Very young men or boys joining the sangha without adequate preparation is resulting in real problems
southeast asia
Eye on Southeast Asia: Lunch at a Malaysian Temple’s Vegetarian Canteen

What a lunch at Dharma Realm Guan Yin Sagely Monastery’s canteen in Kuala Lumpur revealed about Malaysian Buddhism
Eye On Southeast Asia: The Present State of Malaysian Buddhism

Malaysian Buddhism enjoys considerable strengths but is in urgent need of intellectual vitality and dynamism
The Throne of Origins: The Pulsating Heart of Pre-Sectarian, 2000-year Buddhism

The “Throne of Origins,” ruins of one of the oldest Buddhist temples in the world, is alive and flourishing in Pakistan
In Review: “Xuanzang” and “Monks in Motion”

Here are some books I’m reviewing or have recently reviewed.
Buddhism in International Relations: Socially Engaged Buddhism at the UN

This series on Buddhism and international relations by Durgesh Kasbekar is a modified series from an essay “Buddhism in International Relations” by the same author. International relations and global politics are often absent from reflections about Buddhism in academia. This series aims to provide a small corrective and highlight how Buddhism affects and is affected by […]
Of Statecraft and Sangha: Po Lin Monastery and the Silk Road

29 June will be remembered as a key date in post-handover Hong Kong: aside from president Xi Jinping’s landmark visit to the fragrant harbor, Po Lin Monastery is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the handover as well as the 25th anniversary of its Big Buddha. It is also hosting a carefully timed, simultaneous symposium: Theravada […]