Category Archives: Religion

8Books Review: Muslim Picture Books by Hena Khan

One Sun and Countless Stars: A Muslim Book of Numbers and the board book version of Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors, both by Hena Khan and illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini are bright, engaging books that … Continue reading

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Jeremy Lin and the “Chink the Armor” ESPN Headline Writer

When Anthony Federico came up with this boneheaded headline about Jeremy Lin having a bad game against the Hornets, he certainly wasn’t expecting the world of hurt that soon would be heading into.  His name was leaked, he was instantly … Continue reading

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8Books Review: “American Sutra” by Duncan Ryuken Williams

American Sutra: A Story of Faith and Freedom in the Second World War by Duncan Ryuken Williams revisits Japanese American internment through the lens of Buddhism. Williams begins as World War II breaks out and Japan becomes an enemy of … Continue reading

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Comparing Chinese Death Beliefs with Disney/Pixar’s ‘Coco’

During opening weekend, I took my daughter to see the new Disney/Pixar movie, Coco.  It’s a movie she’s been looking forward to seeing for almost a year, since the trailers for the new movie came out quite some time ago.  I … Continue reading

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8Asians Exclusive: Interview with Dr. Ravi Chandra, author of ‘Facebuddha’

Recently, I interviewed my friend Dr. Ravi Chandra, who recently published his book, Facebuddha: Transcendence in the Age of Social Networks: Facebuddha is a rich memoir of relationships, online and off, and an exploration of the psychology of social networks through a Buddhist lens. … Continue reading

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8Questions: Interview with an Old 8A Friend, Author of ‘Holistic Tarot’ and ‘The Tao of Craft’

Our very own Akrypti has been quite busy since she went on a hiatus from covering APA social politics for 8Asians. She’s taken the tarot world by storm with her first book Holistic Tarot: An Integrative Approach to Using Tarot … Continue reading

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NYC Theater Review: “Kentucky” by Leah Nanako Winkler

Showing in New York until May 22, Kentucky by Leah Nanako Winkler is a tumultuous and energetic ride through the lives of a Kentucky family on the eve of a wedding. It’s a play about home–home and family, for better and … Continue reading

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Traveling Japan: Arashiyama’s Tenryu-ji Temple

We had come to this area primarily for the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, but we found so much more than we had expected. One of the things about the city of Kyoto is that there’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site around … Continue reading

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Aasif Mandvi on Religion, Identity, and Politics

http://youtu.be/E98qLDcwzwU Aasif Mandvi discusses the identity issues of being Muslim and South Asian with Huffington Post. He and his new book No Land’s Man is also featured on NPR’s Fresh Air.

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Traveling Taiwan: Baguashan Buddha

On our way back up to Taipei from southern Taiwan on the bullet train, we made a quick stop in central Taiwan to check out the Baguashan Buddha. It was a cloudy day and the afternoon light was on the … Continue reading

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Traveling Taiwan: Fo Guang Shan Temple (Part 22 of 24)

If you didn’t already know, in Hacienda Heights, Los Angeles County, California sits the largest buddhist temple in the western hemisphere, the Hsi Lai Temple, aptly named to mean “Coming to the West Temple”. It’s a major community center with … Continue reading

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Traveling Taiwan: Lotus Pond, Kaohsiung, Taiwan (Part 21 of 24)

My family lineage actually comes from south Taiwan (and South China further back), and Kaohsiung is my heritage city on my mother’s side of the family. One of the must-see attractions of the city is the Lotus Pond, which is … Continue reading

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