Asiatica.org

Jain eLibrary: Jain scriptures, manuscripts, dictionary, encyclopedia, articles, magazines, and ancient and contemporary books

2012-02-06T10:37:07+01:00

To protect, preserve, and disseminate the ancient and contemporary Jain literature, the Jain Education International organization in cooperation with Shri Mahavir Ardhana Kendra, Koba Ahmedabad; and Shri Prachya Vidyapith, Sajapur, India has launched a Jain eLibrary project. Under this project the Jain literature is converted electronically into eBooks (pdf or other formatted files) or other electronic media and made available via the website.

The eLibrary comprises of a vast collection of literature on Jain principles, such as Ahimsa, compassion, karma philosophy, and Anekäntaväda. It also provides Jain educational material for Jain Päthashälä or Sunday school.

Jain eLibrary website is a non-commercial religious website. It is totally funded through contribution received from Jain community and others from all over the world. Please donate generously via this page.

Newsletter for Research in Chinese Studies, 118/3 (2011)

2012-01-30T11:34:25+01:00

We have just received the Newsletter for Research in Chinese Studies, 119 (August 2011 - vol. 30, no. 3), a hard copy quarterly published by the Center for Chinese Studies (CCS), established in 1981 to promote research in Chinese studies both in Taiwan (The Republic of China) and overseas.

It is written in Chinese with subtitles in English. It contains articles, interviews, and regular updates on the happenings in the worldwide community of Chinese studies.

This issue includes: Summary of Research: “The Center for Chinese Studies: Hopes for the Next 30 Years”, by Tseng Shu-hsien; “Creating a Hig Quality Environment for Chinese Studies: 30 Successful Years of the Center for Chinese Studies”, by Huang Kuan-chung; “A Brief History of the Center for Chinese Studies”, by Tsai Ching-lang;

“A Brief History of the Center for Chinese Studies”, by Tsai Ching-lang; “Advisory Committee of Center for Chinese Studies”, by Chen Hsu-mei; “Chinese Studies Archive Search ad Reading Service”, by C hen You-min; “Printing a Rich Variety of High-Quality Chinese Studies Publications”, by Wang Yu-ching; “Making Friends around the World: Research Grant for Foreign Scholars in Chinese Studies”, by Liau Jane; “Providing Global Academic Exchange Platform: Center for Chinese Studies Academic Activities”, by Liau Jane; “Where to Find Sinology in a Sea of Information? Introduction to the Center for Chinese Studies Databases”, by Sun Hsiu-ling; “An Overview of the Center for Chinese Studies 30th Anniversary Program of Events”, by Keng Li-chun. Conference Reports, News from Academia.

Map of Manuscript Libraries in India

2012-01-21T11:07:19+01:00

A very nice and useful map including graphical key to manuscript libraries in India. It has been put together by Prof. Kei Kataoka (Kyushu University, Japan).

AJISS-Commentary No. 140: "A New Era for APEC and TPP" by Takashi Omori

2012-01-13T10:10:20+01:00

The Association of Japanese Institutes of Strategic Studies (AJISS) has just published the AJISS-Commentary No. 140 ""A New Era for APEC and TPP" by Takashi Omori, Chair of the APEC Economic Committee (till 2011) and Professor of Economics at Tokyo City University (tomori@tcu.ac.jp.

With the Honolulu summit in November, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) wrapped up its so-called "golden three years" forged through the presidency of Singapore, Japan and the United States in turn. The East Asia Summit, held a week later in Bali, witnessed the first official participation of the United States and Russia. The Japanese government took the opportunity of the annual APEC summit to announce its intention to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations despite split public opinion at home. If Canada and Mexico, which similarly expressed interest in the TPP talks, are added, the future TPP could have 12 member countries, a majority of the 21 APEC economies.

