I understand the argument that inherently imprecise aerial bombing, because it usually involves civilian casualties, should be a war crime. Just a legalistic note here that it is not considered one under current or past international humanitarian and war law. In the case of Hiroshima and Nagasaki bo...

Just a note that the climate in Sri Lanka tends to be quite nice. There are a lot of mosquitoes. English is pretty widespread, much more so than Thailand. Of course, the circumstances of the specific monastery should be the deciding factor.

Even by post-WW2 definitions or by subsequent refinements, the two cites involved would be considered legitimate military targets and attacks on such do not meet the accepted criteria for a war crime. Only an attack on a city that the bombing side has publicly accepted as a sanctuary city (in effect...

I don't think any contemporary state would agree that such actions would now be regarded as a war crime or that the Japanese cities mentioned would not be considered prime military targets if a war broke out today. I am not arguing that war is sometimes moral or always immoral, but just that war cri...

Why wouldn't we assume that what the Buddha discovered was discovered by different people as well? Doesn't tradional doctrine speak of previous Buddhas?

Shamans, at least in most of Asia, are also possessed by the spirits or gods. Shamanism is about the skillful manipulation of the gods or spirits or a benefit. The article also refers to seeking altered states of consciousness. None of this and much of the rest of the article has much to do with Bud...

Thank you. It makes more sense if there is a fear of attacks on the person accused of being an "apostate" or on the center, rather than the fear some terrorist would inexplicably infiltrate the center and not bother to lie on the form. It is a sad, sad business.

I was asked by fellow retrant in the U.S. about going on retreat in SE Asia and have often wondered about going myself. That is why I looked into centers there and was surprised by the questions (btw, I am not Muslim). Communication with Burmese centers has been difficult, so it is hard to ask direc...

I noticed that the application forms for retreats in Myanmar Buddhist centers ask that you declare if you are Muslim or not. The implication seems to be that if you are, they don't want you. I am aware of the tensions in the area, but does anybody know the specific justification or reasoning behind ...

I was an acquaintance of Arthur C. Clarke in the late 80s. He was basically Sri Lanka's only international celebrity and people were also grateful for his contributions to Sri Lanka's use of technology. He was not a Buddhist in any way (not that anyone claims he was). He told me, rather amusedly, th...