Religious groups

Dai-Gohonzon, for article on Dai-Gohonzon inscription

Nichiren inscribes the Dai-Gohonzon, a sacred object for millions of Buddhists

By Peter Schulte / October 12, 1279 / Archive of Human Genius

In October 1279, the Buddhist monk Nichiren inscribed the Dai-Gohonzon, a mandala carved into a half-log of Japanese camphorwood in gold and black lacquer. He did so days after peasant farmers were tortured and three beheaded for refusing to renounce his teachings. For his followers, enlightenment belonged to everyone — not just monks and aristocrats.

Silhouette of camels, for article on Hijrah migration

Muhammad’s Hijrah journey from Mecca to Medina founds the Islamic calendar

By Peter Schulte / January 1, 0622 / Archive of Human Genius

The Hijrah migration began in the summer of 622 C.E., when Muhammad and Abu Bakr slipped out of Mecca by night, hid three days in a cave, then rode 260 miles north to Medina. There, a compact among Muslim, Jewish, and Arab tribes took shape — a founding moment still anchoring the calendar of roughly 1.9 billion Muslims today.