buddhism | Pandaemonium

THE BUDDHAS OF DAMBULLA

February 7, 2016 by Kenan Malik

It is not often that I enter a room and gasp out loud ‘Wow’. But entering the caves of Dambulla, with with their magnificent statues of the Buddha, and their stunning frescos, was definitely one occasion. The second cave in particular, is one of the most spectacular, yet moving, works of art I have seen. The cave temples, near the town of Dambulla in central Sri Lanka, date back to the first century BCE. King Valagamba (also known as Vattagamini Abhaya) […]

Categories: Photos • Tags: buddhism, dambulla, photography, sri lanka

IS THERE SOMETHING ABOUT ISLAM?

August 12, 2014 by Kenan Malik

I took part on Saturday in a panel discussion at the World Humanist Congress in Oxford on ‘Is there something about Islam?’ which debated whether ‘there is anything distinctive about Islam’ that leads to violence, bigotry and the suppression of freedom. Other panellists were Alom Shaha, Maajid Nawaz and Maryam Namazie. This is a transcript of my introductory comments. Every year I give a lecture to a group of theology students – would-be Anglican priests, as it happens – on […]

Categories: Atheism & Religion • Tags: buddhism, danish cartoons, islam, islamism, jihadism, naser khader, racism, religion

RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE, BUDDHISM AND ISLAM

May 20, 2014 by Kenan Malik

My latest column in the International New York Times. There is perhaps no religion that Western liberals find more appealing than Buddhism. Politicians fawn over the Dalai Lama, celebrities seek out Buddhist meditation, and scientists and philosophers insist that Buddhism has much to teach us about human nature and psychology. Even some of the so-called New Atheists have fallen for Buddhism’s allure. For most of its Western sympathizers, Buddhism is a deeply humanist outlook, less a religion than a philosophy, […]

Categories: Atheism & Religion, International, Justice & Liberties • Tags: buddhism, islam, myanmar, religion, religious violence, rohingya

BUDDHIST POGROMS AND RELIGIOUS CONFLICTS

November 21, 2013 by Kenan Malik

There is perhaps no religion that Western liberals find more amenable than Buddhism. Politicians fawn over the Dalai Lama, celebrities seek out Buddhist meditation, many scientists and philosophers insist that Buddhism has much to teach us about human nature and human psychology. Even many of the so-called New Atheists have fallen for Buddhism’s allure, albeit as a philosophy rather than as a faith. For most of its Western sympathisers, Buddhism is a deeply humanist outlook, less a religion than a […]

Categories: Atheism & Religion, International • Tags: aung sang suu kyi, buddhism, islam, myanmar, religion, religious violence, rohingya, sri lanka

A BOOK IN PROGRESS [PART 19]: BUDDHISM, REASON & FAITH

January 22, 2013 by Kenan Malik

Those who have followed the excerpts I have been publishing from my ‘Book in progress’ on the history of moral thought will know that there were several gaps in the chapters. That was because I left till the end a series of chapters on the Indian and Chinese traditions. These are now almost complete, and I will publish, as before, monthly extracts from each remaining chapter. Some of the chapters have been renumbered as you can see from the complete […]

Categories: Atheism & Religion, History of moral thought • Tags: buddhism, ethics, kenan malik's books, religion