The Lotus Sutra is one of the most popular and influential Mahayana sutras, and the basis on which several schools of Buddhism were established.The oldest parts of the text (Chapters 1-9 and 17) were probably written down between 100 BC and 100 AD: most of the text had appeared by 200 AD. The earliest known Sanskrit title for the sutra is the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra, which translates to "the Lotus Flower Formula (or Rule) of Good Dharma." The Lotus Sutra presents itself as a discourse delivered by the Buddha toward the end of his life. The tradition in Mahayana states that the sutra was...

The Divine Comedy is an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri (c1265-1321) between 1308 and his death in 1321. It is widely considered the preeminent work of Italian literature, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature.The poem's imaginative and allegorical vision of the afterlife is a culmination of the medieval world-view as it was promulgated under the Western Church. It helped establish the Tuscan dialect, in which it is written, as the standardized Italian language. It is divided into three parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. In central Italy's political struggle...

Originally published in 1909, "Through the Malay Archipelago" takes the reader on a journey by steamship into the colonial era in the Dutch East Indies in the early years of the 20th century through the eyes of a female passenger of that period. Emily Richings was also the author of: Pen and Ink Sketches From Naples to the North Cape (1890), Sir Walter's Wife: A Story of Two Reigns (1900), In Chaucer's Maytime (1902), White Roseleaves: A Story of the Yorkist Court (1912) and Broken at the Fountain (1916).