Chapters 4 and 5 reveal China's economic threat to America and the rest of the world. After joining WTO in 2001, China started to follow its mercantilist policies (Paul Krugman), instead of keeping its promise to eliminate all export illegal subsidies (pp. 55-56). What's worse, China has violated free trade rules with its eight unfair trade practices ever since. By using the eight weapons, China subverts the free trade framework (p. 66). These practices include: 1.illegal export subsidies, 2.manipulated and undervalued currency, 3.theft of intellectual properties, 4.short-sighted willingness to trade environmental damage to production cost advantage, 5.lax health and safety standards for China's workforce in order to gain lots of profits, 6.unlawful tariffs, quotas and export restrictions on key raw materials to control the world's metallurgy and heavy industry, 7.monopolizing prices, driving down world prices below production costs while raising prices of rare earths, 8. using the weapons of job destruction. (pp.49-65, Chapter 4)
While China's economy has grown 10% annually, the US's has expanded only 2.4%. Manufacturing used to account for 25% of the American gross domestic product, now that share has shrunk to 10% (p. 52).
Chapter 5 shows how China manipulates its currency, the yuan. By "pegging" the yuan to the US dollar at an undervalued fixed exchange rate (about six yuan to the dollar p. 69). Among the four factors which drives the economy of any nation (1.consumption, 2. business investment, 3.government spending, 4. net exports p. 67), it is the last driving force, net exports, that is critical to China's manipulation of the yuan, and its effects on the US economy. America now runs a chronic trade deficit to China, and suffers from slow growth rate and high rate of unemployment. (p. 68). In order to overhaul this trade deficit, the US needs to start with currency reform, and to stop China's currency manipulation. America also needs to bring manufacturing jobs back home by strengthening its heavy industries (such as Boeing,Ford, GM, Caterpillar) with their manufacturing bases and all big and small factories and companies that depend on them.
This "Death by Chinese Currency Manipulation" could also threaten the "Death of American Political Sovereignty." China's "financial nuclear option" involves using its vast foreign reserves to destabilize American banks, stock and bond markets (p. 70).
Chapter 6 points out three off shoring waves that have seriously damaged America: the first off shoring wave (1978)-industrial plantations, second wave after 2001 - China's beginning using weapons of job destruction, and the third wave, now in progress and also the most dangerous, -the grand illusion of 1.3 billion consumers (pp. 78-89).
(To be continued)
Sources:
Death by China
Online Book:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B23GcuCxvQVBNjhjNGE4NjctZGZmNy00YTNmLWFlYmUtZjY3OTc3OThhNjU4&hl=en_US&authkey=CIuC07sC
Video with Author Greg Autry
http://deathbychina.com/introvideo.html
URL of Intro
http://deathbychina.com/
Baiqiao Tang’s Blog
http://www.deathbychina.com/blog/?p=92
Poorly Made in China by Paul Midler
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Greed and Globalization: 21st-Century Colonialism and Imperialism
Death by China: Confronting the Dragon--A Global Call to Action (Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2011) by Peter Narravo and Greg Autry is a must read to understand China and the 21st-century colonialism and imperialism. The Foreword was by Baiqiao Tang, a Tiananmen Square protester and co-author of My Two Chinas: The memoirs of a Chinese Counterrevolutionary, who is now living in New York City.
The book consists of five parts with 16 Chapters. At the end of the book there are also an epilogue, end notes, and an index.
The first three chapters discuss all the risks the world (including Chinese newborns in mainland China)now faces as consumers of China's lethal products, foods, and drugs; China's economic weapons of job destruction and market share grabbing from the US and other countries; and China's voracious and lethal appetites for the Earth's raw materials and natural resources.
From melamine found in milk, pet foods, chicken feed, and baby formula to gutter oil used in Chinese restaurants, the whole world is being poisoned by Chinese goods. On the job market, the US alone has lost millions of manufacturing jobs to China's mockery of free trade. America's apparel, textile, and furniture industries have shrunk to half their size since China became a member of the WTO.
70% of China's water bodies are severely polluted, and acid rains from China spread across Asia (p.6). Yet this huge world's factory keeps growing and demanding more and more raw materials. By 2035 China's oil demand will exceed that of current total oil production for the entire world. (p.3)
From Africa, Asia to Latin America, China's 21st-century colonialism always begins with low-interest loans to build up the country's infrastructure in exchange for raw materials and access to local markets. After the country took the bait, China brings its huge army of workers and engineers to build infrastructure and telecommunications systems for the country while transporting back to China its raw materials. Finally, China dumps its finished goods back to the local markets, and goes on driving its new colony into perpetual unemployment and poverty. (pp.4-5)
(To be continued)
Sources:
Death by China
Available at:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B23GcuCxvQVBNjhjNGE4NjctZGZmNy00YTNmLWFlYmUtZjY3OTc3OThhNjU4&hl=en_US&authkey=CIuC07sC
Video with Author Greg Autry
http://deathbychina.com/introvideo.html
URL of Intro
http://deathbychina.com/
Baiqiao Tang’s Blog
http://www.deathbychina.com/blog/?p=92
The book consists of five parts with 16 Chapters. At the end of the book there are also an epilogue, end notes, and an index.
The first three chapters discuss all the risks the world (including Chinese newborns in mainland China)now faces as consumers of China's lethal products, foods, and drugs; China's economic weapons of job destruction and market share grabbing from the US and other countries; and China's voracious and lethal appetites for the Earth's raw materials and natural resources.
From melamine found in milk, pet foods, chicken feed, and baby formula to gutter oil used in Chinese restaurants, the whole world is being poisoned by Chinese goods. On the job market, the US alone has lost millions of manufacturing jobs to China's mockery of free trade. America's apparel, textile, and furniture industries have shrunk to half their size since China became a member of the WTO.
70% of China's water bodies are severely polluted, and acid rains from China spread across Asia (p.6). Yet this huge world's factory keeps growing and demanding more and more raw materials. By 2035 China's oil demand will exceed that of current total oil production for the entire world. (p.3)
From Africa, Asia to Latin America, China's 21st-century colonialism always begins with low-interest loans to build up the country's infrastructure in exchange for raw materials and access to local markets. After the country took the bait, China brings its huge army of workers and engineers to build infrastructure and telecommunications systems for the country while transporting back to China its raw materials. Finally, China dumps its finished goods back to the local markets, and goes on driving its new colony into perpetual unemployment and poverty. (pp.4-5)
(To be continued)
Sources:
Death by China
Available at:
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B23GcuCxvQVBNjhjNGE4NjctZGZmNy00YTNmLWFlYmUtZjY3OTc3OThhNjU4&hl=en_US&authkey=CIuC07sC
Video with Author Greg Autry
http://deathbychina.com/introvideo.html
URL of Intro
http://deathbychina.com/
Baiqiao Tang’s Blog
http://www.deathbychina.com/blog/?p=92
Monday, June 20, 2011
Self and No Self Part III
Conclusion
The Buddha's silence in response to the question about self and no self is a topic for Buddhist learners to contemplate on.
Is it necessary to beat around the bush and argue about concepts and terminology all the time? Are such arguments vain mind games?
The purpose of Buddhism is to teach compassion and to relieve human suffering. Whether there is a self or there is no self should be viewed in terms of the self's experience of happiness or suffering. Hence the Dalai Lama mentioned the wholesome sense of self vs. the unwholesome sense of self. It is one's choice to select which to view oneself and the world; and as a result of that choice, one is responsible for one's experience. Everyone has his or her own torch to carry as s/he embarks on the journey.
The core lies in our practice. Let's continue to meditate and gain insights as ours is a long journey to liberation.
The Buddha's silence in response to the question about self and no self is a topic for Buddhist learners to contemplate on.
Is it necessary to beat around the bush and argue about concepts and terminology all the time? Are such arguments vain mind games?
The purpose of Buddhism is to teach compassion and to relieve human suffering. Whether there is a self or there is no self should be viewed in terms of the self's experience of happiness or suffering. Hence the Dalai Lama mentioned the wholesome sense of self vs. the unwholesome sense of self. It is one's choice to select which to view oneself and the world; and as a result of that choice, one is responsible for one's experience. Everyone has his or her own torch to carry as s/he embarks on the journey.
The core lies in our practice. Let's continue to meditate and gain insights as ours is a long journey to liberation.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Trần Văn Giàu --Part III
On September 2, 1945 the Provisional Committee tried to broadcast President Hồ Chí Minh's Declaration of Independence speech, but couldn't because of some technical problem. Instead Dr. Phạm Ngọc Thạch, Head of the YPO, and Secretary of Health Services in the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam read the Government's oath to the Vietnamese people. On behalf of the CPB and the Việt Minh Branch in the South, Nguyễn Văn Nguyễn, a journalist, called for people's support to Việt Minh. Trần Văn Giàu, as representative of the Provisional Administrative Committee in the South, improvised a speech to celebrate the Nation's Independence Day. He was then only 34 years old.
