Posts by peter linenthal

A truly amazing number of fruit & nut varieties originated in Central Asia where Jaya’s Golden Necklace takes place, including species of apricot, apple, pear, cherry, plum, pomegranate, almond, walnut, and pistachio. Here is the recipe for the Apricot/Almond Birthday Cake Jaya’s mama makes for King Kanishka. David Kittlestrom, my editor at Wisdom Publications, and I enjoyed making several versions, fine-tuning…

 In 2013 a timber structure was excavated in Lumbini, Nepal. It may be the oldest Buddhist shrine ever found, located at what is said to be the Buddha’s birthplace and dated to the 6th C. BCE. “This is one of those rare occasions when belief, tradition, archaeology, and science actually come together,” said lead study author…

My article ‘Lost and Found on the Silk Road’ appeared in Tricycle Magazine online  earlier this year. ‘Lost and Found’ is the story of how collecting ancient coins introduced me to the world of the Kushan Empire. Under the Kushans, the Buddha was represented as a human-being, not a symbol, for the first time. This Buddha image first appeared on coins of the Kushan king,…

I love my local library at 1616 20th St. here on Potrero Hill. On Oct. 8 the library hosted a reading of ‘Jaya.’ We made paper golden necklaces and enjoyed Central Asian snacks prepared by librarian Doreen. Her Afghan cookies and dried mulberries were a big hit! 

Kids in Cambodia with Buddhism for Social Development Action (BSDA, http://www.ccosc.org/en/partners/buddhism-social-development-action-bsda) enjoy Jaya’s Golden Necklace. BSDA is a Cambodian-run NGO, established in 2005 in Kampong Cham by seven monks. BSDA envisions a society where people are empowered to fully exercise their potential to live in dignity, peace and free of poverty. Stemming from this vision, BSDA’s mission…