Tag Archives: philosophy/religion

Shwe Dagon

“Shwe Dagon: Pagoda in Yangon (Rangoon) that is the center of Burmese religious life. A Buddhist temple complex begun in the 15th century, Shwe Dagon is constructed of brick in the form of a cone and is completely covered with gold. Raised over a relic chamber, it was rebuilt several times and was brought to its present height of 326 feet (99 meters) in 1841 by King Tharrawaddy. The pagoda sits atop a hill that rises 168 feet (51 meters) above the city.”

Excerpted from: Stevens, Mark A., Ed. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2000.

The Weekly Text, 17 May 2024, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Week III: A Reading and Comprehension Worksheet on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path

For the third Friday of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month 2024, here is a reading on the Four Noble Truths and the Eighfold Path along with its accompanying vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet.

I guess that is enough said.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Ibn-Khaldun on Geometry

“Geometry enlightens the intellect and sets one’s mind right.”

Ibn-Khaldun, Muqaddimah vol. 3 (ca. 1380)

Excerpted from: Schapiro, Fred, ed. The Yale Book of Quotations. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.

Cultural Literacy: Vishnu

Here is a Cultural Literacy worksheet on Vishnu, the Hindu deity known as The Preserver. This is a half-page worksheet with a reading of two simple sentences and two comprehension questions. Once again, just the basics.

If you find typos in this document, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Satnami Sect

“Satnami sect: Religious community in India that challenges political and religious authority by worshiping the supreme god Satnam. Combining practices from Islam and Hinduism, Satnamis typically reject both the worship of images and the caste system, while retaining an underlying orthodox Vedanta philosophy. Modern Satnamis are confined almost entirely to the low-status Camar caste, and they advocate social equality as well as ethical and dietary self-restraint.”

Excerpted from: Stevens, Mark A., Ed. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2000.

The Weekly Text, 10 May 2024, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Week II: A Reading and Comprehension Worksheet on Nebuchadrezzar II

For the second Friday of Asian American Pacific Islander Month 2024, your Weekly Text is this reading on Nebuchadrezzar II along with its attendant vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet. There seems to be a couple of different ways of spelling the name of this Babylonian tyrant’s name; if you click on that preceding hyperlink, you will see his name spelled as Nebuchadnezzar. This reading, from the Intellectual Devotional series, notes that Nebuchadnezzar is an alternate spelling of his name.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Bharhut Sculpture

Bharhut sculpture: (mid-2nd century BC) Indian sculpture that decorated the great stupa, or relic mound, of Bharhut, in Madhya Pradesh. It is now mostly destroyed; the railings and gateways that remain are in Calcutta’s Indian Museum. The ornamental medallions depicting legends of the of the Buddha’s previous births and event in his life are labeled, and so are indispensable for an understanding of Buddhist iconography. The Bharhut style marked the beginning of Buddhist narrative relief and decoration of sacred buildings that continued for several centuries.”

Excerpted from: Stevens, Mark A., Ed. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2000.

The Weekly Text, 3 May 2024, Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Week I: A Reading and Comprehension Worksheet on Taoism

Today begins Asian American Pacific Island Heritage Month 2024, and hence the observance of it on this blog. The first Text for this month is this reading on Taoism along with its accompanying vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet. Like all Weekly Texts this month, this material is drawn and adapted from the Intellectual Devotional series of books.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

The Doubter’s Companion: Aspen Institute

“Aspen Institute: A supermarket of conventional wisdom for middle-level executives. Corporate life, particularly for those not on the fast track, has all the bureaucratic pitfalls of directionless boredom. To distract these confused but loyal servants from what Thoreau called their ‘lives of quiet desperation,’ they are periodically shipped off to rest camps where, over the period of a few days, they are taught important things which can change their lives, their company, the world. Failing that, the experience may help them hold on a bit longer.”

Excerpted from: Saul, John Ralston. The Doubter’s Companion. New York: The Free Press, 1994.

Mary Wollstonecraft

“Mary Wollstonecraft: (1759-1797) English writer. She taught school and worked as a governess and for a London publisher. In 1797 she married William Godwin; she died days after the birth of their daughter, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, that same year, at the age of 38. She is noted as a passionate advocate of educational and social equality for women. Her early Thoughts on the Education of Daughters (1787) foreshadowed her mature work on the place of women in society. A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792), whose core is a plea for equality of education between men and women. The Vindication is widely regarded as the founding document of modern feminism.”

Excerpted from: Stevens, Mark A., Ed. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam-Webster, 2000.