A Buddhist Reflection on the Task of Elders

1995 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-171
Author(s):  
Ronald Y. Nakasone
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Spiritual Maturity ◽  
Japanese American ◽  
San Jose ◽  
Aesthetic Quality ◽  
The Family ◽  
Long Life

Many Japanese American Buddhist families in the San Jose, California area observe a series of late life celebrations in honor of their elders. The sixty-first, the seven-tieth, the seventy-seventh, and eighty-eighth birthdays are celebrated with special flourish. These celebrations mark milestones in life and underscore the respect and gratitude elders are accorded by the family and community. At these gatherings the talk among family and guests invariably turns to the life of the elder and they wonder how the elder was able to survive and even flourish amid the hard- ships and setbacks during his or her long life. Indeed, long-lived elders do seem to have a presence of being that can only come from many years of living. The idea of kyogai, “one's station in life,” is especially revered in the elder. Ordinarily, kyogai refers to one's place in society. Kyogai also suggests the spiritual maturity of being able to live with equanimity and ease in a transient and interdependent world. For Shiryu Morita (1912– ), a leading Japanese sho-artist or calligrapher and student of Buddhist thought and practice, kyogai is both a spiritual and an aesthetic quality. I reflect on Morita's notion of kyogai within the context of the Buddha's attitude toward aging and elders. I offer my reflections as a Buddholo- gist interested in elder ethics and as a Buddhist priest concerned with caring for and empowering elders. I begin with a description of the Buddha's attitude toward aging and elders outlined in the Sutta-Nipata, an early Buddhist document. The “Salla Sutta” in the Sutta-Nipata outlines the Buddha's attitude toward old age, elders and elder tasks. Old age is linked to the question of death and the unease of living in a transient world, in the passages cited below (p. 68).1

Starość w nauczaniu św. Bazylego Wielkiego

Vox Patrum ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 56 ◽  
pp. 339-348
Author(s):  
Bogdan Czyżewski
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Spiritual Maturity ◽  
The Other ◽  
Interesting Aspect ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Physical Suffering ◽  
Way Of Thinking ◽  
Almost All

Although St. Basil did not live 50 years, the topic of the old age appears in his works quite often. On the other hand, it is clear that Basil does not discuss this issue in one par­ticular work or in the longer argumentation. The fragmentary statements about old age can be found in almost all his works, but most of them can be found in the correspondence of Basil. In this paper we present the most important ad the most interesting aspect of teach­ing of Basil the Great. As these certificates show that the bishop of Caesarea looked at the old age maturely, rationally estimated passage of time, which very often makes a man different. He experienced it, for example as a spiritual and physical suffering, which often were connected with his person. He saw a lot of aspect of the old age, especially its advan­tages – spiritual maturity and wisdom. What is more, he pointed also to passage of time, which leads a man to eternity, which should be prepared to, regardless how old he is. In his opinion fear is not seen opinions of St. Basil present really Christian way of thinking, well-balanced and calm.

scholarly journals Mania in late life

2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 357-364
Author(s):  
Felicity Richards ◽  
Martin Curtice
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Aging Population ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Treatment Algorithms ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Old Age Psychiatry ◽  
Older Populations

SummaryMania in late life is a serious disorder that demands specialist assessment and management. However, it is greatly under-researched, with only a paucity of studies specifically analysing older populations. The mainstay of the old age psychiatry workload will inevitably be concerned with assessing and managing dementia and depression, but the steady rise in the aging population with longer survival means that there will be an increase in absolute numbers of older people presenting with mania. There are no specific treatment algorithms available for mania in late life. This article reviews mania and hypomania in late life and concentrates on diagnosis, assessment and treatment, as well as on the management considerations associated with this important age group.

“Untold Stories of Issei Women: Collective Images and Individual Experiences in Japanese American Oral History”

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-40
Author(s):  
Ryoko Okamura
Keyword(s):  
Oral History ◽  
Family Relations ◽  
Cultural Consensus ◽  
Japanese American ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Audio Recordings ◽  
The Family ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Redress Movement ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract This article examines the relationship between the Japanese American redress movement and the oral interviews of two Japanese immigrant women, known as Issei women. Focusing on the shared images of Issei women in the Japanese American community and the perspectives and self-representations of the interviewees in the oral interviews, it explores how cultural consensus produced stereotypical, collective images of Issei women as submissive, persevering, and quiet persons. As the redress movement progressed in the 1960s to the 1980s, the Japanese American community conducted oral history projects to preserve memories and legacies of their wartime experiences. There are dissimilarities between the original audio recordings and the published transcripts regarding the perspectives of Issei women. This article shows how the community’s desire to preserve idealized images of Issei men and women reduced the accuracy and nuances in the women’s self-representations and the complexities of family relations. Also, contrary to the collective images, Issei women demonstrated how they were independent, assertive, and open individuals expressing their perspectives, complicated emotions, and importance in the family.

Gender and Social Security: Some Lessons from Europe

2002 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann-Charlotte Ståhlberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Security ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Gender Inequality ◽  
Sickness Benefit ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Dual Earner ◽  
The Family ◽  
Gender Neutral ◽  
The Individual

Different social security schemes affect men and women differently. This article compares the family or single earner model with the individual or dual earner model and examines their impact on gender inequality. However, even where social security schemes are designed to be gender neutral, when applied in a context that is systematically structured by gender, it points out that they will have a different impact on men and women. The article examines the ways in which supposedly gender-neutral rules, in sickness benefit, survivors' pensions and old age pensions have affected men and women in Sweden and concludes that, if countries wish to achieve equal economic outcomes for men and women, they will need to introduce measures to equalise men's and women's commitments to the home and the labour market, and to enable women to attain higher-paid jobs on the same basis as men.

