Social Dynamics in Ancient India; Multiplicity from Unity
April 28, 2024
Many fans of Indian spiritual traditions admire them for teaching that all is one. All beings are unified. We all came from the source and
The Rigveda’s Endless Continuity; Different Assumptions about Literature in India and the West
April 27, 2024
Before postmodern literary criticism emerged, it was common for Westerners to think that a literary work is a distinct entity, with a beginning, climax, and
The Rigveda; Deep Roots of Indian Culture Compared with the West
April 26, 2024
The Rigveda is one of the world’s most influential texts, since Indian culture has deep roots in it. It’s also one of the most dense
Plato in the Wheat Fields; Agricultural Roots of Ancient Greek Thought
April 25, 2024
It’s easy to take the importance of agriculture for granted, but composers of the Rigveda didn’t emphasize farming. They inherited the traditions of their animal-herding
More Environmental Influences on Ancient Greek Thought
April 22, 2024
The Homeric poems are ravishingly visual; both are full of similes. The Iliad compares advancing troops to surging waves and a lion, and its
Environmental Influences on Ancient Western Thought
April 21, 2024
The first Greek philosophers looked for something that, on the surface, sounds like what the Upanishadic composers in India were seeking: the underlying unity and
Assumptions about Language and Reality in the Kabbalah
April 20, 2024
The Kabbalah is a very deep spiritual tradition (the word literally means tradition) with fascinating assumptions about language and reality. By the beginning of the
One of the World’s most Dramatic Entrances to a City; The Ancient Khmer Capital, Angkor Thom
April 19, 2024
What a beautiful image of peace to see just before the south gate of the Khmer capital, Angkor Thom–a heck of a lot prettier than
The Bayon; The Greatest Khmer Building besides Angkor Wat?; Its Inner Mysteries
April 18, 2024
I was in one of the Bayon’s inner sections in the above shot, just next to the central platform. The area was dense with columns