Celebrate for its Own Sake: Happy Vesak to You!
Sister Ocean
5 May 2014
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
Jewel in the Crown: Bengal’s Buddhist Revival in the 19th and 20th Centuries
BD Dipananda
2 May 2014
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
Celebrating the Dream of Religious Plurality: The Buddha Purnima Festival in Bangladesh
BD Dipananda
1 May 2014
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.
Gaze of a Guru: Celebrating the Teacher-Student Relationship
Tinley Fynn
25 April 2014
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
A Pilgrimage to Pu Tuo Mountain
Ven. Dao Ran
24 April 2014
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
Master Tanluan on the Primal Vow: Should we recite Amitabha’s name ten times?
Alan Kwan
15 April 2014
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,
A Thousand Buddhas on My Body: A Miao Girl’s Festival Attire
Raymond Lam
15 April 2014
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
Vanishing Virtues: The Spirituality of China’s Ethnic Minorities
Raymond Lam
15 April 2014
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
Ordination in the Theravada Tradition: Ordination During the Time of the Buddha
Jnan Nanda
14 April 2014
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 Theravada Monastic Robe: The Design and Meaning
Jnan Nanda
10 April 2014
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
The Third Annual Buddhism and Australia Conference 2014 in Perth
Mengjee Foo
7 April 2014
From 6 -7 February 2014, the 3rd International Conference Buddhism & Australia was held in Perth’s Trinity College, University of Western Australia. This annual Buddhist conference commenced with three welcome
Venerable Anandajoti – A Western Monk Shining in the East
BD Dipananda
7 April 2014
In my search for people to help me with my research, it has been my lucky destiny to have come across one such influential person