It is remarkable, but unremarked upon(in my experience), that Southeast Asia is at the crossroads of the four major civilizations of the world: Christian, Islamic, Indic and Sinic.
The four civilizations exercice their dominent influence in the following countries:
1. Christian (Roman Catholic): The Philippines (except Mindanao), East Timor
2. Islamic: Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Mindanao (Philippines)
3. Indic
a. Theravada Buddhism: Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia.
b. Hinduism: Bali (Indonesia)
4. Sinic: Vietnam, Singapore
Singapore, uniquely in Southeast Asia, shows the strong presence of all four civilizations.
Here appear occasional jottings of my random musings. Profound or jejune, they reveal the contours of my mental universe, with world history, intellectual history, civilizations, philosophy, religion, society, knowledge, and books as some major themes. Since May 2011, this blog has been exclusively focused on Singapore. All my other reflections are now posted in "Notes from Noosphere" (see link under "Miscellany" on the right margin).
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