King Pagan built the Kyauktawgyi Temple on an island in the Taugthaman Lake in 1847, inside there are many very fine mural paintings showing temples and pagodas from throughout the Burmese Kingdom.
Decorative Mosaics in the Temples and Pagodas in Myanmar
One of the most interesting of the many art forms I came across in Myanmar was the mosaic work, which is often a mixture of small mirrors and stained glass or coloured stones that adorn the temples and pagodas throughout the country.
Sutaungpyai Pagoda, Mandalay
The Sutaungpyai Pagoda, which is situated right on the top of the Mandalay hill is a really wonderful temple to see, with very beautiful and complex mosaic glasswork covering the pillars, walls, ceilings and shrines.
Uposatha Calendar 2011/2555
The Uposatha calendar for the recitation of the Pātimokkha from the beginning of Hemanta 2010 up and till the end of Hemanta in 2012. According to Myanmar and Sri Lankan traditions.
Sandamuni Pagoda, Mandalay
Yesterday we saw the Tipitaka had been carved on marble slabs at the Kuthodaw Pagoda. Right next door at the Sandamuni Pagoda, there are slabs which contain not just the Tipitaka, but the commentaries and sub-commentaries as well.
Kuthodaw Pagoda, Mandalay
The World’s Largest Book stands upright in the grounds of the Kuthodaw Pagoda. It has 730 leaves and 1460 pages; each page is approximately three and a half feet wide, five feet tall and five inches thick.
What I Know of the Dhamma by Jade (Age 11)
My name is Jade and I am eleven years old. Mum has asked me to write this for her birthday present. If I do not do what she says, she predicts that I will have terrible bad kamma in my later life and be dead meat. So it is better for me to do what she says.
Mahamuni Pagoda, Mandalay
The Mahamuni Temple or Pagoda is a complex of structures located along a road from Mandalay leading to Amarapura in the southwest. The temple has a central shrine and is framed by an extensive grass lawn. The arcades leading to the main shrine have, as in many temples and pagodas in Myanmar, kiosks selling religious paraphernalia such as incense, candles, rosaries, flowers, robes, sandals etc., and various restaurants and tea shops.
Buddha, a poem by A. Christina Albers
Today I am publishing one of the shortest biographies of the Buddha I have come across. It is by A. Christina Albers who was the author of numerous books and articles on both Buddhist and Hindu subjects.
Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon – 2
The Shwedagon Pagoda, also known as the Golden Pagoda, is a 98-metre gilded stupa located in Yangon. The pagoda lies to the west of Kandawgyi Lake, on the Singuttara Hill and dominates the skyline of the city.
Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon – 1
Today I start posting photographs from my recent trip to Myanmar. All the albums are now online and can be accessed from the Myanmar page of my Photo Dharma website, but on the blog I will also offer some more personal recollections than is possible there.
Scaling down the work on Dharma Records
After some consideration I have decided to cut back on the posts I am publishing here, because the fact of the matter is that it takes up far too much of my time – and was, indeed, dominating my publishing efforts for the past few months.
Father Bede Griffiths
As today is Christmas Day, I thought a reflection on my first spiritual teacher, Father Bede Griffiths, might be of interest. Of all the people in my life he is the one, I would say, who has had the most lasting influence.
Remembering Ven. Sumedha
Today is the 4th death anniversary of the Swiss monk and artist Ven. Sumedha who passed away in the Intensive Care Unit in Peradeniya Hospital, where he had spend the previous decade working with the critically and terminally ill.
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.
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.
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.
Safeguard Recitals now going for Free Distribution
My major 300-page chanting book, Safeguard Recitals, has now been bought up from the Buddhist Publication Society and will go for free distribution. The book is the complete overnight chanting that is used in the Sri Lankan tradition.
