Wisdom Publications is dedicated to making available authentic Buddhist works for all. We publish classic and contemporary works from all major traditions.
Random Notes |
-
4 comments
Beautiful rare photos show Tibet 100 years ago
London's Bonhams Fine Art Auctioneers is currently auctioning rare photographs taken over 100 years ago in Tibet. The pictures were photographed by British officer John Claude White during a military mission to Tibet in 1903-1904. From NPR: Contemporary Tibet conjures a mysterious mental image. Situated at the highest elevation on Earth, it is historically hotly contested territory with a large nomadic and religious population. More » -
0 comments
Jade Buddha update
The Jade Buddha for Universal Peace is still on the move. The statue is currently in a warehouse in San Jose, CA where it has received tens of thousands of visitors. The Oakland Tribune has the story: At least 113,000 people have visited the statue since the exhibition opened Sept. 19, according to the Jade Buddha for Universal Peace Organizing Committee in Northern California. Almost 29,000 showed up Sept. 20, prompting at least one complaint from a resident of an apartment complex next door about crowds, illegal parking and noise. By this past weekend, however, the mood was relaxed, even festive, as the free exhibit headed toward its last day in San Jose—Friday. More » -
3 comments
Basic test shows that Americans are deeply ignorant about religion
We may consider ourselves a deeply religious nation, but when it comes to our knowledge of religion, we don't make very high marks. An article in today's New York Times covers a study conducted in June of this year by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The study included 32 basic questions about religious figures, world religions, and religious texts. On average the participants answered half of the questions incorrectly and many even failed the questions concerning their own faith. Scoring the highest were atheists and agnostics, closely followed by Jews and Mormons: Those who scored the highest were atheists and agnostics, as well as two religious minorities: Jews and Mormons. More » -
2 comments
Tennis's #1 ranked player Rafael Nadal visits Buddhist monks in Thailand
Where does the best Tennis player in the world go after winning the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open in one year? Thailand. This weekend, # 1 ranked Tennis player Rafael Nadal visited Buddhist monks at a beach in Thailand's Prachuab province outside of Bangkok. No word on whether or not the Tennis superstar is a practicing Buddhist, but Nadal did cause some controversy in July when he expressed doubt over the existence of God in an interview with Sports Illustrated: Do you believe in God? We see football players crossing themselves. You don't do that. Do you do praying? It's hard to say, "I don't believe in God." I would love to know if God exists. But it's a very difficult thing for me to believe. I don't know. More » -
2 comments
Meet the doctor who wants to measure your consciousness
Dr. Giulio Tononi has devoted his life's work to developing a theory of consciousness. A distinguished chair in consciousness science at the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Tononi's interest in consciousness began when he was a teenager. According to a recent profile published in the New York Times, Dr. Tononi was "initially interested in ethics, but he decided that questions of personal responsibility depended on our consciousness of our own actions. So he would have to figure out consciousness first. 'I’ve been stuck with this thing for most of my life,' he said." Now, after years of research (sometimes even using himself as the test subject), Dr. More » -
4 comments
Beautiful photographs by photographer who shoot iconic cover for National Geographic
The work of the photographer who once captured the face of an Afghan girl for the iconic cover of National Geographic is now on display at the Birmingham Museum in Birmingham, England. Steve McCurry's photographs will be on display through mid-October in an exhibit titled Steve McCurry---Retrospective. More »