Besides the CPB in the South which was founded in October 1943 with Trần Văn Giàu as its Secretary, there was another Branch of the Indochina Communist Party in the South which was independent from Trần Văn Giàu's. Researchers often call the latter Branch "Liberation CPB" (Xứ ủy Giải phóng), for it published The Liberation, or the Old Việt Minh Branch. The CPB headed by Trần Văn Giàu is refered to as Youth Pioneer Branch, for its publication was The Youth Pioneer, or the New Việt Minh Branch.
In the second half of 1941 when many members of the Old Branch were arrested, and it had to remain quiet, only a few Party members such as Trần Văn Vi, Lê Hữu Kiều, Lê Minh Định, Trần Văn Trà, Chế (the shoe-repairer), Bùi Văn Dự... tried to publish The Liberation to keep on their activities. Although the headquarters were in Saigon, the members had to be on the move, and scatter here and there in the South to keep their whereabouts a secret. It was extremely difficult to convene a meeting with these members.
After the new CPB in the South was re-organized, Trần Văn Giàu invited Nguyễn Thị Thập, a member of the Liberation CPB, to join the his branch. However, the attempt to reunite both branches failed, because of their differences in organization and leadership. In November 1944 the French ruler imprisoned most members of the Liberation CPB. When Japan overthrew the French government in Indochina, some of these members managed to to escape.
In March 20, 1945 the Liberation CPB convened at Xoài Hột (Mỹ Tho), and organized the Provisional CPB, which elected Dân Tôn Tử (Trần Văn Vi)to be its Secretary. In May 1945, the branch had a meeting a Bà Điểm (Hóc Môn)to form the official CPB, which was then called the Board of Southern Cadres with Lê Hữu Kiều as Secretary.
The newly gained independence was less than one month old,and the forces led by the Provisional Administrative Committee. were actively involved, but lacked administrative experiences. The situations in many areas in the South were chaotic, and other political organizations tried to take advantage of the chaos to build up their own forces and influences. The existence of two Provisional Branches with their internal conflicts and differences within the Communist Party in the South at the time caused more harm to the reputation and the influences of the Party. Meanwhile the French forces continuously to pour into Vietnam since September 12, 1945. The young Revolutionary Government had to delay confrontation in order to prepare for the long resistance war.
On the night of September 22, 1945 French soldiers attacked the Headquarters of the Provisional Administrative Committee, the National Defense Office and other offices of the Committee. Having prepared in advance, the PAC leaders went undercover, and continued to lead the armed forces in the newly waged Resistance War. On September 23, 1945, at 629 Cây Mai Street(Nguyễn Trãi Street nowadays), Trần Văn Giàu was elected the President of Resistance War Committee in the South, and announced the Call to Arms for the Resistance War in the South:
Dear Fellow Southerners, Saigonese, Workers, Youths, Self-Dense Forces, and Armed Civilians and Soldiers:
Last night the French colonial soldiers attacked and seized our government's headquarters in downtown Saigon, openly and aggressively occupying our nation again.
On September the Second our Fellow countrymen and women vowed to protect our independence till our last drop of blood.
Independence or Death!
Today the Resistance War Committee calls all Fellow Southerners to arms, everybody -the old, the young, males and females- Let's arm ourselves to fight against the aggressors!
Those who were not assigned tasks by the Committee, please leave the City immediately; those who stay must:
1. never work for nor join the forces of the enemy;
2. never assist, pass information, nor sell food to the French colonists;
Find and kill the French colonists;
Burn and destroy the enemy's agencies, means of transportation, treasures, and factories owned by the colonists.
Saigon as occupied by the French must be a Saigon without electricity and water, no market, no stores whatsoever.
Dear Fellow Countrymen and Women,
From this moment on our first and foremost task is to destroy the enemy and their supporters.
Dear Self-Dense Forces, and Armed Civilians and Soldiers,
Hold on tightly to your guns and ammunition and fight against the French colonists in order to protect our Country!
Our Resistance War has begun!
Dawn of September 23, 1945.
Trần Văn Giàu
President of Resistance War Committee in the South
As President of the Resistance War Committee (RWC), and together with his comrades, he did his best to unite all armed forces in the South against the French aggressors, firmly suppressed other armed political forces which wanted to separate themselves from the leadership of the Provisional Committee. Because of his firm policies, his opponents considered him as insensitive, cold-blooded and brutal.
In October, the Party Central ordered him and Dr. Phạm Ngọc Thạch to leave for Hà Nội. He expressed his wish to stay in the South, or at least to remain in Cambodia or Thailand in order to establish bases for the South. His second wish was granted, and he continued to work with Vietnamese youths overseas to mobilize them and to buy ammunition for Southern forces.
At the end of 1946 the Party Central sent Le Duan to the South to unite the two branches into one called the Part Committee in the South. The armed forces in the Youth Pioneer(Tiền phong) and other organizations were then put under the leadership of the Việt Minh, the only national political communist organization.
In 1947 Trần Văn Giàu was called back to the North to assume the post as the General Director of the Board of Information. In 1951 he joined the Department of Education, and started to build up the foundation for national universities and teacher colleges.
In November 1954 when the University of Pedagogy, Literature and Humanities, and Natural Sciences was founded, he became the Secretary of the University Party Committee. He was also a faculty teaching Politics, Philosophy, World History and Vietnam History, and later became the founder of these sciences for the University of Pedagogy in North Vietnam.
In 1955-1956 he was among the first few to be appointed full-professorship by the Government. In 1956 when the National General University was established, he was elected as the Secretary of the University Party Committee, but he continued to serve the the University of Pedagogy.
From 1962 to after 1975 he researched at the History Institute of Vietnam, or the Institute of Social Sciences of Vietnam nowadays. He established the Trần Văn Giàu Fund from the sale of his house which was about 1,000 tales of gold and which was deposited to the bank. With the annual interest from the bank, the Trần Văn Giàu Award is given to those who has contributed excellent research in history and in the history of thoughts in Southernmost Areas of Central Vietnam and in South Vietnam.
He passed away at 17:20pm on December 16, 2010 at Thống Nhất Hospital, Hồ Chí Minh City.
Sources:
http://vi.wikipedia.org
https://facultystaff.richmond.edu/~ebolt/history398/whoistranvangiau.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/vietnamese/vietnam/2010/12/101217_tran_van_giau.shtml
http://www.diendan.org/tai-lieu/hoi-ky-t-v-giau/
Related article:
Besides the CPB in the South which was founded in October 1943 with Trần Văn Giàu as its Secretary, there was another Branch of the Indochina Communist Party in the South which was independent from Trần Văn Giàu's. Researchers often call the latter Branch "Liberation CPB" (Xứ ủy Giải phóng), for it published The Liberation, or the Old Việt Minh Branch. The CPB headed by Trần Văn Giàu is refered to as Youth Pioneer Branch, for its publication was The Youth Pioneer, or the New Việt Minh Branch.
In the second half of 1941 when many members of the Old Branch were arrested, and it had to remain quiet, only a few Party members such as Trần Văn Vi, Lê Hữu Kiều, Lê Minh Định, Trần Văn Trà, Chế (the shoe-repairer), Bùi Văn Dự... tried to publish The Liberation to keep on their activities. Although the headquarters were in Saigon, the members had to be on the move, and scatter here and there in the South to keep their whereabouts a secret. It was extremely difficult to convene a meeting with these members.
After the new CPB in the South was re-organized, Trần Văn Giàu invited Nguyễn Thị Thập, a member of the Liberation CPB, to join the his branch. However, the attempt to reunite both branches failed, because of their differences in organization and leadership. In November 1944 the French ruler imprisoned most members of the Liberation CPB. When Japan overthrew the French government in Indochina, some of these members managed to to escape.
In March 20, 1945 the Liberation CPB convened at Xoài Hột (Mỹ Tho), and organized the Provisional CPB, which elected Dân Tôn Tử (Trần Văn Vi)to be its Secretary. In May 1945, the branch had a meeting a Bà Điểm (Hóc Môn)to form the official CPB, which was then called the Board of Southern Cadres with Lê Hữu Kiều as Secretary.
