Buddhism - Comfortably Numb

Book review: The Golden Road by William Dalrymple

THE GOLDEN ROAD by William Dalrymple, Bloomsbury Publishers. If I call this a real feelgood book and you ask why, I shall offer you the subtitle: How ancient India transformed the world, it says. And before you raise that skeptical eyebrow, let me remind you that this author could write the manual for the innards…

Travel: Dambulla Caves, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka`s Dambulla Cave Temple stuns the viewer into an awed silence. Of late, I have broken a long-time habit, that of reading up on a place before I visit it. Because, when you go someplace you know little or nothing about, the visual pleasure of what you come across is underlaid with…

Book review: The Laughing Sutra by Mark Salzman

In his second book, a work of fiction this time, Mark Salzman does not quite pull off the Iron and Silk magic once again but no matter, The Laughing Sutra (1991) is an eminently enjoyable read, a smart blend of fantasy, adventure and Chinese history. It’s a neat tweak of the old Middle Kingdom fable…

Book review: The Art of Stillness by Pico Iyer

Still and tranquil The Art of Stillness/Adventures in Going Nowhere/Pico Iyer/A TED Book And now the peripatetic traveler, the veteran travel writer, switches tracks and writes this eulogy about going nowhere. About sitting still, about being at peace with yourself and your surroundings. A totally irresistible concept, if you think about it. It`s an art…

Book review: The Dalai Lama`s Cat by David Michie

The Dalai Lama`s Cat, a novel by David Michie. Hayhouse publishers. After a mercifully brief spell of picking up books that were less than enthralling, I`m back on track, thanks be. The Dalai Lama`s Cat is another treasure I have come to a bit late. But if there`s one thing this book teaches me, it…

Travel: Sanchi, Madhya Pradesh

Buddha’s Delight Sheila Kumar emerges almost as peaceful as the Enlightened One after a quiet day at Sanchi. Buddhism has always appealed to me since I’m a sort of middle-of-the-roader myself. Not one to glut on excesses in deprivation or indulgences, I go my way trying to live like a decent human being…