The swastika symbol is known to signify peace, prosperity, and good fortune in religious cultures of Eurasia. In fact, this symbol is considered very important in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. But, at the same time, it has become one of the most misunderstood religious symbols and has been banned in many countries globally. The reason […]
After reading his own newspaper obituary, Mark Twain said: “The news of my death is grossly exaggerated.” Likewise, having been informed of the disappearance of Buddhism in its native land, I now realize that this understanding, also rather misunderstood, is guilty of gross exaggeration. Recent archaeological evidence from Krimila in Bihar shows that new Buddhist […]
I remember reading the introduction to “Secret Oral Teachings in Tibetan Buddhist Sects” by Mrs. Alexandria David-Neel, where she was informed by one of her teachers that there was no problem in publishing the secrets. They remain secret unless someone is ready to hear them. Some kind of truth about such things. With that, here […]
Robert Wright is an award-winning science journalist who has written for The Atlantic, The New Yorker, and the New York Times. He is also the author of a number of popular popular science books, including The moral animal: the new science of evolutionary psychology, published in 1994. Recently my ex-wife Melanie Trost sent me a […]
The unsustainable claims made by Sinhalese and Tamils over language, religion and ethnicity have confused Sri Lankan politics in the post-independence era. The Sinhalese proclaim loud and clear that Buddhism is in essence and exclusively a “Sinhalese” religion. Tamils, on the other hand, claim with the same vehemence, that they have always been pure Hindus, […]
The unsustainable claims made by Sinhalese and Tamils over language, religion and ethnicity have confused Sri Lankan politics in the post-independence era. The Sinhalese proclaim loud and clear that Buddhism is in essence and exclusively a “Sinhalese” religion. Tamils, on the other hand, claim with the same vehemence, that they have always been pure Hindus, […]
“The mind has its own place, and in itself can make a hell out of heaven, a hell out of heaven.” (Paradise Lost, Volume 1, 247). “Whatever an enemy may do to an enemy, or an enemy to an enemy, the misguided mind can make you even worse.” (Pali canon, Udāna 4.33). “It’s wonderful to […]
As Ryan Holiday notes in his book Daily Stoic, we have a mental image of the Zen philosopher as the calm and serene monk. On the other hand, the Stoic is the man of the market, the senator of the forum, etc. Nevertheless, the two people are also at peace. Although for each philosophy there […]
Buddhism was founded by Lord Buddha around the 6th century BC. It started in India but is now practiced by many countries including Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal, Tibet, China and Japan. It is said that the Buddha was born under the name of Siddhartha Gautama in the royal family of a small kingdom of […]
Our most venerable Hikkaduwe Sri Sumangala Thera was born on January 20, 1827. It was a dark time in Sri Lanka’s history when the country which suffered greatly under the suffocating rule of Portuguese and Dutch settlers at the time, was forced to officially surrender himself to the British Empire. Thus, on March 2, 1815, […]