Sunday, October 20, 2024



 My Gut Feeling: Kamala Will Win!

I really think Kamala Harris will win the 2024 election, never mind what the polls say! Forget the darn polls! We saw how wildly inaccurate they were in 2016 and 2020. 


The Magic Word is Turnout!


It’s all about turnout: come Election Day, how many people will show up to vote? Will they take the trouble to get off the sofa, get dressed, go out, and vote? There are many who just couldn’t be bothered, including left wing people I know.


This country doesn’t make it easy to do one’s civic duty. Voting is not mandatory. Voting day is not a holiday nor are employers required to give workers time off to vote — at least not in every statenot yet! How many working people — who take care of  parents, children, and grandchildren — want to spend a day’s paid leave casting a ballot? It’s a tough call! 


Early voting is key. (I already did, by mail ballot). So far, early voter turnout has been good in most states. In general, those who vote early are Democrats while Republicans prefer to wait until Election Day. What matters is getting voters mobilized and in polling booths, especially in the swing states. (1)


According to a Stanford University study, democracies perform better when more people vote. About 240 million people were eligible to vote in the 2020 presidential election but only 66.1 percent of them submitted ballots. Roughly 81 million eligible voters did not cast a ballot. That’s a lot of people for the two campaigns to reach before Election Day!  


Ballin’ and Stallin’ (2)


I heard an analyst on MSNBC use sports terms to describe Harris and Trump: “she’s ballin’ and he’s stallin’” — he meant Harris was engaging with voters every chance she got while Trump was cancelling major media interviews. 


Harris went on a Black talk show, “Charlamagne tha God” to shore up the Black youth vote because, apparently, young Black men prefer not to see women in leadership roles! She defended her “scripted” cautious style as a badge of honor and agreed that Trump was all about fascism.


Harris also went on Fox News to win over the sliver of Republican (mostly women) voters who watch Fox but dislike Trump. Despite the antagonistic interview, Harris can tout the fact that she went into a hostile environment and took hard questions, while Trump is stallin’ — that is, he avoids debates and tough interviews; he ducks, he weaves, he stalls!  


Conspiracy Theories!


No big events are likely to shake up the race in these last few days before November 5. Of course, conspiracy theories abound and will no doubt get more extreme!  


After the Harris-Trump debate (September 10), right-wing commenters — unable to accept Trump’s disastrous performance vis-à-vis Harris’ forceful one — chose to attack her pearl earrings! Naomi Wolf (former liberal feminist, now a rightwing conspiracy theorist) said the earrings were transmitting audio in real time; that is, back room operatives were feeding Harris answers through the earrings! Other critics speculated they were expensive Tiffany pearls — insinuating that wearing fine jewelry made Harris

ineligible for high office!  


The Dems have launched a TV ad calling Trump unhinged, unstable and unchecked; someone who will “ignore all checks that rein in a president’s power.”  They are linking his erratic behavior and bizarre comments with questions about his mental capacity and refusal to release recent medical records. By calling January 6 “a day of love” at a recent Univision town hall, Trump was “gaslighting” the American people, Harris said.


In the final days before the election, a last-ditch effort is underway to peel off Republican support from Trump. Harris rallied with prominent GOP supporters in battleground Pennsylvania, telling them “there is a place for you in this campaign.”


Strong Feeling!


I have faith that the majority in America is about democracy and decency, never mind all the MAGA trash talk of rounding up and deporting immigrants or refusing to accept another person of color in the Oval! 


There’s no October Surprise (3) coming our way! Yes, a full-fledged war could break out between Israel and Iran or some other country in the Middie East! But, whatever happens, it’s unlikely to change the outcome of the election. Kamala will win but what happens afterwards? The other side has promised chaos. 


Despite Trump’s threats of violence or of unleashing his neo Nazi goons, this sometimes tottering off-kilter Republic will right itself, I strongly feel! Meanwhile, if you live in a battleground state (or basically anywhere) take a leaf from a survivalist guide and start stocking up on canned goods, packaged food, fuel, flashlights, shortwave radio, and bottled water; don’t forget cash! I’m only half kidding!


Ludi Joseph

Washington, D.C.

October 20, 2020


(1) A swing state (also known as a battleground or purple state) could be won by either side — by a “swing” in votes. In 2024, the swing states are Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. 


(2) Ballin’ or Balling is slang for playing basketball in ghetto neighborhoods. Stallin’ or Stalling comes from wrestling. 


