 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). His followers’ main method to attain satori is meditation, and their goal is Nirvana (pronounced NEAR-vaw-nuh), a final beatitude and release from desire and attachment to self. When Buddhists meditate, it is not the same as prayer. Like Western religions, Buddhism has many schools of thought arising from the Buddha’s teachings. There are two major variants, Mahayana and Theravada, also known as the “Greater” and “Lesser” Vehicles, and each Asian culture has distinct variations of these. The two most commonly known in the West: Tibetan Buddhism, which emphasizes reincarnation, and Zen Buddhism, which emphasizes the achievement of satori through meditation and contemplation. If religion is relevant to the story, it would be helpful to explain Buddhism’s context by having the interview subject explain his or her school of Buddhist thought. See ASIA; ASIAN RELIGIONS; BUDDHISM, Zen; MARTIAL ARTS; TAOISM
The best-known school of Buddhism in the West. Practiced everywhere in Asia, but especially prominent in Japan. The word “zen” comes from the Sanskrit dhyana, meaning “meditation.” Thought to have originated in 10th century China, it was popularized in the West in the first half of the 20th century by Suzuki (1870–1966), a Japanese Buddhist scholar. Like all Buddhism, Zen teaches an austere detachment.
Also known as Myanmar (pronounced MEE-YAHN-mar). Some use “Burma” to distinguish from the country under authoritarian rule. Independent in 1948 from Britain. Between Bangladesh and Thailand. About the size of Texas. Border conflicts with Thailand. Capital: Naypyidaw (caution, see below). Population: 55 million (2012 estimate). Proportion of population younger than 15: more than one-quarter. Faith: Buddhism (89 percent), Christianity (4 percent), Islam (4 percent). Ethnic groups: Burman (68 percent), Shan (9 percent), Karen (7 percent). Literacy: 90 percent. (Source: World Factbook.) In 2006, the authoritarian regime moved the capital from Yangon (formerly Rangoon), which remains the country’s commercial capital. In 2012, 