In his celebrated Letter from Birmingham jail, written in 1963 while in prison for having taken part in a banned march against segregation, Martin Luther King Jr describes receiving a letter from a white brother in Texas who had told him that all Christians know that the coloured people will receive equal rights eventually, but it is possible that you are in too great a religious hurry. Such an attitude, King wrote, stems from a tragic misconception of time, from the strangely irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills.

I was reminded of that line as I read Priya Satias Times Monster. For its the same irrational notion about the flow of time against which Satia, professor of international history at Stanford University, argues.

Times Monster is a book about history and empire. Not a straightforward history, but an account of how the discipline of history has itself enabled the process of colonisation, making it ethically thinkable.

Satias story begins with the Enlightenment, when the traditional idea of time as cyclical unwound into a linear vision of history, which came to be seen as something that moves irresistibly forward. History became something that humans made but also that made humans. Humans and history were both seen as possessing agency. This allowed history to exercise the power of moral judgment. Morality was defined in terms of the progress brought about by the unfolding of history. History revealed the institutions and the peoples that had become obsolete. Obsolescence, novelist Amitav Ghosh has observed, is modernitys equivalent of perdition and hellfire. The most potent words of damnation in the modern world, Ghosh has noted, is the malediction of being on the wrong side of history.

The Enlightenments obsession with progress, combined with an unshakable attachment to moral universalism, Satia suggests, helped normalise the violence of imperial conquest. Colonialism came to be seen as morally just, a means of bringing progress to non-European peoples, freeing them from their own barbarism.

Liberal imperialism was inherently contradictory, both demanding and denying freedoms and liberties. So John Stuart Mill, in his classic book On Liberty, could argue that despotism is a legitimate mode of government in dealing with barbarians, provided the end be their improvement. Those who had not sufficiently progressed along the path of history should not be treated like fully civilised peoples. The historians craft, Satia suggests, proved essential to smoothing over such contradictions, allowing the sheer brutality of the British empire to be glossed over as the collateral damage of necessary progress.

Times Monster is a coruscating and important reworking of the relationship between history, historians and empire. It is also a frustrating account. The thread running through Times Monster is the need to understand the catastrophic consequences of rooting ethical claims in particular historical narratives. Satia castigates historians Thomas Macaulay, James Mill and John Robert Seeley, among others for having acted as handmaidens to imperial power. In the final chapter, though, she worries that historians have in recent decades become sidelined by political leaders and that new kinds of experts economists and political scientists have taken their place, experts who seem even more willing to be bag carriers for the powerful.

Historians who are critical of imperialism must, Satia insists, assert their expertise on policy matters against the monopolistic claims of social scientists, to help shape contemporary foreign policy. Many historians were, she observes, opposed to the Iraq war, but were too far removed from the sources of power to have any influence. She even calls on historians to reprise the Enlightenment project of arriving at (new) judgments of value through history. Todays historians, in other words, should continue the practice of using history as a means of deriving moral norms, but with different norms, a morality that supports the powerless rather than the powerful. Its a demand that might seem obvious, but its also one that cuts against the grain of much of the argument in previous chapters which has condemned the very act of using the lessons of history to craft moral norms.

Satia wants also to ditch a linear view of history and to reconsider history as cyclical, if not aimless. The fatal flaw with Enlightenment-derived notions of history, she argues, is that they place humans rather than biology, geology and astronomy at its centre. In fact, the idea of humans making history, rather than simply being made by history, was one of the great leaps in Enlightenment thinking. The problem was that history also came to be seen as something that automatically progresses, that there was, in Kings words of criticism, something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills. This was a vision of history that allowed certain peoples and nations to be damned as backward or obsolete and provided moral justification for colonialism. Yet replacing it with a conception of history as circular, which by definition abjures the possibilities of permanent change, a notion of history that is defined more by biology, geology and astronomy than by human activity, would not, it seems to me, be much of a gain.

Times Monster helps lay bare the discipline of historys collusion in empire. It also reveals, however, perhaps unwittingly, what remains valuable in Enlightenment ideas of history and of humanity.

Times Monster: History, Conscience and Britains Empire by Priya Satia is published by Allen Lane (25). To order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply

See the article here:
Time's Monster by Priya Satia review living in the past - The Guardian

Abraham was the first Jewish luminary. And we can all take a page out of his playbook.

The story of Abrahams life is primarily told in two portions of the Torah, Lech Lecha and Vayera. In the first portion of Abraham's story, Abraham comes across as a deeply spiritual person. The Torah tells how he traveled the land and of the altars he built for Gd in every place that he went. Toward the end of the first portion, Gd introduces a new idea to Abraham. No longer will it suffice for Abraham to be a spiritual person. From now on, Abraham's task will be to connect the spiritual with the physical. Abraham is commanded to circumcise himself, fulfilling Gd's commandment My covenant will be in your flesh. From here on, Abrahams mission is to teach how the spiritual covenant must express itself in the tangible physical world.

The second portion, Vayera, opens with Abraham, on the third day after his circumcision, sitting at the opening of his tent seeking guests. Its an exceedingly hot day, and theres no one in sight, yet Abraham sits there, waiting and hoping to find someone to invite into his home. As the Torah tells us:

Now the Lrd appeared to him in the plains of Mamre, and he was sitting at the entrance of the tent when the day was hot. And he lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, three men were standing beside him, and he saw and he ran toward them from the entrance of the tent, and he prostrated himself to the ground.

The opening phrase is the Lrd appeared to him. As a result of this Divine revelation, Abraham reached a greater level of kindness. Typically, a kind person will express kindness when he or she sees someone in need, or at least someone who can receive the kindness. In this scene, Abraham was sitting at the opening of his tent looking to express kindness even when there was no one in sight who was in need of kindness. Abrahams heart was overflowing with love. For the more Abraham experienced the presence of Gd, the more he transcended himself and sought to connect and share with other people.

The verse continues, and he was sitting at the entrance of the tent when the day was hot. The literal translation of the verse is he was sitting at the entrance of the tent like the heat of the day. Not in the heat of the day, but like the heat of the day. The verse implies that Abraham himself was like the heat of the day. Abraham was like the sun, spreading warmth, love and enlightenment.