When we look back at the past three years, we note some major developments in APEC. The first is a new approach to cooperation in this diverse region. In its scheme to improve the business environment using World Bank indicators, APEC has made it a rule that an economy wanting to improve in a certain field can seek guidance from a fellow member economy that is doing well in that field. The latter provides advice based on its own experience but taking due account of the needs and circumstances of the former rather than simply imposing "the best practice". It has been reported that the success stories told by key persons who actually achieved breakthroughs have much encouraged the relevant bureaucrats facing difficulties.

The second is the Growth Strategy, compiled last year, whose five pillars are inclusive, sustainable, balanced, innovative and secure. There may seem nothing particularly eye-catching at a glance, but what is remarkable is the fact that countries in different stages of development with different cultural backgrounds and political regimes agreed to common agendas and objectives. It was indeed the world's first such attempt. The experience will enhance a sense of unity among APEC economies and become the foundation of regional cooperation from now on.

The third is America's return to Asia. The re-engagement of Washington in the Asia-Pacific region, driven by its eagerness to catch up with the economic integration developing on the opposite side of the Pacific Ocean, should have provided a sense of security for the member states of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Challenges remain, however. Firstly, where and how regional economic integration will proceed remains unclear. It has been a while since the APEC members agreed in principle to realize a comprehensive Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific (FTAAP) as they witnessed a random formation of bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) on the rise. Despite the growing importance of TPP, the route to that final destination is not yet in sight.

The second challenge is how to manage the two great powers in the region. With growing confidence in its power backed by its economic growth and other factors, Beijing is reinforcing its assertive stance. Washington, for its part, appears to be rushing toward a conclusion due to the impatience it feels towards regional economic integration and its wish to expand its exports. There is a growing need for Japan to coordinate between these two great powers.

The third challenge is how to address social problems, such as aging populations and deepening economic gaps, creeping up on the region. The aforementioned growth strategy recognizes the gravity of these problems, but no concrete measures are yet apparent. The research project by the Japan National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (JANCPEC) provides many useful insights in this field.

Finally, what are the prospects of TPP? Given the hardship encountered by the nine countries already in negotiation, it may take time for the three countries that have recently expressed interest to actually join the talks. Furthermore, Japan's involvement will be first screened by Washington in accordance with US interests. To maintain sufficient leverage on the negotiations, it is desirable for Japan to envisage various scenarios that could lead to the FTAAP, including ASEAN + 6, its trilateral partnership with China and South Korea, and its bilateral partnership with Australia.

At the same time, the government needs to convince the Japanese people of the considerable benefits of the regional economic partnership. It is true that static merits calculated in quantitative terms are not so impressive, but its dynamic effects, such as the promotion of technical and human resources development through competition, will likely be significant. On the other hand, the government must provide sufficient safety nets to mitigate the expected shocks from structural change caused by trade and investment liberalization. Unemployment insurance and welfare public assistance alone will not be enough. A flexible labor market, in which people can switch jobs and professions as they need or desire, is urgently needed.

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Editor: Akio Watanabe
Editorial Board: Hideki Asari, Masashi Nishihara, and Taizo Yakushiji
Online Publisher: Yoshiji Nogami

Rani Jethmalani, Founder of Women’s Action Research & Legal Action for Women (Warlaw) and JSAWS Collaborator

2012-01-05T17:05:23+01:00

Rani Jethmalani, Supreme Court lawyer and daughter of former Union law minister Ram Jethmalani, social activist, and my friend, passed away on December 31, 2011. She established in Delhi the NGO Women’s Action Research & Legal Action for Women (Warlaw), examining factors responsible for inferior status of women; providing access to general justice; enabling women in India make laws effective; promoting the concept of human rights and aware about the rights of women in remote areas. Warlaw provided dowry victims with free legal assistance.

She also collaborated with our Journal of South Asia Women Studies, delivering a paper at the 2002 International Symposium - Understanding Indian Women: Love, History and Studies.

She also wrote a book, Kali’s Yug: empowerment, law, and dowry deaths.

A very remarkable personal fact is that long ago she, Hindu, adopted a Muslim child and gave him an excellent education. He is now an attorney like his mother and his grand-father.

These are a few Indian articles dedicated to her: The Times of India, The Hindu, Hindustan Times, India Today, The Economic Times, Parda Phash, The Day After (India). We all miss her.