The newly gained independence was less than one month old,and the forces led by the Provisional Administrative Committee. were actively involved, but lacked administrative experiences. The situations in many areas in the South were chaotic, and other political organizations tried to take advantage of the chaos to build up their own forces and influences. The existence of two Provisional Branches with their internal conflicts and differences within the Communist Party in the South at the time caused more harm to the reputation and the influences of the Party. Meanwhile the French forces continuously to pour into Vietnam since September 12, 1945. The young Revolutionary Government had to delay confrontation in order to prepare for the long resistance war.
On the night of September 22, 1945 French soldiers attacked the Headquarters of the Provisional Administrative Committee, the National Defense Office and other offices of the Committee. Having prepared in advance, the PAC leaders went undercover, and continued to lead the armed forces in the newly waged Resistance War. On September 23, 1945, at 629 Cây Mai Street(Nguyễn Trãi Street nowadays), Trần Văn Giàu was elected the President of Resistance War Committee in the South, and announced the Call to Arms for the Resistance War in the South:
Dear Fellow Southerners, Saigonese, Workers, Youths, Self-Dense Forces, and Armed Civilians and Soldiers:
Last night the French colonial soldiers attacked and seized our government's headquarters in downtown Saigon, openly and aggressively occupying our nation again.
On September the Second our Fellow countrymen and women vowed to protect our independence till our last drop of blood.
Independence or Death!
Today the Resistance War Committee calls all Fellow Southerners to arms, everybody -the old, the young, males and females- Let's arm ourselves to fight against the aggressors!
Those who were not assigned tasks by the Committee, please leave the City immediately; those who stay must:
1. never work for nor join the forces of the enemy;
2. never assist, pass information, nor sell food to the French colonists;
Find and kill the French colonists;
Burn and destroy the enemy's agencies, means of transportation, treasures, and factories owned by the colonists.
Saigon as occupied by the French must be a Saigon without electricity and water, no market, no stores whatsoever.
Dear Fellow Countrymen and Women,
From this moment on our first and foremost task is to destroy the enemy and their supporters.
Dear Self-Dense Forces, and Armed Civilians and Soldiers,
Hold on tightly to your guns and ammunition and fight against the French colonists in order to protect our Country!
Our Resistance War has begun!
Dawn of September 23, 1945.
Trần Văn Giàu
President of Resistance War Committee in the South
As President of the Resistance War Committee (RWC), and together with his comrades, he did his best to unite all armed forces in the South against the French aggressors, firmly suppressed other armed political forces which wanted to separate themselves from the leadership of the Provisional Committee. Because of his firm policies, his opponents considered him as insensitive, cold-blooded and brutal.
In October, the Party Central ordered him and Dr. Phạm Ngọc Thạch to leave for Hà Nội. He expressed his wish to stay in the South, or at least to remain in Cambodia or Thailand in order to establish bases for the South. His second wish was granted, and he continued to work with Vietnamese youths overseas to mobilize them and to buy ammunition for Southern forces.
At the end of 1946 the Party Central sent Le Duan to the South to unite the two branches into one called the Part Committee in the South. The armed forces in the Youth Pioneer(Tiền phong) and other organizations were then put under the leadership of the Việt Minh, the only national political communist organization.
In 1947 Trần Văn Giàu was called back to the North to assume the post as the General Director of the Board of Information. In 1951 he joined the Department of Education, and started to build up the foundation for national universities and teacher colleges.
In November 1954 when the University of Pedagogy, Literature and Humanities, and Natural Sciences was founded, he became the Secretary of the University Party Committee. He was also a faculty teaching Politics, Philosophy, World History and Vietnam History, and later became the founder of these sciences for the University of Pedagogy in North Vietnam.
In 1955-1956 he was among the first few to be appointed full-professorship by the Government. In 1956 when the National General University was established, he was elected as the Secretary of the University Party Committee, but he continued to serve the the University of Pedagogy.
From 1962 to after 1975 he researched at the History Institute of Vietnam, or the Institute of Social Sciences of Vietnam nowadays. He established the Trần Văn Giàu Fund from the sale of his house which was about 1,000 tales of gold and which was deposited to the bank. With the annual interest from the bank, the Trần Văn Giàu Award is given to those who has contributed excellent research in history and in the history of thoughts in Southernmost Areas of Central Vietnam and in South Vietnam.
He passed away at 17:20pm on December 16, 2010 at Thống Nhất Hospital, Hồ Chí Minh City.
Sources:
http://vi.wikipedia.org
https://facultystaff.richmond.edu/~ebolt/history398/whoistranvangiau.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/vietnamese/vietnam/2010/12/101217_tran_van_giau.shtml
http://www.diendan.org/tai-lieu/hoi-ky-t-v-giau/
Related article:
GS Trần Văn Giàu với các cháu
thiếu nhi TP Hồ Chí Minh.
Dấu
ấn một nhân cách
Chủ Nhật, 18/09/2016 09:10:00
Ngày 15/9, tại TP Hồ Chí Minh, hội thảo về nhà
cách mạng, nhà giáo, nhà khoa học Trần Văn Giàu, nhân kỷ niệm 105 năm ngày sinh
của ông - một lần nữa người ta lại nghe những lời xúc động nhất, trân trọng
nhất dành cho ông; một con người như một huyền thoại giữa đời thường
Bản lĩnh của một trí tuệ mẫn tiệp
Nói như ông Lê Thanh Hải- nguyên Bí thư Thành ủy
TP HCM thì trong số những người con xuất sắc của vùng đất Nam Bộ, Trần Văn
Giàu là một tấm gương tận trung với Đảng, tận hiếu với Dân, đức độ, tài năng,
cùng những cống hiến và cuộc đời thăng trầm của mình đã để lại những dấu ấn
không thể phai nhạt trong lòng đồng bào cả nước, đồng bào Nam Bộ.
Cuộc đời ông gắn liền với những thăng trầm của
đất nước. 15 tuổi, cậu bé làng An Lục Long, huyện Châu Thành, tỉnh Long An đã
tham gia phong trào để tang cụ Phan Châu Trinh. Sau này, ông kể lại, lúc bấy
giờ trái tim non trẻ của ông luôn bồi hồi vì câu nói của nhà yêu nước Nguyễn An
Ninh: “Cần rời khỏi nhà mình, đi xa, đi thật xa để tìm một lý tưởng mà phấn
đấu”.
Và, như định mệnh, cuộc đời ông luôn là những
chuyến đi: ra nước ngoài, đi khắp trong Nam ngoài Bắc của đất nước mình; bị
địch cầm tù cả ở nước ngoài và cả ở trong nước; nhưng chí nguyện của ông không
bao giờ đổi thay: vì nhân dân mình, vì đất nước mình.
Từ một người yêu nước, Trần Văn Giàu đã trở thành
một chiến sỹ cộng sản. Vào Đảng Cộng sản Pháp từ năm 1929, rồi là đảng viên
Đảng Cộng sản Đông Dương; lặn lội gây dựng phong trào tại Nam Bộ trong lúc thực
dân Pháp thực hiện chính sách “khủng bố trắng”- ông trở thành Bí thư Xứ ủy Nam
kỳ trong những năm tháng đấu tranh đen tối nhất.
Ông cũng 2 lần đến Macau (Trung Quốc) vào tháng
12/1934 và tháng 2/1935 tham gia công tác chuẩn bị và dự Đại hội lần thứ I của
Đảng Cộng sản Đông Dương. 7 năm trời, người cộng sản Trần Văn Giàu trải qua các
nhà tù khét tiếng của thực dân, chịu mọi cực hình tra tấn; nhưng thật kỳ lạ là
ông đã biến nhà tù thành trường học cộng sản.
Một điểm mốc rất quan trọng trong cuộc đời hoạt
động cách mạng giải phóng đất nước khỏi ách đô hộ của thực dân Pháp của Trần
Văn Giàu chính là thời điểm tháng 8/1945, khi ông là linh hồn của cuộc tổng
khởi nghĩa tại Sài Gòn - Chợ Lớn - Gia Định và các tỉnh Nam Bộ.
Trong những bước ngoạt của lịch sử, của cuộc đấu
tranh giải phóng dân tộc, Trần Văn Giàu tỏ rõ bản lĩnh, sự quyết đoán, tầm nhìn
xa trông rộng của một trí tuệ mẫn tiệp. Đầu những năm 1940, khi tổ chức Đảng
trong Nam mất liên lạc với Trung ương, nhưng ông nghĩ phải tự vạch đường
mà đi, không thể dậm chân tại chỗ. Đến đầu năm 1945, chính ông là người xây
dựng thành công lực lượng Thanh niên tiền phong để chuẩn bị cướp chính quyền.
