Search Results (4)

This study examines the teaching practices of a Korean Ganhwa Seon master to shed light on an effective approach to helping practitioners engage in Seon practice. Few prior studies have analyzed methods of teaching Ganhwa Seon, which is a traditional Buddhist practice for achieving sudden enlightenment. Using the CRISPA framework, which entails connection, risk-taking, imagination, sensory experience, perceptivity, and active engagement, we conducted a single intrinsic case study by observing and interviewing a Korean Ganhwa Seon master during a seven-day retreat program. The participating Ganhwa Seon master incorporated all six CRISPA elements, with an emphasis on active engagement, connection, and risk-taking. In addition, compassion was an essential component of Ganhwa Seon teaching. The findings distinguish the teaching of Korean Ganhwa Seon from the teaching of Chinese Chan, highlight the unique features of instruction in Korean Ganhwa Seon, and provide insight into effective ways to teach Seon practice. Full article

Due to the ongoing climate change, decreasing amounts of available water and increasing evapotranspiration during the growing season may impact the stability of some beech ecosystems at lower altitudes. This paper aims to evaluate the risk of drought from a meteorological point of view and the subsequent response in soil hydrology throughout hydrological years 2015 and 2016 in beech forests situated in Central Slovakia. Precipitation sufficiency was assessed by means of a climate irrigation index (CII). Hydrological modelling was carried out using GLOBAL, the simulation model of water movement in a soil profile with an emphasis on the root zone. The greatest drought risk occurs during the summer, when the ecosystem suffers from long periods of water deficiency according to the CII (>20 days). The water content in specific soil horizons responds differently to changing meteorological situations. Simulations indicated a later decrease (approx. 5 days) of the water content in the B horizon (main root zone) compared with the A horizon. Drought lasts longer in deeper layers and retreats only in the case of long-lasting rainfall. Sudden heavy rainfall has proven ineffective at moistening the entire soil profile and impacts only the upper few centimetres while the main root zone suffers from water shortage. Full article

The Sikkim Himalayan glaciers and glacial lakes are affected by climate change like other parts of the Himalayas. As a result of this climate variability in the Sikkim Himalaya, a detailed study of the Gurudongmar lake complex (GLC) evolution and outburst susceptibility assessment is required. Glacial lake volume estimation and lake outburst susceptibility assessment were carried out to reveal different characteristics for all four lakes (GL-1, GL-2, GL-3, and GL-4) from the lake complex. Each of these lakes has a moderate to very high potential to outburst. As the dam of GL-1 provides no retention capacity, there is a very high potential of a combined effect with the sudden failure of the moraine-dams of GL-2 or GL-3 located upstream. Temporal analysis of GLC using optical remote sensing data and in-field investigations revealed a rapidly increasing total lake area by ~74 ± 3%, with an expansion rate of +0.03 ± 0.002 km² a⁻¹ between 1962 and 2018 due to climate change and ongoing glacier retreat. The overall lake area expansion rates are dependent on climate-driven factors, and constantly increasing average air temperature is responsible for the enlargement of the lake areas. Simultaneously, changes in GLC expansion velocity are driven by changes in the total amount of precipitation. The deficit in precipitation probably triggered the initial higher rate from 1962 to 1988 during the winter and spring seasons. The post-1990s positive anomaly in precipitation might have reduced the rate of the glacial lake area expansion considerably. Full article

In this study, we analyze the influence of the Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred on 11 March 2011, on the shoreline of the northern Ibaraki Coast. After the earthquake, the area experienced subsidence of approximately 0.4 m. Shoreline changes at eight sandy beaches along the coast are estimated using various satellite images, including the ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer), ALOS AVNIR-2 (Advanced Land Observing Satellite, Advanced Visible and Near-infrared Radiometer type 2), and Sentinel-2 (a multispectral sensor). Before the earthquake (for the period March 2001–January 2011), even though fluctuations in the shoreline position were observed, shorelines were quite stable, with the averaged change rates in the range of ±1.5 m/year. The shoreline suddenly retreated due to the earthquake by 20–40 m. Generally, the amount of retreat shows a strong correlation with the amount of land subsidence caused by the earthquake, and a moderate correlation with tsunami run-up height. The ground started to uplift gradually after the sudden subsidence, and shoreline positions advanced accordingly. The recovery speed of the beaches varied from +2.6 m/year to +6.6 m/year, depending on the beach conditions. Full article