July 1, 2020 | Introduction to the 2020 (coronavirus) edition I used the example of the dragon’s teeth of Greek legend for the title of my 2004 book to convey the destructive and frightening quality of the malaise that Western leaders in their shortsighted eagerness to do business with China were introducing into their economies, national security and even …

Continue reading "Buying the Dragon’s Teeth 2020"

A Pilgrimage to Old Tibet

February 21, 2020

Pilgrims from Jhangthang visiting Karmapa’s Monastery at Tsurphu in Tölung Cultural Monuments of Tibet                                                                  Michael Henss,                   …

Continue reading "A Pilgrimage to Old Tibet"

Buddha’s “Theory of Everything”

September 1, 2019

The voice of physicist Stephen Hawking was broadcast into space (toward the black hole 1A0620-00) after his memorial service on June 15, last year. I have no idea what utterances of his were selected, but for a science geek like me it surely could not have been more exciting than something he said nearly forty …

Continue reading "Buddha’s “Theory of Everything”"

A PASSING TRAGEDY

July 11, 2019

Review of the film Sweet Requiem by Jamyang Norbu I was going to write the knockout review for Tenzing and Ritu’s new film The Sweet Requiem, but the poet Tsering Kyi from VOA beat me to it. She had seen the movie in early May at a special showing in Washington for the US Congress Human Rights …

Continue reading "A PASSING TRAGEDY"

Looking Back From Nangpa-la

July 1, 2019

I wrote this essay shortly after the “Nangpa-la shooting incident” and posted it on Phayul .com, Jan 7, 2007. I haven’t changed anything in the text. My facts and conclusions might be dated somewhat but seem to hold up fairly well, thirteen years later. I’ve added some stunning black & white photographs taken by my …

Continue reading "Looking Back From Nangpa-la"

OCEAN OF IGNORANCE

June 15, 2019

Making Sense of Samdhong Rinpoche’s Views on Modern Science In January this year at the 106th Indian Science Congress (inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi) the head of a South Indian university cited an old Hindu text as proof that stem cell research was discovered in India thousands of years ago. The vice chancellor of …

Continue reading "OCEAN OF IGNORANCE"