Most of us take our modern toilets and the sewerage system attached to them for granted. And perhaps it is understandable; thinking often and deeply about human waste would not be a particular pleasant or edifying exercise. However, knowing something … Read the rest
In an article I wrote for The Island and which was published on 21st April 2017 I highlighted several well-known details about the life of the Buddha, which most Buddhists assume come from the Tipitaka, but which in fact cannot … Read the rest
The founder of most of the world’s major religions are credited with performing marvels and miracles. Jesus walked on the water, Muhammad flew to Jerusalem on the back of a winged horse-like creature, and the Hindu gods performed too many … Read the rest
One of the most revered relics in the ancient Buddhist world was the Buddha’s begging bowl. A rough outline of its long convoluted history is this – it was supposedly given to the people of Vesali by the Buddha when … Read the rest
The establishment of a previously alien religion in a new environment is bound to be one of fits and starts, successes and dead ends, and so it has been with Buddhism in the West. Until fairly recently, the beginnings of … Read the rest
It might be difficult to imagine it today, but 180 years ago nobody really knew anything authentic about King Asoka. To explain what I mean it might be best to say that there are two king Asokas; the Asoka of … Read the rest
Between the years 629 and 645 AD the famous Chinese monk Xuanzang travelled through Central Asia and India to visit Buddhist sacred places, learn from Indian teachers and to collect copies of Buddhist scriptures. On his return to China, his … Read the rest
The person who did it and the exact date it was done are not quite certain. Ancient sites around Mathura were a happy hunting ground for amateur British archaeologists and antique collectors during the second half of the 19th century. … Read the rest
All nations have their social problems; inequality between the sexes, economic disparity, class divisions, and racial discrimination, in some developed countries a serious drug addiction problem, and so on. But India amongst the great nations has one social problem that … Read the rest
We usually think of Buddhism as being an Asian religion and for the most part that is true. But not entirely. To explain why this is the case it will be necessary to go back several hundred years in history. … Read the rest
