It was while staying at Jetavana that the Buddha told this story about a Feast for the Dead. One day, some bhikkhus asked the Buddha whether there was any benefit in sacrificing goats, sheep, and other animals as offerings for departed relatives.
Jātaka Tales of the Buddha – Review
Ken and Visakha Kawasaki have been using the Jātaka Stories in their English teaching activities amongst the Buddhist monastic and lay communities in S.E. Asia for more than 3 decades.
Kṣitigarbha Pūjā with Ven. Sonam Tenzin Rinpoche
The puja that day was the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūjā. Kṣitigarbha is believed to look after the dead and visits the lower regions in order to save living beings. Indeed he has made a vow not to attain Nirvana until the hells are empty.
The Bombing of Hiroshima
Today is the 65th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima in Japan at the end of World War II. The first reporter on the scene was the Australian journalist Wilfred Burchett, wrote this moving report which was published one month after the event.
The Brown Dog Affair
This article traces a remarkable piece of activism in the case of anti-vivisectionism in the early 20th century, it is a long piece but will be well worth your time to read, and gets quite exciting at times!
Ven. Shravasti Dhammika: A Guide to Buddhism A-Z
Ven. Shravasti Dhammika has been a monk for over 30 years and has traveled extensively in all the major Buddhist countries, which gives him a breadth of knowledge and experience which is hard to match.
Thich Nhat Hanh in Malaysia
One of my all time heroes on the spiritual scene is the Vietnamese peace-activist and teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. In 2008 I traveled with a small group to Bangkok to attend some of his talks, and he was even more impressive than I had imagined, so mindful and still.
Publishing Godwin
The following, which I wrote last year, was recently published in Remembering Godwin, a selection of talks by Godwin Samararatne and some appreciations of his life and teachings to commemorate Godwin’s 10th anniversary in 2010.
A History of Passports
I am currently back in Siem Reap and I must say I welcome the opportunity to be here, but the main reason I am here is because I can no longer stay in my otherwise host country of Malaysia.