On Assurances against the Risk of ‘Invalidity’ or Permanent Inability to Work

1869 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-145
Author(s):  
Wilhelm Lazarus
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Premature Death ◽  
The Real ◽  
Life Assurance ◽  
The Family ◽  
Inability To Work ◽  
Deferred Annuity

Life Assurance provides for the family of the deceased in case of premature death; deferred Annuities provide for old age; but both institutions leave uncovered the risk of premature inability to work. Invalidity Assurance, including the benefits of a deferred Annuity, would be the real complement to Life Assurance. This truth is so deeply felt in Germany, that a good many institutions, employing a large number of officers, workmen, and labourers; many mills, and particularly the Railway Companies, long since directed their attention to the providing for their officers in case of their being invalided. How were they to calculate the annual contribution, how to make the valuation of their liabilities?

scholarly journals Perkawinan Lansia di Kecamatan Socah Kabupaten Bangkalan Perspektif Maqasid Al-Shari’ah

AL-HUKAMA ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 483-506
Author(s):  
Roisul Umam Hamzah
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Family Relationship ◽  
Field Research ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The Family ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Break Up ◽  
Old Maid

This is a field research that analyzes the marriage suitability of elderly people in Socah, Bangkalan under the theory of maqasid shari'ah. The elderly marriage is officially conducted at KUA (Religious Affairs Office) of Socah for different reasons, namely: on the basis of coercion to the bride so that the family relationship does not break up, resulting in reluctance, on the basis of family compassion and encouragement. It is because the bride is an old maid and is his own niece on the basis of mutual love, avoid immorality and seek peace of life in old age. All couples can fulfill both material and non-material obligations, although not as perfect as a young couple. Some husbands do not want to have children for fear of not being able to support even though in this case the wife really wants it. Thus, the marriage of the elderly in Socah is sometimes appropriate and not in accordance with the maqasid shari'ah. The suitability in question is in terms of hifz al-din (protecting religion) and hifz al-mal (protecting wealth), while its inadequacies are in terms of hifz al-nasl (protecting offspring), because of their desires to have offspring and in terms of hifz al-nafs (protecting soul), and hifz al-'aql (protecting ratio), because of differences in descent have the negative effect on family disharmony that can interfere with the soul and mind. In this case, an intense dialogue and approach must be made to the couple to be more open and understand each other.

scholarly journals CURRENT CONCEPTUAL APPROACHES FOR ASSESSMENT OF THE PROCESS OF AGEING AND OLD AGE

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 722-727
Author(s):  
Vanina Mihaylova ◽  
Dimitar Shopov ◽  
Iliya Bivolarski ◽  
Adolf Alakidi ◽  
Kristina Kilova
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Old People ◽  
Active Approach ◽  
Quality Life ◽  
Long Life ◽  
Elderly And Old People

: Ageing should be considered not only as an increase in the number of elderly and old people in their absolute and relative numbers, but also as a unity of the transformations of the lifecycle, with an emphasis on: later retirement, prolonged period of good‑quality life, an active approach towards the process of retirement and differentiation of the category of “fourth age”. The general preparation for old age has earned a new appeal in the contemporary societies. Motivation of the old people for activity – both physical and intellectual – is of great importance for the better survival of the old age and long life in good health, supported by realized well-being and feeling of joy from life. In this aspect the study of both risk and protective factors for human health (in a salutogenetic perspective) becomes increasingly fundamental. The issue of population at an advanced age has definitely been considered as an independent subject since the beginning of the 21st century. Moreover, the society perceives it as an essential basis for further progress and flourishing of the mankind. In this sense the demographic strategies treating the problem need to address it in a new positive way, with different and positive attitude, accepting the population-related failures and anxiety and turning them into challenges and advantages.

scholarly journals Exploring the Preparedness of Ghanaians for Retirement and Ageing: A Case Study of the Cape Coast Metropolitan Area

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Korkoi Aboh ◽  
Busisiwe P. Ncama
Keyword(s):  
Focus Group ◽  
Older People ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Focus Group Discussions ◽  
Cape Coast ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Traditional System ◽  
The Family

Introduction: There is evidence of the inability of older people in Nigeria, Ghana and other developing countries to sustain themselves through savings, assets or pensions. This situation highlights the minimal benefit of pensions, savings or assets as income sources for older people; old age very often brings poverty and disability. Methodology: A qualitative interpretive design informed the study. The study area was categorized into three distinct ecological areas namely urban, periurban and rural areas. Twenty interviews and three focus group discussions with 68 elderly persons were conducted in ten sub-districts in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana. The forty-eight elderly individuals were put into groups of 8, 20 and 20 for the focus group discussions. Data was thematically analysed.Results: Four major themes and subthemes were identified to reflect the pertinent issue of exploring and defining the preparedness of people for their retirement and ageing. There was evidence that preparing for old age is not an active precedent for the people of Cape Coast and they still believe in the traditional system of caring where it is the sole responsibility of the family to care for its own aged members.Conclusion: It is evident that formal care is not practiced in Ghana and that the aged therefore find the idea bewildering. They want to experience this care, but existing norms expect the family members to single-handedly provide care for their aged.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document