Dr Simon Reads...

Dhammapada Part Nineteen: The Just (Dhammatthavagga) Warning: This Post Contains Orange Buffoon. “ Not by passing arbitrary judgments does a man become just; a wise man is he who investigates both right and wrong.” Welcome to the next instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Dhammapada). In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the Dhammapada, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology. For more detail, see the introductory post https://bit.ly/3IbwtwE For the online Dhammapada that I use, see here https://bit.ly/3IgCiJr And now: Dhammapada Part Nineteen: The Just (Dhammatthavagga) This chapter is largely concerned with what does and does not make a person just, and it seems particularly to be addressed to those who would be monks, for example “ Not by shaven head does a man who is indisciplined and untruthful become a monk. How can he who is full of desire and greed be a monk? ” There’s quite a lot like that...

  Issue 21 One-Eye Canyon and the Enslaver   White Dwarf 21 contains another of Albie Fiore’s “mini scenario” style collections, and this one even comes with a rather swanky topographic map:   To the best of my knowledge, it’s the only one that does, except for an article up in the 60s or 70s for a fey race called the O Caber. There are several adventure seeds for One-Eye Canyon, and of all of the Fiend Factory scenarios it’s probably the most robustly developed. Despite the main seed being to stop raids by cyclops (the climactic encounter), “One-Eye” Canyon is actually named after a wizard that used to live there long ago. There are tales of the wizard’s treasure, and of platinum from an abandoned dwarf mine to lure adventurers, as well as rumours of a missing adventurer. All in all, plenty of hooks to draw in adventurers. The first encounter takes place in the forest, where we meet the Brothers of the Pine , by Julian Lawrence. These are a kind of undead c...

Dhammapada Part Eighteen: Impurity (Malavagga) More Yoda, More Jesus, And Obscure Recluses. “ Like a withered leaf are you now; death's messengers await you. You stand on the eve of your departure, yet you have made no provision for your journey!” Welcome to the next instalment of An Atheist Explores Sacred Texts (Dhammapada). In this series I work my way chapter-by-chapter through the Dhammapada, commenting on it from the point of view of the text as literature and mythology. For more detail, see the introductory post https://bit.ly/3IbwtwE For the online Dhammapada that I use, see here https://bit.ly/3IgCiJr And now: Dhammapada Part Eighteen: Impurity (Malavagga) The first half of this section looks at a person near the end of their life, in the “ presence of Yama, the King of Death ” and how, if they haven’t removed their impurities (from whence the title) they do not escape the cycle of rebirth, because “ Rid of impurities and cleansed of stain, you shall not ...

  White Dwarf Issue 20: Cauldron-Born   Issue 20 has the first of a common theme during Albie Fiore’s tenure, where the monster selection is turned into a kind of mini-scenario, linking each monster as an encounter. These are actually quite good, and even if one doesn’t use them as written, it’s nice to contextualise the monsters and give an example of how to use them. This particular scenario doesn’t have a title. It starts in the village of Xibabu on the borders of the everglades of Kish, wherein the characters hear rumours of a city deep in the everglades where a mysterious cauldron sends forth monsters that have cursed the temple, and of the rewards that await should the menace be removed. The first encounter is with John R Gordon’s Creeper , which is a bit like a variant shambling mound, albeit not a plant. The creeper has two tentacle attacks and can bite with its beak, delivering one of two venoms that it has it its disposal. One venom paralyses, the other kills...