Special

Article 1“Asia Is One: Asian Cultures & Mind” – a Joint Symposium
by Soka University & Japan SPOTLIGHT

By Rajesh Williams

Prof. Ryohei Tanaka

Prof. Mukesh Williams

Naoyuki Haraoka

Prof. Cyril Veliath

Organized by the South Asia Research Center (SARC) of Soka
University and Japan SPOTLIGHT, a joint symposium on the topic“Asia Is One: Asian Cultures & Mind” was held on Nov. 20, 2020, inTokyo. Experts in various fields presented insightful papers during
the event.
The idea for this symposium was rooted in the question whether
and how Asia could contribute to stable global governance. Whereas
urgent political and economic questions are dealt with by various
international fora, the founders of the symposium thought that
cultural interaction would have a long-term impact on international
relations as well. So they thought that tracing the culturalinteractions among Asian nations in the past and discovering culturalcommonalities in Asia could benefit peace and stability in the region
and at the same time contribute to global peace and stability in thelong run.

Opening Remarks
The symposium was opened by Prof. Ryohei Tanaka, director andexecutive vice president of Soka University, who said he hoped theparticipants would have fruitful sessions. “I would like to thank you
all for being here, and please have a great symposium,” he said.

Theme of the Symposium
The theme of the symposium was succinctly stated by Prof.
Mukesh Williams, advisor and professor at SARC, in his keynote
address: “Can the loaded ideas inherent in the concept of ‘Asia Is
One’ be used to create global governance, decenter the discourse of
global capitalism, and bring global stability? In recent decades,
muscular nationalism, populism, and social inequalities haveintensified conflicts between nations and are forcing them todecouple from the world economy. Can the harmony of Asia, despite
its historical divisiveness, become a model for global peace andhttps://www.jef.or.jp/journal/

Mohan Gopal

Dr. Rabinder Malik

Prof. Andrew T.
Kamei-Dyche

Dr. Aditya Pratap Deostability? These are some of the questions the symposium wishes tounravel. Okakura Kakuzo, alias Tenshin (1863-1913), believes that if
there is both tolerance and curiosity between the two great
civilizations of the world, the Asian and the European, it is possible
to develop an Asiatic thrust in global governance, commerce, andculture.”Asia’s Soft Power
Speaking on the relevance and purpose of the symposium,
Naoyuki Haraoka, editor-in-chief of Japan SPOTLIGHT & executive
managing director of the Japan Economic Foundation, said, “In this
symposium, we will try to find an answer to an important question:
Why is the concept of ‘Asia Is One’ so important for global
governance today – in the age of divide and confrontation among
nations and people? The purpose behind organizing this symposium
is to highlight the importance of Asia’s soft power in the context oftoday’s international, political, and economic situations.”
He felt that the most significant factor in the context ofinternational political economy was the lack of leadership in global
governance. “It is true that we cannot depend upon US leadershipanymore,” he said. “Pursuing multilateralism is a difficult task for the
US government in today’s times, as many Americans still support an‘America First’ policy. Globalization would most likely continue
without the leadership of the United States or any other nation,” heargued.
He also pointed out that globalization and the Fourth Industrial
Revolution were widening the gap between the rich and the poor. It
was seen everywhere that inequality was increasing and political
divides and confrontation among the people were intensifying
accordingly; and without any clear and consolidated leadership in the
global community, the divides and confrontation in domestic politics
have started to hinder international collaboration, as those who are
disadvantaged by the competition caused by globalization tend to
Japan SPOTLIGHT • July / August 2021

