In Portuguese/Em Português The first king of Tibet, founder of the long-lasting Yarlung dynasty, supposedly ruled around the 2nd century CE. Early historical literature describes him as having all the marks of a mahāpuruṣa—a great man. These, however, are no conventional features. Some of them are: having webbed hands and feet, like those of a …
To those who have spent some time with Buddhist primary philosophical sources, thinking by means of lists, catalogs, and enumerations comes as no surprise. The most popular philosophical assertion in Buddhism worldwide is a clear example—the four noble truths. These four have countless subdivisions within them—three sufferings, five aggregates, three poisons, eight paths; the list …
Thinking by Numbers—Why are Buddhists obsessed with lists? Read More »
Poor girl, they all said. Her body spread across the mountain range with vultures hovering over it. She didn’t deserve this horrible fate. She was born in the King’s Apex to a well-to-do family. Ambition, however, is the seed of one’s own demise. They were not content with what they had and wanted more. When …
One Hundred Thousand Lights Shining From the Earth Read More »
Writing remains an unfulfilled promise. I am searching for it unattended. It is said it can be one’s mission, destiny, or salvation. Writing is all there is in this lonely, empty palace. I never had an easy relationship with writing. I find it rather boring. Nonetheless, I catch myself persistently drawn to it. It is …
The concept of history in Tibet — at least since the 7th century, when King Songtsen Gampo ruled — is inextricably tied to Buddhism as a larger framework of Tibetan culture and identity. The very first works of Tibetan historiography — the Annals, the Chronicles, and the Testaments of Ba — are tellings of the …
A personal history — the historicity of Tibetan rnam thar Read More »
When I was younger, I thought there were two basic ways you could approach culture. The first was to immerse yourself in the cultural canon, consuming everything prestigious and universally revered by “the critics.” This approach has its merits, but it can be constraining. By definition, whatever is universal cannot touch the particular. You can …
As soon as I arrived, I randomly picked this book in the institute’s library, expecting it to be a short and lighthearted novel –– a perfect way to start my reading routine in the new environment. However, Such a Long Journey was a long and exhausting read, like Gustad’s dense life. There is an excruciating …
This is a good book that could have been great. I have been interested in effective altruism since I stumbled upon Practical Ethics by Peter Singer almost by chance at my college library. The reasoned perspective on doing good was seductive to an intellectually curious law sophomore, growing disenchanted with the moral foundations of juridical …
Audre Lorde is poetry and poet at the same time – it starts with her name, candidly justified on page 24 of my Penguin Modern Classics edition of Zami: “I did not like the tail of the Y hanging down below the line in Audrey, and would always forget to put it on, which used …
“This is a mock-up letter created to communicate with my friends soon to be and thus gone.” Dear S. I am happy to know you are fine and I am grateful for your letter. Once again, I apologize I wasn’t able to make it to your birthday party this year. As I mentioned, your birthday …
Letter to a friend: what does it mean to be a Buddhist practitioner? Read More »