Many spiritual seekers seek to escape worldly distractions and seek enlightenment in solitude. The more enlightenment they experience, the more removed they become from the rest of society. But Abraham taught us that the closer one comes to spirituality, holiness and transcendence, the more the person will sit at the opening of the tent, seeking to express kindness even when the need is not immediately present before him or her. The closer one comes to Gd, the more he or she will be like the heat of the day, like the sun, expressing warmth and friendship to all.

The rest is here:
How to Be a Luminary - Torah Insights - Parshah - Chabad.org

The reproduction of Charlie Hebdos cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) recently was no surprise. What was frustrating though was French President Emmanuel Macrons open endorsement of them and his claim that Islam is in crisis. He has made orientalist, neo-colonial statements such as, I want to build an Islam in France that is compatible with the Enlightenment.

The first thought that came to my mind when I listened to him was clash of civilisations. A few months ago I had a discussion with a Muslim academic in the US who insisted that we should stop teaching Samuel Huntingtons controversial and reductionist theory to students. Clash of civilisation, she claimed, reinforces the rigid and mythical boundaries of East vs. West, Muslim vs. Christian and Us vs. Them. Her argument, in which I saw some value, was that migration and globalisation has blurred the boundaries between the East and West and that religion and culture cannot be related to a particular civilisation any longer. Islam is found in the West, and the West and its values can be found in those living in the East. Macrons latest speech and support of blasphemy made me realise that maybe it is not so much about the clash but the politicisation of civilisations and their ideologies.

This is not the first time that blasphemous acts have targeted Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) in Europe and elsewhere. A decade ago a Danish newspaper published similar cartoons and outraged Muslims around the world. This is all about freedom of expression, we are told, but if it is apparent to any reasonable person that derogatory remarks or acts against Islam, the Quran or the Prophet will prompt a strong reaction from Muslims, why does the cycle keep repeating? Why do the advocates of free speech light the flame and then express surprise that a fire follows thereafter? Why do they feel the need to offend simply because they can? At this point it seems almost intentional. It has become a means to express dominance through which the superiority of the Western philosophy and beliefs is being asserted upon Muslims. And I say Muslims because it is we who have been singled out for enlightenment by Macron and those like him.

READ: France recalls envoy in Turkey

As a Western-educated academic from and working in the Middle East, I have for long been frustrated by the Eurocentric approaches of political and social theories. They are not only being taught in institutions globally, but also provide the framework for international politics which reinforces power hierarchies and justifies neo-colonialism.

The whole rhetoric of Charlie Hebdo, which was emphasised aggressively by Macron, was framed within the concept of freedom of expression. He claims that this is one of the main values of the French Republic. To be free in France, he said, means to have the freedom to believe or not to believe. But this is inseparable from the freedom of expression. This deification of freedom of speech is actually a politicised myth. If it is as logical and rational in France as Macron claims it to be, then why is denial of the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide banned in France? Or insulting the French flag and national anthem? Freedom of speech in France is not without ideological connotations.

To contextualise my position, Europes history of attacks on the Prophet and Islam predate the concept of free speech itself. It is rooted in the religious, ideological and political history of Medieval Europe and Christianity over a millennium; I do not have the space to explain the details here.

A turning point in modern European history, the so-called Enlightenment, not only established a Eurocentric approach to modernity, rationality and logic, but also further institutionalised the language of hatred against Islam. Enlightenment philosophers like Voltaire and Kant who are hailed as the founders of human rights used offensively vicious language to describe the Prophet. These celebrated intellectuals and their philosophies inform constitutions and political structures in the West and other parts of the world. Enlightenment philosophers established hierarchies in knowledge production. Kant, who glorified moral philosophy to which Macron referred in his speech, was also a racist. Hence, this philosophy of logic, reasoning and human rights is inherently flawed because it is exclusive to European experience. There is no universal here. We have to look at who established these universal concepts. Marx, Burke and Mill, for example, saw colonialism as modernising the backward and viewed the non-Western world as barbaric and savage, and yet their work is taught in academic institutions all over the world even as we also try in theory at least to build more equal and tolerant societies.

Morocco: Hashtag calling for boycott of French products trends on Twitter

My point is that Macron and his ilk are a result of socialisation through structures within which the racist and orientalist ideologies produced by the Enlightenment were politicised and normalised. To find solutions to this hatred and marginalisation of certain religious groups, we need to look at the root cause, which lies within the fundamental philosophy of these states and their structures.

The French presidents anti-Islamic rhetoric is also, inevitably, linked to his re-election campaign strategy. Such a populist approach appeals to the right wing. Having said that, his political motives have manifested in hate speech towards Muslims in general, not just in France: Islam is a religion that is in crisis all over the world today, claimed Macron, and so he wants to liberate Islam in his country. His neo-orientalist approach builds on the popular nationalist debate on what it means to be a proper French citizen. You dont choose one part of France, he insisted. You choose France The republic will never allow any separatist adventure. He claims repeatedly that he is a proponent of secularism and aims to defend the republic and its values and ensure it respects the promises of equality and emancipation. Through his attempts to fight Muslim separatism in France, he has in fact further politicised religion and, ironically, marginalised Muslims.

France has a long history of colonising Muslim countries in Africa and the Middle East. French colonialism was ruthless as it sought to wipe out indigenous cultures and create replica French citizens. It has never apologised for the thousands of people killed and exploited in this colonial process. Today, enlightened France is, like many other countries in the West, once again trying to assert its hegemony on the Muslim world through ideological rather than physical means or legal sophistry.

READ: Macrons anti-Islam remark against principles of French Revolution, says Brotherhood leader

When Macron went to Lebanon in the wake of the massive explosion that devastated Beirut in August, he was in full European saviour mode; he professed his love for the Lebanese people without acknowledging the damage that French colonialism did to their country. Such double standards also apply to his endorsement of blasphemy when the target is the man held dear by all Muslims around the world as well as their faith. He demands that French Muslims must respect the values of the French Republic but he has no respect for Islam or Muslims. His is the language of domination and the assertion of neo-colonial power.

The issue here is not just the framing of blasphemy within the concept of freedom of speech. It is the hegemony of Eurocentrism and hypocrisy within which selective freedom of speech is promoted. It is the politicisation of the larger ideologies of universal enlightenment, nationalism and secularism. As fascism and populism are on the rise in Europe, such ideological clashes may become more frequent and worse in their impact. Instead of working to combat the real crisis of structural, systematic and ideological racism in France, though, Emmanuel Macron would rather reform Islam.

