Once again, yesterday we looked at a basic breakdown of the 350+ responses to a poll of Buddhists on the 2016 US Presidential Race. Today we’ll look at some of the breakdowns coming from deeper analysis. As mentioned, due to a change in platforms, I could only export and analyse data from the final 269 submissions made on the Google Form. Those make up the basis for the analysis below. (see my last post for analysis of race/ethnicity) In this... Read more
Yesterday we looked at a basic breakdown of the 350+ responses to a poll of Buddhists on the 2016 US Presidential Race. Today we’ll look at some of the breakdowns coming from deeper analysis. As mentioned, due to a change in platforms, I could only export and analyse data from the final 269 submissions made on the Google Form. Those make up the basis for the analysis below. The first of these is race/ethnicity, based on self-identification. Is race a... Read more
Last Thursday I created a short survey to gauge Buddhist political leanings in this year’s US Presidential race. As of today at noon MST the poll has closed and the results are in. First, a couple caveats about the poll and data collected. The poll is non-scientific. It is a voluntary online survey. It is entirely in English. It was posted on this site and promoted through facebook and twitter. So those who filled it out are likely to be... Read more
This is from a while ago, but as I was in India when it came out and Montana for most of the time since, I hope I can be forgiven for missing it. It’s a short, pretty accurate introduction to Buddhism that might appeal to, say, college freshmen. I especially appreciated the Buddha’s early life as being described in terms of having the ultimate “helicopter parents.” Also useful was his use of a tablet gift to demonstrate the pervasive nature of... Read more
With the help of Jane Fonda (narrating), director Luke Gilford (a David Lynch prodigy) has created a disturbing glimpse into a future of technology, loneliness, and a techno-spiritual-cult of connectedness. The short film has echos of “Her” but features not an average Joe, but a beautiful-but-aging fitness instructor named Jackie (Pamela Anderson). Her teaching is done alone: mediated by technology. Her walks on the beach, out among people, are also mediated by technology. In the film the only person Jackie speaks with... Read more
As voters continue to go to the polls across the country in primaries and caucuses, we’re hoping to get a clearer picture of who Buddhists in the US support. As such, I’ve designed a simple poll to find out who Buddhists support in the upcoming US presidential race. Please complete it as fully as possible and share it with friends/sangha members/etc to get the largest body of data possible. The poll is open to Non-Buddhists and to individuals outside of... Read more
Even at the age of 80 (or 81 by Tibetan standards), the Dalai Lama continues to blaze a trail of wisdom and compassion across the globe. Last month the Dalai lama spoke from a hospital in Rochester, Minnesota where he was undergoing precautionary prostate treatment (he told audiences in Minnesota this week that he’s in good health). There he reminded listeners to not simply say the words “happy new year” (tashi Losar delek) but to embody the spirit behind them in their... Read more
News reports say that the fire was caused by candles (between 100 and 1000) lit earlier for a religious ceremony. “The fire spread from the temple at 5212 E. 10th Street reported after 2 a.m. to five cars, three sheds and another home behind the temple, according to Fire Battalion chief Lisa Baker. It took 80 minutes to contain, she said.” – NBC Bay Area The holiday, known as Māgha Pūjā, commemorates the full moon day 10 months after the... Read more
This month I am returning to a classic in Western Buddhism: Insight Meditation, with Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein. I’ll promise to share more gems from the text as I pass by them, but this one stood out for its resonance with my recent Valentine’s Day post, as well as an older one featuring Portlandia’s episode “Meditation Crush” (see below). In a section subtitled DESIRE, Joseph Goldstein recounts: A very common phenomenon, especially on retreats, is the vipassana romance. We may have... Read more
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” This is just one of the many often-quoted statements from the Dalai Lama that continue to land him on top of global lists of influential and inspiring world religious leaders. For several years now, Watkins Magazine has placed the Dalai Lama at the top of their list of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People. He was #1 in 2015, 2014, 2013 (when Thich Nhat... Read more
American Buddhist Perspectives
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In