This from the Times of India:

India and China are engaged in a competition for soft power supremacy in Asia – the battlefield is ownership of one of the world’s oldest religions, Buddhism.

Well, we all know China and India aren’t really fighting over Buddhism. Neither country really cares about that. What’s at stake is being Asia’s economic top dog, and no religion is as pan-Asian as Buddhism. The article isn’t really interesting or illuminating, but it does talk a bit about Luoyang, home of maybe the oldest Buddhist temple in China.

mapbuddhism1.gifIt also brings to mind this map, at right (from here.) I like weird and oversimplified maps like these. Oversimplified maps help us learn things. It’s like in Geography class as a kid. You don’t want the map of your neighborhood to have every tree and fire hydrant on it. That doesn’t help you find your way to the store. What I mean is, details don’t always help. I also like maps with big bright colors. If you like strange maps too, check this site out.

Finally, Tibet Connection is an English-language radio show with news about Tibet. It’s only on every other week, I think, but you can stream the show from the website of KPFK (Los Angeles, 90.7 FM).

– Philip Ryan, Webmaster

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