We offer meditation supplies, books, media and audio teachings to support, encourage and inspire you on your spiritual path.
History |
-
Beautiful Photos from the Ajanta Caves
The Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad, India, are rock-cut cave monuments that were crafted in between the second century BCE and the eighth century CE containing paintings and sculptures that are true masterpieces of Buddhist art. More » -
China's oldest Buddhist temple
According to the Asian News Network, China's oldest temple aims to position itself as a major Buddhist hub. Built in 68 CE, the White Horse (Baima) Temple, in Luoyang, in China's Henan province, has a colorful history. The ANN reports: According to legend, the Eastern Han Emperor Yongping (reign: AD 57-75) dreamed of a golden figure with a halo, which his advisers assumed was the Buddha, in India. More » -
Buddhism's crumbling past
Not to be an alarmist, but preserving Buddhism's past is an increasingly challenging endeavor. And while the truth of impermanence is fundamental to the Buddhist teachiings, no one said it's easy. Bamiyan was a heartbreaker, and recent news that the Chinese may blow up the ancient ruins of a newly discovered monastery in order to mine for copper raised another alarm. More » -
Dennis Hunter, historical consciousness, and the speed of Buddhism's transition to the West
When we ask, “What shape will Buddhism take in the West?” most of us are bringing a historical consciousness to the question; we recognize that Buddhism has reinvented itself everywhere that it has gone in order to most effectively suit the unique spiritual needs of the new host culture. From this perspective Buddhism is not a fixed, static thing but more of a living organism. However, when we draw parallels between the way that Buddhism has historically established itself in new lands and its current transition to the West, we rarely account for the major differences in how information traveled in the past and how it travels now. More » -
0 comments
Right attitude
Shinno Yamasoba, 58, is the vice head priest at Daijyo-ji, an an 8th-century Shingon temple three hours outside Kyoto by train. In the Japan Times, he shares some monkish wisdom with Japanese TV reporter Judit Kawaguchiwho: "We'll know if the road was correct when we arrive," Yamasoba says, "That's how we Buddhists think. But since a monk's road is never straight, the trip is always fun. It really doesn't matter where I'm going." It's a good thing Yamasoba is the type who takes what comes in stride. More » -
2 comments
Anti-Muslim sentiment: We've been here before
In a recent interview, University of Michigan professor Scott Kurashige, author of The Shifting Ground of Race, notes a parallel between the hostility toward Japanese-Americans during WWII and hostility toward Muslims in America today. Kurashige notes that in both cases, the United States was attacked on its own soil by a foreign enemy, leaving Americans sharing either the religious beliefs or ethnicity of the attackers the targets of their fellow citizens. In the case of Japanese-Americans, organizations like the Anti-Asiatic Association and the Asian Exclusion Association attempted to designate certain areas off limits to non-whites and protested the building of Buddhist temples and even Japanese Christian churches. More »
