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.
The True Size Of Africa
I traveled in Africa in the 80s, it took around 4 months to cross from the north-west (Morocco) to central (Cameroon) to the east coast (Kenya). I have always found it difficult to get across to people who haven’t been there just how BIG Africa is.
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.
The Beginnings of Buddhist Art by A. Foucher – V
The sculptors of the second century verify our hypothesis not only in what they reproduce and in what they imitate of the works of the past: we may maintain that they do this, also, indirectly, in what they innovate.
Kitarō: Theme from The Silk Road
The silk road featured some beautiful music by someone who was barely known at the time, and who was brought to prominence by writing the haunting theme music for the series, the Japanese musician Kitarō.
The Bases for Talk
Here is a short discourse that is well worth time considering as it deals with right and wrong sorts of talk. You can use it as a kind of measure of your own concerns and ask yourself: are they in line with Dhamma or with adhamma?
Climate Change – One Planet, One Chance
Climate change will affect rainfall, temperature and water availability for agriculture in vulnerable areas. The danger is that extreme food insecurity episodes will become more common.
Dr K Sri Dhammananda: The Buddhist Explanation of Natural Disasters
Human beings possess the intelligence and wisdom to question their existence, how and why they are born in this world and about the meaning of life itself.
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.
The Beginnings of Buddhist Art by A. Foucher – IV
This is a first and certainly very important, but purely material, verification of our hypothesis. There are proofs more subtle than the proof of statistics, which open up deeper views of the development of the ancient Buddhist school.
Skyscapes at Vivekavana
The skyscapes we see from my monastery at Vivekavana can be pretty awe-inspiring. Night after night we see brilliant sunsets over Penang Island, with an ever-changing array of colours and formations.
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.
Nina Paley on Overpopulation
Here are a couple of videos by Nina Paley looking at over population from different viewpoints.
One Person’s Bones…
It normally astonishes people to find out nearly two people die every second around the clock, or 105 people every minute – on average, of course – and these statistics are now around 2 or 3 years out of date, so the figure must be higher by now.
Liu Fang playing the Pipa (Chinese Lute)
The pipa (Chinese: 琵琶) is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12–26.
The Beginnings of Buddhist Art by A. Foucher – III
The whole subsequent development of Buddhist art flows logically from these premises; and henceforth there are none of the still surviving documents which do not successively corroborate the various stages of its evolution.
Royal Wat Chetawan, Kuala Lumpur
In 1956, Phra Kru Palat Vieng, a veteran member of the Sangha and an old time resident of Kuala Lumpur initiated the idea of building a sizeble Buddhist Temple close to the federal capital of Kuala Lumpur.