Journal of Confucian Philosophy and Culture vol. 16 (August 2011)

2011-12-23T08:23:14+01:00

We have just received the International Edition of the Journal of Confucian Philosophy and Culture, vol. 16 / August 2011, which is published by the Institute of Confucian Philosophy and Culture, Academy of East Asian Studies of Sungkyunkwan University, a private academia located in Seoul and Suwon, South Korea, which was established in 1398 and is considered one of the foremost universities in the country.

The papers of the Journal of Confucian Philosophy and Culture deal with Confucianism, its idea and idealsand the more recent studies on it. They are written either in Korean with a summary in English, or in English. In this issue, which is 268 + XVII page long, papers are written in Korean.

Table of contents, papers: Nine Proofreading Notes on the Characters and Woods of Chin Bamboo..." by Ding Sixin, "A Study on Times of Chunqiu Wei" by Ren Milin, "The Legitimacy of the Source of Political Power and of Governance" by Deng Yong, "The From "The Memorial Service for Confucius" to..." by Yoo Eun Joo,

“On Zhang Two Pillars of Gan Bao’s Thoughts on Yi-ology…” by Lin Lin, “On the Ideological Tradition and Theoretical Aims of the Rise…” by Fanglu CAI, “Analogy on the “Sincerity” and its Connections with “Three Great Virtues”…” by Le Ai-guo, “The Original Goodness Is not Opposed to Evil” by Li Chunying, “The Analects Element in Korean Ancient Chinese Poetry” by Wang Guobao, “Giho COnfucianism School’s Argument about the Mind of Human…” by Lee, Cheonsung, “On Merchants of Huizhou “Liking Confucianism as Dealing” by Xie Guangyu.

AJISS-Commentary No.136 “World’s Most Powerful Computer: Does It Reflect Japan’s National Power?” by Akinori Yonezawa

2011-11-16T08:15:12+01:00

The Association of Japanese Institutes of Strategic Studies (AJISS) has just published the AJISS-Commentary No. 136”World’s Most Powerful Computer: Does It Reflect Japan’s National Power?” by Akinori Yonezawa, Co-Director of the RIKEN Advanced Institute of Computational Science and Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo (yonezawa@riken.jp).

The Japanese supercomputer “Kei,” developed jointly by Fujitsu and RIKEN as a national project, took first place in the top 500 list at the International Conference on Supercomputing held in Hamburg, Germany, in June. The so-called “K Computer” outstripped its competitors, being more than three times faster than the second-place Chinese Tianhe-1A and more than four times faster than the US’ third-ranked “Jaguar” (developed by IBM). Given that the competition takes place every six months, the K Computer is expected to maintain its lead as the world’s most powerful computer for at least a year or so.

Cutting-edge supercomputer technologies are an important indicator of a state’s level of science and technology - and ultimately of national strength - because they require comprehensive skills in blending various kinds of high-tech components. While the development and application of supercomputers do help to improve people’s daily lives through advances in clinical research and other means and promote technological development and enrichment, supercomputer research and development (R&D) requires enormous sums in excess of 100 billion yen. Whether and how the allocation of taxpayers’ money for such a project is justified is strongly influenced by the state’s views on science and technology.

Although now ranked number one in the world, the K Computer earlier faced a major crisis. When the ruling Democratic Party of Japan attempted to streamline public spending two years ago, it decided to abolish funding for supercomputer R&D. The announcement sparked strong opposition from scientists and prominent figures in the industry, which eventually caused the government to restore funding under supplement budgets. Paradoxically, the project proceeded at a faster pace than previously planned. How the K Computer achieved first place after this budgetary crisis teaches us an important lesson: the levels of Japan’s high-performance computers are a function of the priority given to supercomputer R&D within the state’s science and technology policy and among the government’s spending priorities.

