Category Archives: Asia
THICH NHAT HANH
(1926- )
from Vietnam: Lotus in a Sea of Fire: In Search of the Enemy of Man
Thich Nhat Hanh, a scholar in the field of philosophy of religion and an internationally revered figure of Zen Buddhism, was born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo in Vietnam in 1926. (The word “Thich” [pronounced tick] is not a title, but … Continue reading
Filed under Asia, Buddhism, Hanh, Thich Nhat, Selections, The Modern Era
JAPANESE NAVAL SPECIAL ATTACK FORCE (KAMIKAZE CORPS)
(b. 1920s, d. 1944-1945)
Kamikaze Diaries
Last Letters Home
In October 1944, toward the end of World War II, as it was becoming clear to the Japanese command that American aircraft carriers massing at the mouth of Leyte Gulf represented a serious threat, the new commander of Japanese … Continue reading
MAO ZEDONG
(1893-1976)
The Suicide of Miss Zhao
Mao Zedong (or Mao Tse-tung), the revolutionary who was to become the leading force in the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, was born to the family of a small landowner. As was the custom among the peasantry, … Continue reading
Filed under Asia, Communism, Mao Zedong, Selections, The Modern Era
MOHANDAS K. GANDHI
(1869-1948)
from Indian Home Rule
from An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth
from Non-Violence in Peace and War
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (often called “Mahatma,” or “great soul”), the Indian nationalist and advocate of non-violence, was born in Porbandar to the local chief minister and a mother who was an active disciple of Vaishnavism, the worship of the … Continue reading
Filed under Asia, Gandhi, Mohandas K., Hinduism, Selections, The Modern Era
HINDU WIDOW
(c. 1889)
The Plight of Hindu Widows as Described by a Widow Herself
This anonymous selection was originally published in the Methodist Church Missionary Society’s magazine The Gospel in All Lands in April of 1889. Little is known about its author or its exact date of composition, except that the author, “a … Continue reading
Filed under Asia, Hindu Widow, anonymous, Hinduism, Honor and Disgrace, Love, Selections, Slavery, The Modern Era
A.B. MITFORD, LORD REDESDALE
(1837-1916)
from An Account of the Hara-Kiri
Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford, 1st Baron of Redesdale, was the second secretary to the British Legation in Japan when he published Tales of Old Japan (1871), a collection of stories, fairy tales, accounts of superstitions, sermons, and other short pieces … Continue reading
Filed under Asia, Europe, Mitford, A. B., Lord Redesdale, Selections, The Modern Era
CHIKAMATSU MONZAEMON
(1653-1725)
from The Love Suicides at Sonezaki
Chikamatsu Monzaemon, born Sugimori Nobumori, the second son of a minor samurai family, is recognized as the first modern Japanese dramatist. Often called “the Japanese Shakespeare,” he is widely considered the most important playwright of the Tokugawa age. As … Continue reading
Comments Off on CHIKAMATSU MONZAEMON
(1653-1725)
from The Love Suicides at Sonezaki
Filed under Asia, Buddhism, Chikamatsu Monzaemon, Love, Selections, The Early Modern Period
DAIDOJI YUZAN
(1639-1730)
from Beginner’s Book of Bushido
Daidoji Yuzan Shigesuke was born to a distinguished Japanese samurai family, said to be descended from the powerful 12th-century Taira clan, though the family name—Daidoji—had been taken several centuries later. Daidoji arrived in Edo (now Tokyo) as a young … Continue reading
Filed under Asia, Confucianism, Daidoji Yuzan, Selections, The Early Modern Period
HUANG LIUHONG
(1633-c. 1710)
from A Complete Book Concerning Happiness and Benevolence
Huang Liuhong (Huang Liu-hung) was a district magistrate during the early Qing (Ch’ing) or Manchu dynasty (1644–1912), when Manchu values and behavior were being imposed on Han China. He was born in Xinchang (Hsin-ch’ang) at a time of civil … Continue reading
Filed under Asia, Huang Liuhong, Poverty, Selections, The Early Modern Period