Gaman (term)

This article is about the term. For the film, see Gaman. For the Japanese television show, see Za Gaman.

Translations of
Gaman
EnglishPerseverance
Japanese我慢
Glossary of Buddhism

Gaman (我慢) is a Japanese term of Zen Buddhist origin which means "enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity".[1][2] The term is generally translated as "perseverance", "patience", or "tolerance".[3] A related term, gamanzuyoi (我慢強い, gaman-tsuyoi), a compound with tsuyoi (strong), means "suffering the unbearable" or having a high capacity for a kind of stoic endurance.[4]

Gaman is variously described as a "virtue",[5] an "ethos",[6] a "trait",[7] etc. It means to do one's best in distressed times and to maintain self-control and discipline.[8][9][7][10]

Gaman is a teaching of Zen Buddhism.[11]

  1. ^ "The Art of Gaman". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Arts and Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps, 1942-1946". apanews.si.edu. Archived from the original on 3 March 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  3. ^ "WWWJDIC". users.monash.edu. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  4. ^ DeMente 2004, pp. 74–75.
  5. ^ Lang, Kieron (19 March 2011). "Japanese resilience shines in light of tragedy". CTV Ottawa. Retrieved 8 July 2020. ... "it can't be helped", as well as the virtue "gaman" which defies easy translation, ...
  6. ^ Swann, Christopher (20 January 2013). "Atomic nightmares". Business Standard (India). Retrieved 8 July 2020. Experience with crises has shaped the Japanese ethos of "gaman" — "enduring the unendurable". Even after the March 11 disaster ...
  7. ^ a b Jones, Clayton (15 March 2011). "A nuclear meltdown in Japan? Not if these brave workers can help it". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 8 July 2020. One noble trait that the Japanese admire is gaman. It is their word for the ability to persevere, endure, and overcome, with patience ... Japan may remember them for their gaman despite personal exposure to dangerous levels of radiation
  8. ^ Kolb 2007, p. 146.
  9. ^ Burns 2005, p. 51.
  10. ^ Lloyd, Mike (16 March 2011). "Japanese remain calm while dealing with quake aftermath". www.news1130.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  11. ^ West 2009, p. 4.