The swastika or manji is a universal symbol of the sun's rays, or reversed: the light of
the moon. Related symbols include the black sun,
Brighid's cross, Solomon's knot & the gammadion.
It's also a Chinese character representing literally the number 10,000; & metaphorically all
the diverse types of beings & objects in the universe. The swastika used by Hinduism & most Pagans in the northern hemisphere is a clockwise spinning symbol--the arms point counterclockwise. Jainism & many southern hemisphere Pagans use the sauvastika, a counterclockwise spinning symbol--the arms point clockwise. This is the one that the Nazis appropriated. (They got it backwards
sometimes.) Buddhism uses both, each with its own meanings. The Hopi tribe sees the swastika representing earth while sauvastika is the sun. Native Americans may have the right to use such a symbol in our ceremonies, but now we avoid public display of artifacts featuring them, nor do we produce permanent new ones. (Short-term works such as sand paintings may
have them.) We can't live in a moral way while ignoring
the effects that our actions will have on other people. When a Westerner claims that it's OK to display a swastika because "it's still considered a good symbol in Asia," that's cultural appropriation. I've also seen someone claim to be a Hindu, yet they just wanted to get away with Nazi imagery. Some white supremacists try to be clever & use swastika adjacent symbols such as the black sun, the iron/German cross, or more recently
the letters YE. That one is a reference to the artist formerly
known as Kanye West, who openly admires Adolf Hitler.
