About Buddha teaching

http://cnn.com/video/?/video/living/2010/11/01/buddhist.fire.ritual.cnn

An interview with Shinso Ito

Tantric or esoteric Buddhism is one of the great forms of Buddhist tradition. In the West, it is usually associated with Tibet, where tantric Buddhism has flourished for more than a millennium. Meanwhile—although it is approximately as old as Tibetan forms and has held major cultural and religious significance—the tantric tradition of Japan is comparatively little known in the West. This stems in part from the fact that the primary traditional forms of Japanese Buddhist tantra (Shingon and Tendai) have not made strong efforts to spread their denominations outside of Japan.

Japanese Buddhism experienced significant changes in the 20th century as the country modernized, fought a war with the West, was occupied by the United States, and developed into an urbanized technological society. Many new Buddhist movements appeared, including the group known as Shinnyo-en (“Garden of Absolute Reality”), founded in 1936. Like most new Buddhist movements, Shinnyo-en draws on multiple sources, but it is most directly connected to the Shingon tradition as practiced at Daigoji, a massive temple complex and pilgrimage site in southern Kyoto. Because it has a strong lay focus, Shinnyo-en has been able to grow quickly and establish practice groups throughout Japan, Asia, and in the West. Thus it is helping to bring more Western attention to the ancient tantric traditions of Japan.

Along with its tantric connections, one of the distinctive features of Shinnyo-en is its focus on the Mahaparinirvana Sutra (also called the Nirvana Sutra), one of the central works of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. This text purports to record the final sermon of the Buddha before he passed away into final nirvana. The sutra deals with many issues important to the development of Mahayana thought and practice, but it is especially noted for its teachings on buddhanature. In part because it teaches that all beings without exception have the capacity to reach complete buddhahood, it has been treasured in East Asia and inspired reformers such as Dogen, Shinran, and Nichiren. This is true in modern times as well, as the followers of Shinnyo-en rely on this sutra for guidance in the chaotic contemporary world.

The following interview took place in New York this past summer, when Tricycle editors James Shaheen and Philip Ryan sat down with Shinso Ito, who was in town to speak at a conference. Shinso Ito is the current head of Shinnyo-en and the daughter of Shinnyo-en cofounders Shinjo and Tomoji Ito. The interview provided a chance to learn more about this growing Buddhist movement, particularly its approaches to the practices of engaged Buddhism and meditation.

The American dream of the Chinese rich (4)

Risky dreams

Even if they can afford it, not everyone is so sure that they can realize their American dream.

The $500,000 investment is only enough to pay for 10 workers’ salaries for one year.

“I need to keep their jobs for at least two years before my family can get the green card,” said Liu Jie, a businesswoman in Beijing whose biggest concern about choosing an EB-5 regional center program is whether she can get her permanent green card.

To succeed, her investment needs to secure 10 jobs for locals in a region with a high unemployment rate for at least two years before her conditional green card can become a permanent green card. And the business has to be profitable so that she can get her money back after five years.

In the promotions and brochures, immigration consultants, lawyers and representatives from regional centers carefully paint a rosy picture to their clients, most of whom are unfamiliar with US investment. They avoid talking about any risk or any negatives.

“Regional centers tend to oversimplify the process of investment immigration,” Fang said. “And immigration agencies in the Chinese mainland are also new to the investment immigration themselves.”

Some consultants at the sessions like to say that the risk is minimal because the program is backed by the US government, but Fang warns that this statement is an exaggeration. The US government does not guarantee the safety of the investment, he said.

Those wishing to join the EB-5 program will need minimum assets of at least 10 million yuan ($1.48 million) Zhao Jiangcheng, an immigration consultant of Beijing Worldway Immigration Service Co., told the prospective clients who were hesitating.

“The worst-case scenario is that even if the investment fails, your life will not be affected severely,” he said.

Most of the investors are quite wealthy and $500,000 represents only a small portion of their wealth. Liu Jie, for example, said she would sell a few apartments to pay for her part of the investment immigration program.

Many of her friends went to study in the United States in the 1990s and stayed there after graduation. One of her friends is a research fellow in the United States, “but I don’t want to stay in the lab every day like her,” Liu said.