49

support more nationalistic policies and become more antiglobalization in their sentiment.
“The pandemic has exacerbated this trend,” he said. “Nationalism
has grown and inequality has increased. Divisions and confrontation
have been seen not only among nations but also among people
within nations,” he added. “In order to contain the pandemic, weneed to pursue social cohesion. Nations need to trust their leadersand follow instructions to contain the virus given by the leaders andsupported by experts unanimously. Trusted leaders and social
cohesion will be the pre-requisites for overcoming the virus,” hesaid.
Haraoka maintained that as the virus infection differed significantly
by region, we needed to pursue regional community-based policies
to contain it. “We also need a diversity of knowledge and wisdom tocope with the uncertainty of the pandemic which is quite new to us.
In this light, hierarchical decision-making would not work well but
decentralized decision-making would work better. To achieve social
cohesion under such circumstances, humanism must be the leading
philosophy of our trusted leaders rather than material values basedon money or GDP. Humanistic leaders would not leave anybody
feeling left out of the social or economic trends or excluded anddiscriminated from the winners in the globalized competition. Theirpolitical philosophy must be based on the thought to maximize
human happiness rather than GDP. They see human happiness inhigh morality rather than material success. This is how trusted
leaders would be successful in achieving social cohesion in a societyfacing a serious ‘divide and confrontation’. In this regard, ourcapitalistic thought is also faced with the challenge of a paradigm
shift,” he said.
He believed that Asia’s soft power could contribute to such aparadigm shift from Western thinking, namely individualism – often
not consistent with social cohesion – to community-based thought.
“Asia is the area of diversity consisting of nations with a variety ofhistorical and cultural backgrounds. While Europe is a region sharing
cultural commonalities such as Christianity, Greek philosophy,
linguistic commonalities, etc., Asian nations do not share a common
religion or language… Today, American influence is more significant
largely in this area, as most Asian nations pursue American
capitalism and the American presence in Asia has been significant
since World War II. However, we cannot interpret today’s Asian
civilization as an Americanized civilization.
“There is still a unique thought and philosophy to be shared bymany Asian nations, that is, respect for harmony – a useful concept
for achieving social cohesion. Against this background, we shouldcome back to the thought envisaged and supported by Okakura
Tenshin and Rabindranath Tagore in the 19th century, that is, ‘Asia Is
One’,” he said.

50 Japan SPOTLIGHT • July / August 2021

Tagore & Tenshin
In his keynote address, Prof. Williams said that if there was bothtolerance and curiosity between Asian and European civilizations, it
was possible to develop an Asiatic thrust in global governance,
commerce, and culture. He claimed that Tagore felt that thevoracious appetite of the West for material wealth, untruthful
diplomacy, and colonialism must give way to the cosmic humanity ofAsia; the West needed Asia to be complete. Tenshin realized thespiritual unity of Asia and felt it must prevail in the world, he added.
According to Prof. Williams, both Japanese and Indians believedthat when individuals overcame their self-centeredness, they could
unite with the universe and became one with every creature in it.
“This is the Asiatic Mind that Tenshin talked about. Tenshin
introduced the concept of gotenjiku or the Five Indies, which was a
Sino-Japanese-Buddhist concept. He placed India at its center andgave a prominent place to China and a smaller place to Japan,
Southern islands, and Europe. In his book The Ideals of the East
(1903), Tenshin begins with the phrase ‘Asia is one’. This concept isa fusion of Chinese Confucianism and Indian Vedantic thought thatgives rise to the ‘Ultimate and Universal.’ The ‘ultimate’ in Confucian
thought is to live with others and become happy. The ‘universal’ in
Vedanta is the universal self or the consciousness which identifies
with everything in the universe. It is the universal consciousness thatmust prevail,” he said.
Concluding his speech, he pointed out that as economies were
undergoing structural reforms in the wake of the pandemic, more
and more people were realizing how important it was to cooperatewith each other and rebuild national and global institutions. “In the
shadow of the pandemic, the expansive ideas of Tagore and Tenshin
bringing together Asia and finding its complementary uniqueness for
the West acquire greater significance,” he said.

China & India – Historical, Cultural & Religious
Linkages
Speaking on the topic “The Asian Giants China and India – Their
Historical, Cultural, and Religious Linkages”, Cyril Veliath, professor
emeritus of Sophia University, said that according to British author
Graham Hancock, many of our ancient monuments were built bypeople of a highly advanced civilization – a civilization that probably
began after 4000 BC. The Sumerian and Egyptian civilizations beganaround 3000 BC, and after these came the civilizations of the Indus
Valley and China, he said.
Prof. Veliath maintained that China’s earliest dynasty was the
Shang, which heralded China’s Bronze Age and ruled from about
1600 BC, while India’s earliest civilization, the civilization of the Indus
Valley, probably existed between 2500 BC and 1000 BC.

Peeking into Indian and Chinese histories, Prof. Veliath said that in
the 14th and 15th centuries, Tamerlane or “Timur the Lame” whoruled vast areas of Central Asia, was a link between India and China.
Babar, the founder of the Mughal Empire, was a descendant both of
Timur and Genghis Khan, the Mongol emperor of China. The Mughal
emperors took great pride in the fact that they were descendants ofGenghis Khan, he added.
“However, the greatest interchange between China and India wasinitiated by Buddhist monks, who journeyed from China to India andIndia to China as pilgrims, scholars, and evangelists. They were
pioneers who conveyed their faith and culture. Of those travelingfrom India to China the most outstanding were Kumarajiva andBodhidharma, while of those who journeyed from China to India themost famous were Faxian, Xuanzang, and Yijing, The Tang emperorsof China and Emperors Ashoka and Harshavardhan of India
contributed towards establishing linkages between India and China,”claimed Prof. Veliath.

