Category Archives: Buddhism
THICH NHAT HANH
(1926- )
from Vietnam: Lotus in a Sea of Fire: In Search of the Enemy of Man
Thich Nhat Hanh, a scholar in the field of philosophy of religion and an internationally revered figure of Zen Buddhism, was born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo in Vietnam in 1926. (The word “Thich” [pronounced tick] is not a title, but … Continue reading
Filed under Asia, Buddhism, Hanh, Thich Nhat, Selections, The Modern Era
RAMMOHUN ROY
(1774–1833)
from Translation of a Conference Between an Advocate For, and an Opponent Of, the Practice of Burning Widows Alive
Raja Rammohun Roy (also spelled Ram Mohun) was born in Bengal in an ancient Brahman family in 1774, or, according to some sources, 1772. Roy was a religious and social reformer during the British colonial period and founder of … Continue reading
Filed under Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Roy, Rammohun, Selections, The Early Modern Period
CHIKAMATSU MONZAEMON
(1653-1725)
from The Love Suicides at Sonezaki
Chikamatsu Monzaemon, born Sugimori Nobumori, the second son of a minor samurai family, is recognized as the first modern Japanese dramatist. Often called “the Japanese Shakespeare,” he is widely considered the most important playwright of the Tokugawa age. As … Continue reading
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(1653-1725)
from The Love Suicides at Sonezaki
Filed under Asia, Buddhism, Chikamatsu Monzaemon, Love, Selections, The Early Modern Period
JETSUN MILAREPA
(c. 1052-c. 1135)
from Songs of Milarepa
Milarepa was a major figure in Tibetan Buddhism and one of Tibet’s most famous yogis and poets. His writings, often referred to as the Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa, are canonical Mahayana Buddhist texts. Milarepa was born Mila Thöpaga … Continue reading
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(c. 1052-c. 1135)
from Songs of Milarepa
Filed under Asia, Buddhism, Middle Ages, Milarepa, Jetsun, Selections
LOTUS SUTRA
(c. 50 A.D.-c. 200 A.D.)
from Former Affairs of the Bodhisattva Medicine King
The Lotus Sutra, or Saddharma Pundarika Sutra, is one of the earliest Mahayana Buddhist texts and is considered to be the principal Mahayana sutra. Developing somewhat after Hinayana, the more ancient form of Buddhism that later evolved into modern … Continue reading
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(c. 50 A.D.-c. 200 A.D.)
from Former Affairs of the Bodhisattva Medicine King
Filed under Ancient History, Asia, Buddhism, Lotus Sutra, Selections
THE QUESTIONS OF KING MILINDA
(c. 100 B.C.)
On Suicide
The Milindapañha, or The Questions of King Milinda, sometimes assigned to one of the “three baskets” of the Pali canon of early Buddhist texts by the Burmese edition, is usually understood as a paracanonical text of Theravada Buddhism, the … Continue reading
Filed under Afterlife, Ancient History, Asia, Buddhism, Milinda, King, Selections