When the real estate prices began to drop slowly in Beijing, she decided to give up her American dream.

“I don’t know what to do there,” she said.

For Cao Zhenghe, who is determined to make an investment for a green card, the American dream is a bit different. He doesn’t want his son to be an American citizen because a green card would be better for family business in the future.

“What if he came back to do business in China? I can’t help him get a Chinese green card if he became an American.”

Cao is trying to find Chinese people who succeeded in getting their permanent green cards and got their investment back after five years, but so far, he has been unable to find them.

He would love a piece of America for his family and for his business, but wants to be smart about venturing into this.

“It’s a big investment for the family after all,” he said. “It needs to be considered carefully.”

Trilingual supporter-Your partner in times of need.

The American dream of the Chinese rich (3)

Selling the program

In Beijing, wealthy parents like Cao Zhenghe went to information sessions and promotions for US investor immigration programs, looking for opportunities that can help their children have a better future in the United States.

“Are you also here for your kid?” Cao asked a middle-aged woman who sat next to him during an information session. She nodded yes. During two days of information sessions for investment immigration projects, Cao met several parents who had already sent their children to study in the United States.

“We don’t chat a lot with each other, you know, because of privacy concerns,” Cao said.

For many wealthy Chinese, investing $500,000 into a US government designated regional center program is one of the most convenient ways to reach their American dream, or for their kids.

Cao, 45, came to Beijing on June 10 and went to a session hosted by Beijing Worldway Immigration Service Co, to learn about a regional center program about a gold mine in Idaho. He flipped through the brochure and jotted down notes and questions as immigration consultants and representatives from regional centers continued to sell him on the project.

Although he was told that his money will be safe and he can buy out his investment after five years, Cao knows that many of these projects bear a certain risk. He is finding it difficult to choose the right one. “I’m getting tired of these meetings now,” Cao said.

As an owner of an iron mine in Hebei province, Cao understands the mining business more than most of the participants. But he doesn’t really understand how the business is running in the United States, and doesn’t have relatives in the US except for his 21-year-old son who is currently studying in California.

“The first generation of immigrants is not going to be easy. But when he has his own family, life will be better for his children,” Cao said.

He is determined to support his son’s decision to get a green card.

“I don’t know what he is studying there; he is quite independent and finished the college application all by himself,” Cao said.

Immigration Lawyer David Fang warns that most centers haven’t been operating long enough to complete their projects or establish an investment track record. He fears that many projects marketed to investors “won’t be successful in terms of job creation, and investors will be unable to get their money back, or even lose their green card.”

The American dream of the Chinese rich (2)

The US life

Adjusting to life in the US does not seem to be a problem for Lily Zhang and her husband, who can read and converse in basic English. “You don’t need that much English for daily life,” she said. And as for the business, she has hired a translator to help.

Now more than 1.1 million Chinese Americans live in California, according to the US Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey.

At her law office in Chinatown, New York, Yang Fuhao has seen a decline in H-1B work visa applications from Chinese, but has received more inquiries about investor visas. New to the business of investment immigration, she is now representing three clients in that capacity. “All of them are from the Chinese mainland,” Yang said.

Contrary to the new boom in investment immigration for the Chinese mainlanders, many Chinese graduates of US universities faced difficulties finding a job in the US, and many decided to go back to China. The number of H-1B work visas for Chinese citizens dropped from 16,628 in fiscal year 2007 to 12,922 in fiscal year 2009, according to statistics from the US Department of Homeland Security.

For Zhang, that’s exactly one of the reasons that she invested in the US for her daughter Yvonne. During the economic downturn, a green card for her daughter will make sure that she won’t face the same job-hunting difficulties many of her classmates and friends faced.

“You just don’t know what will happen to the immigration law if and when a new president is elected. And all the good jobs are saved for US citizens and green card holders,” Zhang said.

Less pressure

Yvonne Liu is studying economics and business management at the University of Missouri at Columbia, and will graduate next summer. She liked her studies in the US because she has less pressure there.

“No one will keep their eyes on me or give me too much pressure. I can do whatever I want,” she said.

She joined a popular music band in school with some of her friends. “And I don’t need to worry about my parents when they grow old because the social welfare system here is better. ”

She doesn’t have to compete with more than 9 million Chinese students in the national college entrance exam.

