The Buddhist Swastika and Hitler's Cross
Rescuing a Symbol of Peace from the Forces of Hate
A remarkable cross-cultural history that rescues the swastika, an ancient Buddhist symbol, from its deployment by the forces of hate.
The swastika has been used for over three thousand years by billions of people in many cultures and religions—including Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism—as an auspicious symbol of the sun and good fortune. However, beginning with its hijacking and misappropriation by Nazi Germany, it has also been used, and continues to be used, as a symbol of hate in the Western World. Hitler's device is in fact a "hooked cross."
Rev. Nakagaki's book explains how and why these symbols got confused, and offers a path to peace, understanding, and reconciliation.
Please note: Photographs in the digital edition of the books are in color. Photographs in the print edition are in black and white.
Rev. Dr. T. K. Nakagaki is a Buddhist priest, ordained in the 750-year- old Jodoshinshu tradition of Japanese Buddhism. He is the author of three books in Japanese, A New York Buddhist Priest Walks in India (Gendai Shokan, 2003); Diary of a Manhattan Monk (Gendai Shokan, 2010); and Manji and Hakenkreuz (Gendaishokan, 2013). He is also a noted Japanese calligrapher.
