Weaving the Buddha into the Burmese identity Legends are what fill the uncertain space between history and fiction. Some of the most popular legends tell
Pilgrimage is not technically done for personal enjoyment. The fun comes as a corollary to rigor (few to no holy sites are located in comfortable
Vesak is approaching and I have been contemplating just what Vesak is. I wasn’t born into a Buddhist family or a Buddhist culture, but I
In Buddhist Studies, a narrative I believe to be erroneous dominates the sub-discipline of Indo-Tibetan research. The story goes that Buddhism disappeared from the Indian
When my elders retold to me Bangladesh’s struggle for independence, I was regaled with the fundamental principles that make an independent nation-state worth living in.
On the 10th day of every month of the Tibetan calender, Vajrayana Buddhists pay homage to Guru Padmasambhava (lotus-born), more popularly known as Guru Rinpoche. The
In the winter of the Year of the Snake, 2013, two laywomen accompanied me to Pu Tuo Mountain (?????s), where we stayed in the Guan
Many within Buddhism itself criticize the concept of ‘other-power’ (?L?O) or Buddha power, asserting that it is over-emphasized in Pure Land Buddhism. They might say,
Every now and then, one encounters an item of human culture that is so striking and poignant that one sincerely believes there is nothing else
In Chi Zhijian’s (遲子建) The Last Quarter of the Moon (额尔古纳河右岸), it is not inter-tribal conflict or the natural elements of snow and storm that destroy the
In this series, Jnan explores the practice of ordination within the Theravada tradition by a close examination of the Pali Canon. His first article discusses
The saffron robe of a Theravada Buddhist monastic is instantly recognizable to Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. But what is the origin, function and meaning of
