Ambitious, but realistic, reflections.

For me, a perfect future, or my ideal life, would give me enough resources and expertise to do three things. These are very general things, but brought together, really constitutes the Good Life for me: These three things are to travel, to write, and to teach.
These things are interrelated. The more I travel, the more [...]

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Shameless scoundrels.

‘Buddhists seek control over Mahabodhi Temple management’

 
Patna, India — Buddhist monks are upset with the Bihar government for ‘deliberately’ delaying the formation of a panel for running the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya, Buddhism’s holiest shrine, and want control to be vested with Buddhists.

The Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BGTMC) has been without a [...]

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The United Nations is a failure

Joint Statement Issued by the All Burma Monks’ Alliance and the 88 Generation Students
Yangon (Rangoon), Myanmar (Burma) – We paid serious attention to the briefing by the UN Special Envoy Mr. Ibrahim Gambari to the United Nations Security Council on March 18, 2008 on Burma.
Since his recommendations to the Burmese military junta have been flatly [...]

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The aesthetic of ‘hospitality’

From now on I’m going to start approaching how I treat people through a specific aesthetic, just to try something new. This was an indirect inspiration from finishing one of my lecturer/mentor’s books. I am going to utilize the aesthetic of hospitality to welcome ‘guests’ into my ‘house’. In other words, how to make [...]

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A review of HIM’s Venus Doom

I bought this album during the Christmas holidays. Being a HIM fan yet having left college (with no network to download other people’s music), it was difficult to resist this most recent compilation of alternative metal. It is in my opinion the best HIM album because it is representative of the hardest metal HIM has [...]

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New topics for blogging: History

I have a new list of historical topics that I will begin blogging about once I have enough material. I have an avid interest in history because I believe the lessons of history – of all peoples and civilizations – can further the cause of the Great Vehicle in an increasingly dangerous world.
Of course, this [...]

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Have no fear

Two years ago, I felt quite anxious about the future of Buddhism. But after contemplating the events of Buddha’s life, I do not feel so pressured now. After all, we should be lucky there is anything remotely like Buddhism in the world, let alone the real thing. If the Buddha had had his own way, [...]

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Validation and Affirmation

Something that I have always taken to heart is, ‘Existential affirmation and validation can only come from above’. In other words, a human is obviously an organic creature. He farts, craps, and has sex like every other animal.  However, humans are one of the only creatures who understand their existential angst in a world they [...]

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New post on course blog

I have written a short analysis of my experience under the Bodhi Tree at Mahabodhi Temple as part of my assessment on what constitutes a ’sacred space’. It can be found here. It’s a little over 500 words, so it’s quite a relaxing and non-intimidating read.
I feel that Mahabodhi Temple is the most sacred space [...]

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Serious Philosophical Problems and Interesting Existential Tensions

Last week I thought of two new categories with which to gauge a worldview or a philosophy’s validity. I am not some things because either some of their major tenets, or the belief itself, or perhaps one of their major positions, consist of a serious philosophical problem. In this way such problems are like the [...]

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