More dance styles are depicted in the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes than at any other archaeological site on earth. Dance imagery animates nearly every cave. The
All beings can be reborn in the Land of Bliss if they dedicate and aspire accordingly Referring to the teachings of the two Buddhas, Master
Over the course of several days in 2009, I had the great fortune to visit the Buddhist cave temples surrounding the oasis town of Dunhuang
Three ways to attain rebirth in the Land of Bliss In my earlier article, “Karmic Circumstance—Who is Entitled to be Reborn in the Pure Land,”*
The significance of the Buddha’s response to Queen Vaidehi’s request In examining the literal meaning of the title of the Contemplation Sutra, we may have the
After seeing several Cham festivals in remote places on a 2014 trip to Ladakh and neighboring Zanskar, I came to the conclusion that video-documenting Cham
Meditative practitioners are entitled to rebirth in the Pure Land In the Contemplation Sutra, Queen Vaidehi asks Shakyamuni Buddha to teach her how to meditate and
Two teachings by two Buddhas—the dual objective of the Contemplation Sutra In his Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra, Master Shandao says: “Here, the objective of the Contemplation Sutra is
Many package tours to Japan include a tea ceremony. Sometimes these short versions of a traditional tea ceremony––otemae or cha no yu ––take place in the tea room
Three sages in the west appear in response to Shakyamuni Buddha’s promise From Shakyamuni Buddha’s reply to Queen Vaidehi’s three requests in the Contemplation Sutra, we
I first traveled to Ladakh in the western Himalaya 15 years ago, after being invited by a lama I met on the beach in front
“To see the Buddha” means “to achieve samadhi” In the Contemplation Sutra, Queen Vaidehi requests that the Buddha teach her how to be reborn in the
