Emperor Wu of Liang, the August Thearch Bodhisattva
Ven. Dao Ran
12 March 2014
The common narrative of Chinese dynastic history is a story of the “sons of heaven” (tianzi ?Ѥl): great men (and one woman, Wu Zetian) who enforced
The Prince-Monk of Parthia: The Legacy of An Shigao
Ven. Dao Ran
14 February 2014
He came from ArsakesHe came, his camel’s bells jingling, Eastwards from enigmatic Persian lands. He descended from his royal throne, Sparrows twittering as his brick-red
Buddhism, the Pearl River Delta and the Maritime Silk Road
Ven. Dao Ran
4 January 2014
The 2000-year-old Silk Road refers to the trade routes and transcontinental economy of Central Eurasia. However, its history is much richer when one looks into
Lu Mountain: Peaks of Time Immemorial
Ven. Dao Ran
10 December 2013
The Yellow Emperor liked these crystal pools, these fickle waterfalls. They trickled but they also crashed. They fell towards him, droplets outstretched, or they squeezed themselves
Expressing Buddhahood: Stories and Narratives in Buddhist China
Ven. Dao Ran
1 November 2013
E.M. Forster, when discussing novels, observed that the narration of “the king died and the queen also died” was a fact, but “the king died
Mythic Symbols of Fortune and Character
Ven. Dao Ran
2 October 2013
Since the parasol tree was believed to be appealing to the phoenix, the Chinese people venerated it as an auspicious symbol. There are records dating