Asia
Fire-walking at Mount Takao
Mount Takao is located in a western, wooded stretch of greater Tokyo. It is a prime destination to take in the seasons and escape the asphalt island that is the rest of the city. Plum and cherry blossoms in the spring and crimson maples in the autumn attract the most visitors. An old temple, Yakuōin,…
“I Only Desire”: Poet Monks
Running into a monk at a hostess bar in Kyoto was as jarring to me as bumping into a rowdy rabbi or Baptist minister at a strip club. Though all may marry, there is still something incongruous when holy men revel at establishments where women are the entertainment. But maybe I shouldn’t have been so…
Pilgrimage to Nowhere – In the Beginning
Would an activists’s life have been better spent in the in the lotus position, seeking no-self?
Marching the Buddha
If monks in Myanmar weren’t marching against the military junta this week, they would likely be taking part in a march of another kind. Late September is traditionally the time for one of Myanmar’s largest religious festivals, held just 100 miles north of Yangon, epicenter of the protests and scene of increasingly violent government response.…
Searching for Sufis
When you look for mystics in a war-torn land, you might find them hiding right in front of you.
Brand Name Buddhism
For Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, it’s alright to get a little dirty, so long as you know which detergent will get your karma clean.