“The US college application process is more personalized,” she said.

Liu appreciates what her parents have done for her.

“Many of my (Chinese) friends in school wanted to stay in the United States, but there are many difficulties. I’m really lucky that I don’t have the same worries because my parents are very capable.”

Trilingual supporter

The American dream of the Chinese rich

For many of China’s wealthy, investing $500,000 in a US government program is the best way to obtain a green card – for them or their children. Duan Yan reports from Beijing.

Yvonne Liu, 22, wanted to stay in the United States after her university studies, and her mother, a 46-year-old wealthy Chinese businesswoman, figured out a way to make that happen.

Lily Zhang flew to the US to look for investment opportunities. Her plan was to move some of her international trade business from the city of Xiamen in southern China to southern California.

She has registered a branch of her company in the US, which is a way for her daughter to stay in the West after her studies at the University of Missouri at Columbia. (Zhang would not give their real names because her project is still ongoing.)
“When it grows bigger, I can give this part of the business to my daughter,” Zhang said.

According to statistics from the US Department of State, the number of so-called “investor green cards” issued to non-Americans nearly tripled to 4,218 in the 2009 fiscal year. About 1,800 of those recipients are from the Chinese mainland. South Korea is second with 903 recipients.

In comparison, just 1,443 investor visas, referred to as EB-5 visas, were issued in fiscal year 2008.

The real estate price hike and stock market boom in China has enabled the rich to spend lots of money for their American dreams. And many of them, like Zhang, are doing this for their children.

After two years of planning, Zhang’s company, which makes paper out of limestone, will be an operational company in the US within six months.

“It will create at least 700 jobs for locals,” Zhang said. With California’s unemployment rate of over 12 percent, she found it an ideal time to invest in an American dream for her daughter, and she is willing to pay big money for it.

The $70 million investment partly comes from her pocket, as well as bank loans. Another one third of it comes from 50 EB-5 investor visas that can help 50 other Chinese wealthy people who can pay a minimum of $500,000 for permanent residency in the US. These EB-5 quotas could help her raise $25 million for her company.

Other people who own companies like Zhang’s are trying to raise money from wealthy investors who want to get a green card. Regional centers, which refer to high-unemployment areas designated by the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), are also eligible to receive immigrant investor money.

The number of approved regional centers has surged. In January 2009, only 30 EB-5 regional centers existed, but as of July 2010, 100 regional centers had been approved by USCIS.

The first to notice the surge of Chinese applicants for investor green cards was the lawyers who specialize in visa applications. At his law office in City of Industry, California, immigration attorney David Fang took his first investment immigration case for a client from Taiwan when the program was authorized in 1992.

At that time, the investment was $1 million. Now the minimum is $500,000. Ten years ago, 70 percent of his clients were from Taiwan and the rest were from Hong Kong. “Now, 70 percent of them are from the Chinese mainland,” Fang said.

Italians win cosplay contest in Japan

Two men from Italy performing as characters in the videogame “The Legend of Zelda” won first prize at the World Cosplay Summit 2010 held Sunday in Nagoya.

The pair’s performance was evaluated on the level of faithful reproduction in costume and performance to the original.

Luca Buzzi, a 30-year-old computer programmer, and Giancarlo Di Pierro, 43, who works in hospital administration, said that they were overjoyed to win at the world’s cosplay shrine.

The chairman of the awards committee, Toru Furuya, a voice actor famed for his role as Amuro Ray, the lead character of “Mobile Suit Gundam,” said, “I could feel their affection to the characters they were playing.”

In the cosplay championship, which was inaugurated in 2005, saw 15 pairs competing. The teams represented Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Singapore, Thailand and the United States.

The World Cosplay Summit was launched in 2003, initially featuring fans of the genre from Germany, France and Italy as well as Japan.

Two new sites added to World Heritage sites list

Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands are one of two locations that have been added to the list of World Heritage sites.

The Central Highlands, located in south-central Sri Lanka, include the Peak Wilderness Protected Area, Horton Plains National Park, and the Knuckles Conservation Forest.

