Our friend Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi branches out from his wonderful op-eds at Tricycle's blog, and drops knowledge and compassion on Truthout this week with an excellent op-ed responding to the recent US State Department Environmental Impact Statement on the Keystone XL pipeline: "Clearing Our Heads About Keystone". It should go without saying that this is a must-read. Here's a snippet. There is a fixed ceiling to the quantity of carbon we can release into the atmosphere without setting off … [Read more...]

A tip of the hat to Shambhala Sun Space web editor Rod Meade Sperry for bringing this event and its particulars to our attention.The panel -- which is entitled "Social Messages and Gun Violence – How are we communicating the devaluation of life?" -- is described in full this way: Within our society is there a pervasive life-devaluing message that contributes to gun violence in our communities? If so how does it contribute and by what means are these messages delivered? Who is most affected? … [Read more...]

Buddhist Door International recently interviewed my friend Dr. Lewis R. Lancaster, the mighty and prolific Buddhist scholar, about his years of prison volunteer work, and you can watch the conversation below, via their YouTube channel.Dr. Lancaster was the first-ever recipient of the Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from the groundbreaking program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a member of the faculty at the University of California-Berkeley for thirty-three years, as well as founder … [Read more...]

Tricycle: The Buddhist Review's Associate Editor Alex Caring-Lobel has the story (with video and some prophetic commentary) at the magazine's official blog. Here's just a snippet: Bill Duane, a senior manager at Google, attempted to neutralize the situation with "grace and compassion"—and more than a little condescension. He directed the crowd to "check in with your body" and "feel what it's like to be in conflict with people with heartfelt ideas" after a spirited tug-of-war for the banner c … [Read more...]

This via the University of Hyderabad's Distinguished Lectures YouTube Channel: Date: December 4, 2013Venue: CV Raman Auditorium, University of HyderabadTopic: "What the Buddha Thought"Speaker: Prof. Richard Francis Gombrich, University of OxfordAbout the speaker:Prof. Richard Francis Gombrich is an Internationally renowned Indologist and a Scholar of Sanskrit, Pali, and Buddhist Studies. He was the Boden Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Oxford from 1976 to … [Read more...]

Sakyadhita USA -- the United States branch of the Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women, “an alliance of women (and men) committed to transforming the lives of women in Buddhist societies" -- launched a new eZine at the start of the new year, entitled American Buddhist Women."The response to issue No. 1 was extremely positive," the website states. "Lay and monastic Buddhist women from across the country emailed to say how much they liked the new eZine and what it brings. Seve … [Read more...]

Shambhala Sun Space has a terrific post up about environmentally-sound animal release ceremonies by contributor Konchog Norbu. Do take a look. Here's a snippet: I can’t explain why, but birding has been my main pastime (okay, obsession) for the past 17 years. As such, I’ve developed a wary view at best of the Buddhist practice of “life release”—reciting a blessing liturgy and setting animals free into the wild that would otherwise have remained in human captivity or killed. I’ve seen goldfish gi … [Read more...]

As the son of a professional actress and a stage director/theater scholar, and the brother of a former manager for a Tony Award-winning theater company, I've seen quite a lot of theater in my time.Of all the many wonderful productions I've been privileged to see, one that I have not and will never forget is the 2003 Broadway production of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night, starring Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Dennehy, Robert Sean Leonard, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Ms. Redgrave was … [Read more...]