A Different Way to Think about Emotions in India
January 19, 2024
. Ancient Indians came up with a unique way of thinking about and classifying emotions. Absorption in the larger environment became central in
The Soft Side of the Spirit in Vietnam
January 15, 2024
Vietnamese religious traditions have had many personalities. Their soft sides inspired a lot of great art, which isn’t in any books I’ve seen. But
A Unique View of the Spirit in Vietnam
January 15, 2024
I’ve never seen these in any books about Asian art or Buddhist art. But I saw two especially common types of statue in several Vietnamese
Unifying the World in a Thai Way; The Sukhothai Buddha
January 15, 2024
While Florentine artists and architects were developing three dimensional perspective in the 15th century, Thai sculptors perfected their own art forms. They express a different
And the Word Became Muscle; The Development of Three-dimensional Perspective in Renaissance Florence
January 14, 2024
The Church of Orsanmichele was in the thick of it. It was, and still is, on the main street that leads from Florence’s cathedral to the main
Unique Perspectives in Chinese Landscape Painting
January 11, 2024
Traditional Chinese painting has often been based on assumptions that a highly resonant whole is primary in nature and society. It hasn’t focused on linear
The Source of Wisdom in African Communities
January 7, 2024
The primacy of human interaction over fixed abstract systems is a widespread traditional African pattern. Akan societies in Ghana tell stories about a popular cultural
Deep Roots of Angkor Wat; Cambodian Origins in the Funan Culture
January 6, 2024
Where did Angkor Wat come from? Most of its visitors don’t know how deep its roots are. The first big state in Cambodia was
Aligning Chinese Politics with Heaven; City God Temples
January 6, 2024
Unlike strictly monotheistic faiths like Christianity and Islam, traditional Chinese religions have allowed many gods to rub shoulders. Having lived in India, I was already
Not Your Father’s Zeus; Ancient Indian Culture in Vedic Gods
January 4, 2024
The gods in the Rigveda were a colorful lot, and they made up a group that was uniquely Indian. The most frequently honored was Indra,