Anyone offended by the Charlie Hebdo cartoons should be asking what solutions or alternatives we have to these inherently biased political and social ideologies. What exactly are we being asked to boycott, and why? Can a protest boycott of material goods conquer the structural and systematic flaws in international political philosophy? Maybe not, but it will at least draw attention to the latter, and thats as good a place as any to begin this important discussion.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.

Read more:
The politicisation of civilisations and ideologies: Macron, Charlie Hebdo and blasphemy in France - Middle East Monitor

I could have never dreamed my life would be so good," the 41-year-old father of two, who by tradition uses only one name, said in comments translated by a local official. Foreign journalists can only report from the region on trips organized by the government.

Asked about the Dalai Lama, Tibets 85-year-old spiritual leader now living in exile and condemned by China as a separatist, Sunnamdanba said: I never met him and I dont understand him."

And Buddhism, the religion that has for more than a millennium been the foundation of Tibetan culture? I spend most of my time and energy now on work and making a living," he said. Theres less time to spend on religion."

Why hang a portrait of President Xi Jinping in your living room? None of this could have happened without the party."

Legitimacy to Rule

For China, showcasing Tibetans singing the Communist Partys praises helps affirm its legitimacy to rule the region, something thats weighed on Beijings ties with the West since a failed uprising in 1959 forced the Dalai Lama to flee and set up a government-in-exile in northern Indian. Its become more important recently as politicians in the U.S., Europe and India accuse China of using forced labor, detentions and re-education campaigns to assimilate ethnic minorities in its borderlands.

The Trump administrations newly appointed special envoy for Tibetan issues met with the head of the exiled Tibetan administration this month, generating outrage from China. India, which only recognized Beijings sovereignty over the area in 2003, also recently venerated a Tibetan soldier who died fighting against China this year in the worst fighting along the border since a 1962 war.

Tensions have risen in other areas as well. Earlier this year, a Chinese government effort to make Mandarin Chinese the language of instruction at schools in a region inhabited by ethnic Mongolians sparked street protests. And in Xinjiang, a province directly north of Tibet, outrage over Chinas move to detain more than a million minority Uighur Muslims in re-education camps has led some U.S. lawmakers to push for the actions to be declared genocide."

Xi has personally defended the moves in Xinjiang, saying they are necessary to stem terrorism and improve the lives of people. In comments last month, he called the partys policies completely correct," urged more economic development and pushed for more nationalism in education to allow the sense of Chinese identity to take root in people."

Sinofication of Buddhism

At a meeting on Tibet issues in August, Xi told officials to actively guide Tibetan Buddhism to adapt to socialist society, and promote the Sinofication of Tibetan Buddhism."

In Tibet, often called the Roof of the World" because of its high elevation along the Himalayas, ethnic Tibetans comprise about 90% of the 3.5 million people spread across an area the size of South Africa. Their language bears no relation to Chinese, most are Buddhists, and many consider the Dalai Lama their spiritual head -- if not their political leader.

In 2008, deadly riots erupted in Lhasa, leaving at least a dozen dead. A spate of self-immolations by ethnic Tibetans followed a few years later, with the Dalai Lamas followers and human-rights activists attributing the actions to government oppression. Beijing has blamed the Dalai Lama for fomenting the unrest, and that sentiment continues to be expressed by officials today who see religion as the root cause of some of Tibets biggest challenges.

Due to some outdated conventions and bad habits -- particularly the negative influence of religion, people put more attention on the afterlife, and their desire to pursue better living this life is relatively weaker," Tibet Governor Qi Zhala told reporters at a briefing that was part of the trip. Therefore, in Tibet, well need to not only feed the stomach, but also fix the mind."

Tibetans are allowed to continue with religious practices only under strict controls: Those who openly show reverence and support for the Dalai Lama can face harsh punishment.

This Is How You Control Tibet

Now they want Buddhism to be taught in Chinese language," Lobsang Sangay, president of Tibets exiled government, told a seminar in Washington on Sept. 28. This is how you control Tibet and this is how you control the Himalaya belt. This is how you control Asia."

But Beijing is also investing heavily in Tibet, betting that new roads, jobs, better housing and improved access to education and healthcare will bring stability to the region. Its also counting on modern life to erode the sway that religion has had over Tibet since the seventh century.

A gift makes you indebted to the giver," said Emily Yeh, a professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder, who is the author of the book Taming Tibet: Landscape Transformation and the Gift of Chinese Development." The bottom line is loyalty to the state and the party."

Tibet is crucial to Beijing for strategic purposes. Its mountainous terrain abuts a 4,000-kilometer (2,500-mile) border with countries including India, Nepal and Myanmar, forming a natural security barrier. Beijing has recently reinforced troops stationed in Tibet as it prepares for a long winter in its high-altitude standoff with India.

To govern a country, its necessary to govern the border," Xi told the Tibet symposium in August, where the party set policy directions for developing the region. To govern the border, its required to stabilize Tibet first."

Family Relocations

For Xi, the key to snuffing out calls for independence in Tibet and strengthening Communist Party rule is delivering economic growth in one of Chinas poorest regions.

Since 2016, China has spent more than $11 billion on poverty alleviation efforts in Tibet. Authorities say theyve pulled 628,000 people above the countrys absolute poverty threshold, which Beijing currently defines as those with annual earnings of less than approximately $600 -- or $1.64 a day.

Those efforts have included building roads to far-flung villages, securing safe drinking water and providing access to health care. But theyve also fueled concern about the loss of Tibetan culture, in particularly due to widespread relocations of families.

Sunnamdanba is among roughly 266,000 Tibetans who have been relocated to new villages over the past five years as part of Xis poverty alleviation campaign. He said his family now makes about $13,000 annually, four times what it used to make in a good year, from his job as a security guard, his wifes work as a cleaner and renting out three rooms in their new home to Chinese tourists.

The governments stance that it hasnt forced anyone to move as part of the poverty alleviation drive was backed up by an ethnic Tibetan researcher who studies relocations in the region. Asking not to be named for fear of retribution, the researcher said he is aware of villages where only two out of 120 households took up the offer to be relocated.

However, a new drive by the government to move 130,000 people from fragile ecosystems at high elevations has been less flexible. According to the researcher, villagers in these locations arent given a choice.

I Believe in the Party

Those presented to reporters on the trip appeared happy to change locations. Among them were 35-year-old Luoce, who used to graze animals on his grassland some 5,000 meters (16,000 feet) above sea level, where he says the thin air gave him nosebleeds.

