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Select a Category Buddhism Christianity Daoism Hinduism Indigenous religions Islam Judaism Mysticism New Age Origins of religion Paganism Popes Popular Religious Movements Protestantism Psychology and religion Religion and current events Religion and folklore Religion and News Media Religion and politics Religious Art and Music Religious Freedom Religious mistakes Religious philosophy Religious scriptures Religious Violence science and religion Spiritualism Technology and religion The Catholic Church The Dalai Lama The Reformation Uncategorized

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September 2023

September 20, 2023

Nalanda: The First University

Nalanda was the first residential university in human history. It also was one of the...

August 2023

August 25, 2023

The Ancient Secret of the Dunhuang Cave

The discovery of a long-hidden library in a cave near Dunhuang, China, was one of...

August 07, 2023

A Tale of the Buddha’s Tooth

Sri Lanka's Festival of the Tooth is possibly the oldest Buddhist festival in Asia. Indeed,...

July 2023

July 28, 2023

The Meaning of Faith

What is the meaning of faith? In particular, what is the meaning of the word...

June 2023

June 16, 2023

The Afterlife of the Bamiyan Buddhas

The giant Buddhas of Bamiyan, central Afghanistan, were destroyed in March 2001 on orders of...

June 09, 2023

The First Buddhist Same-Sex Wedding

The first Buddhist same-sex wedding (that we know of) took place in about 1970 in...

May 2023

May 25, 2023

Tina Turner’s Buddhism

Tina Turner (1939-2023) was a force of nature, and her music touched countless people. She...

May 18, 2023

The Mystery of the Emerald Buddha

The Emerald Buddha is the most sacred object in Thailand. It is the nation's palladium,...

May 17, 2023

The Real Story of Anna and the King of Siam

The King and I, the classic musical by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein, premiered on Broadway...

May 12, 2023

Buddhism in Egypt?

Buddhism in Egypt? Nearly two millennia ago? Maybe. A statue of the Buddha dating to...

May 08, 2023

The Origins of Dragons

What are the origins of dragons? It isn't clear when and where dragons first appeared...

March 2023

March 26, 2023

How the Meiji Era Changed Japanese Buddhism

The Meiji Era, which began in the late 19th century, utterly upended Japanese Buddhism. Sweeping...

March 24, 2023

Buddhist Nuns of Japan vs. the Patriarchy

The Buddhist nuns of Japan, like their sisters in other parts of Asia, struggled against...

March 18, 2023

The First Japanese Buddhist Nuns: A Contentious Story

The first Japanese Buddhist nuns were not welcome in Japan. It's recorded that three Japanese...

March 15, 2023

Chinese Buddhist Nuns: A History of Perseverance

For centuries the only fully ordained Buddhist nuns anywhere were in east Asia -- China,...

March 12, 2023

The Determined Buddhist Nuns of Sri Lanka

The Buddhist nuns of Sri Lanka have needed determination for there to be nuns at...

March 11, 2023

The Buddhist Nun Controversy

The Buddhist nun controversy stems from the many barriers Buddhist women have faced in Asia. ...

February 2023

February 17, 2023

How Hercules Reached Japan

Heracles was a hero of ancient Greek mythology. He's better known to most of us...

February 12, 2023

Tibet’s Declaration of Independence and the Thirteenth Dalai Lama

Tibet's declaration of independence is a statement released by His Holiness the Thirteenth Dalai Lama,...

February 11, 2023

When Britain Invaded Tibet

Britain invaded Tibet in 1903. The British did not intend to conquer Tibet but to...

February 05, 2023

The Golden Urn and the Succession of Dalai Lamas

The government of China is in possession of a particular golden urn. This urn, it...

January 2023

January 31, 2023

China’s Claim to Tibet and the Seventh Dalai Lama

China's claim to Tibet as a territory of the People's Republic of China (PRC) is...

January 27, 2023

The Sixth Dalai Lama’s Short and Tragic Life

The Sixth Dalai Lama, Tsangyang Gyatso (1683–1706) didn't want the job. He was enthroned as...

January 24, 2023

How the Fifth Dalai Lama Became Ruler of Tibet

The Fifth Dalai Lama, His Holiness Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617–1682), was the first Dalai Lama...

January 15, 2023

Ikkō-ikki: Buddhism and the Japanese Peasant Revolts

Ikkō-ikki was a name given to peasants' revolts in 15th and 16th century Japan. Most of...

December 2022

December 30, 2022

A Brief History of China’s Shaolin Temple

It is the legendary location of hundreds of martial arts action movies, including Shaolin Temple...

December 16, 2022

The First Dalai Lama

Even if you know little else about Buddhism, you've heard of the Dalai Lama. The...

December 10, 2022

How Many Days Did Buddha Sit Under the Bodhi Tree?

How many days did Buddha sit under the Bodhi Tree? The standard answer is forty-nine...

December 07, 2022

The History of Budai, the Laughing Buddha

You may wonder why the Buddha is so often depicted as chubby and laughing. The...

December 02, 2022

Will Ancient Gandharan Scrolls Change Buddhist History?

The Gandharan scrolls are ancient scrolls, mostly in fragments, that in recent years have been...

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