Third Indian Expedition - Journey to Places Related to BuddhaWhen I think of India, I think of the Taj Mahal. I visited this world heritage site, one of the most famous architectural monuments in the world.
The Taj Mahal is like a palace, but it contains the sorrow of a king who lost his beloved wife. In this article, we will talk about the episode of such a sad king.
Travels in Sri Lanka, the Holy Land of BuddhismColombo is the largest city in Sri Lanka, with a combined population and urban area of over 2 million. The city, which is also the center of business in Sri Lanka, is developing remarkably, and high-rise buildings are being constructed one after another. I was surprised as soon as I arrived at the city that it is almost as developed and beautiful as Japan's metropolitan area.
Indian thought, culture and historyIn this article I will present my recommendations for Indian reference books.
I am currently writing a series of articles on this blog entitled "[Travels to Buddhist Sites in India and Sri Lanka] A Journey to the Sacred Sites of Buddhism: What I Felt When I Was Called to India", and the books I am about to introduce have had a strong influence on me.
Other Recommended BooksThis work, "Minakata Kumagusu, Cats, and Islam," is a departure from conventional reference books on Minakata Kumagusu.
Minakata Kumagusu is known as a "naturalist and folklorist with genius qualities" and is famous for his research on slime molds and plants.
Minakata Kumagusu's superhuman collection of materials and the scope of his research earned him the respect of later researchers. He was praised as a genius and a great man who was ahead of his time.
However, was this person, Minakata Kumagusu, really the great man he seemed to be? In this book, we will carefully examine whether the image of Minakata Kumagusu, filled with the praise of later researchers, was really correct.
It is a stimulating work that can be called a Minakata Kumagusu version of the now popular "Buddha, the Man" by Toshifumi Shimizu!
Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Southeast AsiaWhat an ease it is to innocently drink deliciously without knowing anything about it.
It is clearly less psychologically burdensome that way.
But what would happen if all people became like that? No, what has happened to the world today with neoliberalism?
It may be harsh, but I think this book is one that you should have the courage to read because you are a coffee lover.
Indian thought, culture and historyEveryone knows Mahatma Gandhi as a great man who played a major role in India's independence.
This work is a recommended reference book that provides a clear and detailed look at Gandhi's ideas, personality, and impact on society.
We are all familiar with Gandhi's famous phrase "nonviolence. However, what this "nonviolence" really means is not well known, or even misunderstood. This book raises such issues.
I am particularly shocked by chapters 5 and 6, which discuss Gandhi's religious views and his family problems. I too was like, "What? That's right!" I was surprised.
But this book is more than just gossip. Gandhi's ideas and personality are revealed through a variety of sources.
Buddhism in IndiaThis work is a unique collection of essays that looks at Mahayana Buddhism through its connections with Hinduism, Islam, and Chinese culture.
And in the book, the following points are made
Roughly speaking, it is known that funerary Buddhist elements have been strongly at work in actual Buddhism since India. It has often been claimed that the original Buddhism of India taught a better way of life for the living and not for the dead, a discourse that has been used to denigrate Japanese funeral Buddhism, but it has been shown unequivocally that this is not the case at all."
This is a recommended reference book for reading these stimulating papers by Schopen. We encourage you to pick up a copy.
Indian thought, culture and historyIn real life, there are "real intentions and preconceived notions. The author's point that if you ignore this and focus only on one or the other, you will end up with something completely different was certainly something I could nod my head to and say, "I see.
In addition to these religious aspects, the book covers a wide range of aspects of "Indian life," including caste, art, curry and other foods, politics, language, urban and rural areas, sexuality, and so on. I found this book very interesting in terms of the birth of Buddhism and its absorption into the Hindu world.
Indian thought, culture and historyThis book is an amazing overview of art history from the Indus civilization to modern India in one volume. The book is unique in that it is richly illustrated with photographs, all in color. It is also arranged by period, so it is gratifying to know how Indian art has changed over the years.
I was particularly interested in Buddhist art, and I appreciated the beautiful photographs of early Buddhist statues and sculptures. The explanations were easy to understand and I immediately felt that this was a work I would highly recommend.
Indian thought, culture and historyMedieval India may be a minor genre compared to ancient India, where Buddhism and Hinduism flourished, but it offers great insights into Buddhism and Hinduism itself. I too read with great interest the history of Indian Islam as told in this book. This is interesting.
It is a story of medieval India, which is not often talked about, but I dare you to pick it up. It is interesting.
Welcome to our website. For those of you who are visiting our blog for the first time. First of all, please click here.
The best of our blog! The "Dostoevsky's Journey" trilogy - my full-length European travelogue!
Travels to Buddhist Sacred Sites in India and Sri Lanka: What I felt there when I was called to India
(1) The birth of Prince Siddhartha in Lumbini, Nepal!
10 novels instead of business cards - I'm ashamed to say I'm such a person.
Why am I, a monk, reading Dostoevsky and world literature?" Articles - The Surprising Similarities Between Shinran and Dostoevsky
(93) Varanasi, early morning on the Ganges River - Like an impressionist painting! The Ganges at sunrise from the boat
(92) Enjoy the Saharnath Museum's supreme treasure, the Ashoka Lion Pillar Head, and the "First Turning Wheel," the greatest masterpiece of Indian Buddhist sculpture!
(91) To the Dhamek Stupa at Sarnath (Kanoen) - The holy place of Buddha's first turning of the wheel! This is where the Buddhist Order began!
(90) Am I a disqualified monk if I am not impressed by the Buddhist holy places in India? Sinking in Bodh Gaya...
(89) Who owns Bodhgaya? History of the Movement to Retake Bodhgaya and Dharmapala's Maha Bodhi Society
(88) Visiting Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, the Holy Land of Buddha's Enlightenment
(87) Experience the fervor of Hinduism at the Vishnu Temple in Gaya, a major sacred site for ancestral offerings!
(86) To the place associated with Sujata and the Neelanjara River - The place of the milk porridge offering that saved the dying Buddha
