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Understanding the Nature of Self
Our culture is founded upon the assumption that reality consists of two essential ingredients: mind and matter. In this duality, matter is considered the primary element, giving rise to the prevailing materialistic paradigm in which it is believed that mind, or consciousness — the knowing element of mind — is derived from matter. How consciousness… Read more
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What Does a Religion of Peace Look Like?
It is often argued whether this is a religion of peace or that is a religion of peace. We come up with different answers. However, when it is pointed out that there are specific doctrines in almost all major religions which support violence, in one form or another, we start talking about the context. Then… Read more
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Xuanzang in India: The Travels of the 7th-century Chinese Scholar
Xuanzang, also known as Hiuen Tsang, was a seventh-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator. He came to India along the Himalayas into the rich plains of the Punjab, a land watered by five rivers. Two days out of Rajouri, he crossed the river Chenab. This section of his journey closely followed India’s present-day… Read more
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Is Your Job Bullshit?
Before we get to that question, let’s discuss what we mean by a bullshit job. The defining feature of a bullshit job: one so completely pointless that even the person who has to perform it every day cannot convince himself there’s a good reason for him to be doing it. He might not be able… Read more
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How the Bible was Written
The earliest portions of the Old Testament are held to date from the tenth or eleventh century BCE, while the latest (the book of Daniel), comes from the Maccabean period of the second century BCE. The time-span for the New Testament is much shorter. The earliest of Paul’s letters stems frok C.50 CE; the majority… Read more
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Why Westerners Are WEIRD People
Who are you? Perhaps you are WEIRD, raised in a society that is Western, Educated, Industrialised, Rich, and Democratic. If so, you’re likely rather psychologically peculiar. Unlike much of the world today, and most people who have ever lived, we WEIRD people are highly individualistic, self-obsessed, control-oriented, non-conformist, and analytical. We focus on ourselves —… Read more
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