rom March 2011 to June 2012, over three dozen Tibetans set themselves on fire to protest against repression in China. Self-immolation, though exceedingly rare, has been part of the global repertoire of protest for half a century. This article places the Tibetan cases within an international context of suicide protest over several decades. Comparison reveals the Tibetan episode to be one of the ...

Saraca asoca commonly known as asoka, which is considered as a sacred tree by Hindus and Buddhists possesses various medicinal uses. The stem bark of the tree is the principal constituent of several ayurvedic preparations which are widely prescribed in leucorrhoea, haematuria, menorrhagia and other diseases of the female genitourinary system. Because of destructive extraction and the absence of...

This article presents a provisional survey of Buddhists and Buddhist organizations in Aotearoa/New Zealand, identifying their key characteristics terms national origin, ethnicity, areas geographical concentration. We draw on three decades the New Zealand census (1991-2018) to analyze demographic data about those who identify as Buddhist, information from NZ Charities Register general diverse ra...

This article provides an edition and translation of inscribed two-sided stela (K. 1457), discovered during the construction a road in northwest Cambodia 2019, that commemorates endowment Viṣṇu temple reign ninth-century king Jayavarman III. The inscription, Sanskrit verse except for few lines Khmer prose give details grants made, is undated, but uses posthumous name III, namely Viṣṇulok...

This is a review of epilepsy in Nepal. Nepal is a predominantly rural country with a population of 21 million. A community-based survey in Morang district showed that the prevalence of epilepsy was 7.3 per 1,000 population. A cohort of 300 cases in Shree Birendra Military Hospital showed that neurocysticercosis was the most important etiological cause. There are seven neurologists, 10 CT scanne...

This paper is a review of the scholarly conversation relating Buddhism to environmental issues, primarily in the United States. Topics of particular concern include important scholarly benchmarks in the field, and the nature of Buddhist ethics. Also considered are the relationships between Buddhism and other schools of thought that have been important in thinking about nature and the environmen...

Emptiness (śūnyatā) is one of the most important topics in Buddhist thought and also is one of the most perplexing. Buddhists in Tibet have developed a sophisticated tradition of philosophical discourse on emptiness and ineffability. This paper discusses the meaning(s) of emptiness within three prominent traditions in Tibet: the Geluk (dge lugs), Jonang (jo nang), and Nyingma (rnying ma). I giv...