(3) An October Surprise is an event that takes place in October that might influence the outcome of a presidential election. One of the best known examples is from 1980 when the Ronald Reagan campaign tried to ensure that President Jimmy Carter would not benefit from the pre-election release of U.S. hostages held by Iran. 


Voting Sticker 

Friday, October 11, 2024

Remembering Chau — Sid Chaudhuri


My earliest memories of former classmate Sid Chaudhuri — who passed away in Perth, Australia, July 4 — are from our time at Delhi’s Frank Anthony Public School (FAPS). He joined in the 6th or 7th Standard; my sister Lorna and I joined in the 4th. I’m not sure if he had a nickname then but in later years we knew him as “Chau.” Before FAPS,  he was proud to have studied at La Martinière in Lucknow — a snobby school for the hoi polloi, as I often pointed out to him! 


The Chaudhuri family lived in Greater Kailash. His dad worked at Indian Airlines. Chau had siblings: a younger brother, Deepak, who (like Chau) also joined the Indian Air Force but tragically passed in an air crash several decades ago. He had two sisters, one in the U.S. and another in India. 


FAPS


Chau always stayed in touch; it was one of his best traits! He made sure he kept tabs on nearly everyone we knew at high school. It was through Chau that we reconnected with FAPS classmates, Vinod Bhargava and Shyam Venkatesan, in New York about 10 years ago which ultimately led to our batch having its “grand reunion” in Delhi in 2016 — so we have Chau to thank for that, although he himself couldn’t attend because of ill health.


appreciated that Chau was familiar with (and respectful of) historic FAPS lore about visits to school by then India-based teen idol pop singer-sensations, Tony Brent (“Dark Moon,” “In My Little Room”) and Cliff Richard (“Outsider,” “The Young Ones”) — both major names in Indian radio broadcasting before they hit the international big time! Tony passed away in Oz some 30 years ago; Cliff, in his 80s, is still making music in England! 


Agra


Chau was based in Agra for several years while working as a navigator for the Indian Air Force. Lorna and I have fond memories of visits, organized by him, to view the Taj Mahal in all its glory during full moon nights! 


In Delhi, in the late 1980s, he joined some of my India Gate after-hours “allu-paratha” picnics where we ate delish potato-stuffed wheat pancakes! Friends would gather on the lawns, play raucous games, and then buy up all the cassata ice cream from vendors!  


Noir Humor!


When Chau first came Stateside in the late 1990s — having retired early from the IAF as squadron leader — he lived in Florida for a few years before moving to NY-NJ.  Lorna and I met him at Fort Lauderdale and Orlando. It was then that he taught at a civil aviation school in Florida — years later, I used to kid him that it was the same school where 9/11 hijacker Mohd. Atta infamously trained to fly a plane — but not land it! 


Chau visited us frequently in New York where he worked (mostly) as a project manager in the IT, engineering, and construction industries. At one point he tried his hand as a professional blackjack player in Atlantic City — no kidding! I saw him in “full player mode” at a Las Vegas casino — his wife Mangal and my Mum Evelyn were also present. But he soon abandoned full time gaming!


Doing the Waltz!


He was personable and articulate and surprisingly adept at ballroom dancing, a legacy from his NDA (National Defense Academy) training, he said — although partner dancing was (and still is) a fairly unique and sought after skill! When the European Union office (where I worked) first opened at the Taj Palace Hotel in Delhi, Chau came to a party and we did the waltz and some rumba (he called it the box step!) — to enthusiastic applause from EU staff and hotel guests!  Nice memory! 


In the late 2000s, he moved to Oz and settled in Perth. He would ring me on What’s App — the last time was in January this year when I told him about the sad passing of former FAPS head boy, Deepak Kochhar. When Chau heard that several class mates were going to a school reunion at Port Blair in the Andaman Islands (January 2024), he was very excited and wanted to join us. 


But by then his health was deteriorating rapidly. He was already living at a care facility as Mangal could not manage his treatment and therapy at home. The PD (Parkinson’s Disease) — he was diagnosed with some years before — had  progressed irreversibly plus there were other medical complications. That was the last time I spoke to Chau. 


Life in Oz


Despite small gigs, he could not get steady employment in Perth which he attributed to a sluggish economy.  There were limited opportunities but they fizzled. Still, he remained upbeat on the phone, never mind whatever else was going on: the dwindling job market, the state of the world, majoritarian politics in India, his own deteriorating health, or his diminishing mobility. 


Chau is survived by his wife Mangal. He was married twice before and had a daughter with his first wife. 


