T.K. Nakagaki, president of the Buddhist Council of New York and former board member of ICNY, has written a new book exploring one of the most highly-valued and commonly misunderstood symbols in human history: the swastika. For over three thousand years, the swastika has been understood by many cultures and religions (including Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism) as the symbol of the sun, good fortune and auspiciousness. In the 20th century, Hitler’s misappropriation of this symbol for his own political purpose caused the swastika to be viewed in the west as a symbol of hate. T.K’s book strives to open dialogue about the swastika that fully values the tragedy of the Holocaust while also providing paths to tolerance, respect and deeper mutual understanding of diverse religions, cultures and historical experiences. “The Buddhist Swastika and Hitler’s Cross” is now available in Kindle, paperback and full-color editions.
