Kenji Sensei on "Mind the Gap" Part 2

Dharma Message Applies Subway Slogan to Mindfulness

Kenji Sensei’s Sunday Dharma talk from June 28 continues the theme of “mind the gap.” In this talk he asks us to be mindful of the gap between word and experience, between symbol and reality, and between the challenges we face right now and wisdom joined with compassion.

He also sheds light on the long history of the manji or swastika before the Nazis stole it; for millenia it represented peace, and is still in use as a positive symbol throughout India and Asia..

Infographic

On the right, you can see the differences between the ancient peaceful swastika and the Nazi version. Although they are different, you can see why some people might mistake the two.

Manji. In Japanese, the Buddhist swastika is called manji, derived from the Chinese, wan chi. It remains common in Buddhism and Hinduism. (Contemporary Hindu wedding receptions may serve guests cake decorated with the swastika for good luck.) The word swastika comes from the Sanskrit, svasti-ka,.