In 2017, he moved to a so-called relocation village and now works as a security guard and firefighter. His earnings have tripled thanks to his wages and various government subsidies, including one he receives to not graze animals on his land for environmental reasons. Luoces goal is to give his seven children the education he never received.

I believe in the party and in science more than I believe in religion," he said through a government translator.

Still, a poorly executed relocation program could also leave people worse off and foment the very kind of instability improved economic conditions were meant to prevent.

A notable example of this occurred in Inner Mongolia about a decade ago, when provincial authorities relocated herdsmen from the steppe to so-called milk villages. Chinas dairy industry imploded shortly afterward following a tainted milk scandal, forcing many of the herdsman to eke out a living doing odd jobs.

Disadvantaged Underclass

Large-scale resettlement involves major changes to social structures, family links, culture, lifestyle, communities and class structure, according to Robbie Barnett, who headed Columbia Universitys Modern Tibetan Studies Program until 2018 and has written about the region since the 1980s.

Its impossible to overstate the enormity of these new forms of development and economic policy in Tibet and Tibetan areas, particularly resettlement," he said. To put it at its crudest, the risk is that, while some will prosper, many farming and herding communities will be transformed into a dislocated, disadvantaged underclass."

Officials interviewed during the reporting trip spoke extensively about that risk, and highlighted two solutions: Teaching Tibetans new skills to make money, and expanding education.

Outside Shigatse, Tibets second-largest city, low-income families are growing mushrooms -- something Tibetans havent traditionally done -- and then selling them to a government-financed company. More than 600 kilometers away in Nyingchi, authorities are planning to spend more than $100 million on a vocational training center designed for students who failed a test to continue onto high school after compulsory education in Tibet ends after grade nine.

One of those students is Suolanyixi, the 19-year-old son of pepper farmers. Hes already mastered the cappuccino in his quest to become a professional barista, and hopes to one day land a job at one of the roughly half-dozen five-star hotels in Lhasa.

And while none of the other students whove studied coffee making at the school has ever gotten a job outside of Tibet, Suolanyixi is not ready to rule out the thought -- something that would further the Communist Partys goal of integrating the region with the rest of China. Maybe if I am lucky," he said in fluent Mandarin Chinese.

Subscribe to Mint Newsletters

* Enter a valid email

* Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.

Follow this link:
China wants to build a Tibet with more wealth and less Buddhism - Livemint

Although religion is commonly thought to divide people, the Peacemakers hosted a forum on Oct. 26 about Buddhism to bring students together to open a dialogue.

Dr. Kenneth Faber was present at Buddhist Insights on Peace & Love, to highlight details of his own personal journey with Buddhism. His initial interest in Buddhism was sparked by his involvement in martial arts at a young age.

Faber most recently studied under Venerable Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche at the Padmasambhava Buddhist Center (PBC). Although the PBC is based in New York, Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Rinpoche has visited Nashville before.

Faber earned his doctorate degree in philosophy from Vanderbilt University. He also taught at Belmont University and Austin Peay State University.

Faber introduced the program by discussing his background as well as major parts of Buddhism. Some of these components included the four brahmavihrs and the six pramitas.

Faber also explained Buddhism from a scholarly perspective. His background in philosophy allows him to detail how the area of study relates to Buddhism.

In religious-philosophical studies, students can expect to learn about various principles between different religions. Questions regarding peace relations, virtue, and violence in Buddhism were also covered in the forum.

However, in line with the Peacemakers mission, Faber centered the talk on how the act of compassion was connected to both subjects at hand. The intersection where philosophy and Buddhism relate is also reflective of the Peacemakers call to action to incite peace across the campus.

For example, the idea of karuna is a Buddhist concept that emphasizes compassion. Karuna is also studied in philosophy in questions of compassion versus pity. Philosophers and Tibetan Buddhist practitioners are not the only sources of education in this conversation.

The Peacemakers are also working on more efforts to promote peace, human rights, and compassion across campus and the global community as a whole.

After all, as Faber emphasized to the Peacemakers crowd, How can you have joy if others are suffering?

I am a senior studying for a major in Political Science and a minor in International Studies. During this semester, I am using my past education and experience in politics to focus on coverage for the 2020 presidential election. Aside from The All State, I am also involved in APSUs Pre-Law Society and Pi Sigma Alpha. Ultimately, I am interested in law and public policy. Outside of academic pursuits, I often spend outside hiking and exploring. However, I am also a homebody and I enjoy time at home with family. I am usually at home trying new cooking recipes or making music playlists.

Read more:
Buddhist Insights on Peace & Love, Hosted by the Peacemakers - The All State

This is the second essay in The Angsty Buddhist, a series about being Chinese American, nonbinary, and finding my own relationship with Buddhism, in a country where so many of its ideas have been whitewashed.

My college roommate taped a poster of Dalai Lama quotes on the ceiling over her bed so that she could lie down and reflect on them. I didnt think much of this at a time. She did a lot of things that I thought were odd, like drinking fruit-flavored tea and insisting we end each day by listing three good things that had happened. I was and still am the kind of person who copes by stress eating potato chips and making jokes about death and was kind of annoyed at being forced into gratitude by my roommate every night, but I just went with it.

Despite our differences, A. and I were close for our first year living together, mostly because we went to a school where neither of us felt like we fit in. A. was the child of Ukrainian immigrants, and I was a nonbinary Chinese American weirdo. The school we went to was named after a former owner of the East India Company who made his fortune off of slavery. The students there were wealthier than I had known was possible, the children of CEOs of huge corporations, and Wall Street bankers. One of the kids in our freshman dorm was the son of the third richest man in India. The university used the protection of the student body to justify the heavy policing of the Black and brown communities in the surrounding city. For those of us on financial aid, we were told both directly and indirectly that we should be grateful to the billionaires who had funded our education. Werent they generous for deeming us worthy of becoming like them?

I appreciated having A. around because even though both of us were bad at articulating why exactly we felt so uncomfortable in our environment, it was nice to have someone around who also felt awkward trying to make small talk with the children of corporate attorneys. For the most part, we were both absorbed in our own lives. A. threw herself into her pre-med classes and extracurriculars, always running between meetings and study sessions. Because I had grown up middle class, I had more wiggle room to make questionable decisions, like taking an ancient Greek history class and falling in love with a boy who kept miniature busts of George Washington and Alexander Hamilton on his desk. When our schedules overlapped, I liked hanging out with A. Mostly, we sat on our Ikea futon and drank cheap tequila out of mugs wed stolen from the dining hall while complaining about classes.

