Random Notes

  • 25% of Americans believe in reincarnation Paid Member

    In "Remembrances of Lives Past," an article that appeared in the New York Times this weekend, Newsweek's religion editor Lisa Miller takes a look at our nation's growing belief in reincarnation. According to data released by Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, a quarter of Americans believe in reincarnation (interestingly, according to the Times piece, women are more likely to believe in reincarnation than men, and democrats are more likely to believe than republicans). This emerging belief in reincarnation is a steep departure from the traditional Judaeo-Christian narrative that most Americans are familiar with: In religious terms, the human narrative — birth, life, death and rebirth — has for millennia been relatively straightforward in the West. You were born. You lived. More »
  • The Biggest Book in the World Paid Member

    If you spent your summer rifling through cheap paperbacks and you're ready for something more substantial here's a recommendation: the biggest book in the world. Measuring 5 x 7 feet and weighing 133 pounds, The Bhutan: A Visual Odyssey Across the Last Himalayan Kingdom is officially recognized as the largest book in the world by Guinness World Records. More »
  • Saturday with a three legged Buddha Paid Member

    One a recent sunny Saturday, a friend and I made the trip upstate to Storm King Art Center, an expansive sculpture park in Mountainville, NY. For years I'd heard about this impressive landscape, spotted with trees, ponds, and massive sculptures, but I was most excited about a new installation---Zhang Huan's Three Legged Buddha. Weighing 12 tons and towering at 28 feet, Three Legged Buddha does not travel easily, and it seems that Storm King is to be its final resting place. Huan's sculpture is certainly hard to miss. Placed in an open field atop a hill, the massive work of copper and steal towers over its visitors. Standing next to the Buddha's head and beneath his three legs, my friend and I wondered aloud about the extra limb and the sculpture's strange disfigurement. A few days later, I did a little research into Huan's work and career. More »
  • BBQ Grill Sign Painted on Prayer Flags Paid Member

    This comes our way from Tricycle reader Paul Volker. Apparently the zoo in Columbus, Ohio has painted the name of its "Lakeside Grill" on Tibetan prayer flags. Does that nullify the prayers that spread when the wind blows through them? See more photos here. More »