Khi trở thành Chủ tịch Ủy ban Kháng chiến hành
chánh Nam bộ, ông lại đưa ra một quyết định vô cùng quan trọng: phát đi lời kêu
gọi mở màn cho cuộc kháng chiến chống thực dân Pháp khi chúng quay lại chiếm
đất nước ta một lần nữa. “Nam Bộ đi trước về sau” trong cuộc kháng chiến 9 năm
đã bắt đầu từ lời kêu gọi ấy.
Nặng nghĩa trọn tình
Sau này, khi tuổi đã cao, ông trở về TP Hồ
Chí Minh sinh sống cùng người bạn đời thủy chung- bà Sáu Đỗ Thị Đạo, người suốt
đời hy sinh cho ông. Tuổi cao, năm 1997, bà bị ngã nứt rạn xương hông phải nằm
một chỗ. Hằng ngày, cứ đến bữa ông lại tự tay mang cơm đến bên giường ăn cùng
bà.
Trước khi vĩnh viễn ra đi, bà Sáu từng nói với
người cháu: “Nếu ông trời bắt, thì bắt ông đi trước, vì còn có người trông nom,
săn sóc cho ông. Không may cô đi trước, lấy ai nuôi dưỡng ông đây”. Nghe bà
nói, không ai cầm được nước mắt. Năm 2005, bà Sáu trút hơi thở cuối cùng. Ông
bà không có con, chỉ có một người con nuôi - TS Đinh Xuân Thu. Ngày bà mất, ông
ngồi im bất động bên bà, nước mắt lăn dài trên má.
Cả cuộc đời hiến dâng cho nhân dân, cho đất nước,
ông không giữ lại gì cho riêng mình. Năm 2001, ông quyết định bán căn nhà của
mình để hiến tặng 1.000 cây vàng cho Hội khoa học Lịch sử Việt Nam dùng làm quỹ
giải thưởng cho những công trình sử học nghiên cứu về Nam Bộ.
Bà Đỗ Nguyệt Hương, TS Sử học, nguyên Giám đốc Sở
Ngoại vụ Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu- cháu ruột của bà Sáu kể, lúc ra Bắc, vợ chồng GS Trần
Văn Giàu được Nhà nước cấp một căn hộ trong ngôi nhà số 20 Phan Huy Chú (Hà
Nội). Khi dạy Sử ở Trường đại học Tổng hợp Hà Nội, ông bà cũng như mọi người
sống dựa vào tiêu chuẩn tem phiếu, nhưng vẫn là chỗ để học sinh miền Nam qua
lại.
Những lúc đó, bà Sáu lại nấu những món ăn Nam Bộ
cho “lũ nhỏ xa nhà” ăn. Tình cảm đó cũng trở lại khi một chiều 30 Tết, ông bà
gọi những người vốn là học trò của ông vào ĐH Tổng hợp TP Hồ Chí Minh
thỉnh giảng về nhà ông bà ăn Tết, cho vơi nỗi nhớ nhà...
TS Đinh Thu Xuân - con gái nuôi của ông bà kể
lại, mùa đông năm 1946, nguyên Bí thư Xứ ủy Nam Bộ kiêm Chủ tịch Ủy ban Khởi
nghĩa Nam Bộ Trần Văn Giàu được Trung ương mời ra Bắc. Trong điều
kiện thiếu thốn của chiến khu Chi Nê (Hòa Bình), ông bị sốt rét ác tính.
Cha chị Xuân đã chữa bệnh cho ông bằng phương
thuốc gia truyền của người Mường. Năm 1994, hay tin cha chị ốm nặng, ông đã đưa
cho chị một cặp sâm Triều Tiên và nói: “Đây là quà của Chủ tịch Kim Nhật Thành
tặng, con mang về quê để bồi bổ sức khỏe cho cha”.
Nhận được quà, cha chị Thu ứa nước mắt, dặn: “Từ
giờ trở đi, con phải coi ông bà giáo sư như cha mẹ của mình, phải chăm sóc ông
bà chu đáo, vì ông bà có hai người con đều mất từ khi còn nhỏ. Hồi ở chiến khu
cha rất xót xa khi nghe ông nói: “Phải chi Giàu có một đứa con”.
Là người danh giá, nhưng ông không có của cải gì
đáng kể. Khi đất nước thống nhất, ông bà chuyển về TP.HCM sống trong căn nhà do
Thành ủy cấp. TS Đỗ Nguyệt Hương kể, ngày 14/5/1983, bà đang công tác tại Vũng
Tàu thì nhận được thư của ông, trong thư có đoạn: “Cô, dượng rất muốn đi Vũng
Tàu thăm các cháu nhưng không có xăng đổ ôtô (mượn xe), thôi đành nghỉ mát ở
nhà vậy!”.
Ông không để lại của cải, nhưng đã để lại một gia
tài đồ sộ là các công trình nghiên cứu khoa học lịch sử, trong đó có cuốn “Tổng
tập Trần Văn Giàu”, 1.780 trang (tập 1), xuất bản năm 2006. Công trình khoa học
“Giai cấp công nhân Việt Nam”, do NXB Sự thật xuất bản lần đầu năm 1958, với
lời giới thiệu viết tay của Chủ tịch Tôn Đức Thắng. GS Trần Văn Giàu đã viết
công trình này này trên ổ rơm của một gia đình nông dân Sơn Tây, trong cái rét
căm căm nơi đất Bắc.
Con gái nuôi của ông bà- TS Đinh Xuân Thu thường
nói về ông là người nhân từ, độ lượng, mẫu mực, liêm khiết, giản dị, hết mực
yêu thương gia đình và rất hóm hỉnh. Ông dặn người con nuôi, hãy tham gia và
góp sức mình vào hết thảy những việc gì đem lại ích nước lợi nhà.
“Là người kiệm lời nhưng nhiều nghĩa, nên những
chuyện riêng của gia đình hay của cá nhân, cha tôi ít khi bộc bạch. Có lẽ đó là
bài học làm người đầu tiên mà cha dạy tôi”- TS Đinh Xuân Thu nhớ về ông và kể
rằng khi bệnh nặng, điều trị tại Bệnh viện Thống Nhất, ông kiên cường chịu
đựng, không để lộ nỗi đau. “Tôi áp tay cha vào má và hôn lên bàn tay gầy guộc,
mờ hết vân tay vì cả một đời cầm bút cho đến khi không thể cầm được nữa”.
Nhân cách Trần Văn Giàu
Nhà nghiên cứu Nguyễn Đình Đầu từng nhận định,
chưa có ai thay thế được GS Trần Văn Giàu: nhà cách mạng tiêu biểu, nhà tư
tưởng hàng đầu, nhà khoa học lớn, nhà giáo có nhiều học trò thành đạt trên
nhiều lĩnh vực.
Còn GS Hoàng Như Mai kể rằng, ông vẫn còn nhớ cảm
giác rùng mình khi làm việc dưới “vòng cương tỏa” của GS Trần Văn Giàu bởi GS
là một trưởng khoa cực kỳ nghiêm khắc ở Trường ĐH Tổng hợp Hà Nội.
Tại đây, ông rèn cho cán bộ cách làm việc khoa
học nghiêm túc, không ngừng nghỉ bằng những lời nhắc nhở cụ thể, bằng chiếc
đồng hồ đặt trên bàn- đó là phong cách làm việc của GS Trần Văn Giàu.
Với những tác phẩm nghiên cứu của mình, GS Trần
Văn Giàu tự mình viết từng chữ, từng trang. Như cách nói của GS Hoàng Như Mai
thì đó là “những trang sử nhỏ từng giọt mồ hôi và cả máu của những năm tháng
đầy biến động đau thương của dân tộc”.
GS Trần Văn Giàu rất coi trọng lịch sử, đó cũng
chính là tình yêu tha thiết đối với nhân dân mình, đất nước mình. Sinh thời,
ông từng nói: “Một xã hội thiếu hiểu biết lịch sử của dân tộc mình là dấu hiệu
của sự sa đọa”.
Trong tham luận tại Hội thảo kỷ niệm 105 ngày
sinh GS Trần Văn Giàu, GS Tạ Ngọc Tấn viết: “Nếu trong hoạt động cách mạng ta
thấy Trần Văn Giàu luôn là người quyết liệt, thẳng thắn, năng động, sẵn sàng
đương đầu với những hiểm nguy, kể cả cái chết, thì trong khoa học người ta lại
thấy một Trần Văn Giàu làm việc thật công phu, điềm đạm, cẩn trọng, khiêm
nhường, tôn trọng chứng cứ lịch sử (...) Trần Văn Giàu qua một cuộc đời thật
phong phú, nhiều thử thách gian nan, gập ghềnh và cả những niềm đau nhân
thế. Chính điều đó cho phép ông trải nghiệm và thể hiện đầy đủ tài năng đa
dạng, sự cống hiến phong phú, một nhân cách lớn rất đáng khâm phục và trân
trọng”.