A. had grown up Ukranian Catholic and struggled to find religious community during the time we lived together. Every Sunday, she seemed to go to a new church and reported back each week that something had felt off. At the time, I had started sporadically attending meditation sessions held by the campus Buddhist life organization, Indigo Blue. Indigo Blue was run by a white man but one that I actually liked. He was, for the most part, conscious of his privileges as a white man and didnt presume to know more about Buddhism than any of the students many of whom were Asian and Asian American. Instead, he opened up the space for people to practice the way they wanted, in keeping with their own cultures and traditions. We didnt even have to meditate. I appreciated this because I had grown up with a type of Buddhism that didnt center meditation and Id felt alienated before in spaces where meditation and Buddhism were equated. Mostly, I spent my time arranging the candles into smiley faces and chattering at anyone who was willing to be distracted. I felt at ease there in a way I didnt feel anywhere else on campus.

A. attended one of the meditation sessions one night I wasnt there. Later, she told me, It just wasnt what I was looking for. She seemed mildly offended by this. I remember thinking, So what? What does it matter what you were looking for? It wasnt made for you.

A. said a lot of things I told myself werent a big deal, like the time she joked about me being a generic Asian girl or how whenever I tried to talk about race, she said, Thats something youre into. Its not what Im into. I was used to dismissing my own anger.

I brushed this off, though. A. said a lot of things I told myself werent a big deal, like the time she joked about me being a generic Asian girl or how whenever I tried to talk about race, she said, Thats something youre into. Its not what Im into. I was used to dismissing my own anger. Wasnt she going through a lot? I should be less sensitive.

Eventually, A. found a church, sort of. One Sunday, she came back to our room to announce that she had gone to the Black Church at the campus African American Cultural Center. I know its weird, she said to my perplexed face. But I really like the preacher. There were many things I should have said to her then and every Sunday afterwards, when she came back complaining about how people didnt seem to want her there. Its like Im the white girl, she said once.

You are the white girl is something I could have said. Maybe you should think about how you being there makes other people feel? What makes you think youre entitled to be in a Black space? But by that point, our friendship was strained, and I had given up on feeling responsible for her, though in this situation I realize now that I should have tried. I still think about A. sometimes. About how white people turn to cultures and spiritualities that are not their own when they are looking for solace or trying to fill a void in themselves how they do this carelessly without realizing how violent that can be.

In college, I was obsessed with white Buddhism in a wrathful sort of way. Whenever I heard someone saying something like Buddhism is a peaceful religion or Buddhism is more a philosophy than a religion, I felt myself seething. Then I would tell myself to calm down. Whats wrong with them thinking Buddhism is peaceful? Think about Islamophobia. This is not a big deal. And I thought you didnt like organized religion, so isnt it better for it to be a philosophy?

I have always had a hard time allowing myself to feel anger. I always think that I am being selfish for expecting more of people, and I dont want to center my own feelings when there are other people we should be focusing on. When it comes to the cultural appropriation of Buddhism, I feel this especially if people are feeling like whatever version of Buddhism theyre practicing helps them, then why should I care? Arent there more important things to be thinking about?

Then around my junior year of college, Indigo Blue was suddenly shut down. Students arrived at the shrine for the nightly chanting session and found a sign on the door that said, This event has been cancelled. Later, we found out that all Buddhist life activities had been suspended without a replacement and that this had to do with some internal politicking and office drama. After a couple of weeks, a group of students got the head chaplain, a white woman, to meet with them. At the meeting, she started crying and said, I didnt know there were any of you going to those Indigo Blue things. How was I supposed to know?

Eventually, they hired teachers from a nearby Zen center who came to give dharma talks and hold meditation sessions. These teachers were, like the head of Indigo Blue, all white and mostly men. I only went to one of their events, a dharma talk given by one of the white men. The talk started with meditation, but I didnt feel like closing my eyes and relaxing in that room. I remember that it felt overly philosophical and that part of it was about dealing with anger. I didnt like that a white man was telling me what to do with my anger. There were other Asian and Asian American students at the talk who I chatted with after, and they seemed to like it. But I never went back.

I remember that it felt overly philosophical and that part of it was about dealing with anger. I didnt like that a white man was telling me what to do with my anger.

I hadnt realized how much Indigo Blue had meant to me until it was gone, and the way it had been replaced by this whitewashed version of Buddhism made it hurt even more. Still, I felt self-conscious about how much this had affected me. Why are you so upset about not being able to go to meditation sessions where you didnt even meditate?

At the same time, I got obsessed with proving that white Buddhism is bad. I took a bunch of classes on Buddhism and latched onto anything that suggested Buddhism wasnt really peaceful or rational, that it was an actual religion and not more of a philosophy. I was really into Buddhist depictions of hell, which often involved demons dismembering humans, and would show pictures of Buddhist hell to people in the dining hall who annoyed me.

But it was in learning about how imperialism has shaped Western ideas of Buddhism that I finally was able to articulate a lot of the problems I had with white Buddhism. In one of my classes, I learned about how Western ideas of Buddhism originated in Sri Lanka in the nineteenth century. Leaders there decided to frame Buddhism as rational, not as ritualistic or spiritual as other religions, so that Sri Lanka would seem civilized and worthy of independence from British colonialism. Many of the cultural aspects were toned down in order to be more accessible to a Western audience, instead highlighting practices that we now associate with mindfulness and meditation. These ideas underlie why I think white people find it so easy to claim Buddhism. The version most know was made to appeal to them.I also learned about the violence Buddhists had committed and continue to commit against Muslim and Hindu communities in countries where Buddhists are the majority.

I also learned about the violence Buddhists had committed and continue to commit against Muslim and Hindu communities in countries where Buddhists are the majority.

I also learned about the violence Buddhists had committed and continue to commit against Muslim and Hindu communities in countries where Buddhists are the majority. Once in a class on Himalayan cultures, we talked about the ethnic cleansing of the Lhotshampa in Bhutan. Most of my classmates were white, and I got the feeling many of them were in the class because they wanted to go backpacking in Nepal or had gotten into Tibetan Buddhism. It was obvious that thinking about the atrocities a Buddhist country had committed against a Hindu minority made them uncomfortable, and they quickly rushed through the discussion and onto the next reading. It made me think about how people would rather cling to their orientalist fantasies than start thinking about the real violence that their fantasies obscure.