Rest in peace, Chau! You will be remembered!


Ludi Joseph

Washington, DC

Oct. 11, 2024



Credit: Photo from Indian Defense Alumni Directory provided by Col. Vinod Bhargava. 


Sid Chaudhuri - Chau

Saturday, June 22, 2024

Evolution of Buddhism: Looking for Answers on the Silk Road


I traveled recently (May-June 2024) with a World Bank 1818 group of intrepid modern day “Silk Roaders” who recreated an itinerary that included several stops (once oasis centers) along the ancient Silk Route: Xi’an, Tianshui, Lanzhou, Dunhuang, and ending with Turpan and Urumqi in Xinjiang Province, after crossing parts of the Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts; other braver souls journeyed on to Kashgar.


I joined for many reasons: because the Middle Kingdom beckoned and who could resist, to meet likeminded fellow travelers, tread the path made famous by explorer Marco Polo (who may have exaggerated his exploits, say academics), and, chiefly, to discover why and how Buddhism evolved in the centuries following the death of the historical Buddha. It was all very adventurous and exciting; but would it deliver? 


Background 


Buddhism has a complex history spanning more than two millennia. Over time, its spiritual traditions have adapted to a range of geographical, social, and cultural circumstances, including war, invasion, and persecution. 


Originating around the Kingdom of Magadha in northeastern India in the 5th century BCE, it is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama and spread throughout central, east, and southeast Asia. In so doing, it evolved into a belief system that was quite different from the original. Importantly, it survived, even thrived. (1)


Spread of Buddhism on the Silk Road 


Indian emperor Ashoka (268 to 232 BCE) of the Mauryan Dynasty, used his power to spread Buddhism. He famously renounced violence after the Kalinga War, one of the deadliest battles in Indian history, made Buddhism the state religion, and sent missionaries to neighboring countries. (2)


By the beginning of the Common Era, Buddhism followed the vast transcontinental network of overland routes known as the Silk Road into central Asia and China. It is widely believed that Indian monks traveled with merchant caravans to preach the new religion, entering China during the later Han period (206 BCE-220 CE).


Buddha’s rejection of the Hindu caste system (and of Brahmin priests who perpetuated that system) attracted followers. Unlike Hinduism, Buddhism did not have a negative view of trade and commerce, leading to merchants from the Vaisya caste converting to Buddhism. The concept of dana (or giving, charity) encouraged monks to ask for and receive donations from merchants. These donations helped build temples, dharamshalas (or monasteries), and rest stops on the Silk Road.


Trading centers along the caravan routes grew into large bustling multi-ethnic cities that provided a structure and system for Buddhism to travel east, helping it expand into a world religion with a diverse set of beliefs and practices. The Silk Road thus had a major impact on history, commerce, cultural exchange, and religious movement.


Back to India


In India, Hinduism experienced a powerful revival under the Gupta empire (320 to 550 CE). Threatened by Buddhism, orthodox Brahman priests touted the myth of the Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu; according to historian Wendy Doniger, this first appeared in the Vishnu Puranas (400-500 CE). By the 4th century, Hinduism had assimilated Buddhism (A.L. Basham, Indologist). I won’t repeat my theories of why I think Buddhism disappeared from India: see my earlier blog. More interesting is how and why it changed and flourished in China. (3,4)


During the reign of Chandragupta Maurya (322 to 297 BCE) — marked by a tolerance towards different faiths: Vedic and Brahmanical Hinduism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, and Greek beliefs — Buddhism experienced its own short-lived resurgence in India. But it was a different kind of Buddhism that came back from China over the Silk Road, influenced by Taoist and Confucian elements as well as Zoroastrian fire worship and the Greek pantheon. 


Ability to Adapt and Blend


China may have been receptive to Buddhism because it was a way to live one’s life, including addressing larger metaphysical questions of Karma, suffering, and death. It coexisted (sometimes peacefully, sometimes not) with Taoism and Confucianism. While there were anti-Buddhist movements, most rulers seemed to embrace the new faith. 


Laypeople may have found Buddhism appealing because it challenged existing hierarchy and permitted all classes a role in spiritual practice; significantly, women were not excluded. Buddhism took on an essential Chinese character, blending with existing philosophies and folk tradition. As it became more inclusive, ancestor worship, family duty, and honoring one’s elders (existing in Brahmanical Hinduism) became an integral part of Chinese (or Han) Buddhism, as it came to be called. 


