scholarly journals Guangxiao Temple (Guangzhou) and its Multi Roles in the Development of Asia-Pacific Buddhism

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 45
Author(s):  
Xican Li

<p class="1Body">Guangxiao Temple is located in Guangzhou (a coastal city in Southern China), and has a long history. The present study conducted an onsite investigation of Guangxiao’s precious Buddhist relics, and combined this with a textual analysis of <em>Annals of Guangxiao Temple</em>, to discuss its history and multi-roles in Asia-Pacific Buddhism. It is argued that Guangxiao’s 1,700-year history can be seen as a microcosm of Chinese Buddhist history. As the special geographical position, Guangxiao Temple often acted as a stopover point for Asian missionary monks in the past. It also played a central role in propagating various elements of Buddhism, including precepts school, Chan (Zen), esoteric (Shingon) Buddhism, and Pure Land. Particulary, Huineng, the sixth Chinese patriarch of Chan Buddhism, made his first public Chan lecture and was tonsured in Guangxiao Temple; Esoteric Buddhist master Amoghavajra’s first teaching of esoteric Buddhism is thought to have been in Guangxiao Temple. It was also a translation center in Southern China, where Buddhist scriptures were translated by Yijing and the Shurangama-sūtra was translated by Paramitiin ­– these texts served to promote the establishment of Mahāyāna Buddhism as the mainstream philosophy of Chinese (even Asia-Pacific) Buddhism. With the development of globalization, Guangxiao Temple is now exerting even more positive effects on the propagation of Buddhism via international communications and Buddhist tourism. Our onsite investigation also identificated the words in the mantra pillar (826 B.C). This significant finding suggests the popularity of esoteric Buddhism in Sourthern China, and will be helpful for Buddhist study in the future.</p>

Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4941 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-258
Author(s):  
YUN-HE WU ◽  
XIAO-LONG LIU ◽  
WEI GAO ◽  
YU-FAN WANG ◽  
YING-CHUN LI ◽  
...  

Approximately half of the species in speciose genus Raorchestes were described during the past 10 years, yet only 11 species are known from Southeast Asia and southern China (SEA-SC), adjacent Himalayas, and northeastern India. Field work in northwestern Yunnan province, China resulted in the discovery of one new species in the genus based on morphological and molecular analyses. The new species is diagnosed by small size with 15.0–19.0 mm SVL in adult males (n=3); tongue pyriform, notched posteriorly; rudimentary webbing between toes; fingers and toes with narrow lateral dermal fringes; tibiotarsal articulation reaching anterior of the eye when hindlimb is stretched along the side of the body; relative finger lengths: I < II < IV < III, relative toe lengths: I < II < V < III < IV; inner metatarsal tubercle oval, outer metatarsal tubercle absent; finger discs and toe discs greyish or orange; flank near the crotch with a distinct black region between two creamy white patches, and the thigh having a similar black patch near the groin, proximal to another creamy white patch; a distinct “) (”-shaped dark marking on the back; male with external single subgular vocal sac; nuptial pad absent. A phylogenetic tree was reconstructed based on the mitochondrial genes for 16S rRNA and ND1. The results indicated that these individuals form a monophyletic group, and show high genetic divergence to their closest relatives within the genus (uncorrected p-distances > 3.2%) by distance of 16S comparable to the divergence between recognized Raorchestes species. This study further enriches the diversity of rhacophorids, especially in northwestern Yunnan. 


2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (03) ◽  
pp. 26-45
Author(s):  
Bon Nguyen Van

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has been strongly affecting the world economy during the past years and is a critical topic for both developing and developed countries. Most countries, particularly developing ones, always attempt to adjust and modify appropriate policies and institutions to attract FDI inflows. In the context of Vietnam, does the institutional quality have any effect on attracting FDI inflows in provinces? To answer clearly and exactly this question, the impact of institutional quality on attracting FDI inflows is empirically investigated in a sample of 43 provinces of Vietnam over the period of 2005–2012 via the estimation technique of difference panel GMM. Estimated results indicate that in the total sample of all provinces the institutional quality has significantly positive effects on the FDI flows. However, in the sub-sample of provinces the impact of the institutional quality on attracting FDI inflows in Northern and Southern regions are statistically significant while that in Central region is not.


