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July 2026

July 28, 2026

Sarvastivada: An Extinct Buddhist Sect That’s Still With Us

Sarvastivada was a very early school of Buddhism whose precise origins are lost to history....

June 2026

June 26, 2026

Is Zen really Daoism?

There has long been a popular belief that Zen Buddhism is as much Daoist as...

March 2026

March 26, 2026

A Goddess Who Swapped Bodies to Prove Gender Is an Illusion

The Feminist Goddess of the Vimalakirti Sutra The goddess appears about halfway through the Vimalakirti...

September 2025

September 21, 2025

The Beat Zen Movement: When Zen Became Cool

The Beat Zen movement was one of the more unlikely developments in all of Western...

August 2025

August 03, 2025

The Statue That Survived the Hiroshima Bomb

The statue stood on Hijirigaoka, a hill overlooking the Japanese city of Hiroshima. When the...

July 2025

July 27, 2025

Why Cambodia and Thailand Are Fighting Over a Hindu Temple

Preah Vihear, also called Prasat Ta Muen Thom, is a Hindu temple complex at the...

July 02, 2025

The Dalai Lama’s 90th Birthday and What Happens Next

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama will be 90 years old on July 6, 2025....

March 2025

March 31, 2025

Myanmar Earthquake: Mosques and Temples Destroyed

On March 28 an earthquake struck central Myanmar and was felt in several Asian countries....

March 27, 2025

Mahabodhi Temple Protests: The Fight for a Sacred Site

Mahabodhi Temple -- one of the world's most sacred places -- is now the site...

March 13, 2025

When the Dalai Lama Escaped Tibet

The Dalai Lama escaped Tibet in March 1959, 66 years ago this month. March 1959...

January 2025

January 14, 2025

Padmasambhava, Tibetan Buddhism, and the Mists of Myth

Padmasambhava was probably a real person. I understand this is according to most academic scholars...

December 2024

December 06, 2024

Was There a Historical Buddha?

Here's a question for Bodhi Day. Was the Buddha a verifiable historical person? And was...

December 03, 2024

Buddhist Holidays in December: A Short and Confusing Guide

The world's many religions observe many holy days in December other than Christmas and Hanukkah....

November 2024

November 15, 2024

Ashoka’s Edict on Religious Tolerance

The first person in history known to have promoted religious tolerance was Ashoka the Great....

November 13, 2024

Buddhism and the California Gold Rush: Wild West Dharma

Buddhism and the California Gold Rush may be two things that don't seem to go...

August 2024

August 21, 2024

Zen and the Martial Arts: A Short History

Everyone knows that Zen and the martial arts go together, right? Well, sorta kinda. In...

August 01, 2024

The Marathon Monks of Japan

The marathon monks of Enryakuji, a historic Buddhist temple complex in Japan, are famous for...

June 2024

June 20, 2024

The Quest for Original Buddhism

There are multiple views about "original Buddhism." The historical Buddha lived, we believe, about 26...

March 2024

March 12, 2024

Wu Zetian, Ruthless Empress and Patroness of Buddhism

The empress Wu Zetian (624-705) was one of China's greatest rulers. She is also known...

February 2024

February 29, 2024

Thích Quảng Duc: The Burning Monk

One of the most iconic images of the 20th century is the photograph of a...

February 26, 2024

Frozen Zygotes and the Middle Way of Compassion

The recent consternation about frozen zygotes, in vitro fertilization and "fertilized egg personhood" laws made...

February 08, 2024

The Warlord and the Tea Master

I've been writing about Japan in the 16th and 17th centuries, and before moving on...

January 2024

January 21, 2024

The Thai Forest Tradition of Buddhist Monks: A Short History

The Thai Forest Tradition, or more formally the Kammaṭṭhāna Forest Tradition of Thailand, is a...

January 17, 2024

U Dhammaloka, Irish Activist and Buddhist Monk

U Dhammaloka (1856–1914, maybe) was (possibly) the first westerner to become an ordained Buddhist monk....

January 11, 2024

The Vipassana Movement: Spreading Insight Everywhere

This is the story of the Vipassana Movement, which began in 19th century Burma --...

December 2023

December 02, 2023

Wonhyo, Buddhist Folk Hero of Korea

The story of Wonhyo (617-686 CE), who was among the most important philosophers of east...

November 2023

November 16, 2023

Anagarika Dharmapala, a Missionary for Buddhism

Anagarika Dharmapala (1864-1933) was a pivotal figure in the modern history of Buddhism, both in...

November 04, 2023

Henry Steel Olcott, the “White Buddhist”

In front of the main railway station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, is a golden statue...

October 2023

October 09, 2023

The Boy Who Is the Bogd

Very old history has a way of keeping its grip on current events. Now some...

September 2023

September 28, 2023

Beneath the Sands of Mes Aynak

Mes Aynak is a desolate place located about 25 miles, or 40 kilometers, southeast of...

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