From ancient kings who disciplined errant monks to modern political battles over Gnanasara Thera, Sri Lanka’s history raises an uncomfortable question: should the saffron robe shield its wearer from accountability? The controversy
by Nil Shunryu Suzuki’s Becoming Yourself: Teachings on the Zen Way of Life, curated by Jiryu Rutschman-Byler and Sojun Mel Weitsman, constitutes a limpid yet provocative compendium of Soto Zen teachings, distilled
MoreEditorial Note: The following column is based on a presentation delivered by Wu Ruoshan, Dean of the New Era Cultural Tourism Research Institute in Beijing, China on China-Inspired Strategies for Building World-Featured
MoreThis week my latest book, How Countries Go Broke: The Big Cycle, is being released. This note is to share what it says in a nutshell. To me, what matters most is
MoreViolence against women in Afghanistan has intensified under Taliban rule, with numerous reports detailing systemic abuses and gender-based persecution. The Taliban have institutionalized gender-based discrimination through a series of decrees that severely
MoreThe era of Japanese children being named Pikachu, Pudding, or even Prince may be drawing to a close, as new regulations designed to curb eccentric naming practices take effect this week. The
MoreIn modern-day China, the path to marriage is increasingly paved with gold — and real estate. The financial demands placed on prospective grooms have reached staggering levels, pushing many Chinese men to
MoreThe rapid growth of digital technologies in the last quarter-century has multiplied the number and types of possible influences on individual values and opinions. Has the digital era changed the level of
MoreHiking is considered one of the most popular outdoor activities worldwide, offering numerous mental and physical health benefits, and allowing us to connect with nature. Walking long distances, often through diverse biomes and
MoreMembers of the Laotian diaspora in the United States, many of whom arrived as refugees after surviving a CIA-led “secret war,” are now facing a fresh crisis—detention and deportation with little warning,
MoreAccountability, or the orchestrated illusion of it, lies at the bleeding heart of our modern socio-political malaise. From the crumbling courthouses of collapsing democracies to the gilded executive chambers of unrestrained autocrats,
Moreby Durga In The Dream Cure, the author weaves an intricate tapestry of longing, psychological turmoil, and the human desire for escape. The book is a profound exploration of dreams—not just as
Moreby Nil Michael Ruse’s Atheism: What Everyone Needs to Know is not merely a survey of nonbelief—it is a crucial intervention in an era where artificial intelligence, misinformation, and ideological manipulation shape
MoreMarch is the month of International Working Women’s Day, a day deeply rooted in the socialist movement. Most of the world now only calls 8 March ‘International Women’s Day’, excluding the word ‘working’ from
MoreIn 1989, one-third of the inhabitants of Porto Alegre, Brazil, lived in impoverished regions on the fringes of the city, cut off from sanitation, clean water, medical facilities, and other essential resources. In response, the Brazilian
Moreby Nil Adam Rutherford’s A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived is an incendiary, provocative, and profoundly necessary book. It does not merely narrate human history through the lens of genetics;
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