A scholar I recently met said that Chinese spiritual practice was marked by a kind of  “hodgepodge pluralism!”  A professed atheist, he was amused that some of his friends recited mantras in Buddhist temples while also studying Taoist talismans, and practicing ancestor worship, Feng Shui, and qigong!


Change vs. Stasis — Female Buddha


In China, non-existence of a creator god (central to Indian Buddhism) diminished in importance while Mahayana became dominant; as time passed, Buddha and his Bodhisattvas were worshipped as gods. (5,6)  


One might argue that, if a great religion remains static, it dies. Change could therefore be considered a positive. Change allows new modes of worship, new Bodhisattvas, and new ways to interpret Buddha, even as a woman. 


While gender-fluidity might be shocking to a purist, it is more acceptable to those already praying to female deities. Worship of the female has a place in most traditions. Buddhism has relied on the worship of Bodhisattvas identified as female and vested with feminine attributes like compassion and nurturing. 


It is generally agreed among Buddhist scholars that the Chinese figure Guanyin is the same as the one known in India as Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. While Guanyin's history began in ancient India as a male figure, after two millennia in China, he was transformed from male to female and gained a new name.


Evolution of Guanyin in Art 


Prior to the Song dynasty (960–1279 CE), Guanyin was always masculine. Later images, which displayed both genders, adhered to the Lotus Sutra (scriptures) where Avalokitesvara assumes any form. This tracks with ancient Brahmanical Hindu belief in Ardhanarishvar (or half man, half woman), a manifestation of the destroyer god, Shiva, representing male and female energies in the universe.  


By the 12th century, Guanyin began to be interpreted as female: a mother goddess and patron of mothers. She is shown holding an infant to emphasize the relationship between the Bodhisattva, maternity, and birth. (7)


Ahimsa and its Impact on Vegetarianism


Gender was not the only change. The doctrine of ahimsa (or non-violence to all living things), once considered fundamental to Indian Buddhism, was also modified. How else to reconcile Buddhists with meat-eating, a practice that conservatives might censure? This too must be seen in the context of local traditions influencing beliefs. 


Some Buddhists avoid eating meat because of Buddhism’s precept to “refrain from taking life;” others abstain based on the Mahayana sutras which forbid flesh consumption. Only in India are Buddhists strictly vegetarian. Elsewhere in the world, they are not, except monks and nuns or only on certain days of the week. 


I recall being scolded by a Buddhist scholar during one of my long ago treks in Nepal. When I expressed surprise at local Terai (plains) people eating buffalo meat (doubly taboo as it’s related to the cow, sacred in South Asian faiths), he retorted, why would you deprive some of the poorest people in the world from consuming the cheapest form of protein? I was suitably rebuked! 


Food habits are almost always shaped by availability and pricing and have very little to do with religion which must adapt to local custom and practice to survive! 


Persecution of Buddhists


Buddhism is considered the oldest “foreign” religion in China and took over a century to become absorbed into Chinese culture. During the Tang dynasty, it became a major part of Chinese life and, although Tang emperors were usually Taoists, they favored Buddhism. 


However, attitudes changed and, from the 5th to the 10th century, Buddhism faced persecution by four Chinese emperors; one of the worst of these campaigns was in 845 CE when Tang Emperor Wuzong, a Taoist, destroyed thousands of monasteries, forced monks and nuns into hiding, and seized monastery wealth and property. The emperor wanted to drive out “foreign” influence and appropriate war funds. 


By then Buddhism had lost favor because monasteries had become a powerful force, monks did not pay taxes, and many young men were entering monastic life to avoid military service.


Buddhism also came into conflict with Confucian intellectuals who said it weakened existing social structures and loyalties (son to father, subject to ruler) by encouraging lay people to abandon their filial duty, renounce their families, and become monks and nuns. (8)


Despite these aberrations, Buddhism (for the most part) thrived among the Chinese population, particularly during the Song dynasty when it moved out of official state patronage and into mainstream life. Meanwhile, the government began to extend control over monasteries as well as the ordination and legal status of monks.


Reshaping the Culture


With its long history, Buddhism is considered the largest institutionalized religion in China. It has played an important role in shaping Chinese civilization and in influencing art, literature, and the prevailing culture.


During the Tang and Song periods, Buddhism contributed to painting and sculpture and advanced the development of printed books and religious architecture. Buddhist themes can be found in much of the period’s art and literature. Tang Empress Wu Zetian, who ruled from 660 to 705 CE, promoted Buddhist cave art, while portraying herself as a Bodhisattva.


