Author: Shen Shián

Japan Adventures (11) : Killing Attachment to the Ego We visited a temple where there was a room that once…

Japan Adventures (10) : Legend of the Sword that Did Not Cut From ‘Fodor’s Exploring Japan’ by David Scott –…

Japan Adventures (9) : Letting Go of Letting Go Japan is the land of much formality and courtesy. Sometimes, it…

Japan Adventures [8] : Up to be Buddhas, Down to be Bodhisattvas After climbing a tall and steep flight of…

Japan Adventures (7) : One with Compassion The ticket cum bookmark for Kiyomizu Temple, which is dedicated to Kannon Bosatsu…

Japan Adventures ( 6 ) : Only to be Contented When you visit Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto, you will see…

Japan Adventures (5) : Lure of the Demon Mask The above is a picture of a Hannya mask. Having seen…

Japan Adventures (4) : The Oxymoron of Warrior Monks? I am not the destroyer of this monastery. The destroyer of…

Japan Adventures (1) : The 1,200 Year Old Lamp Enryakuji is a temple built on Mount Hiei at the end…

Japan Adventures (2) : Temples Destroyed & Rebuilt When you visit many temples in Japan, you will be given brochures…

Japan Adventures (3) : Gods of Nature? In ancient Japanese temples (such as Sanjūsangendō), it is not uncommon to find…

When singers pour their emotions into a song, the listeners tend to pour in theirs as well. However, the emotions…

Don’t indulge in sadness – not over a song, not for anyone else, not even for yourself. Just do what…

At the convenience store, the lady in front of me in the queue asked for a pack of cigarettes. When…

It was somewhat shocking to come across news that there are anti-net addiction boot camps out there. Is there some…

An anti-smoking ad has a picture of cancer, with the following taglines – ‘Quitting is hard. Not quitting is harder.’…

Beyond animals living torturous lives before being killed for their meat, what’s the problem with other animal products like milk,…

On the cover design of Depeche Mode’s album ‘Playing the Angel’ is a ‘Featherman’ – who doesn’t really stand for…

What if you happen to crave for a cigarette or even a cup of coffee on your deathbed? What is…

From Depeche Mode’s ‘Touring the Angel’ concert DVD – Journalist: What are the themes of your songs? Dave Gahan [lead…