When I complain about white Buddhism, sometimes people ask me about white people who practice Buddhism respectfully. Im not sure what people mean by respectfully, but I think they mean learning the correct practices and not simply buying into Western, commercialized ideas of Buddhism. I think this is important, but it isnt enough.

Right now, Im quarantining with family in San Francisco Chinatown. People have varying and sometimes infuriating ideas of what it means to behave respectfully towards other people in a pandemic, especially the white people. The white people are much less likely to wear masks, and they always seem to be jogging or walking their dogs, oblivious to the people around them. In the whiter neighborhoods adjacent to Chinatown, there are fewer people on the sidewalks. I guess thats an excuse to not think about how your body takes up space. Occasionally, Ill see a white person jogging mask-less towards one of the busier Chinatown streets, and Ill wonder why Im so conditioned to shrink out of their way than scream, Wear a fucking mask!

It is not just how much knowledge you have of the religion, how much you respect the teaching themselves, but also how we engage with the histories that have shaped our views of Buddhism and our relationship to it, how we take up space, how entitled we do or dont feel to take up space how this is related to legacies of white supremacy and imperialism.

Then there is the outdoor dining, the white restaurants that spill out on the sidewalks. I try to avoid the streets with lots of these restaurants because its impossible to walk on the sidewalk without passing through a large clump of laughing, mask-less white people. I dont begrudge the restaurants this. Its not like they have much of a choice. But most of the restaurants in Chinatown dont have room for outdoor dining. The sidewalks are too narrow. There are too many people walking around. It makes me think again about who is allowed to take up space and the ways in which people take up space can be a matter of survival.

This is similar to how I feel about what it means to practice Buddhism respectfully. It is not just how much knowledge you have of the religion, how much you respect the teaching themselves, but also how we engage with the histories that have shaped our views of Buddhism and our relationship to it, how we take up space, how entitled we do or dont feel to take up space how this is related to legacies of white supremacy and imperialism. Grappling with this is an ongoing process, and it makes me think about the idea of interconnectedness, not in the white hippy way where we hug trees and braid flowers in our hair, but the kind where we refuse to ignore the complex webs of power that we are all oppressed by and complicit in, the ties that bind us all together.

When it comes to Buddhism and cultural appropriation, I still sometimes worry that Im making a big deal out of nothing, that Im angry for no good reason. But I also think that dismissing my own anger is dismissing the histories that have shaped our ideas of Buddhism in the West that even if my own anger is only a small blip, it still points to a larger system. Ignoring it is not useful because then I wont be able to see how I fit in.

I mediate now, not in a religious way but to manage anxiety and chronic pain. Sometimes, the meditation recordings will reference Buddhism, usually when theyre talking about finding calm or learning not to be attached to negative emotions. Im often invited to cultivate inner peace, which I think is funny and kind of irritating. If Buddhism has taught me to cultivate anything, its anger, the kind that gives clarity. This isnt always something that is easy for me to access, but I would never give up the moments I can touch anger, even in exchange for enlightenment or whatever. It is something I will hold onto, earthly and overly attached, as long as I can.

See the original post:
The Angsty Buddhist: Learning Anger And White Buddhism - Autostraddle

On October 14, 230 residents of a Ghaziabad village, who were members of Valmiki community, said they converted to Buddhism in the presence of Rajratan Ambedkar, great-grandnephew of Dr B R Ambedkar.

On October 14, 230 residents of a Ghaziabad (Karera) village, who were members of Valmiki community, said that they converted to Buddhism in the presence of Rajratan Ambedkar, great-grandnephew of Dr B R Ambedkar. On Thursday, days after the incident, the filed an FIR against unknown persons for allegedly spreading false rumours about religious conversion, the Indian Express reported.

An FIR was filed on Thursday at Sahibabad police station after a 22-year-old social worker, Montu Chandel filed a complaint. The FIR has been registered under IPC Sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, etc) and 505 (whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement, rumour or report).

Some unknown persons and organisations spread false rumours about religious conversion of 230 people. The certificates issued in its connection bear no name and address and there is no date of issuance, nor is there a registration number. Anyones name can be written on it. There has been an attempt to flare caste-based tensions as per a criminal conspiracy, the FIR states.

Rajratan Ambedkar, the great-grandnephew of Dr B R Ambedkar, said certificates were issued to 236 people by The Buddhist Society of India, founded in 1955 by Dr Ambedkar. The certificates bear the signature of Rajratan, who is the organisations trustee-manager, and Bhadant Arya Nagarjuna Surai Sasai, chairman of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Memorial Committee, as per the Indian Express report.

Mr Ambedkar said: How can they say religious conversion in Karera on October 14 is a rumour? I was present there. There is aFacebookLive video of the event; there are photographs of the event. What is the basis of this FIR?

Keshav Kumar, Sahibabad circle officer said, We are investigating the allegations. The certificates only bear the date of conversion. The allegation that the documents are not authentic will be investigated. No arrests have been made in the matter so far.

According to the report, Pawan, a resident of Karera village, had coordinated the October 14 event. Pawan, who used to work as a housekeeping supervisor at an apartment complex until March, said the religious conversion did take place on October 14. Stressing that we did convert, Pawan rejected the rumour theory. He said: This is not a rumour. We dont know this complainant. He is not a resident of the village. We have not been paid by any political party.

Excerpt from:
Days After 230 Dalits Accepted Buddhism In UP, FIR Registered Over "Conversion" Rumour | HW English - HW News English

Isabella and enlightenment.

When it came time to meet Isabella, I was so into a Zen calm that it wasnt possible to overthink what to wear. To fake it would be resisting the new spiritual stream that was carrying me along.

I put on Brooks Brothers cotton shorts with a blue grid pattern, a gray t-shirt with Rita Hayworth on it, a denim jean jacket and J. Crew black blucher shoes.

Isabella and I hadnt seen each other in decades, since high school. But I knew shed like the shoes. They were me, kind of preppy and stylish but not obnoxiously so. Shed get that. Wed reconnected after Id been the focus of intense national attention in 2018 when I got tangled up in a sinister and ridiculous political hit. That people cared enough about politics to engage in extortion, lies and death threats made me sad; what hollow lives they led, making Washington the lodestar of their entire existence.