Với PGS.TS Phan Xuân Biên, thì Trần Văn Giàu là
thầy của nhiều thế hệ học trò và nhà giáo Việt Nam . “Do “dòng đời xô đẩy” chỉ
sau 1 thập niên chính thức dạy học, ông đã để lại hình ảnh một nhà giáo nhân
dân mẫu mực, uyên thâm, tận tụy”.
GS Trần Văn Giàu cũng để lại một thông điệp đến
nay vẫn còn nguyên giá trị, đó là sứ mạng trách nhiệm của khoa học xã hội nói
chung Sử học nói riêng trước nhân dân, trước dân tộc phải khách quan, trung
thực, tôn trọng sự thật lịch sử, kiên quyết bảo vệ chân lý lịch sử.
Ấy là nhân cách Trần văn Giàu!
GS Hoàng Như Mai kể
rằng, ông vẫn còn nhớ cảm giác “rùng mình” khi làm việc dưới “vòng cương tỏa”
của GS Trần Văn Giàu bởi GS là một trưởng khoa cực kỳ nghiêm khắc ở Trường ĐH
Tổng hợp Hà Nội. Tại đây, ông rèn cho cán bộ cách làm việc khoa học nghiêm túc,
không ngừng nghỉ. Với những tác phẩm nghiên cứu, ông tự mình viết từng chữ,
từng trang, đó là “những trang sử nhỏ từng giọt mồ hôi và cả máu của những năm
tháng đầy biến động đau thương của dân tộc”.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Self and No Self Part II
Identity
In the West we often talk about discovering one's "identity," or "the crisis of identity", especially with teenagers, and the pain of discovering one's identity or who one is. The discourse of identity allows for the possibility that I can rediscover and re-describe who I am. The exploration of the nature of the self is still going on. (pp.17-18)
The Self and Humanism
There are two different connotations of the term humanism: 1. the very positive sense of humanism as ennobling the self, and endowing it with certain initiative or power; and 2. the negative emphasis on the self and its view of the environment as something to be exploited or manipulated. (p. 18 the Dalai Lama)
These are two sides of the same coin in Western culture. Originally Descartes and others thought of the self as separate from the cosmos. Later there was another mode of humanism that explains human beings in terms of natural elements. Hence, the term humanism includes both human beings and the whole cosmos, with a denial of the existence of a deity atheists. (p. 19 the Dalai Lama)
What distinguishes a wholesome sense of self from an unwholesome one?
This is important for somebody who wants to be liberated from sufferings. Being able to distinguish the two is a crucial factor in determining our experiences. However, there is no absolute criterion for distinguishing the wholesome sense of self from the unwholesome one.
What matters is not the quality nature of the sense of self, but rather the relational quality result the sense of self brings about. If a certain sense of self arises together with other mental factors and motivations, and with it one experiences suffering, then that sense of self is unwholesome. (p. 116 the Dalai Lama)
The Buddha's View
The Buddha remained silent when Vasta asked Him about "self" and "no self." Later
He explained His silence to Ananda, and advised the latter to take the Middle Way stance, instead of falling into the traps of essentialism or substantialism (the view that there exists a permanent soul which never changes nor perishes)and nihilism (the view that life is meaningless since everything is void).
A practitioner needs to examine or observe the body movements, the feelings and perceptions that arise in the mind, and all surrounding phenomena (or the universal and the twelve cause-and-effect/causality laws in action)in order to gain insights into no-self. With time and diligence of meditation practice, one will gradually learn that there is no autonomous entity called "self" in every object, being or existence whatsoever. Once attaining this stage, one gets liberated from sufferings caused by the habits of perceiving "This is I," "This is My Self," and "This is Mine." One then is able to see things as they really are. However, the Right View is just the beginning, and one must keep on practicing.
The Buddhists refuted the existence of a permanent, unchanging self. All four philosophical schools within Buddhism deny the existence of a self that has a separate nature from the aggregates. However, these schools have different views as to how the self exists. One school asserts that the self is the collection of the five psycho-physical aggregates (skandhas). Another school identifies the self with the mind. Another school views the self essentially as mental consciousness. The Prasangika of the Madhyamaka School, the most profound school, regards the self as a name or an imputation, something imputed or designated on the basis of the collection of the aggregates, the mind and the body. (p. 112. The Dalai Lama)
Nagarjuna, the founder of the Prasangika of the Madhyamaka School, says in his Precious Garland (Ratnavali) that the person is none of the six elements that constitute the person; nor is the collection of these elements the person; the person cannot be found independently from these elements, either. Since the person does not exist as a self-subsistent entity that possesses a self-nature or a self-identity, the person exists nominally only. (pp. 112-113 The Dalai Lama)
The Svatantrika Madhyamaka School and all the lower Buddhist schools regard the statement that all phenomena exist merely as imputations, not by their own nature, as an expression of nihilism. (p. 117. The Dalai Lama)
Sources:
Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying: An Explanation of Consciousness with the Dalai Lama. Edited and narrated by Francisco J. Valera. (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1997).
http://www.thuvienhoasen.org/D_1-2_2-75_4-12093_5-50_6-2_17-237_14-1_15-1/ Anattalakkhana-sutta. Vietnamese version by Hoang Phong. French version by Mohan Wijayaratna translated from Pali. Sermons du Bouddha, Cerf, 1988, pp.123-126). Tương Ưng Bộ Kinh - Samyutta-nikaya, ed. PTS, 1888-1902, III, 66-67 ; Vinayapitaka, ed. PTS, 1879-1883, I, 13-14
Samyuktagamasutra. Vietnamese version by Hoang Phong. French version by
Jean Eracle translated from Chinese (Paroles du Bouddha, tirées de la tradition primitive, Ed. du Seuil, coll. Sagesse, 1991, pp. 142-144).
In the West we often talk about discovering one's "identity," or "the crisis of identity", especially with teenagers, and the pain of discovering one's identity or who one is. The discourse of identity allows for the possibility that I can rediscover and re-describe who I am. The exploration of the nature of the self is still going on. (pp.17-18)
The Self and Humanism
There are two different connotations of the term humanism: 1. the very positive sense of humanism as ennobling the self, and endowing it with certain initiative or power; and 2. the negative emphasis on the self and its view of the environment as something to be exploited or manipulated. (p. 18 the Dalai Lama)
These are two sides of the same coin in Western culture. Originally Descartes and others thought of the self as separate from the cosmos. Later there was another mode of humanism that explains human beings in terms of natural elements. Hence, the term humanism includes both human beings and the whole cosmos, with a denial of the existence of a deity atheists. (p. 19 the Dalai Lama)
What distinguishes a wholesome sense of self from an unwholesome one?
This is important for somebody who wants to be liberated from sufferings. Being able to distinguish the two is a crucial factor in determining our experiences. However, there is no absolute criterion for distinguishing the wholesome sense of self from the unwholesome one.
What matters is not the quality nature of the sense of self, but rather the relational quality result the sense of self brings about. If a certain sense of self arises together with other mental factors and motivations, and with it one experiences suffering, then that sense of self is unwholesome. (p. 116 the Dalai Lama)
The Buddha's View
The Buddha remained silent when Vasta asked Him about "self" and "no self." Later
He explained His silence to Ananda, and advised the latter to take the Middle Way stance, instead of falling into the traps of essentialism or substantialism (the view that there exists a permanent soul which never changes nor perishes)and nihilism (the view that life is meaningless since everything is void).
A practitioner needs to examine or observe the body movements, the feelings and perceptions that arise in the mind, and all surrounding phenomena (or the universal and the twelve cause-and-effect/causality laws in action)in order to gain insights into no-self. With time and diligence of meditation practice, one will gradually learn that there is no autonomous entity called "self" in every object, being or existence whatsoever. Once attaining this stage, one gets liberated from sufferings caused by the habits of perceiving "This is I," "This is My Self," and "This is Mine." One then is able to see things as they really are. However, the Right View is just the beginning, and one must keep on practicing.