Yoga – The Glue for Harmony
Speaking on the topic “Yoga as the Glue for Harmony”, Mohan
Gopal, representative of The Art of Living, Japan, said that Yoga, apanacea for the ills of the body and mind, emerged in India several
thousands of years ago and that the word Yoga in the Sanskrit
language literally meant the ultimate union. “Yogic practices are aholistic composition of posture and breathing, meditation andmysticism, lifestyle, and wisdom,” he added.
Gopal maintained that Yoga created a powerful synergy between
the body and mind; it connected the physical system with theemotional system through breath. He said that Yoga eliminatedphysical stress and improved circulation and various other biological
functions; and for the mind, it eliminated mental stress andincreased awareness. “The mind calms down and the decisions wetake from a centered mind and the way we interact with people
undergo a fundamental change. Breath regulates energy flow whichhappens within the body and reduces the thinking overflow. What is
thinking overflow? We know that our brain or mind is an ever-active
unit which is churning out thoughts. In one day, our mind goes
through a variety of different states. A lot of it often results inoverflow – you are confused or get upset. Breath regulates our mind
and thoughts and helps us to control our mind. So, the basis of Yoga
is the power of the breath. What is this power of the breath? If weobserve our breath, we will notice that when we experience different
emotions, such as anger, sadness, and excitement, our breathing
pattern changes.
“Stress impacts us. It results in speeding up cellular ageing,
cardiovascular disease, exhaustion, depression, anxiety, harmful
coping behaviors – the way we interact with people – and in

weakening our memory and learning and our immune function. Now,
as we know, the five sources of our energy are food and drink, sleep,
breath, beauty, such as nature, flowing water, and a mountain, andmeditation. Meditation can bring tremendous power to the body andmind. It is the ultimate kind of relaxation. Meditation is often
mistaken for concentration. Concentration can be an outcome of
meditation, but meditation is ‘letting go’. You fall asleep when you let
go. Similarly, meditation is sleeping with a sense of awareness,” headded.
He claimed that Yoga was complete and that it was the ultimate
wisdom that led to harmony within the individual. When this wisdom
was practised across nations, it led to the harmony of society andcountries. According to Gopal, “from ancient times, yogic concepts
made their way from India into the rest of Asia. These concepts haveembedded themselves in the subconsciousness of Asia. Drawing
upon this invaluable inheritance can be a catalyst for peace in Asiaand beyond.”
Concluding his speech, he said, “Whether we take Buddhism,
Shintoism, Hinduism, and even a lot of the local practices of Asia, wefind the subconscious basis of Yoga in them. So, Yoga can unite thewhole world. It is for Asian harmony. Political considerations keeppeople apart. Yoga unites people; it can create harmony amongpeople; and Asian harmony can be expanded to global harmony.”

Gandhi’s Message of Non-Violence & Harmony
Speaking on the topic “Mahatma Gandhi’s Message of NonViolence and Harmony”, Dr. Rabinder Malik, president of Discover
India Club (DIC) and coordinator of The Energy and Resources
Institute (TERI) of Japan, said that Mahatma Gandhi was thepreeminent leader of Indian nationalism in British-ruled India andthat he was trained in law in London. “He became famous by fighting
for the civil rights of Indians in South Africa, using new techniques of
non-violent civil disobedience that he developed. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence andinspired many leaders in their respective movements for freedom
across the world. Gandhi’s greatest contribution to humanity was his
message of non-violence as the way to harmony and peace,” headded.
Dr. Malik claimed that Gandhi was much ahead of his time, as he
was already deeply conscious of the environmental concerns that theworld currently perceives. He said there were many lessons that
could be learnt from the life and writings of Gandhi in resolving themany challenges that the world currently faces, such as preserving
the planet, rooting out terrorism, preventing natural disasters,
peacefully resolving conflicts, and alleviating extreme poverty.
“There is a need for a major rethink on social, economic,
environmental, and basic values in all parts of the world. Based onJapan SPOTLIGHT • July / August 2021

51

my own long experience of working for the United Nations indifferent countries, I believe that the life of Mahatma Gandhi is amessage for action by the world as a whole to improve the lives ofpeople living everywhere on this planet,” he said.