The montane forests, at 2,500 meters above sea level, are a super biodiversity hotspot. They are home to an extraordinary range of flora and fauna, including such endangered species as the western-purple-faced langur, the Horton Plains slender loris, and the Sri Lankan leopard.

Also added to the list of 892 sites Saturday during the ongoing 34th session of the World Heritage Committee in Brasilia was the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in Hawaii.

Papahanaumokuakea is a vast and isolated linear cluster of small, low-lying islands and atolls roughly 250 km to the northwest of the main Hawaiian Archipelago and extending over some 1931 km.

On two of the islands, Nihoa and Makumanamana, are archaeological remains relating to pre-European settlement. Much of the monument is made up of pelagic and deepwater habitats, extensive coral reefs and lagoons.

EU’s China worries

European Union Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said Thursday European companies were increasingly worried about doing business in China.

De Gucht said procurement policies in particular must become more open and transparent, and that Beijing’s “indigenous innovation” policy must not freeze European firms out of the information technology and clean energy sectors.

China was the source of 64 percent of all counterfeit goods seized at EU borders last year, a EU report said Thursday.Source: Global Times

Your partner in times of Need- Trilingual supporter

Chinese cities better on world competitive list

Six Chinese cities are among the top 100 competitive cities in the world, according to a survey report released by a top Chinese think tank on Wednesday.

Shanghai wins the honor of the fastest growing city in the global top 50. It ranks 37th, a climb of nine places on its previous listing in 2008, according to the global Urban Competitiveness Report (2009-10) released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).

“The pattern of urban competitiveness in the world is changing dramatically, and Chinese cities are rapidly upgrading their rankings,” Ni Pengfei, a CASS professor, said at a press briefing in Beijing.

“In addition to economic development, technological innovation and international influence are increasingly important in promoting a city’s comprehensive competitiveness,” he said.

Hong Kong, up one place from 11th, is the only Chinese city that ranks in the top 10 cities in terms of global urban comprehensive competitiveness, according to the report.

Beijing moved up nine places to 59th. Taipei was up three to 38, and Macao rose from 98 to 93.

However, Shenzhen fell two places to 71.

However, the report also shows that nine of the top 10 cities in terms of economic growth rate are Chinese cities: Erdos, Baotou, Yantai, Hohhot, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Rizhao, Huizhou and Weihai.

The only city in the economic growth top 10 from outside China is Baku from Azerbaijan.

The survey, led by Ni and professor Peter Karl Kresl of Bucknell University in the United States, covers 500 cities around the world, and collected data on six indices including the scale of gross domestic product, GDP per capita, GDP per square kilometer, real GDP growth, number of international patents and multinational corporation index.

US and European cities continue to provide the peak of urban competitiveness, despite the global economic crisis, according to the report.

Trilingual supporter is your partner to open Asian market.

Chinese firm sending 10,000 on trip to Japan

After much lobbying from Tokyo, a Chinese health food and cosmetics company picked Japan as the destination of its free group tours awarded to 10,000 people for their strong business performances.

Beijing-based Baojian.com will offer the group tours–the largest to Japan–in October.

“The economic effects from the group tours will be at least several hundred million yen,” said an official of the government’s Japan Tourism Agency, which had asked Baojian.com to choose Japan for the tours.

The trips will be awarded to the company’s sales agents who have achieved positive business results and their family members. Baojian.com has about 500 sales outlets in China.

Some of Baojian.com’s 3,000 employees will join the tours, the company said.

The group tours will take the winners to either Tokyo or Osaka for six-day visits, during which they will travel to onsen hot spring resorts and shop at large electric appliance stores.

Baojian.com had previously sent employees on group tours to Thailand and Taiwan.

When the Japan Tourism Agency invited Baojian.com executives to Japan, they met tourism minister Seiji Maehara, who promoted Japan as a destination for the group tours.

The company ended up picking Japan over South Korea for its next group tours.

The government plans to triple the 2009 number of foreign visitors to Japan to 20 million by 2016, with an eye on travelers from China.

Earlier this month, Japan eased visa requirements for individual Chinese tourists.

The Japan Tourism Agency will open a booth at a trade fair in Guangzhou, southern China, next month. Agency officials will also visit companies in Shanghai to urge them to choose Japan as the destination of their group tours.

Multingual supporter
Your partner in times of NEED