The Buddhists refuted the existence of a permanent, unchanging self. All four philosophical schools within Buddhism deny the existence of a self that has a separate nature from the aggregates. However, these schools have different views as to how the self exists. One school asserts that the self is the collection of the five psycho-physical aggregates (skandhas). Another school identifies the self with the mind. Another school views the self essentially as mental consciousness. The Prasangika of the Madhyamaka School, the most profound school, regards the self as a name or an imputation, something imputed or designated on the basis of the collection of the aggregates, the mind and the body. (p. 112. The Dalai Lama)
Nagarjuna, the founder of the Prasangika of the Madhyamaka School, says in his Precious Garland (Ratnavali) that the person is none of the six elements that constitute the person; nor is the collection of these elements the person; the person cannot be found independently from these elements, either. Since the person does not exist as a self-subsistent entity that possesses a self-nature or a self-identity, the person exists nominally only. (pp. 112-113 The Dalai Lama)
The Svatantrika Madhyamaka School and all the lower Buddhist schools regard the statement that all phenomena exist merely as imputations, not by their own nature, as an expression of nihilism. (p. 117. The Dalai Lama)
Sources:
Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying: An Explanation of Consciousness with the Dalai Lama. Edited and narrated by Francisco J. Valera. (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1997).
http://www.thuvienhoasen.org/D_1-2_2-75_4-12093_5-50_6-2_17-237_14-1_15-1/ Anattalakkhana-sutta. Vietnamese version by Hoang Phong. French version by Mohan Wijayaratna translated from Pali. Sermons du Bouddha, Cerf, 1988, pp.123-126). Tương Ưng Bộ Kinh - Samyutta-nikaya, ed. PTS, 1888-1902, III, 66-67 ; Vinayapitaka, ed. PTS, 1879-1883, I, 13-14
Samyuktagamasutra. Vietnamese version by Hoang Phong. French version by
Jean Eracle translated from Chinese (Paroles du Bouddha, tirées de la tradition primitive, Ed. du Seuil, coll. Sagesse, 1991, pp. 142-144).
Friday, June 10, 2011
Trần Văn Giàu --Part II
As Secretary of the Communist Party Branch (CPB) in the South during the time when it was impossible to communicate with the Central Party leaders in the North, or to know that Nguyễn Ái Quốc had returned to Vietnam, and had convened the Eighth Conference to found Vietminh, Trần Văn Giàu had to charter the revolutionary paths for the South to follow and carry out its uprising. Within a short period of time he and his comrades had reorganized and consolidated the old communist cells, mobilizing the Party members in the South and waiting for the right time to seize the government. He thought the Communists in South Vietnam at the time had to be stronger than other pro-Japan political and religious groups in South Vietnam at the time, so as to be be able to lead the masses and topple the ruling classes. Under his directions, the Southern CPB had accomplished the following steps:
1.Reorganized Party members at all levels, especially in the Saigon-Cholon area where Trần Văn Giàu himself was the key leader.
2.Revived the Union, and in April 1944 established the South's General Union, which developed into 40 Union cells with 5,000 worker members.
3. Mobilized many intellectuals, college students, industrialists, businessmen, and some organizations such as the New-Democracy Organization (Tân dân chủ đoàn), The National Language Promotion Association(Hội truyền bá quốc ngữ), and the Youth Magazine group(nhóm báo Thanh Niên).
4. Published The Pioneer(Tiền Phong, and some booklets about Vietnam on the Way to Independence (“Việt Nam trên đường độc lập”), and The Dawn of the Nation(“Rạng đông của dân tộc”); organized politics training classes for Party cadres, of which Trần Văn Giàu was the chief lecturer and trainer.
He viewed the revolution as the cause of the masses, by the masses, and for the masses; so the participation of millions of people was critical. With the support and contribution of other undercover Party members such as Phạm Ngọc Thạch, Nguyễn Văn Thủ, Huỳnh Văn Tiểng, The Youth Pioneer Organization (Thanh niên Tiền phong), a Communist-Party-led organization in disguise was founded to carry out the Party's activities legally. It quickly attracted and mobilized more supporters than any other political organizations in the South, including the Giải phóng/Liberation Communist Party Branch (Xứ ủy Giải phóng), another Communist group. By August 1945 the Youth Pioneer Organization (YPO) had about one million members with its activities spreading among schools, factories and hamlets all over the South.
After Japan surrendered to the Allies, realizing that the time for uprising had come, leaders of the Communist Party Branch in the South decided to form the Uprising Committee on the night of August 15, 1945, and to convene a meeting to discuss the uprising plan for the following day, when the YPO was to carry out its Induction Ceremony in Saigon. During the meeting at Chợ Đệm on August 16 night, the Party members discussed the plan rigorously, but, from the painful lessons of the previous uprising, the Committee agreed that it would be better to wait for news from Hanoi, and to prepare more carefully, and to delay the plan till August 18.
On August 17 the YPO Induction Ceremony was held in Saigon, a political showoff of the forces led by the CPB in the South. However, in lieu of the delayed uprising plan, on August 19 Việt Minh Front leaders (Mặt trận Việt Minh) made their first public appearance, an event organized by the CPB which turned Trần Văn Giàu into the conductor of the whole uprising orchestration that was to take place a few days afterwards.
After the August Revolution succeeded in Hanoi, the second Chợ Đệm meeting was convened on August 20, and the uprising plan was to carry out that afternoon. However, because some members were concerned about the presence of the Japanese forces in Saigon, Trần Văn Giàu decided to choose Tân An as the first province to begin with. The success of the Tân An uprising on August 22 led to the third meeting at Chợ Đệm on August 23 night. A Provisional Administrative Committee for all the South (Lâm ủy Nam Bộ) , headed by Trần Văn Giàu, was formed at this meeting. On August 24 afternoon the armed YPO under the leadership the the CPB seized power in Tân An, Biên Hòa, Thủ Dầu Một, Tây Ninh, and all proceeded towards Sài Gòn. On August 25 there was a huge demonstration in Saigon, and almost all administrative offices and and government agencies were under the control of the CPB.
End of Part II
Sources:
http://vi.wikipedia.org
https://facultystaff.richmond.edu/~ebolt/history398/whoistranvangiau.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/vietnamese/vietnam/2010/12/101217_tran_van_giau.shtml
http://www.diendan.org/tai-lieu/hoi-ky-t-v-giau/
1.Reorganized Party members at all levels, especially in the Saigon-Cholon area where Trần Văn Giàu himself was the key leader.
2.Revived the Union, and in April 1944 established the South's General Union, which developed into 40 Union cells with 5,000 worker members.
3. Mobilized many intellectuals, college students, industrialists, businessmen, and some organizations such as the New-Democracy Organization (Tân dân chủ đoàn), The National Language Promotion Association(Hội truyền bá quốc ngữ), and the Youth Magazine group(nhóm báo Thanh Niên).
4. Published The Pioneer(Tiền Phong, and some booklets about Vietnam on the Way to Independence (“Việt Nam trên đường độc lập”), and The Dawn of the Nation(“Rạng đông của dân tộc”); organized politics training classes for Party cadres, of which Trần Văn Giàu was the chief lecturer and trainer.
He viewed the revolution as the cause of the masses, by the masses, and for the masses; so the participation of millions of people was critical. With the support and contribution of other undercover Party members such as Phạm Ngọc Thạch, Nguyễn Văn Thủ, Huỳnh Văn Tiểng, The Youth Pioneer Organization (Thanh niên Tiền phong), a Communist-Party-led organization in disguise was founded to carry out the Party's activities legally. It quickly attracted and mobilized more supporters than any other political organizations in the South, including the Giải phóng/Liberation Communist Party Branch (Xứ ủy Giải phóng), another Communist group. By August 1945 the Youth Pioneer Organization (YPO) had about one million members with its activities spreading among schools, factories and hamlets all over the South.
After Japan surrendered to the Allies, realizing that the time for uprising had come, leaders of the Communist Party Branch in the South decided to form the Uprising Committee on the night of August 15, 1945, and to convene a meeting to discuss the uprising plan for the following day, when the YPO was to carry out its Induction Ceremony in Saigon. During the meeting at Chợ Đệm on August 16 night, the Party members discussed the plan rigorously, but, from the painful lessons of the previous uprising, the Committee agreed that it would be better to wait for news from Hanoi, and to prepare more carefully, and to delay the plan till August 18.
On August 17 the YPO Induction Ceremony was held in Saigon, a political showoff of the forces led by the CPB in the South. However, in lieu of the delayed uprising plan, on August 19 Việt Minh Front leaders (Mặt trận Việt Minh) made their first public appearance, an event organized by the CPB which turned Trần Văn Giàu into the conductor of the whole uprising orchestration that was to take place a few days afterwards.
