s 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, relations with the United States, which in practice does not recognize the change in capital, are still in flux. See also AUNG SAN SUU KYI; BURMESE NAMES; COLONIALISM; IMPERIALISM.
Naming rules are complex. Names typically consist of two one-syllable names, but often with another word as an honorific, such as Daw for older women, Maa for younger women; and Naw, Saw, Maung and U (pronounced “oo” as in two) for men.
Once known as Kampuchea, Cambodia has been independent from France since 1953. Between Thailand and Vietnam. Abut the size of Oklahoma. Border and other international disputes with Thailand and Vietnam. In 1975, the Communist Khmer Rouge conquered the country, leading to the death of an estimated 1.5 million. Capital: Phnom Penh. Population: 15 million (2012 estimate). Proportion of population younger than 15: one-third. Languages: Khmer (official), French, English. Faith: Buddhism (96 percent), others (4 percent). Ethnic groups: Khmer (90 percent), Vietnamese (5 percent). Literacy: 74 percent. (Source: World Factbook.) See INDOCHINA; KILLING FIELDS; VIETNAM.
Typically family name first, personal name second. Middle names rare.
Not spoken by all Chinese, it is dialect mainly spoken in the environs of Canton, now known as Guangzhou, near the South China Sea. The dialect of many of the early Chinese immigrants to the United States in the 1840s to 1870s. Also the principal dialect of Hong Kong. Still widely spoken in U.S. Chinatowns. See MANDARIN.
Class system in India, and, broadly, a metaphor for class in other contexts (e.g., academia’s ‘caste system”). The four major castes in Hinduism are the Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (kings and warriors), Vaishyas (merchants and traders) and Shudras (laborers), though there are thousands of sub-castes. Discrimination based on castes is technically illegal in India, but the social hierarchies of the system are still recognized, particularly in the villages, and the Diaspora. Once fashionable to describe American classes (“Boston Brahmin”). These hierarchies are a