtue , “wisdom”
信 “truth”, “trust”, “honest” : stoic virtue
勇“brave” : stoic virtue “courage”,

Others

義 “righteousness” (translated as “morality” to avoid religious associations) : having a sense of justice, doing the right thing, being morally upright

慈 “compassion” : benevolence, mercy; as specifically applied to parents’ attitude towards their children, this is

廉 “honorable” : having a sense of honor or integrity; incorruptibility

Join the Community

We’re thrilled to have you here! Now, if you don’t want to miss an article, you can subscribe to our newsletter.