The irony of this piece is that the primary example they use to substantiate their position, Imperial Japan, was in fact emulating the West when it undertook it’s expansionist project. Bunmei-kaika occured precisely because Japan was afraid of being colonized and in turn felt it needed colonies of its own to acquire the resources needed to fend off the West. Far from proving that settler colonialism is not specific to the West, this piece only illustrates how the West’s imperialist ways were like a cancer and infected other cultures as well. A great example for what happens when you are raised with a propagandized version of history.

It’s like he doesn’t want to be reelected.

Thank you for sharing your history and perspectives, I found them both very informative and intriguing. If you’re interested in fielding questions, I have a few:

1. What was your perception of Mahayana before changing traditions and how has it changed?

2. I may be wrong, but I thought that the Lotus Sutra was central to the Mahayana tradition and by extension Chan. Has your reservations about the Sutra posed any challenges for you (internally or external) as you’ve embraced Chan?

3. What do you think Chan offered you that you weren’t getting from the Theravada tradition.

Thank you for your time.