Greek Buddhists existed centuries before Buddhism reached China. This historical phenomenon is known as Greco-Buddhism. It emerged after Alexander the Great conquered parts of Central Asia and India in the fourth century BC. The primary hub of this cultural synthesis was Gandhara, a region spanning modern Pakistan and Afghanistan. Greco-Buddhism flourished from the third century BC, while Buddhism did not firmly enter China until the first century AD during the Han dynasty. The Edicts of Ashoka provide early proof of this connection. Written partly in Greek, these rock inscriptions confirm that Greek populations under the Mauryan Empire embraced Buddhism. Additionally, a Greek monk named Dharmaraksita was recorded as an influential Buddhist missionary during the third century BC. Another milestone was the reign of the Indo-Greek King Menander I in the second century BC. His philosophical debates with the Buddhist sage Nagasena were recorded in the famous text Milinda Panha. The Standing Buddha of Gandhara perfectly illustrates this artistic fusion. The statue blends Greek Hellenistic aesthetics with traditional Indian iconography. The facial features closely resemble the Greek god Apollo, and the hair is styled in realistic waves. Furthermore, the Buddha wears a heavy drape modeled after the Greek toga or himation rather than thin Indian robes.

Ronny Chieng to Harvard Class of 2026: “I tried introducing my friend to Buddhism with Buddhism Made Simple. Instead of reading it, he asked AI to summarize it in 10 seconds. Believe it or not, he didn’t reach enlightenment.” Speedrunning Buddhism misses the entire point. The journey isn’t just how we acquire skills. The journey is the point. AI gives you the summary. Real growth demands the struggle, the confusion, the reps. In the age of instant answers, choosing the harder path is how you actually build depth. Maybe the real Harvard was the friends we made along the way, and the work we refused to outsource. Resist the shortcut.

The Severely Underrated Millennium-Long Buddhist History of Xinjiang. Xinjiang Was the First Stop for the Eastward Transmission of Buddhism. Kumārajīva, a native of Kucha, Xinjiang stands foremost among the four great translators of Buddhist scriptures in China. His translations of seminal texts—such as the *Diamond Sūtra* and the *Lotus Sūtra*—have profoundly shaped Chinese Buddhist thought and culture for over a millennium.

Beware of those who preach too much good, argues philosopher Slavoj Žižek. Even Buddhism, the school of thought most dedicated to ending suffering, has ideologies that can be used to justify it. Watch Žižek and Yuval Noah Harari debate good and evil in "Nature: Friend or foe?" here.

Manichaeism, an ancient dualistic religion that rivalled Christianity which spanned from Iberia to China, and died out around the 14th century, it combined elements of Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Buddhism and Gnosticism. A Manichaen idea was that cucumbers contained sunlight hence were good for your health. Saint Augustine of Hippo was a follower for about a decade before he converted to Christianity. He carried over a lot of the concepts and beliefs with him, his writings became a large part of the foundation of the Catholic and Orthodox Church, and much of protestantism was about bringing back the focus of the church to Augustinian theology from Thomas Aquinas. As a result modern Christianity has a lot of the DNA of Manichaenism in it still, especially reformed/Calvinism with its belief in double predestination of the elect goes back to Manichaenism's belief that the elect are predetermined at birth. Augustine would often describe Christianity in opposition to the Manichaen. Most likely due to its similarities to other Christian heresies. In confessions he dunks on them pretty hard saying stuff like “all these scientists can predict things but don’t really know what they’re predicting, but at least that’s better than the Manichaens because they just are spouting off nonsense” It’s also circular with the influence because Mani himself probably came from a Christian community too and he styled himself after Paul of Tarsus. Also Augustine’s view on evil as just a negation of good instead of being a stand alone force is very different from manichaean dualism. And the last remnants are a couple of isolated villages in southern China, where Mani is worshipped as a local ancestral deity.

Do we live rooted in one fundamental reality, or floating in an undetermined world? In this talk, philosopher Jessica Frazier explores what Hinduism and Buddhism can teach us about different ways of perceiving reality. Frazier is a philosopher at the University of Oxford and Founder of the Journal of Hindu Studies. Tap here to watch “Buddhism and the emptiness of reality” now.

World population by religion ✝️ 28.8% (Christianity) ☪️ 25.6% (Islam) ⚪ 24.2% (Unaffiliated / non-religious) 🕉️ 14.9% (Hinduism) ☸️ 4.1% (Buddhism) ✡️ 0.2% (Judaism) 🟣 2.2% (Other)

Deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Robert A. F. Thurman, an eminent scholar of Buddhism, a distinguished teacher and a lifelong friend of India. Through his works, he popularised Buddhist thoughts globally and also built enduring bridges of understanding between cultures. I fondly recall our meeting in New York City a few years ago, where we had an excellent conversation. My thoughts are with his family, friends and admirers in this hour of grief.

When I dress this set of Hanfu, I visited the world famous Longmen Grottoes, where Buddha and Bodhisattva statues are preserved from Wu Zetian Emperor (China's only female emperor) time. I immediately dive into the peace of the Buddhism spiritual world. I feel I'm part of its universe, merging into the elements of ancient Chinese civilization. Absolutely a life-changing experience. #buddha# #tourists# #hanfu#