The Dalai Lama escaped Tibet in March 1959, 66 years ago this month. March 1959 was a pivotal time in Tibetan history. At the beginning of the month the young Dalai Lama was emersed in studies for his final exams in Buddhist teachings. As far as anyone can tell, on March 1 he was giving no thought to leaving Tibet. But on March 31, he crossed the border into India, seeking refuge. This began his long exile from Tibet, which... Read more
How Christian were the Nazis? Not as much as many assume. The relationship between Christianity and the Nazi Party of Germany’s Third Reich was massively complicated and increasingly adversarial. Today, that relationship is often mischaracterized. Here I hope to provide a very brief, general, and simplified overview to a very complex bit of history. The Third Reich, of course, was the government of Germany led by Adolph Hitler and his Nazi Party from 1933 to 1945. Going by what I... Read more
Most Americans might agree that religious freedom is a cornerstone of American liberty. Yet we seem to be confused about what “religious freedom” means. For example, President Donald Trump recently announced the creation of a task force to eradicate anti-Christian bias. “My Administration will not tolerate anti-Christian weaponization of government or unlawful conduct targeting Christians,” Trump said in the announcement. “The law protects the freedom of Americans and groups of Americans to practice their faith in peace, and my Administration... Read more
Padmasambhava was probably a real person. I understand this is according to most academic scholars who focus on Tibet, which may not be a large group. Real or not, Padmasambhava is one of the most venerated figures in all of Tibetan Buddhist history. I think it could be said that the life and legends of Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche, are foundational to Tibetan Buddhism. They also stand as an illustration of the problem of sorting myths from history... Read more
According to the White House Historical Association, one of the first things asked of new U.S. presidents is to provide directions for their funerals. “Traditionally five days in length, U.S. presidential state funerals are meticulously choreographed,’ says the Association. “Coordination for the events is conducted by the army’s Military District of Washington and begins early in each presidential term, when a new president is asked to attend to the strange task of imagining his own funeral service. It is a... Read more
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who died on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100, was a progressive evangelical. He also was the most openly religious president in modern U.S. history. And if you find the term “progressive evangelical” confusing, do keep reading. Carter was president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, and probably a lot of you are too young to remember those years. You may know of Carter’s post-presidency work with with Habitat for Humanity, an... Read more
Today, Christmas is a family holiday. It didn’t used to be. Through much of the history of Christianity, Christmas involved a raucous, multi-day festival of adult entertainment — drinking, dancing, gambling, indulgences and debauchery. The ribaldry got so out of hand that in the 17th century public observance of Christmas was banned in some places, notably England and its colony Massachusetts. (See “When Christmas Was Banned in Boston.”) Today Christmas is the most wholesome of family holidays. The cultural expressions... Read more
Here’s a question for Bodhi Day. Was the Buddha a verifiable historical person? And was his enlightenment a historical event? The plain truth is that there is no documentation of the life of the Buddha outside Buddhist scriptures. And the earliest physical evidence that there was ever such a person dates to the reign of Ashoka, about 268 to 232 BCE. Dates of the life of the Buddha vary, but they range from about 567 to 487 BCE to as... Read more
The world’s many religions observe many holy days in December other than Christmas and Hanukkah. One December Buddhist holiday is Bodhi Day, which commemorates the enlightenment of the Buddha. (Bodhi is a Sanskrit word that means “awakening.”) Just about any web search will tell you that Bodhi Day is December 8. But before you send a Happy Bodhi Day card to your Thai friends, note that this particular date and holiday generally applies only to Japanese Buddhism. In some parts... Read more
President Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a U.S. national holiday for the first time in 1863. This was at the height of the American Civil War, which began in April 1861 and ended in April 1865. It may seem odd that Thanksgiving had suddenly become important in such a tragic time. But President Lincoln had reasons to be thankful. Through 1861 and 1862 the Union lost more battles than it won, and what victories it could claim came at a shocking... Read more
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