Terminology for The Old Demon

Foot BindingBuddhismKamikaze

In the tenth century in China, a prince began the practice of foot binding because he loved small 'lily feet'. Thus traditional Chinese values dictated that the feet of young girls should be bound to keep them small. 'Lily feet', as they were called, were thought to be very dainty and beautiful and a symbol of gentility and high-class. Although the term sounded harmless, it was really very painful. It began when a girl was between three and eleven years old. First her foot was washed in hot water and massaged. Then the child's toes were turned under and pressed against the bottom of her foot. The arches were broken as the foot was pulled straight with the leg, and a long narrow cotton bandage would be tightly wound around the foot from the toes to the ankle to hold the toes in place.

Foot Binding

After two or three years, a girl's feet actually shrank -- until they could fit into shoes just three inches long. This resulted in feet that were very deformed and painful to walk on. Besides identifying women of gentility or high-class, it prevented women from "wandering," since it was hard for the woman with bound feet to walk unassisted, and even going a short distance was very painful. These women had to walk with very short mincing steps and could stand with great difficulty.

Lotus Shoes• Tiny 3-inch-long shoes, called

'lotus shoes', were made of silk and were beautifully embroidered. In the upper classes in China, a good marriage wound be impossible to arrange if the girl had "big ugly feet." The practice of foot binding continued in China for over 1000 years until the Manchu Dynasty was toppled in 1911 and the new republic was formed. Foot binding was then outlawed

North/South China• When north China is still covered

with snow, people in south China are busy with spring plowing. There is a time difference of over four hours.

• The geographical and cultural boundary between these two regions has normally been defined by the Yangtze River.

• Geographically, Northern China is cold and dry and consists largely of flat plains, grasslands, and desert; while Southern China is warm and rainy enough for rice and consists of lush mountains cut by river valleys.

The Buddha's Principle of Impermanence states that nothing is eternal or unchanging, except Nirvana. This gives rise to an important point of difference with other religions: When a person's physical body dies, this ‘energy’ migrates into another physical life form, carrying with it the karmic imprint of that person’s previous lives. Within Buddhism some use the word "reincarnation," to denote an already enlightened person such as a Lama taking physical form again for a beneficial purpose..

Some Principles of Buddhism

WHAT IS BUDDHISM? Buddhism is a method of achieving "Nirvana," or liberation from suffering. The method of realizing this was discovered by a man called the Buddha (a title which means "The Awakened One" or one who has been awakened to the true nature of existence). He founded the religion at about 500 B.C.The method of liberation he discovered is called the Eightfold Path (a very specific set of practical guidelines for daily living). The overall tone of the Buddhist lifestyle is living with compassion and kindness, doing no harm at all, and being helpful towards all peoples regardless of their racial, religious or political differences. The most important objectives a Buddhist has in life are to become liberated from suffering by realizing the state of enlightenment, and also to help other beings become enlightened.

Today there are about 245 million followers of Buddhism.

THE LAW OF KARMA. In Buddhism, the Law of Karma states that for every intentional action there is a corresponding consequence. Beneficial actions produce beneficial results, and harmful actions produce harmful results. It is important to understand that the consequence of anything you do depends on your motive for doing it, so the deed itself is not as important as the intention, with regard to your own karma. It is also important to know that in this context the word `action' includes all intentional conduct, thought and speech

Kamikaze Pilots

• USS BUNKER HILL hit by two Kamikazes in 30 seconds off Kyushu, resulting in 372 dead and 264 wounded. May 11, 1945