Mythologist | Author | Speaker | Illustrator
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Articles
Shiva, the Teacher
Most texts describe Buddhism as a reaction to Vedic ritualism, but they fail to discuss how Shaivism was a response to Buddhism…
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Articles
Buddhism Was Pushed Out, Or Pulled Out?
Emphasising the “pushing out” of Buddhism frames it as a passive victim. Its “pull out” strategy in response to local hostility, and greater opportunities in foreign lands, reminds us that even ideologies can have agency…
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Articles
Buddhas No One Talks About
There are seven Buddhas as per Sanchi Stupa, twenty-four and more as per the oldest Buddhist Sanskrit texts found barely two decades ago in Gandhara…
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Articles
A Thousand Buddhas
We have all heard how there is no one single Ramayana, there are many — 300 at least. But no one tells us there is not just one Buddha; that there are dozens, maybe thousands, perhaps even millions, as per the earliest Buddhist scriptures…
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Articles
Buddhism, Jainism Within Brahmanism
As per conventional history, Jainism and Buddhism originated in India 2,500 years ago to challenge Vedic ritualism and casteism. Then, a thousand years ago, Buddhism was driven out by Brahmins, with a little help from invading Muslim warlords…
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Articles
The Mercantile Side of Buddhism
When we talk about Buddhism, we often think of otherworldliness, yet the earliest grand architectures and sculptures in India were funded by Buddhist merchants. …
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Articles
Did Buddha Inspire Jesus?
Many believe that Jesus spent several years of his life travelling east, engaging with Buddhist monks and monasteries, and possibly even travelling as far as Kashmir…
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Articles
Buddhism As a Prosperity Gospel
In Buddhist lore, Buddha was described as the great caravan leader and guardian. So it is as much an economic reason that brought Ashoka close to Buddhism as it was spiritual reasons…
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Articles
Rebirthing Buddhas, Reincarnating Lamas
Rebirth took on a new dimension in Tibetan Buddhism around 1,000 years ago. In this tradition, the Lamas of Tibet introduced the concept of conscious reincarnation, where the heads of monasteries would declare where they would be reborn after their death…
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Articles
Bhairava in Baghdad
We have often heard about the great Islamic Caliphate, established by the Abbasid Empire in Baghdad in the 8th century and destroyed in the 13th century by the Mongols. What is less discussed is how Buddhism played a pivotal role in both the rise and fall of Baghdad, the centre of the great Islamic Empire…
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Articles
How Buddhism Saved Brahminism
The current narrative is ‘Hindus are in danger’ and everyone is pointing towards Bangladesh. But the Hindu of the narrative is expected to be vegetarian, and respect cows and caste. This is a Brahmanical definition of Hinduism. Not even a Vedic one…
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Articles
An Imagined Battle: The Violence of Ashoka and Yudhishthira
The oldest manuscripts of the Mahabharata are dated to a century after Ashokaʼs rule but the story refers to an earlier period, before Kali Yuga, which may be seen as code for a time before the rise of the Buddhist orders and the end of Brahmin patronage following the arrival of foreign kings like Yavanas,…
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Articles
Shiva’s Sexuality and Buddha’s Celibacy
While Buddha had promoted monasticism and celibacy, Shiva’s story celebrated sexuality. Vishnu balanced the two extreme views…
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Articles
Fight, Flight and Freeze Responses Of Faith
When a human being is confronted with a problem, we either flee, freeze or fight. This is a physiological stress response, seen even in animals when confronted with a threat. In humans, our imagination transforms this natural response into expressions of faith. And so, we find that religions around the world offer three kinds of…
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Articles
Tracking the Tale of Padmasambhava from Odisha to Tibet
mages of Padmasambhava are found across Tibet. He appears very Shiva-like, with a trident and a string of human heads, and is linked with powerful female figures said to have come from various parts of Tibet, Nepal, India, and China…
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Articles
When Was the Buddha Born?
In writings, people assume that the Buddha lived about 2,500 years ago. But is that really so? Is that fact or belief?…