Mindfulness: the single most impactful aspect of Buddhism in America

Last updated on: January 4, 2016 at 12:17 am By Justin Whitaker

In an intriguing recent lecture, scholar of Western Buddhism Jeff Wilson makes the claim that mindfulness is, in fact, Buddhism’s largest single impact on North America. The evidence is more than compelling: from books by Congressman Tim Ryan (A Mindful Nation) and Google’s “Jolly Good Fellow” Chade-Meng Tan (Search Inside Yourself) – shown meeting President Obama – to news reports in nearly every major media outlet and new movements to get mindfulness practice into schools, medicine, police stations, and the military.... Read more

A Christmas Eve health update on Thich Nhat Hanh

Last updated on: December 24, 2015 at 7:37 pm By Justin Whitaker

The monastics at Plum Village have issued a new update today on the health of Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay). They are in the midst of an annual three-month Winter Retreat. Thay is joining the monastics in regular activities, including sitting meditations. Despite noting his “remarkable progress” in June, they write today: Sadly, at this time, Thay has made only slight improvements and is still unable to speak. He continues to sing with us, and is making more and more recognizable words... Read more

5 things we learned (and didn’t) from the Reuters investigation into the Buddhist “Shugden” sect, China, and the Dalai Lama

Last updated on: December 24, 2015 at 9:34 pm By Justin Whitaker

For students of Tibetan Buddhism the Dorje Shugden issue is a treasure trove: involving a mysterious protector deity, capable of bestowing great wealth and threatening violence to foes, exposing a fault-line within the best known school of Tibetan Buddhism, with the widely-loved Dalai Lama caught in the middle, and now the secretive world of China-Tibet politics seeping in. For adherents to Tibetan Buddhism it exposes deeply held allegiances and the fears or concerns associated with potentially breaking century-old bonds of lineage.... Read more

The Santa Claus Sutra, Christmas becomes Buddhist (Video)

Last updated on: December 19, 2015 at 5:02 pm By Justin Whitaker

Christmas is less than a week away now, and if Star Wars mania doesn’t completely eclipse the popular winter holiday, we’ll all be left with the usual yearly questions like “Happy Holiday” or “Merry Christmas”? Or “to tree or not to tree…“Or,”why are all these pagan festivities being practiced by Christians this time of year, anyway?” How about one more question: Could Christmas become a genuine Buddhist holiday? I concluded my university class on Buddhism last week by talking about ways the... Read more

Buddha in the Classroom: A little Zen for the Workplace

Last updated on: August 31, 2016 at 10:06 am By Justin Whitaker

Subtitled: “Zen Wisdom to Inspire Teachers,” this is a book filled with much more than just “Zen” wisdom and it will surely inspire pretty much anyone who reads it. “The Burned-Out Professor.” To be fair, some of my appreciation for the book is purely selfish: the book feels like it was written specifically for me. The author, Donna Quesada, is a philosophy professor in California, a Buddhist, a yoga instructor, a connoisseur of world-wisdom, and a watcher of good movies. She tells us the book is... Read more

(Updated) Buddhist George Takei offers a history lesson showing the horror of Trump’s anti-Muslim remarks

Last updated on: December 19, 2015 at 3:00 am By Justin Whitaker

Ever since Donald Trump proposed a ban on Muslims entering the United States earlier this week, the internet has been in shock and up in arms, asking, “how do we respond to such bigotry?” Others have asked, “should we respond at all? Doesn’t that just feed into Trump’s ‘shock-jock’ persona?” Trump is a rogue. And in an era when many politicians have eroded the American faith in their own elected officials, he has garnered a loyal following who seem unshaken even... Read more

Happy Bodhi Day (Rohatsu)!

Last updated on: December 9, 2015 at 1:31 am By Justin Whitaker

Today is the day that Japanese Zen schools celebrate Rohatsu, also known as the Buddha’s enlightenment day (Japanese: Jōdō-e, 成道会). Many Zen Buddhists mark this day often the week leading up to it with diligent practice, as James Ford (from Monkey Mind) did in 2013; and here’s his post-Rohatsu sesshin post from that year as well as his post today in which he recounts the awakening of the Buddha thus: So, Gautama decides if there is truth to be known, it must be... Read more

From Paris to San Bernardino, the message should be clear: Prayer is not enough

Last updated on: December 7, 2015 at 7:09 pm By Justin Whitaker

The New York Daily News nailed it today. GNight all. Just hoping there’s not another mass shooting before I wake up in the morning. pic.twitter.com/G1AOkOn8I6 — JustJanis (@jsavite) December 3, 2015 As did the Dalai Lama two weeks ago after the Paris attacks: We cannot solve this problem only through prayers. I am a Buddhist and I believe in praying. But humans have created this problem, and now we are asking God to solve it. It is illogical. God would say, solve... Read more

Celebrating the life of Dorothy Day: Catholic, Anarchist, Socialist

Last updated on: November 30, 2015 at 3:04 am By Justin Whitaker

Dorothy Day died on November 29, 1980. She lived a truly remarkable life, but one that has not earned the recognition it deserves. PBS created a wonderful short documentary on her life and work in 2013, available here: The Life of Dorothy Day. I have written about her before but feel that the battles she fought are still very much with us today. As with many people I admire deeply, she took from her religion a strong conviction to help those... Read more

The Dalai Lama clarifies his response to the Paris attacks: I believe in praying, but we need non-violence, humanistic values, and harmony

Last updated on: September 22, 2017 at 2:07 pm By Justin Whitaker

In an interview with the German media outlet DW yesterday, the Dalai Lama clarified his earlier comments on violence and the Paris attacks. When asked about those attacks, he suggested that the violence we see today is a spillover of the violent 20th century, but: If we emphasize more on non-violence and harmony, we can herald a new beginning. Unless we make serious attempts to achieve peace, we will continue to see a replay of the mayhem humanity experienced in... Read more