The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a political and economic grouping of the capitalist nations of South East Asia, formed in 1967 and comprising: Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, and Brunei. The countries are very diverse. For example the per capita income of Singapore in 1986 was some 12 times that of Indonesia; interests often diverge accordingly. While committed to strengthening economic ties, progress has been limited. There has also been political co-operation, for example over policy towards Indochina. There are regular consultations between ASEAN and the major industrialised countries. Research Association of South East Asian Nations
Buddhism is the religious system founded by Buddha, one of the most prominent doctrines of which is that Nirvana, or an absolute release from existence, is the chief good. According to it pain is inseparable from existence, and consequently pain can cease only through Nirvana; and in order to attain Nirvana our desires and passions must be suppressed, the most extreme self-renunciation practised, and we must, as far as possible, forget our own personality.
In order to attain Nirvana eight conditions must be kept or practised. The first is in Buddhistic language right view; the second is right judgment; the third is right language; the fourth is right purpose; the fifth is right profession; the sixth is right application; the seventh is right memory; the eighth is right meditation. The five fundamental precepts of the Buddhist moral code are: not to kill, not to steal, not to commit adultery, not to lie, and not to give way to drunkenness. To these there are added five others of less importance, and binding more particularly on the religious class, such as to abstain from repasts taken out of season, from theatrical representations, etc. There are six fundamental virtues to be practised by all men alike, vizcharity, purity, patience, courage, contemplation, and knowledge. These are the virtues that are said to 'conduct a man to the other shore'. The devotee who strictly practises them has not yet attained Nirvana, but is on the road to it.
The Buddhist virtue of charity is universal in its application, extending to all creatures, and demanding sometimes the greatest self-denial and sacrifice. There is a legend that the Buddha in one of his stages of existence (for he had passed through innumerable transmigrations before becoming 'the enlightened') gave himself up to be devoured by a famishing lioness which was unable to suckle her young ones. There are other virtues, less important, indeed, than the six cardinal ones, but still binding on believers. Thus not only is lying forbidden, but evil-speaking, coarseness of language, and even vain and frivolous talk, must be avoided. Buddhist metaphysics are comprised in three theories - the theory of transmigration (borrowed from Brahmanism), the theory of the mutual connection of causes, and the theory of Nirvana. The first requires no explanation. According to the second, life is the result of twelve conditions, which are by turns causes and effects. Thus there would be no death were it not for birth; it is therefore the effect of which birth is the cause. Again, there would be no birth were there not a continuation of existence. Existence has for its cause our attachment to things, which again has its origin in desire; and so on through sensation, contact, the organs of sensation and the heart, name and form, ideas, etc, up to ignorance. This ignorance, however, is not ordinary ignorance, but the fundamental error which causes us to attribute permanence and reality to things. This, then, is the primary origin of existence and all its attendant evils.
Nirvana or extinction is eternal salvation from the evils of existence, and the end which every Buddhist is supposed to seek. Sakya-muni did not leave his doctrines in writing; he declared them orally, and they were carefully treasured up by his disciples, and written down after his death. The determination of the canon of the Buddhist scriptures as we now possess them was the work of three successive councils, and was finished two centuries at least before Christ. From Buddhism involving a protest against caste distinctions it was eagerly adopted by the Dasyus or non-Aryan inhabitants of Hindustan. It was pure, moral, and humane in its origin, but it came subsequently to be mixed up with idolatrous worship of its founder and other deities. Although now long banished from Hindustan by the persecutions of the Brahmans, Buddhism prevails in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Nepal, Tibet, Mongolia, China, Indonesia, and Japan, and its adherents are said to comprise about a third of the human race. Research Buddhism
The ISO (International Standards Organisation) assigns a two character code to each country name. These codes are used by Internet 'whois' databases (these two character abbreviations are the whois country codes) and also other applications.
A tsunami or tidal wave as they are popularly known, is a seismic sea wave originating from any one of several submarine geological phenomena, such as volcanic explosions or earthquakes. They travel in the open ocean at speeds up to 640 kmh. On Boxing Day 2004, (the 26th December 2004) an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter Scale occurred under the sea off the coast of Sumatra. The resultant tsunami or tidal waves killed over 125,000 people throughout the entire Indian Ocean area extending from Burma, Indonesia and Malaysia in the east, west to Sri Lanka, India, the Maldives, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania and the Seychelles. Research Tsunami
The Atlas Moth (Attacus atlas) is one of the largest of the Lepidoptera with a wing span of about 235 mm. The Atlas Moth is found in south India and on the islands of south-east Asia including Indonesia. The caterpillars feed mainly on plants of the family Simaroubaceae and Salicaceae. Research Atlas Moth
The Batak is an Indonesian breed of pony originating from central Sumatra. The
Batak occurs in many colours and stands 13 hands high. They are usually good-natured, making for a classy and spirited riding pony capable of high speed and often sued for racing in Indonesia. Research Batak
The yellow-bellied sea snake (Pelamis platrus) is a venomous marine snake of the family Elapidae found in tropical and sub-tropical warm oceans from eastern Africa, Madagascar, Arabia and India throughout coastal south-eastern Asia, Indonesia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific islands and the west coast of the USA, making it the most widely distributed sea snake. The yellow-bellied sea snake has a dark back of black, olive, or olive-brown colour and a yellow belly and a unique, oar-like tail which is flattened from side to side and grows to a length of about 115 centimetres. The yellow-bellied sea snake feeds on fish, ambushing them by floating among debris floating on the sea and waiting for fish to come to feed upon the debris. Research Yellow-Bellied Sea Snake
The Batak are six distinct but related peoples of northern and central Sumatra in Indonesia, speaking Austronesian languages. Their ancestors were Proto-Malayan people fairly isolated in the Sumatran highlands until the early 19th century. Research Batak
The Javanese are the largest ethnic group in the Republic of Indonesia. There are more than 50 million speakers of Javanese, which belongs to the western branch of the Austronesian family. Although the Javanese have a Hindu-Buddhist heritage, they are today predominantly Muslim, practising a branch of Islam known as Islam Jawa, which contains many Sufi features In pre-independence Indonesia, Javanese society was divided into hierarchical classes ruled by sultans, and differences in status were reflected by strict codes of dress. Arts and crafts flourished at the court. Although the majority of Javanese depend on the cultivation of rice in irrigated fields, there are many large urban centres with developing industries. Research Javanese
A Malagasy is an inhabitant of or native to Madagascar. The Malagasy language has about nine million speakers; it belongs to the Austronesian family. Despite Madagascar's proximity to Africa, Malagasy contains only a small number of Bantu and Arabic loan words. It seems likely that the earliest settlers came by sea, some 1,500 years ago, from Indonesia. Primarily rice farmers, the Malagasy make use both of irrigated fields and swidden (temporary plot) methods. Research Malagasy
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Association of South East Asian Nations