Under Deng Xiaoping, who led China from 1978 to 1989, a revival of Buddhism took place when damaged temples and monasteries — that had been destroyed during the Cultural Revolution (1966 to 1976) — were restored. Monks are now allowed to be ordained and to practice. The current “sinicization” policy requires religious institutions to align their doctrines with Chinese culture and communist party leadership.


Laughing Buddha


In India, the Buddha was usually shown in painting and sculpture as an ascetic sitting cross-legged in deep meditation, radiating calm, with his hands in different mudras (or poses). As the religion spread, similar looking Buddhas were sculpted and painted with facial features changing from Gandhara Greek to Mathura Indian and adopting local facial characteristics as it spread eastwards. But perhaps the most radical change came with the Laughing Buddha, a significant departure from the classical Indian image of the slender meditative ascetic! 


Laughing Buddhas may have originated from a Chinese folk deity, based on a 9th century wandering monk. An incarnation of Maitreya, the future Buddha, he is pot-bellied, heavy, bald, robe-clad, carrying a sack, prayer beads, and a beggar’s bowl. These statues are seen in temples, restaurants, gardens, and homes in China and southeast Asia, including Asian restaurants and homes in the U.S. Rubbing his belly is said to bring good luck! Laughing Buddha statues are now the most recognizable and popular Buddhist images in the world!


Conclusion


In China, Buddhism clearly took on the culture into which it migrated. From belief in Buddha’s divinity to a female Boddhisattva, changes in Ahimsa, acceptance of ancestor worship, and evolution of the Laughing Buddha, one could say that Han Buddhist practice has transformed the ancient purist version of Indian Buddhism into a more inclusive and pluralistic set of beliefs.  


I’m not sure I found all the answers I was looking for but I learned a good deal from talking to smart and thoughtful guides, experts, scholars, and fellow travelers — both in western China and my week in Shanghai. It may take more journeys along the Silk Road to come up with definitive theories. Most importantly, I had fun in the process!


Footnotes


(1) Briefly, Buddha taught that dukkha (or grief, suffering) is unavoidable; that the samudaya (or cause) is tanha (or craving, desire) and that avidhya (or ignorance, misconception) can be ended by nirodha (or removal, letting go); also, by leading a moral and disciplined life and adopting the Eightfold Marg (or path) to navigate between extreme self-indulgence and extreme asceticism.


(2) The Kalinga War (262-261 BCE) was fought between the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka and the kingdom of Kalinga on the east coast of India in present-day Odisha state. 


(3) Buddhist scholars regard it as heretical to even consider the Buddha as part of the dashavatar (10 incarnations of the Hindu preserver god, Vishnu)! 


(4) http://luditravel.blogspot.com/2023/10/tree-serpent-early-buddhist-art-in.html


(5) Bodhisattvas or Buddhas-to-be are enlightened beings who choose to remain in the samsara (or cycle of Karmic births and deaths) to help others attain moksha (or freedom). They are revered for deferring their own parinirvana (or ultimate salvation) for the common good.


(6) Around the first century CE, Buddhism divided into two sects: Theravada or Hinayana (which spread to Sri Lanka and southeast Asia) regarded Buddha as a teacher, while Mahayana (which spread to China, Japan, and Tibet) claimed Buddha as divine. In general, Mahayana Buddhists follow the path of the Bodhisattva while Theravada Buddhists follow the path of the Arhat (or already enlightened person).


(7) The Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai has a shrine to Guanyin.


(8) The concept of renouncing the material world through meditation and tapasya (also, tapas) or penance, is common to all South Asian religions: Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. 


References:

On Hinduism, Doniger, Wendy.

The Wonder That Was India: Vol. I & II, Basham, A.L.  

Ancient China: Chinese Civilization from its Origins to the Tang Dynasty, Scarpari, Maurizio.

The Early Chinese Empires: Qin and Han (History of Imperial China), Lewis, Mark Edward.


Source, Silk Road Maps and Video: Gansu Museum, Shaanxi History Museum


Silk Road Map: network of transcontinental and maritime routes, Gansu Museum

Silk Road Map, Shaanxi History Museum

Silk Road Map, Shaanxi History Museum

Itinerary for Modern Day “Silk Roaders” (Wild China)

Guanyin at Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai


Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, Mogao

Seated Buddha Gandhara style


Seated Buddha Mathura style


Buddha Image Mathura style

Ahimsa Symbol

Laughing Buddha


Silk Road Video: Camel Bells & Caravans, Gansu Museum