rm. Faith in Asia can differ sharply from that of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition. Temples, for instance, are typically not used for “worship” but for meditation; meditation is not necessarily “prayer”; and to most, but not all, Buddhists, Buddha is not a god. Confucianism and Taoism, much practiced in East Asia, are ways of and guides to living. They are informal combinations of practical philosophies, values, and folk beliefs. See BUDDHISM, HINDUISM, ISLAM, SHINTOISM, SIKHISM and TAOISM.
Avoid. A vestige of European colonialism and imperialism (see entries for both). A 19th-century adjective used at the time in “scientific” European treatises assuming the superiority of the white race. See CAUCASIAN; RACISM, scientific; YELLOW PERIL; YELLOW SKIN.
AUNG SAN SUU KYI:
Burmese opposition leader born June 19, 1945, in Rangoon, Burma, now known as Yangon, Myanmar, by the ruling junta. Aung San Suu Kyi (the entire name is typically used on second reference) is the daughter of Aung San, a hero of post-colonial Burma, and Khin Kyi, a Burmese diplomat. She is the winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1991. She was elected to Parliament in 2012. Unlike Chinese and Japanese names, where centuries of interaction with the West have led to acceptable approximations, Burmese names have no settled counterparts in English. “Aung” is pronounced “oun,” like “sound” without the “d” and the “s”; “San” is “sun”; “Suu” is an abrupt “sue” not an elongated “suuuue”; “Kyi” is “chee.” See BURMA; BURMESE NAMES; COLONIALISM; IMPERIALISM.
Formerly the eastern section of Pakistan (once known as East Pakistan). Bangladesh became independent after a civil war in 1971. About the size of Iowa. Capital: Dhaka. Population: 161 million (2012 estimate). Proportion of population younger than 15: one-third. Languages: Bangla (Bengali) and English. Major religions: Islam (90 percent), Hinduism (about 10 percent). Ethnic groups: Bengali (98 percent), Jumma tribal (1 percent). Literacy: 48 percent. (Source: World Factbook.)
A mountainous South Asian kingdom along the eastern ridges of the Himalayas. Best known for the term “gross national happiness” as a rejoinder to purely economic concerns. Part of British Empire until 1949 partition of Indian subcontinent. Half the size of Indiana. Capital: Thimphu. Population: 770,000 (2012 estimate). Proportion of population younger than 15: more than one-quarter. Languages: Sharchhopka (28 percent), Dzongkha (official, 24 percent), Lhotshamkha (22 percent), others (26 percent) (2005 Census). Religions: Buddhism (75 percent), Hinduism (25 percent). Ethnic groups: Bhote (50 percent), Nepalese (35 percent), other tribal (15 percent). (Source: World Factbook.)
The Hindi name for the decoration worn on the forehead by many women in South Asia. Mistakenly called a “dot” by many non-South Asians. “Bindi dot” is redundant. Though various explanations of its religious significance have been speculated, the bindi remains for most communities a decoration. Contrary to popular belief, the bindi does not necessarily indicate marital status. See HINDI.
India’s largest city and commercial center, now transliterated as Mumbai. Bombay is the “B” in Bollywood, the nickname for the Indian film industry. See MUMBAI.
In a Western sense, Buddhism is not a religion but rather a philosophy. For most Westerners, religion implies a deity or deities and a community of worship. Buddhism, for the most part, lacks a deity. What, then, is Buddhism? It begins with Siddhartha Gautama, a prince believed to have been born in what is now Nepal. He is thought to have taught in the sixth century BCE. Buddha is a title meaning the “Enlightened One.” He did not claim to be divine. (Some sects, however, may worship him as a divinity.) He is venerated by all Buddhists. Buddhism has no Western-style clergy or central government. There is no Vatican or Canterbury. While Buddhism has monks and nuns, they share only a life of contemplation and meditation with their Christian counterparts. The Buddha attained enlightenment, or “satori” (pronounced saw-TORE-ee). Hi