Dear friends around the world, I recently came across reports of the discovery of an underwater Roman settlement off the coast of Tunisia. For almost a decade, archaeologists have been searching for the Roman city of Neapolis, which was believed to have been sunk by a tsunami 1,700 years ago. The ruins of the...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Current Affairs & News | 14 Comments »
(by Tsem Rinpoche and Cindy Hew) In current times, the phrase “little green men” brings to mind alien beings from outer space, reminiscent of the hype surrounding flying saucers during the turn of the 20th Century. The earliest linking of this phrase with extra-terrestrials can be traced to an article about a little green-skinned...
Posted in Mythology and Mysteries, Paranormal, Science & Mysteries | 8 Comments »
Dear friends around the world, I have always been a big fan of spiritual, metaphysical, mystical, historical and paranormal related subjects. I even have a special section on this blog dedicated to paranormal articles. What interests me is discovering how ancient knowledge has made an impact on the modern era. For instance, there are...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Mythology and Mysteries, Science & Mysteries | 17 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David Lai) Ven. Dr. Walpola Rahula Maha Thera is widely acclaimed to have been one of the greatest luminaries amongst Sri Lankan scholars of the 20th century. He was a fully ordained monk of the Theravada tradition, an erudite scholar and author of a number of important books on...
Posted in Buddhas, Dharma & Practice, Celebrities & People | 5 Comments »
The presence of the Chinese labourers in Bentong can be traced back to 1889 when the British expanded their mining activities in Bentong. With the capital provided by local business magnates, namely Mr. Loke Yew and his partners, Bentong was poised to be a key mining town...
Posted in Guest Contributors, Malaysia | 14 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor Shin) China’s great history spans over five thousand years, and with 446 rulers and 67 dynasties, not many emperors stand out. However, there are a few exceptions and these great memorable rulers have been immortalised in Chinese folk culture and history books around the world. Emperor Kangxi (1654-1722) was...
Posted in Buddhas, Dharma & Practice, China, Travel | 4 Comments »
Although Bentong town, as it is known today, was established in the late 19th century, it is worth mentioning that the district of Bentong has been around for a long time, known as ‘Kapong’ before World War I (1914). Allow me to bring you on a journey through the passage of time to explore...
Posted in Guest Contributors, Malaysia | 15 Comments »
Dear friends around the world, I have always been fascinated by historical architecture, from the ancient pyramids of Egypt to the mysterious Moais of Easter Island. Up till today, it is still a wonder how these ancient civilizations were able to construct such massive monuments when modern technology and even simple machinery did not...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture | 11 Comments »
Emperor Kangxi (1654 – 1722), also known as Emperor Kang Hsi, is one of the most beloved of China’s historic leaders. In fact, he is renowned for his benevolent reign of the country, which was marked by stability, progress and development, both culturally and in terms of his people’s welfare. In stark contrast to...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Celebrities & People, China 中国, Guest Contributors | 26 Comments »
Christianity has long associated animal-headed divinities with pagan religions. Consequently, these divinities are denounced and declared as anti-Christ or as manifestations of the devil. Certain Christians quote passages of the Bible that refer to God’s displeasure at the worship of a bull-headed pagan god to validate their viewpoint. However, if one were to delve...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Current Affairs & News, Guest Contributors | 7 Comments »
Sophia: Suffragette Princess Introduction Princess Sophia Alexandra Duleep Singh was born on August 8, 1876 to Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, and Maharani Bamba Müller, the daughter of a German father and Abyssinian mother who had grown up in Cairo and spoke only Arabic at first. Her parents...
Posted in Celebrities & People | 7 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche) Chengdu is the capital of China’s Sichuan province which is located in the southwestern part of China. This beautiful city has a rich culture and history that dates back to as far as the 4th century BCE when it used to serve as the capital for the Shu Kingdom (one of...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, China, China 中国, Travel | 14 Comments »
Before I begin, I would like to affirm that I am not a feminist, nor a sexist and nothing much more than a female who has worked and built her career in a “men’s world” many years ago. Did I hate the environment? Had it been unpleasant? Not at all. This piece is all about...
Posted in Guest Contributors | 9 Comments »
நான் கடந்த 20 ஆண்டுகளாக மலேசிய நாட்டில் வாழ்ந்து வருகின்றேன். என்னுடைய இந்த காலகட்டத்தில், நான் மலேசிய நாட்டில் உள்ள அனைத்து பாரம்பரியங்கள் மற்றும் கலாச்சாரங்கள் மீதும் மிகுந்த மரியாதையும் புரிந்துணர்வையும் செலுத்தி வந்துள்ளேன். இந்த புரிதலே, என்னை மலேசிய நாட்டினைப் பற்றி மேலும் எழுதுவதற்கு தூண்டுகோளாக அமைந்துள்ளது. இந்திய மக்கள், பிரிட்டிஷ் காலனித்துவத்திற்கு முன்பாகவே தங்களின் வர்த்தக தொடர்புகளை விரிவுபடுத்தவும் மற்றும் செல்வாக்கையும் நம்பிக்கைகளையும் பரப்பவும் இந்த பிரதேசத்திற்கு குடியேறினர். பிரிட்டிஷ் தனது காலனித்துவத்தைத்...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Malaysia, தமிழ் | 3 Comments »
Introduction “Hell is empty and all the devils are here.” – William Shakespeare A Brief History of the Devil The Devil, which is the universal symbol of all things wicked, heinous, corrupt and destructive is ever present in the awareness of the people of all cultures today. So common is the knowledge of the...
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Guest Contributors, Science & Mysteries | 26 Comments »
Background The Baba Nyonya, also known as Peranakan or Straits-Chinese, are the descendants of Chinese immigrants who married and assimilated into local communities in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. The number of Chinese migrants increased when the tin mines in Kesang, Johor, opened and started operating. With Malacca as...
Posted in Malaysia | 13 Comments »
我已在马来西亚居住20多年了。这么多年来,马来西亚文化与风俗习惯中所蕴含的多样性令我十分欣赏,于是我想针对这个国家的丰富文化多写一些文章。
早在英国殖民马来亚以前,印度人就已开始迁移到本区域来,希望借此开拓贸易网、扩张影响力及推广他们的信仰。
Posted in Malaysia, 中文 | 1 Comment »
(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor David) The word ‘Zen’ is derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word ‘Chan’. This in turn is derived from the Indian Sanskrit word ‘Dhyana’, which means ‘mental absorption’ or ‘meditation’. The modern Zen tradition of today is based on a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, and was known as Chan Buddhism. Some...
Posted in Buddhas, Dharma & Practice, China 中国, Great Lamas & Masters | 10 Comments »
உலகம் முழுவதும் உள்ள அன்பர்களே,
நான் கடந்த 20 ஆண்டுகளாக மலேசிய நாட்டில் வாழ்ந்து வருகின்றேன். என்னுடைய இந்த காலகட்டத்தில், நான் மலேசிய நாட்டில் உள்ள அனைத்து பாரம்பரியங்கள் மற்றும் கலாச்சாரங்கள் மீதும் மிகுந்த மரியாதையும் புரிந்துணர்வையும் செலுத்தி வந்துள்ளேன்.
Posted in Malaysia, தமிழ் | 1 Comment »
Women have been jumping hurdles and breaking barriers since time immemorial. Unfortunately, some of these brave and heroic women seem to have slipped the history books. Here, I commemorate some forgotten heroines the world over. Shakila Rajendra Beyonce may have made the term ‘slaying it’ popular but it seems our Queen Bey...
Posted in Current Affairs & News, Inspiration & Worthy Words | 19 Comments »