After the August Revolution succeeded in Hanoi, the second Chợ Đệm meeting was convened on August 20, and the uprising plan was to carry out that afternoon. However, because some members were concerned about the presence of the Japanese forces in Saigon, Trần Văn Giàu decided to choose Tân An as the first province to begin with. The success of the Tân An uprising on August 22 led to the third meeting at Chợ Đệm on August 23 night. A Provisional Administrative Committee for all the South (Lâm ủy Nam Bộ) , headed by Trần Văn Giàu, was formed at this meeting. On August 24 afternoon the armed YPO under the leadership the the CPB seized power in Tân An, Biên Hòa, Thủ Dầu Một, Tây Ninh, and all proceeded towards Sài Gòn. On August 25 there was a huge demonstration in Saigon, and almost all administrative offices and and government agencies were under the control of the CPB.
End of Part II
Sources:
http://vi.wikipedia.org
https://facultystaff.richmond.edu/~ebolt/history398/whoistranvangiau.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/vietnamese/vietnam/2010/12/101217_tran_van_giau.shtml
http://www.diendan.org/tai-lieu/hoi-ky-t-v-giau/
Trần Văn Giàu--The Politician Who Maintained Integrity with Wisdom and Honesty
Trần Văn Giàu was born on September 6, 1911 at An Luc Long Hamlet, Chau Thanh District, Tan An (Long An)Province into a rich landowner family in South Vietnam. He was called Mười Ký in his family, and also known as Sáu Giàu. In 1926 he went to Saigon to attend Chasseloup Laubat, a French High School. In 1928 he was enrolled at Toulouse University in France, but instead of finishing his studies there, he joined the French Communist Party in March 1929, and participated in the Party-led worker movements, and other protests by the Vietnamese students and workers in Toulouse. In May 1930 he represented the Vietnamese students and workers from Toulouse to join the demonstration in front of the President's Palace in Paris to protest against the capital sentence for the leaders of Yen Bai Revolt. Because of his protest, he was jailed at Loa Roquillis, then expelled to Vietnam.
Back in Saigon, Vietnam, he taught at Huynh Cong Phat, a private school, while participating in revolutionary activities in Saigon-Cholon. He became a member of the Indochina Communist Party, and, together with Hai Trieu, led the city's students and other revolutionary groups in the Southern Council of the Party.
He was sent by the Party to the USSR in the middle of 1931 to attend the University of the East in Moscow. In 1933 he successfully defended his thesis about The Land and Paddyfields Issues in Indochina, and returned to Vietnam. He joined the Party's activities in South Vietnam, and published The Red Flag, and The Communism Series. He became well-known with his eloquence and informative lectures which kindled patriotism in Saigon at the time.
The French government had followed him closely since the time he was a student in Toulouse. On June 25, 1935 he was sentenced to 5 years in prison, and 10 years of house arrest for his activities to topple the government. In Saigon Grand Prison (Khám Lớn Sài Gòn), he was Number 6826 mpp, and the major leader who represented other prisoners to demand for better treatment and living conditions. As a punishment, he was separated and jailed in Bâtiment S until the end of his imprisonment.
On April 23, 1940 he was released, but only for a few days. He was again sent to Camp Tà Lài together with Tào Tỵ, Nguyễn Công Trung, and Trương Văn Giàu. Around the end of 1941 he organized an escape from Tà Lài for his comrades. He himself escaped the second time in early March 1942 with Châu Văn Giác, Trần Văn Kiệt, Dương Văn Phúc, Trương Quang Nhâm, Nguyễn Công Trung, Nguyễn Văn Đức, and Tô Ký.
They were dispersed in different directions, but Trần Văn Giàu managed to return to Saigon to resume his activities there.
From October 13 to October 15, 1943 many representatives of various communist cells in many provinces and cities in the South met at Chợ Gạo, Mỹ Tho, in order to form the Communist Party Branch in the South (CPB)again. Trần Văn Giàu could not come, so Dương Văn Phúc was elected as the Secretary. With the agreement of the CPB, Dương temporarily accepted the position, but would rather pass it over to Trần Văn Giàu when the latter was back.
End of Part I
Sources:
http://vi.wikipedia.org
https://facultystaff.richmond.edu/~ebolt/history398/whoistranvangiau.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/vietnamese/vietnam/2010/12/101217_tran_van_giau.shtml
http://www.diendan.org/tai-lieu/hoi-ky-t-v-giau/
Back in Saigon, Vietnam, he taught at Huynh Cong Phat, a private school, while participating in revolutionary activities in Saigon-Cholon. He became a member of the Indochina Communist Party, and, together with Hai Trieu, led the city's students and other revolutionary groups in the Southern Council of the Party.
He was sent by the Party to the USSR in the middle of 1931 to attend the University of the East in Moscow. In 1933 he successfully defended his thesis about The Land and Paddyfields Issues in Indochina, and returned to Vietnam. He joined the Party's activities in South Vietnam, and published The Red Flag, and The Communism Series. He became well-known with his eloquence and informative lectures which kindled patriotism in Saigon at the time.
The French government had followed him closely since the time he was a student in Toulouse. On June 25, 1935 he was sentenced to 5 years in prison, and 10 years of house arrest for his activities to topple the government. In Saigon Grand Prison (Khám Lớn Sài Gòn), he was Number 6826 mpp, and the major leader who represented other prisoners to demand for better treatment and living conditions. As a punishment, he was separated and jailed in Bâtiment S until the end of his imprisonment.
On April 23, 1940 he was released, but only for a few days. He was again sent to Camp Tà Lài together with Tào Tỵ, Nguyễn Công Trung, and Trương Văn Giàu. Around the end of 1941 he organized an escape from Tà Lài for his comrades. He himself escaped the second time in early March 1942 with Châu Văn Giác, Trần Văn Kiệt, Dương Văn Phúc, Trương Quang Nhâm, Nguyễn Công Trung, Nguyễn Văn Đức, and Tô Ký.
They were dispersed in different directions, but Trần Văn Giàu managed to return to Saigon to resume his activities there.
From October 13 to October 15, 1943 many representatives of various communist cells in many provinces and cities in the South met at Chợ Gạo, Mỹ Tho, in order to form the Communist Party Branch in the South (CPB)again. Trần Văn Giàu could not come, so Dương Văn Phúc was elected as the Secretary. With the agreement of the CPB, Dương temporarily accepted the position, but would rather pass it over to Trần Văn Giàu when the latter was back.
End of Part I
Sources:
http://vi.wikipedia.org
https://facultystaff.richmond.edu/~ebolt/history398/whoistranvangiau.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/vietnamese/vietnam/2010/12/101217_tran_van_giau.shtml
http://www.diendan.org/tai-lieu/hoi-ky-t-v-giau/
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Self and No Self
Self
Ancient Greeks, Romans and the people in the Middle Ages would never have used the term "self" as a descriptive expression. They would have used the term "soul" or "intelligence" instead. "The self" reflects what is spiritually and morally important about human beings. Central to Western culture and also in tension with the modern Western life are self-control and self-exploration. When Plato (the fourth century B.C.E.)spoke of self-mastery, he meant one's reason was in control of one's desires, and that reason helps one grasp the order of the universe. When one's desires were in control, one would not be master of oneself.
Self-Examination
Saint Augustine (the fourth century C.E.)viewed the self differently: when one turns inward and examines oneself, one discovers the power of God.
Self-Control
Descartes's idea of self-control concentrates on oneself or one's bodily existence as an instrument, a mechanism one can use.
Question:
Would you say that this self as a controller has the same nature as the body and mind that are being controlled? Or is its nature distinct from those of body and mind? (the Dalai Lama)
Answer:
For Descartes, it was the same thing, but the self is something distinct. It does not have any particular content itself. It was the control power of the body content and the thought content(Charles Taylor, pp. 11-14).
Self-Exploration
In the last two hundred years self-exploration in the West grew out of the Christian spirituality inspired by St. Augustine with his self-examination. The assumption is that each human being has their own particular way of being human. Each of us needs to draw that nature out of ourselves by self-exploration, and to find a way for self-expression in visual art, poetry, or music. In modern Western culture art has an almost religious significance.
The two practices of self-control and self-exploration are fundamental and crucially important in Western culture, but they are also in conflict today between those who have a technological orientation to the world and themselves and those who are for self-control, ecological health, and openness to oneself.
In the relationships to the cosmos, to God, and to one's own self, the concept of freedom is central in the moral and political life in the West (Charles Taylor, pp. 15-16).
Question:
Is there an underlying assumption that self-control necessarily implies a self-existence or an autonomous self, whereas self-exploration implies that's doubtful? (the Dalai Lama)
Answer:
Not necessarily. Self-exploration presupposes a self, but opens the possibility that the exploration can go beyond that. Descrates's self-control starts with the certainty that I, myself, exist. Western scientific understanding is built on that certainty (Charles Taylor, p. 16).
