Proletariat Blogging in the Heart of (UK) Predatory Capitalism! Exploring the Interface between Matter and Perception, Chinese Buddhism, Daoism, Hakka Ethnography, and All Aspects of Radical Politics, History, Psychology and Philosophy – 全世界无产者联合起来!
A neutral space for sharing the ongoing success of ‘New’ China as its society moves toward ‘Socialism’ and its people triumph and prosper like never before!
Over two years (1956-1958) – Nikolai Klindukhov trained 23 sculptors in China, including Zhao Shutong, Shen Wenqiang, Gao Xiulan, Yang Meiying, Fu Tianqiu, Su Hui, Ling Chunde, Shi Yi, Ma Gaihu, and Yu Jinyuan. Afterwards, the students traveled across the country to engage in teaching Soviet-style academic sculpture – spreading to many art schools across the country – becoming an important part of the formation of the sculpture education system throughout New China.
Magnus Hirschfeld (1868-1935) had two prominent life partners. The first was “Karl Giese” (1898–1938) – who was 30-years his junior. Giese had previously worked as an “Archivist” at the Institute for Sexual Science. In 1931, Hirschfeld met “Li Shiu Tong” (1907-1996) – a 23-year-old medical student – in Shanghai (Li was 49-years younger than Hirschfeld). Li became the partner of Hirschfeld – who referred to him as “Tao Li” (桃李) – meaning “Peach – Plum” (a synonym for “homosexuality” or an “effeminate” man). Hirschfeld, Giese, and Li Zhaotang lived together in Switzerland and France. Apparently, despite living as three-some – these two men sometimes conflicted with one another through jealousy (according to the available literature).
Whether or not the Hong Kong-born (British Subject) – Li Shiu Tong (李兆堂) [1907-1996] – was his lover is open to debate – but the weight of evidence does seem to suggest that he was (either Li’s Chinese family understood he was gay and approved of it – or they did not fully comprehend what was happening – and mistook his travelling abroad as being the product of his clever and successful scholarship). Hirschfeld was around 49-years his senior. I will attempt to look-up a reliable Chinese-language biography of Li and translate it for this blog. After the death of Hirschfeld – Li tended to drift toward the idea that LGBTQ identities are partly genetic and partly environmental. Li studied medicine in Shanghai – but never finished his degree – and even studied at Harvard, again without completely his degree. He was obviously very intelligent and managed to leave China and hold his own in the West. Li died in Canada aged 86 – with his younger brother dealing with his affairs. Reports suggest most of his Western property (much of it inherited from Hirschfeld – was thrown into a public skip. Indeed, a passerby is said to have rescued some of it – including the text-books, notes, and even the death-mask of Hirschfeld.
This was aimed at the British youth – who knew nothing about how the “ki-ai” (energy shout) was used everyday in the prison camps as the guards and officers “practiced” their martial arts (armed and unarmed) in-front of the prisoners. This was a prelude to these same guards and officers “using” these arts on the prisoners themselves. Inmates were tied to posts so that guards could practice their “reverse-punches” (gyaku-zuki) on he exposed and unprotected torsos. Ribs and sternums were splintered whilst the (still conscious) men screamed with each punch – the guards changing sides regularly so that they exercise “both” arms equally. Next, once the bones had been suitably “softened” (removing the outer protection) the Japanese guards would alter their focus and start projecting power straight into the inner organs. Prisoners would be made to watch whilst standing to attention. Any expression of defience would be met with the POW concerned – being tied to the post.
However, a research team led by Shi Lei, a researcher from the Kunming Institute of Zoology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, proposed an alternative possibility: certain ancient and highly conserved genes could also play a key role in human brain evolution by reshaping their expression levels through changes in regulatory elements.
The team compared transcriptomic data from different layers of the embryonic cerebral cortex of mice, tree shrews, marmosets, macaques and humans. They found that an ancient gene called “CCNB1IP1” was already expressed in the brain of the tree shrew, a close relative of primates, long before primates emerged but at relatively low expression levels.
The team further discovered that during the following course of evolution, the expression level of this ancient gene showed a clear stepwise increase among tree shrews, marmosets, macaques and humans, reaching its highest level in the human brain.
The manner in which bhikkhus should teach humanity is through the understanding that all examplies of language and culture, regardless of how necessary they may seem, are nevertheless purely “expedient”. The use of language (including translation) must be “precise” and “accurate” so that the Dhamma is correctly transmitted. All language is a “raft” designed to reach the other shore – it serves no other function. If members of the Sangha become “attached” to the prevailing culture from which they emerged – then they are violating the rules contained within the Vinaya Discipline. Congregating around a cultural-bias is one-sided and exclusionary. Narrowing the scope of the Dhamma hinders its enlightening function and distorts its meaning. A bhikkhu is a beggar and not a film star or representative of the culture that gave birth to him. This is not to say that the bhikkhu should reject the culture within which he arose – but at the sametime the bhikkhu should remain “non-attached” to his mind, body, and environment.
