Tag Archives: buddhism

BRB Sri Lanka

Posted on March 27, 2013 by E.

There is an old story in Japanese Buddhist legends, said to come from India.

Posted in Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged buddhism, sri lanka | Leave a comment

On Lenin’s Feet and the Taxi-Driving Buddha

Posted on October 5, 2011 by E.

If you visit Kyoto, you may stumble into a small home next door to a shrine and, as you’re looking for the shrine entrance, a woman may ask you for 500 yen and assure you that there is English being … Continue reading →

Posted in language, Shrines, Temples and Ruins, Thinking, Uncategorized, Zen | Tagged buddhism, japan, Kyoto, Lenin | 2 Comments

On Obon: Japan’s Homecoming Game, with Ghosts.

Posted on August 10, 2011 by E.

There’s an old Buddhist story about a monk named Mahamaudgalyayana – let’s call him Mokuren, for short – who was doing alright, as monks go, and had finally developed the skill of peering into the world of the dead.

Posted in Fun, Shrines, Thinking, Tradition, Uncategorized, Zen | Tagged ancestor worship, buddha, buddhism, holidays, hungry ghosts, japan, japanese holidays, obon, world holidays | 8 Comments

On Japanese Funerals

Posted on March 28, 2011 by E.

My first conversation about the earthquake was a week and three days after it struck. In the office, we talked about the peripheries of disaster: Blood donations, fundraisers, TV coverage. We didn’t talk about victims. When the media focused on … Continue reading →