2021 ◽  

Courts can play an important role in addressing issues of inequality, discrimination and gender injustice for women. The feminisation of the judiciary – both in its thin meaning of women's entrance into the profession, as well as its thicker forms of realising gender justice – is a core part of the agenda for gender equality. This volume acknowledges both the diversity of meanings of the feminisation of the judiciary, as well as the complexity of the social and cultural realisation of gender equality. Containing original empirical studies, this book demonstrates the past and present challenges women face to entering the judiciary and progressing their career, as well as when and why they advocate for women's issues while on the bench. From stories of pioneering women to sector-wide institutional studies of the gender composition of the judiciary, this book reflects on the feminisation of the judiciary in the Asia-Pacific.


Phytotaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 404 (3) ◽  
pp. 102 ◽  
Author(s):  
LEONID V. AVERYANOV ◽  
TUAN ANH LE ◽  
KHANG SINH NGUYEN ◽  
HANS JUERGEN TILLICH ◽  
DANH DUC NGUYEN ◽  
...  

The genus Aspidistra Ker-Gawler (1822 plate 628), overlooked for decades, is recently remarkably fast growing. During the past decade, about 90 species new to science were discovered and described, mainly from southern China, Vietnam, and Laos. With its diversity in flower morphology Aspidistra is among the most spectacular genera of Monocotyledons. Vietnam turned out to be especially rich in Aspidistra species (Tillich 2014), and at, least 30 additional species were discovered and described recently in this country (Averyanov & Tillich 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, Leong-Skornickova et al. 2014, Vislobokov et al. 2014a, b, 2016a, b, 2017, Vislobokov 2015, 2016, Olivier 2015, Averyanov et al. 2016, 2017, 2018a, b, Nguyen et al. 2017, Tillich et al. 2017, Tillich & Averyanov 2018). Meanwhile, the diversity of the genus in Vietnam remains insufficiently inventoried. Below we describe three more new species from central Vietnam.


Author(s):  
Tina Jukic ◽  
Mateja Kunstelj ◽  
Mitja Decman ◽  
Mirko Vintar

In this chapter, 3 main aspects of municipal e-government in Slovenia are investigated thoroughly: supply, demand, and the view of municipal officials. After the review of studies in the field, the results of 3 empirical studies are presented. While the supply-side aspect of municipal e-government has been investigated within several studies, the view of external (citizens) and internal (municipal officials) users of municipal e-government have been rather neglected in the past, and the same is true for effects measured in this field. This chapter fills these gaps. The results revealed that municipal Web supply is poor, which is reflected in citizens’ satisfaction as well. Surprisingly, municipal officials are not well aware of possibilities e-government offers to them and to their customers. In addition, they believe that positive effects brought about the introduction of e-government are not significant, while among negative effects larger range of tasks, heavier workload, and increased complexity of tasks are stressed. At the end of the chapter key findings are summarized.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. e0203034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li-Ying Fu ◽  
Xiao-Xiao Wang ◽  
Xiao Wu ◽  
Bo Li ◽  
Ling-Ling Huang ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 2234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Y.Y. Wai ◽  
Nicki Y.H. Leung ◽  
Ka Hou Chu ◽  
Patrick S.C. Leung ◽  
Agnes S.Y. Leung ◽  
...  

Shellfish allergy caused by undesirable immunological responses upon ingestion of crustaceans and mollusks is a common cause of food allergy, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. While the prevalence of shellfish allergy is increasing, the mainstay of clinical diagnosis for these patients includes extract-based skin prick test and specific IgE measurement while clinical management consists of food avoidance and as-needed use of adrenaline autoinjector should they develop severe allergic reactions. Such a standard of care is unsatisfactory to both patients and healthcare practitioners. There is a pressing need to introduce more specific diagnostic methods, as well as effective and safe therapies for patients with shellfish allergy. Knowledge gained on the identifications and defining the immuno-molecular features of different shellfish allergens over the past two decades have gradually translated into the design of new diagnostic and treatment options for shellfish allergy. In this review, we will discuss the epidemiology, the molecular identification of shellfish allergens, recent progress in various diagnostic methods, as well as current development in immunotherapeutic approaches including the use of unmodified allergens, hypoallergens, immunoregulatory peptides and DNA vaccines for the prevention and treatment of shellfish allergy. The prospect of a “cure “for shellfish allergy is within reach.


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