In the aftermath of that war I got a job washing dishes. From there I went to a garden center, working in the mulch pit. I toss big sacks of fertilizer into idling cars.

The workcomes in waves. Ill be out there for an hour and nothing happens, with me leaning against a five-foot tower of Scotts Red Mulch, thinking about God or sex or a good song, just watching the birds go by. Then suddenly its five cars deep: Do-it-yourselfers getting 10 bags of Miracle Grow, a bored housewife with two of the Leafgro compost, guys with erosion problems need four rolls of topsoil and two units of peat moss, landscapers loading up with 50 bags of the black mulch and a couple bales of hay.

After years in journalism and caring about politics, the new job made it easy to adapt to a Zen way of living. As Buddhist master Norman Fisher explains it, Zen Buddhism is a stripped-down, determined, uncompromising, cut-to-the-chase, meditation-based Buddhism that takes no interest in doctrinal refinements. Not relying on scripture, doctrine or ritual, Zen is verified by personal experience and is passed on from master to disciple, hand to hand, ineffably, through hard, intimate training.

Essential to that is physical workmundane, repetitive, physical work, not work sitting behind a computer or doing Zoom meetings. As Fischer notes, In Zen practice, our work itself is an essential avenue for waking up. He explains that for centuries Indian Buddhist monks were prohibited from working; this changed when Buddhism arrived in China, where people didn't understand a group of aesthetics meditating and living off the generosity of others. One old Zen master, Abbot Baizhang, refused to eat when his students tried to save him from work sayinga day without work is a day without food!

I spend all day loading bags of peat moss, mulch, topsoil, sod, and the occasional hay bale into cars. It builds your muscles and focuses your mind so sharply on the immediate task in front of you that the mind becomes free. You forget about current events, bills and personal dramas. You come home worn out but satisfied in your labor, attaining a kind of Buddhist living-in-the-present vibe, if not flat-out enlightenment.

During the 2018 battle my past, particularly my Reagan-era high school days, got dragged onto the national stage. While sides were drawn between left and right, some of us reconnected because we care for each other outside of politics. One of the people I rediscovered is Isabella. We only dated briefly as teenagers, but our personalities clicked on several different levels. The daughter of a Puerto Rican mother and Scottish-Irish father, Isabella was artistic, very intelligent, passionate and spiritual, and witty. Back then she looked like Ana Gonzalez-Barrara of the Pew Research Center. She had moved to Mexico after college and lived there for 23 years, and wed lost touch decades ago. Now her father, who lives in D.C., is ailing, and she was back in the area. She contacted me and we decided to meet at the Tastee Diner, a spotthat had been a late-night gathering place when we were younger.

When word got out that we were meeting, some of her friends asked Isabella why in the world she was seeing me, and several of my friends asked me the same thing about her. It was a note-for-note repeat of what we heard when we dated in high school. She was artistic, sarcastic, and whip-smart, the kind of thing that intimidated young boys. I was, everyone knew, a bit of a lunatic. Both of our sets of friends didnt understand why we were with each other.

I wasthrilled to see Isabella, knowing that we could still lock in to each others frequencies the way we did in high school. We both were spiritual seekers, liked literature and culture, and loved music and parties. After the political fiasco, after bouts with illnesses, after broken relationships, I was almost desperate for someone who knew me deep down and who could read me without saying too much. Isabella and I could be on different sides politically and still have a beautiful affection for each other, the kind that only comes from people you were close to when young. On top of that, the garden job was both tiring me out and energizing me so much with its physical demands that a kind of preternatural Buddhist calm was vibrating in my being, allowing me to gently propel myself through life without overthinking things.

It didnt take long for us to pick up where wed left off decades earlier. Isabella is still vivacious, funny, intense and beautiful. We talked about the whereabouts of old friends, laughed about our teen makeup sessions, empathized about caring for ailing parents, empathized about failed loves. The Tastee Diner, where we had been for so many late nights in the 1980s, was now dwarfed by a new $600 million Marriott global headquarters, built on top of where we sat eating French fries. Like the diner, Isabella and I had refused to sell out.

After a few hours we hugged and parted ways.Hey, she said before heading off, I really like those shoes. Theyre really you.

Read this article:
Miracle Grow: Zen in the Mulch Pit - Splice Today

NBA Legend Shaquille ONeal talks about Lakers legacy and Clippers future, especially concerning Paul George.

On The Big Podcast with Shaq, Shaquille ONeal talks about a lot this episode. A conversation was initiated about whether LeBron would return to Cleveland again, and was laughed off immediately.

Then Shaq and guests went on to talk about what would it take for the current Lakers squad to solidify their legacy. They came to the conclusion that the Lakers need a 3-peat to be called a legacy.

Also Read: Lakers star LeBron James still best in the world, NBA 2k ratings say so

While talking about championships, they went to talk about the Clippers and how they signed Tyronn Lue as their new head coach. The co-host calls the Clippers a rudderless ship and Shaq weighs in too. According to Shaq, if the Clippers want to get better, they need to get rid of someone.

According to Shaq, the Clippers need to break the Kawhi-PG duo in Los Angeles. While it looks good on paper, it doesnt allow Kawhi to officially step up as the leader. Shaq needs Kawhi to be the man.

With Paul George, he feels the Clippers have a guy who thinks hes the man, a guy whos actually the man, and a guy coming off the bench(Lou Williams) thinking hes the man.

Paul George has been subjected to some heavy criticism this season, especially because of his playoff performances. The Clippers faithful echo what Shaq is saying in terms of how Paul George needs to step back and let Kawhi Leonard be the man.

However, that does not seem to be the case, as per all the locker room distress reports and hence trading PG13 could be an option they could excercise.

On the podcast Shaq conceded that Clippers needed to get rid of someone post Doc Rivers firing

[The Clippers] gotta get rid of someone. Shaq said

Other people on the show wanted Shaq to get rip the band-aid off and reveal the name of the player he wants traded.

Cmon, bro. Shaq smirked.

The co-host asked, Pandemic P? They aint gonna get rid of him, they gave up the farm for him.

Well, guess what? They gave up the farm, but we can change some crops on that mug. Shaq concluded.

Also Read: Dont date NBA Players: Shaquille ONeal to his daughters

Shaq goes on to say that the Clippers can trade Paul George for 2 good players, which would help the Clippers in the longer run.