Seeking Intellectual Foundation for Inter-Asian
Collaboration
Speaking on the topic “Seeking an Intellectual Foundation forInter-Asian Collaboration: The Sino-Japanese Historical Experience”,
Associate Prof. Andrew T. Kamei-Dyche of the School of Global
Studies and Collaboration at Aoyama Gakuin University, said thatissues in inter-Asian relations were often portrayed in terms of vastcultural divides, with the tensions that had largely characterized
Sino-Japanese relations since the latter 20th century seen as one
example. However, for many centuries, even during times of conflict,Sino-Japanese relations were characterized by active economic,
cultural, and intellectual exchange.
Prof. Kamei-Dyche’s paper briefly sketched this history, uncovered
the intellectual foundations that enabled such exchange, and asked
what lessons the Sino-Japanese historical experience could offer forcontemporary efforts seeking a basis for connecting cultures more
broadly across Asia.
He said the lessons we could draw from the Sino-Japanese
historical experience were that regardless of whether it found its
origin in Buddhist, Confucian or other foundations, a mutual respectfor each other’s culture and identity was necessary. “Contrary to the
CCP’s claims to represent a single Confucian perspective, inter-Asiancollaboration can only truly blossom when no one country is
permitted a position of ideological authority, irrespective of theeconomic power of the actors involved. Official relations and state
involvement in intellectual and economic exchange, on the other
hand, have been shown to be the exception rather than the rule inSino-Japanese history, which is not to deny the importance of state
actors, but rather to point out that they are not strictly necessary to
successful relations among peoples. In other words, just as we must
avoid the trap of cultural reductionism, we must also avoid thetendency to count on governments to manage inter-Asia relations.
Depending upon government actors not only goes against theConfucian tenet of self-responsibility, but also the very real SinoJapanese historical experience,” said Prof. Kamei-Dyche.

that had been turned upside down, and when we were bound to
confront fundamental questions about the future of humanity sooner
rather than later, the project of One Asia must look beyond the ideasof exceptionalism, regionalism, and nationalism that had historically
influenced the continent’s self-perception. “Even though Tagore
spoke of spiritual affinities that unified Asian peoples, his vision of
the world was based on his deep belief in the universalism of thecore human values of love and friendship, values that are our only
chance of survival in the future,” said Dr. Deo.
Dr. Deo’s paper briefly surveyed the various sentiments that theidea of Asia in the modern period had been animated by and argued
that Asia could be one only if Asia itself was one with the world.
Elaborating on the topic of the symposium, Dr. Deo said that thephrase “Asia Is One”, with the verb in the middle, carried an elementof anxiety. “It hints that if there is something like ‘One Asia’, it is notquite coming together as it should; therefore, some work needs to bedone to return Asia to itself. In a world increasingly beset by strife
and crisis of existential kinds, the latest being the pandemic, this isindeed a laudable call, for it is only if we stand together in love andfriendship that we can pull back from the brink,” he said.
Highlighting the purpose of his paper, Dr. Deo said it sought tounsettle the idea of “Asia Is One” not so much to reject it as to recast
it within the idea of “Asia is one with the world”... “By reading theformulation ‘Asia Is One’ as a desire to foreground the shareddestiny of humankind, the essay asks for it to be rephrased in a waythat truly reflects that sentiment,” said Dr. Deo.

Conclusion
Tenshin recognized the spiritual expansiveness of Asia and felt it
could balance materialism and competitiveness, which seem to be
dominant worldwide today. Asian thinkers have always been wary of
the relentless pursuit of a self-centeredness that thwarted the natural
flow of kindness to others. Tenshin was able to grasp the Asiaticconcept of emotion over intellect and the expansive altruism it
generates for all living beings in the cosmos. In our world today
riven by conflict and selfishness, Asiatic values of cooperation andfellow feeling have acquired deeper significance. We should promote
those values in the relevant international fora.

One Asia, One World: Meditations on
Plural-Universalism
Speaking on the topic “One Asia, One World: Meditations on
Plural-Universalism”, Dr. Aditya Pratap Deo of the Department ofHistory at St. Stephen’s College in Delhi, India, said that in a world
52 Japan SPOTLIGHT • July / August 2021

Rajesh Williams is a professional editor and a writer with a background in
instructional design, technical writing, technical editing, and teaching.