Showing 263 articles
Chernobyl and the Inexorability of Karma
Author: Gilad SommerDecember 3, 2019
Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth. The Buddha The Truth doesn’t care about our needs or wants, it doesn’t care about our governments, our ideologies, our religions. It will lie in wait for all time. And this, at last, is the gift of Chernobyl. Valery Legasov in HBO’s Chernobyl The [...]
The Symbolism of Sumo
Author: Tom MoranNovember 30, 2019
Sumo is a form of wrestling that expresses the Japanese Shinto religion. It has at its heart principles of dignity and courtesy, and as well as being Japan’s national sport it is also a religious ritual. The Sumo wrestlers, called Rikishi, may look big and cumbersome but winning fights involves a combination of strength, agility, [...]
The Oldest Art and the Origins of Humankind
Author: Miha KosirNovember 30, 2019
Art forms are a sign of the emergence of symbolic thinking and, in this way, art represents a fundamental threshold in the evolution of humankind. It is what makes us human. Scientists have found evidence of cave paintings, sculpted figures, decorated bone tools and jewellery. Paintings in caves like Chauvet, Altamira and Lascaux go back [...]
Heritage: The Foundation of the Future: Architect Parul Zaveri’s Journey (Event Synopsis)
Author: The Acropolitan Editorial TeamOctober 19, 2019
Architect Parul Zaveri established Abhikram (Sanskrit: initiation) to explore design directions and processes that make built environments functionally, psychologically, environmentally and spiritually more contextual, more comfortable and more healthfully livable for all. At a time when energy guzzling steel, cement and glass towers are making towering bar-graphs of our city skylines, Parul and [...]
Celebrating the Meaning of Life in Warli Art
Author: Shraddha ShettyOctober 13, 2019
“They still look upon life as a gift to be celebrated; and this ancient Earth as one to be praised, worshipped and also celebrated. They are the one to whom the earth is not something to be used, not a possession or an object for exploitation but a living entity, an object of reverence, and [...]
The Temples of Ancient Egypt
Author: Agostino DominiciAugust 25, 2019
Introduction The quality of a civilisation’s culture is most visible in its art and more particularly in its architectural accomplishments, for these are usually its most complex and long-lasting forms. It’s hard to conceive of a more awe-inspiring architecture than that found in ancient Egypt. The essence and message of Egyptian architecture remained unaltered throughout [...]
In the Footsteps of an Ancient Athenian
Author: Manjula NanavatiAugust 20, 2019
This article is the result of a trip I recently made to Athens, Epidaurus, Olympia and Delphi. Walking through its stunning archeology, pausing at monuments, and gazing spellbound at its sacred temples, I couldn’t help but ponder what might have inspired such a civilization. Nursing at her bosom, Greece nurtured such an altitude of knowledge [...]
Monkey – Journey to the West
Author: Jim PangJune 10, 2019
Those of you from a vintage era may remember the 1970’s Japanese TV show Monkey. It was the first time this Chinese novel from the Ming dynasty was brought to a mass Western audience and gathered a cult following. It provided a glimpse into a foreign land where you could enter a world of fantasy, [...]
Should the Focus of Education Shift from Knowledge to Wisdom?
Author: Sabine LeitnerMay 27, 2019
The concept of wisdom is deeply rooted in human history. It has been considered a virtue in all the great philosophical and religious traditions, from Pythagoras to Plato, Aristotle and Confucius, and from Christianity to Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism and Hinduism. But although the literature on wisdom goes back to the early days of humanity, [...]
Bill Viola / Michelangelo: Life, Death, Rebirth
Author: Miha KosirMay 26, 2019
What is life, what is death, is there a rebirth? These are the big questions arising with the first spark of self-awareness. But what are the answers? A recent exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts entitled Bill Viola / Michelangelo: Life, Death, Rebirth displayed some of the finest drawings by versatile renaissance artist Michelangelo [...]
Ashurbanipal and his Library
Author: Pinar AkhanMarch 27, 2019
There is an exhibition currently running at the British Museum about Ashurbanipal, King of Assyria. It would not be not surprising if you have never heard of his name, as neither the king nor the Assyrian culture is familiar to most of us in the West. Ashurbanipal was the last king of the Assyrian Empire, [...]
The Kalevala
Author: Nataliya PetlevychMarch 27, 2019
A truly beautiful Finnish epic, in which words weave ancient stories of the world, its cycles of life and its heroes. Sung and passed on by word of mouth for centuries, it was recorded only in the 19th century by Elias Lönnrot. The word “Kalevala” means ‘land of heroes’, the abode of Kaleva, a mythical [...]