Chinese "Swastika"?

[R1Geezer]

In Made in Britain, the BBC 2 documentary, the bit in China showed a Budda with a swastika on his chest, It's a mirror image of the Nazi one. Anyone know the significance of this and why the Nazis symbol seems to be based on an ancient Chinese symbol?

[jno]

it's a very ancient Indian symbol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

[jackthehat]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

[OrdsallSi]

Have a look on google

http://www.jewishvirt...locaust/Swastika.html

[VHG]

This is mentioned at the begining of the Da Vinci Code film during Robert Langdons speech.

[sophie_1003]

It's also used in Hinduism and Jainism and has been for 3000 years; Wikipedia has a pretty comprehensive article including it's use as the Nazi symbol. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

[ABerrant]

Swastikas existed in many ancient cultures and "face" in either direction. The Nazi symbol did not mirror the swastika, it was rotated through 45 degrees from a + to an x

[TheWinner]

I always thought is was a windmill sign that meant 'what comes around goes around'. ? may be wrong ?

[jno]

it's also a part of the Greek 'meander' motif which you see on ancient pottery

http://img.dailymail....bigcowBNS_468x577.jpg

actually, I think that's a double meander, so where they cross forms the swastika. This is a single one:

http://www.ayeshahaue...otos/GreekMeander.jpg

It's named after the Meander River... which meanders.

[Whickerman]

I'm not surprised people still get a bit of a shock about this given the nazi connotations, but it's not that long ago that British singer Crispian mills was pilloried for stating he wanted to reclaim the symbol for it's original meaning. The press denounced him as a nazi! Idiots. Even when he apologised thatpeople got offended the likes of the Independent kept up the 'flirtation with nazi-ism' non-story
http://www.independen...er-mills-1268161.html