As a scientist engaged in the K Computer project, I think greater consideration should have been given to R&D for the K Computer, which could nurture basic technologies to shore up Japan’s science and technology capabilities. Supercomputer R&D requires wide-ranging competency in managing the extremely sophisticated technologies necessary to conduct micro-semiconductor processing, design and implement instruction sets, interconnect central processing units (CPUs), rectify incorrect operations and establish reliability, and keep power consumption down - just to give a few examples from hardware development alone. It therefore reflects the levels of a state’s technologies. On the other hand, winning the supercomputer competition does not necessarily guarantee major advances in science and technology or bring about improvements in medical treatment and people’s daily lives, for the competition’s evaluation standards are heavily focused on hardware performance. The K Computer’s victory is no doubt proof of the continued strength of Japan’s hardware technologies. A pressing challenge is making full use of the supercomputer to solve many previously unsolvable problems and to have fresh impacts on people’s daily lives and scientific and technological progress. Meeting this challenge will allow Japan to earn international recognition on the software side, long considered to be one of Japan’s weaknesses. This will in turn enable Japan to declare with confidence that its supercomputing technologies are truly the best in the world. It will then have another indicator demonstrating the high standards of Japan’s overall technological capabilities and of its national power.

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AJISS-Commentary is an occasional op-ed type publication of The Association of Japanese Institutes of Strategic Studies (AJISS) consisting of three leading Japanese think tanks: Institute for International Policy Studies (IIPS), The Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA), and Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS).

The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and should not be attributed to The Association of Japanese Institutes of Strategic Studies.

International Journal of Tantric Studies (IJTS): Call for Papers

2011-10-25T10:41:10+01:00

We are seeking academics and bona fide scholars to write and submit finished papers and review papers to our scholarly online publication (established 1995), the International Journal of Tantric Studies (IJTS). The IJTS is open to all bona fide scholars in Hindu and Buddhist Tantric and Tantra-related studies, translations and translators in Sanskrit, Bengali, Vernacular, Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese, etc. We are looking for articles that engage any aspect of this broad theme.

Before submitting your paper / paper review, please read our Submission Guidelines. We plan to publish all the IJTS papers in hard copy shortly. Depending on the next issue, hopefully by the end of the year.

IJTS editors: Enrica Garzilli (Editor-in-Chief), Michael Witzel (Managing Editor), Roberto Donatoni, Minoru Hara, David N. Lorenzen, Benjamin Prejado, Michael Rabe, Debabrata Sensharma, Karel van Kooij.

Latest papers: “Beyond The Hindu Frontier. Jaina-Vaiṣṇava Syncretism In The Gujarātī Diaspora (part I & part II)” by Peter Flügel; “The Conservative Character of Tantra: Secrecy, Sacrifice and This-Worldly Power in Bengali Śākta Tantra” by Hugh B. Urban; “Traditions in Transition: Meditative Concepts in the Development of Tantric Sādhana” by Stuart R. Sarbacker; “The Realm of the Divine: Three MaNDalas from the NiSpannayogAvalI” by Terence M. Hays; “Magically Storming the Gates of Buddhahood: Extensible Text Technology (XML/XSLT) as a Simulacrum for Research” by John Robert Gardner; “Mahamahopadhyaya Dr. Gopinath Kaviraj, My Teacher: As I Saw Him” by Debabrata Sensharma; “Philosophie de l'akula-kula selon les écoles des kaulas du Tantrisme de l'Inde” by Dominique Boubouleix; “Review Paper: The Mythology of BrahmA” by Paolo Magnone; “Sexual Imagery on the "Phantasmagorical Castles" at Khajuraho” by Michael Rabe; “Computer Space: The New Nina fonts and Macros” by Ludovico Magnocavallo; “Tantra and Dharma Teachers from Kashmir in Nepal” by Michael Witzel; “Computer Space: Typing Devanagari on a Standard Keyboard” by Derick Miller ; “Computer Space” by Ludovico Magnocavallo; “The Unique Position of the Spanda School Among the Others of the Trika System of Kazmir” by Enrica Garzilli.

Send proposals to Enrica Garzilli: garzilli@asiatica.org

Dr Enrica Garzilli
Asiatica Association, IJTS & JSAWS