Question:
In the modern West, when one thinks "I" or "I am," does this necessarily imply that the "I" so conceived must be posited as being independent or autonomous? (the Dalai Lama)
Answer:
If you ask people, they say no. But in the way they actually live it, the answer is yes, very powerfully, and much more so than our ancestors who thought of themselves more as part of a larger cosmos. (Charles Taylor, author of Sources of the Self)
Question:
In the evolution of the self was there ever a non-self posited, the idea that in fact human beings didn't have a separate self-identity? (Joan Halifax)
Answer:
There are such phases in Western development. For instance, the medieval Aristotelians thought that the really important part of us, the active intellect, was absolutely a universal thing and not particularized. The famous Islamic philosopher Ibn Rushd Averroes thought that also, but he had great problems with mainstream Islam. It was because of Ibn Rushd that Aristotelianism had problems entering Christendom; it's only when Albert the Great and Thomas Aquinas managed to reintroduce the idea of a personal intellect that it was allowed in. (Charles Taylor)
Source:
Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying: An Explanation of Consciousness with the Dalai Lama. Edited and narrated by Francisco J. Valera. (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1997).
Ancient Greeks, Romans and the people in the Middle Ages would never have used the term "self" as a descriptive expression. They would have used the term "soul" or "intelligence" instead. "The self" reflects what is spiritually and morally important about human beings. Central to Western culture and also in tension with the modern Western life are self-control and self-exploration. When Plato (the fourth century B.C.E.)spoke of self-mastery, he meant one's reason was in control of one's desires, and that reason helps one grasp the order of the universe. When one's desires were in control, one would not be master of oneself.
Self-Examination
Saint Augustine (the fourth century C.E.)viewed the self differently: when one turns inward and examines oneself, one discovers the power of God.
Self-Control
Descartes's idea of self-control concentrates on oneself or one's bodily existence as an instrument, a mechanism one can use.
Question:
Would you say that this self as a controller has the same nature as the body and mind that are being controlled? Or is its nature distinct from those of body and mind? (the Dalai Lama)
Answer:
For Descartes, it was the same thing, but the self is something distinct. It does not have any particular content itself. It was the control power of the body content and the thought content(Charles Taylor, pp. 11-14).
Self-Exploration
In the last two hundred years self-exploration in the West grew out of the Christian spirituality inspired by St. Augustine with his self-examination. The assumption is that each human being has their own particular way of being human. Each of us needs to draw that nature out of ourselves by self-exploration, and to find a way for self-expression in visual art, poetry, or music. In modern Western culture art has an almost religious significance.
The two practices of self-control and self-exploration are fundamental and crucially important in Western culture, but they are also in conflict today between those who have a technological orientation to the world and themselves and those who are for self-control, ecological health, and openness to oneself.
In the relationships to the cosmos, to God, and to one's own self, the concept of freedom is central in the moral and political life in the West (Charles Taylor, pp. 15-16).
Question:
Is there an underlying assumption that self-control necessarily implies a self-existence or an autonomous self, whereas self-exploration implies that's doubtful? (the Dalai Lama)
Answer:
Not necessarily. Self-exploration presupposes a self, but opens the possibility that the exploration can go beyond that. Descrates's self-control starts with the certainty that I, myself, exist. Western scientific understanding is built on that certainty (Charles Taylor, p. 16).
Question:
In the modern West, when one thinks "I" or "I am," does this necessarily imply that the "I" so conceived must be posited as being independent or autonomous? (the Dalai Lama)
Answer:
If you ask people, they say no. But in the way they actually live it, the answer is yes, very powerfully, and much more so than our ancestors who thought of themselves more as part of a larger cosmos. (Charles Taylor, author of Sources of the Self)
Question:
In the evolution of the self was there ever a non-self posited, the idea that in fact human beings didn't have a separate self-identity? (Joan Halifax)
Answer:
There are such phases in Western development. For instance, the medieval Aristotelians thought that the really important part of us, the active intellect, was absolutely a universal thing and not particularized. The famous Islamic philosopher Ibn Rushd Averroes thought that also, but he had great problems with mainstream Islam. It was because of Ibn Rushd that Aristotelianism had problems entering Christendom; it's only when Albert the Great and Thomas Aquinas managed to reintroduce the idea of a personal intellect that it was allowed in. (Charles Taylor)
Source:
Sleeping, Dreaming, and Dying: An Explanation of Consciousness with the Dalai Lama. Edited and narrated by Francisco J. Valera. (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1997).
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Some Problems Buddhist Beginners Often Have
There are some common problems which Buddhist beginners often have and which are usually brought up in Dharma discussions. Many practitioners have been so familiar with their old life styles and frames of reference,their culture of individualism and self-centered freedom, consumerism, and the dualistic and specific way of thinking. Changing their way of living is difficult; changing their way of viewing or perceiving themselves and the world is much more difficult. Cultural influences are very subtle, even beyond the individual's consciousness.
The first problem or challenge is alcoholism. Some have been alcoholic, and are struggling to abandon this "habit," in order to observe one of the five basic precepts in Buddhism. As Buddhists they are supposed not to have alcoholic beverages, while many of them might have been alcoholic for a long time before they came to know and learn Buddhism. It is not easy for such people to practice the precept if they do not have a strong determination.
The second problem is related to the culture of consumerism. Many have been bombarded with business advertisements in the mail,on TV and on the Web. They were born and brought up in a consuming world filled with junk mail, catalogs, shopping malls, with one "special" day after another. They enjoy the convenience of buying and using non-reusable items without realizing that resources on earth are limited. It is hard for them to follow the simple and stoic life in Buddhist monasteries with strict rules or precepts. Leading a simple life with few needs and feeling happy with the few possessions one has is a huge challenge to some practitioners.
The third problem, which is also the most difficult, is the discriminative and dualistic way of thinking or perceiving themselves, others and the world. Born and growing up in a Christianity-dominant society, some Buddhists usually find it difficult not to be influenced by such long-established and well-accepted concepts as "creation, ""creator," "the soul," and to adopt new ones such as "non-self," "interconnectedness," and "emptiness." Buddhist beginners are usually so attached to the phenomenal world and the dualistic way of thinking and perceiving things, they often get stuck in physical appearances, personal comments and bias criticism. They got bogged down in concepts while trying to analyze words or the language used in sutras or Dharma talks. Their mind gets fuzzy with discrimination and comparison, praises, comments or criticisms.
Such problems or challenges can be overcome with time, and a right view, and especially the practitioner's determination and efforts. The practitioner plays the most decisive role, while the right view is fundamental for any transformation or revolution. With practice and a calm mind one sees things as they actually are. Gradually it is easier for one to realize and select the right path to follow.
The first problem or challenge is alcoholism. Some have been alcoholic, and are struggling to abandon this "habit," in order to observe one of the five basic precepts in Buddhism. As Buddhists they are supposed not to have alcoholic beverages, while many of them might have been alcoholic for a long time before they came to know and learn Buddhism. It is not easy for such people to practice the precept if they do not have a strong determination.
The second problem is related to the culture of consumerism. Many have been bombarded with business advertisements in the mail,on TV and on the Web. They were born and brought up in a consuming world filled with junk mail, catalogs, shopping malls, with one "special" day after another. They enjoy the convenience of buying and using non-reusable items without realizing that resources on earth are limited. It is hard for them to follow the simple and stoic life in Buddhist monasteries with strict rules or precepts. Leading a simple life with few needs and feeling happy with the few possessions one has is a huge challenge to some practitioners.
The third problem, which is also the most difficult, is the discriminative and dualistic way of thinking or perceiving themselves, others and the world. Born and growing up in a Christianity-dominant society, some Buddhists usually find it difficult not to be influenced by such long-established and well-accepted concepts as "creation, ""creator," "the soul," and to adopt new ones such as "non-self," "interconnectedness," and "emptiness." Buddhist beginners are usually so attached to the phenomenal world and the dualistic way of thinking and perceiving things, they often get stuck in physical appearances, personal comments and bias criticism. They got bogged down in concepts while trying to analyze words or the language used in sutras or Dharma talks. Their mind gets fuzzy with discrimination and comparison, praises, comments or criticisms.
Such problems or challenges can be overcome with time, and a right view, and especially the practitioner's determination and efforts. The practitioner plays the most decisive role, while the right view is fundamental for any transformation or revolution. With practice and a calm mind one sees things as they actually are. Gradually it is easier for one to realize and select the right path to follow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)