Recently I went to see the newest exhibition at the Museum of Asian Civilizations, ‘Cities and Kings, Ancient Treasures from Myanmar’.  The exhibition is only a small one, giving the visitor a rather hurried tour of Burmese art, mainly religious, from the Bagan period to the 19th century. Nonetheless, most pieces are exceptional and demonstrate the refinement of Burmese civilization. After seeing the exhibition I had a look at some of the museum’s recent acquisitions, including several pieces of Buddhist sculpture from Mathura, Gandhara and China. The exhibition is on until the 5th of M ..read more

This year had not been a particularly busy one for me.  It did however, mark two significant landmarks in my life; I turned 65 in October and I celebrated 40 years of being a monk. I made two overseas trips in the last twelve months. Together with a group of friends I visited northern Queensland  and when they returned after a week I stayed behind for another two weeks.  I spent July/August in France visiting family. While there my brother and I visited St. Nazaire where the famous commando raid took place during the Second World War. Over the last decade I have become increasi ..read more

Looking at the Sri Lankan Encyclopaedia of Buddhism (SLEB) and all the more recent ones it’s immediately clear what the problem is. They cover all schools of Buddhism, Buddhist art, history, biographies, odd bits-and-pieces, as well as the actual Dhamma. All religions are diverse but Buddhism particularly so. The result is that trying to fit all this info into several volumes, let alone in one, in encyclopaedic detail, requires that most articles have to be kept small; in other words, they cannot be encyclopaedic. And that’s what we see in all the recent encyclopaedias. The solution? Well, as ..read more

The Jews started their  first one in 1900  and this was joined by the Encyclopaedia Talmudit in 1942.  The    majesterial  26 volume Encyclopaedia Judaica came out in 1972. The Catholic Encyclopaedia saw the light of day in 1907. The Encyclopaedia of Islam was first published in 1913 and in 2005 the  six volume Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an was published. Brill’s Encyclopaedia Islamica, a translation of the magnificent Dā'erat-ol-Ma'āref-e Bozorg-e Eslāmi, is on-going and is projected to take up 16 volumes when finished.  And of course the recent Enc ..read more

In affluent societies, obesity has become a major health problem and the weight-loss industry is a multi-billion dollar one. Treatments for obesity include the administering of appetite suppressants, psychotherapy, dietary counselling and even surgical procedures. But the most effective treatments remain simple and inexpensive ones – exercise and modification of dietary habits whereby caloric intake is typically reduced. Nonetheless, these are treatments many people have difficulty applying.             Once King Pasenadi went to the Bud ..read more

Some years ago while on a visit to Borobudur I was looking at books about the place that were for sale at the site itself. They ranged from large coffee-table tomes to small booklets giving a brief overview of the temple. Most gave details about when it was built, how many tons of stone had been used to build it, it’s alignment with two other temples nearby, the usual speculation about what the structure of the temple might symbolize, etc.  But strangely, not one of them explained what each of the 120 panels depicting the life of the Buddha mean. So I decided to write a book doing just ..read more

One of the people who I had great appreciation for when I was young was Leonard Cohen, who has just passed away. May he have a good rebirth and continue to make music in it.  Given how his poetry and music moved me I have read several articles and obituaries about him over the last few days. While doing so I couldn’t help notice a particular incongruity in the language used in a few of these. In several Cohen is said to have been ordained as “a Zen monk.” In another his teacher Kyozan Joshu Sasaki is described as “a Japanese monk” or “a Zen monk.” The word monk comes from the Greek mona ..read more

Now here’s a book that somewhat curiously includes several subjects that I am quite interested in – Buddhism, travel, horticulture or at least plants, colonial Ceylon, and biographies. It’s about Reginald Farrer (1880-1920), still appreciated amongst gardening enthusiasts but virtually unknown beyond. I have heard of him because of his plant-hunting expeditions in Korea, northern Burma and the borderlands of Tibet, but I have never read his famous and still consulted best-seller My Rock Garden. But I never knew that he was also a well-informed and devote Buddhist. I have not read this, I th ..read more

The passing of the Buddha as described in the Mahāparinibbāna Sutta is one of the most interesting, not to say moving, text in the Tipitaka. Despite its composite nature and somewhat artificial language it transmits the very real drama and pathos of this momentous event. Not surprisingly, throughout history the ‘Great Decease’ had occupied the talents of a long line of sculptors, poets and painters. Most of these are anonymous but one who is not is Hanabusa Itcho (1652-1724). A versatile genius, Itcho excelled in calligraphy and haiku but is most widely known today for his paintings.&nbs ..read more

Studies have shown that some 40% of Americans attend church regularly although another study conducted from the 1980s  to the present has shown that it might be only half that.  Nonetheless, even 20% is high when compared to other developed countries. And in survey after survey Americans assert that they have a deep commitment to religion, even when they do not go to church regularly. Some denominations are more pious than others. Amongst Mormons 67% say they attend church once a week or more, and 89% say they pray daily.  Controversies over issues that overlap on religion are ..read more