We see over the past few years that there have been an increasing number of natural disasters around the world. Responding to all these events that follow one upon the other is very challenging indeed, but we are all in this together.
Ven. S. Dhammika: To Eat Or Not To Eat Meat – The Book
Yesterday I posted an introduction to Ven. S. Dhammika’s new book To Eat Or Not To Eat Meat, and today he has given me permission to publish the book in its entirety on the blog here.
Ven. S. Dhammika: To Eat Or Not To Eat Meat – Introduction
I consider Ven S. Dhammika to be one of the more intelligent and thoughtful writers on Buddhism writing today, so I am happy to see he has put his considerable talents to examining the question of vegetarianism in Buddhism.
The Travels and Work of Xuan-zang
Xuan-zang was fully ordained as a monk in 622, at the age of twenty. The myriad contradictions and discrepancies in the texts at that time prompted Xuan-zang to decide to go to India and study in the cradle of Buddhism.
Thangkas 2: Some Examples
I follow up yesterday’s post on the Buddhist art of Thangka painting with a small collection of photographs from Wikimedia. The highest-definition files I could find are linked to by the small reproductions shown here.
Angkor Wat Lotus Temple
This is a short video from National Geographic’s Atmosphere podcast, which looks at Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which I visited twice this year.
Naḷinikā’s Story
The story is an interesting, if highly improbable, fable: a sage lives alone in the Himālayas, there is semen in the urine he passes, and a deer who happens to eat the grass in that place gets pregnant from it.
Godwin on iPad
In 2009 Awaken Publishing and Design in Singapore produced a very beautiful book of Godwin’s teachings called Discovering Meditation. Now they have just managed to put out a collection of 19 books for the iPad, which includes Godwin’s book.
Days, Months and Seasons in Pali
The Buddhist calendar calculations are based on the Lunisolar year. Important dates (like the Awakening) being commemorated on the Moon cycle, and the Moon cycle itself being adjusted to fit in with the Solar cycle.
Episodes from the Life of the Buddha 2: The Invitation
Every second week, with the waxing and the waning of the moon Buddhist monks hold the uposatha meeting. If there are enough monks available then we will confess our offenses and the Pātimokkha will be chanted by one of the monks, while we sit together in unison.
Godwin Samararatne: Why We Should Meditate
When you read the Buddhist texts you are so amazed at the Buddha’s profound and deep statements about the human mind. It is amazing that he should have made these statements 2,600 years ago.
Reprint of The Gentle Way of Buddhist Meditation
We published 1,700 copies of the book at the time. Now this year, the original publisher of The Gentle Way, Inward Path in Penang, have reprinted the work again, this time in a print-run of 1,000 copies.
Adivasi Culture and Civilization by Lobsan Payat
Adivasi traditions and practices pervade all aspects of Indian culture and civilization, and the extent and import of Adivasi contributions to Indian philosophy, language and custom have often gone unrecognized.
Sakyamuni in a Modern City
This is a poster I made earlier in the year. I had the photograph for quite some time, and the idea to make it into a poster, but couldn’t find an appropriate verse until I came across this one again from the Dhammapada which fits perfectly with the idea I had.
Thich Nhat Hanh: Mindful Movements
Recently I attended a talk by Thich Nhat Hanh, and while looking for material to post here I came across his 10 Mindful Movements, which are very similar to the practices I have developed myself.
Introduction to The Silk Road Series
Tomorrow I start posting the 12-part Silk Road series. I found this series about 2 years ago, and have watched it all the way through three times by now, and individual episodes at other times.
Publication of a Reading of the Exalted Utterances on CD
My reading of the translation I made of the Udāna, entitled Exalted Utterances, has just been published on mp3 CD in Singapore. Most of the discourses run for around 5-10 minutes so they make for a good short contemplation of the teaching.
One Page Dhamma Website
After his retirement Swas Tan started summing up the Dhamma talks he was attending for his own better understanding, and producing a one page summary of the event going under the title of One Page Dhamma.
Animated Film: The Way
Here is an animated video in the sumi-e style of painting. The film is inspired by Toaist thought and includes drawing of the Yin and Yang symbols as well as the I-ching.