What Shaquille ONeal says isnt totally off the mark here, but I believe the decision would end up going to Kawhi to decide what PGs fate would be. Whatever the case, everyone expects to see Kawhi Leonard step up and be the Alpha in the Clippers next season.

Read this article:

'Clippers need to trade Paul George; he thinks he is the man': Shaquille O'Neal on why Kawhi Leonard... - The Sportsrush

Robotics, AI (artificial intelligence) and VR (virtual reality) three buzzwords that have often been difficult for investors to wrap their heads around.

But like other sectors, the COVID-19 pandemic has been an accelerant for change in the use of robotics and machine learning.

A cohort of robotics and AI stocks are looking to capitalise with a partnership approach to established industries such as ecommerce and healthcare where demand has surged.

A good recent example of that is Vection Technologies (ASX:VR1), the only VR-focused company among ASX small caps.

The stock chalked up a 10x return this year amid a positive run of news flow through early October.

And speaking with Stockhead, chief operating officer Gianmarco Orgnoni said its key near-term focus is on deploying VR tech to assist hospitals in Europe combat the pandemic.

In terms of key drivers, we see healthcare as a very strong opportunity, Orgnoni said.

Especially with the Covid-19 situation in Europe. Hospitals and health departments are looking for solutions that enable them to continue to operate, while avoiding contact as much as possible between patients and doctors.

The company has commenced its first trial at Moscati hospital in southern Italy, for a wearable AR (augmented reality) device that allows surgeons to incorporate data from endoscopic equipment into their field of view.

Our strategic goal is to become the first accredited solution for the introduction of augmented reality, Orgnoni said.

In our view thats a very strong opportunity. Were currently in talks with multiple parties in the healthcare sector, and that will be one of our key drivers over the next six months.

Closer to home, Stockhead also took the opportunity to catch up with James Hemmings, Vice President of Perth-based advanced robotics company Stealth Technologies.

A subsidiary of listed research company Strategic Elements (ASX:SOR), Stealth has caught the markets attention with the development of its patented Autonomous Security Vehicle (ASV), in partnership with NYSE-listed engineering conglomerate Honeywell.

Earlier this month, the two companies successfully passed User Acceptance Testing (UAT) with the WA Department of Justice for the deployment of the ASV at Eastern Goldfields correctional facility.

Hemmings explained that the technology has been initially developed for two perimeter security use cases autonomous patrol and surveillance of a property perimeter, and automated testing of perimeter intrusion detection systems, performed by the ASVs onboard robotics.

If you look at how that work is traditionally done, patrol and surveillance is largely done manually via human labour, Hemmings said.

First that labour cost can be quite expensive. And second, you can find yourself with surveillance blind spots if the level of accuracy isnt where it should be, because of the mundane and highly repetitive nature of this work.

So that use case really lent itself to a robotics and automation solution in form of the ASV. For starters it has onboard technology capabilities which are far superior to that of a human security guard, in terms of video surveillance and sensor monitoring.

Additionally weve built the ASV from the ground up to operate, day and night in outdoor environments that are often subjected to variable and harsh weather conditions. And with its start of the art battery systems the ASV can operate continuously for hours at a time.

For sectors such as robotics and AI, the level of advanced innovation involved means identifying the next multi-bagger investment is a particularly tricky excercise.

And in that context, Stockhead got some interesting insights from Richard Lightbound, the London-based CEO of EMEA and Asia for ROBO Global.

Established in 2013, ROBO Global built the first global benchmark index series to track robotics & AI companies.

The indices are now used as a platform for exchange traded funds, such as the NYSE-listed Robo Global Robotics and Automation ETF.

We like the world of indexing for disruptive innovation because it brings a lot of structure, Lightbound said.

We can see robotics and automation is a multi-decade growth and return opportunity. But in the short term it can be difficult to pick winners. So weve created a platform that gives investors a broadly diversified basket of exposure.

ROBO Globals advisory panel includes industry luminaries such as Daniella Rus, director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT (the home of AI, Lightbound said.)

The companys robotics index is comprised of over 80 stocks across 12 sub-sectors in 14 countries.

We evaluate companies based on metrics such as revenue maturity, market leadership, and quality of the management team, Lightbound said.

We also factor in our ESG policy and a liquidity filter. That process gives us a score, and highest scoring companies go into the strategy.

Over a five year period, Lightbound said the index had posted an average return of 16.9 per cent.

So its been doing exactly what it was designed to do, which is outperform the global market and give investors something new.

Turning back to the ASX, both of the companies we spoke to also highlighted the commercial application of their technology across multiple sectors.

For Stealth, the broader strategic focus is to make inroads in the critical infrastructure market sectors where perimeter security is of particular importance.

What were seeing is very much an emerging theme from governments globally certainly in Australia and the US around proactive steps to strengthen and protect critical infrastructure, he said.

Amid that backdrop, Stealth has also flagged opportunities across utilities, transport, energy, communications and defence.

Our market research suggests all these sectors have some common attributes around maintaining high levels of perimeter security. So theyre all sectors were looking to test the ASV and validate market sector fit, Hemmings said.

In a recent report, industry research group Data Intelo said the global perimeter security market is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 12 per cent over the next six years, reaching $US282.6bn in size by 2026.

Thats encompassing patrol and surveillance, and testing of perimeter intrusion detection systems, Hemmings said.

So through robotics and automation, were looking to really disrupt that and offer a higher quality solution, that generates a strong positive ROI for customers.

Hemmings said Stealths initial strategy is to deploy the technology with Honeywell across the Government correctional facility sector in Australia and then build upon this with entry into the US. But the broader market fit goes well beyond this.

For Orgnoni at VR1, the goal is to execute Vections operational strategy in an environment where the take-up of VR and AR has accelerated.

I think every investor is understanding that VR and AR are technologies that are becoming a must-have, not a nice-to-have for companies, he said.

He added that 5G will play a massive role in the rollout of VR solutions, by allowing for the effective deployment of heavy data across multiple devices.

From the investor standpoint particularly in the second half of this year weve received a lot of interest because people are understanding this tech isnt just a gimmick, Orgnoni said.

Thats why I firmly believe 2021 will really be the year this kind of technology will be deployed on a larger scale.

Get the latest Stockhead news delivered free to your inbox.

It's free. Unsubscribe whenever your want.

See original here:

The ASX robotics stocks looking to capitalise on the rise of the machines - Stockhead