Philip Ryan

Enlightenment Card

Visa is now offering credit cards with images of the Buddha, people meditating, and other “enlightenment”-inspired images. Touting the “socially conscious credit card,” Visa says: “As a member of the Enlightenment Reward Card program, your purchasing…

By Philip Ryan

Dec 04, 2006

China’s Still Mad at Nehru

The Times of India reports that a Chinese Communist Party newspaper has published a “document review” describing how Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister, supposedly misled China’s premier Zhou Enlai concerning Tibet. Nehru supported Tibetan independence,…

By Philip Ryan

Nov 28, 2006

Document Points to Origin of Bamiyan Statues

A sutra was unearthed from one of the Buddhas of Bamiyan destroyed by the Taliban (and according to Swiss filmmaker Christian Frei, Osama Bin Laden) in 2001, according to Taiwan’s China Post. The document, discovered by…

By Philip Ryan

Nov 21, 2006

Untouchables Still Turning to Buddhism

The Dalai Lama and others have spread the message that religions should no longer compete for “market share” and Buddhism is not generally thought of a missionary religion, but it’s still picking up converts. In Nagpur,…

By Philip Ryan

Oct 16, 2006

The Mind’s Attachment to The Body

After meeting with the Dalai Lama, Supermodel Elle Macpherson is dropping her lawsuit against fellow model Heidi Klum, according to the UK’s Life Style Extra. It seems Elle was miffed that Heidi released a bra called…

By Philip Ryan

Oct 11, 2006