(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...
Tags: biography, Buddhism, history, inspiration, people, scholar, spirituality, sri lanka
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...
Tags: bentong, china, chinese, history, Malaysia
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...
Tags: Buddhism, china, history, kangxi, pilgrimage, travel, wu tai shan
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...
Tags: bentong, England, history, Malaysia
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...
Tags: culture, history, travel, turkey
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...
Tags: architecture, Buddhism, china, emperor, history, kangxi, manjushri, tulku drakpa gyaltsen
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Celebrities & People, China 中国, Guest Contributors | 25 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...
Tags: christianity, current affairs, history, religion, spirituality
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...
Tags: Anita Anand, biography, heroine, history, Princess Sophia, suffragette, The Black Prince, United Kingdom
Posted in Celebrities & People | 7 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche) Dear sincere dharma students around the world and friends, After the great master, meditator, teacher, logician, yogi, siddha and erudite scholar Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen was ‘eliminated’ by the government of the 5th Dalai Lama over three hundred years ago in Tibet, his reincarnation line was banned. That does not mean he...
Tags: Buddhism, dorje shugden, history, practice
Posted in Buddhas, Dharma & Practice, Dorje Shugden | 49 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...
Tags: Buddhism, china, culture, history, manjushri, travel
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...
Tags: business, datuk may phng, equality, history, woman
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...
Tags: culture, history, india, Malaysia
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...
Tags: history, New Age, religion, religious studies
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...
Tags: culture, history, Malaysia, race
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。
Tags: country, culture, history, Malaysia, people, travel
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...
Tags: culture, dharma, great masters, history
Posted in Buddhas, Dharma & Practice, China 中国, Great Lamas & Masters | 9 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.
Tags: country, culture, history, Malaysia, monarchy, travel
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...
Tags: current affairs, history, inspirational, people
Posted in Current Affairs & News, Inspiration & Worthy Words | 17 Comments »
Dear friends around the world, I have an interesting blog post here for you. Have you ever read a book and felt incredibly connected to its content and message? Not all of us may have had this strong experience however, unless we have a very strong imprint of the particular topic perhaps from another...
Tags: china, history, pilgrimage, travel
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Explorers | 7 Comments »
(By Tsem Rinpoche) The Kalmyks are known to be very spiritual because they abide in a community of people who are strong practitioners of Buddhism. I grew up with Kalmyks (A part of the Mongolian people) and during my childhood days back in Howell, New Jersey, I lived in the Kalmyk community and we...
Tags: family, history, kalmyk, mongolia, telo rinpoche
Posted in Art, Architecture & Culture, Buddhas, Dharma & Practice | 10 Comments »