Japan’s “Monks Without Borders” to take on poverty

Last updated on: December 17, 2013 at 4:30 pm By Justin Whitaker

According to the Japanese Daily Press: A group of Buddhists in Japan have formed an organization called “Monks Without Borders,” aiming to unite different Buddhist sects in tackling global issues such as poverty. The new group is similar in name and in concept to organizations already created by doctors and reporters, and the monks recently held their inaugural meeting in the city of Kyoto. The project has been developed by two priests from the Kyoto area: Hiroaki Nakajima, and Eryo Sugiwaka. The organization... Read more

A Father who lost his son at Sandy Hook asks Thich Nhat Hanh what could have prevented it

Last updated on: December 15, 2013 at 7:01 am By Justin Whitaker

Here is his question and Thay’s answer: Support Thich Nhat Hanh’s Plum Village. Read more

Announcing the Death of the International 969 Movement

Last updated on: December 13, 2013 at 5:24 pm By Justin Whitaker

As of now: The 969movement website is down. The 969movement twitter account hasn’t been updated since Oct 29. The “inspirational” Islamophobic video, apparently from an Australian 969movement supporter (linked here) is down, as are others by the same individual. Although it may simply be dormant at the moment, it seems that the international 969 Movement (as opposed to the Burmese 969 Movement which inspired it) is no more. In a post written in August, I discussed my interactions with the international 969 Movement: Last month... Read more

Rohatsu, Bodhi/Enlightenment Day

Last updated on: December 8, 2013 at 10:58 pm 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; and here’s his post-Rohatsu sesshin post. In the Western Buddhist world, it is probably the second best known Buddhist holiday after Vesak (Pali: Vesākha), which is still celebrated according to the lunar calendar, taking place on the full... Read more

R.I.P. Nelson Mandela, Bodhisattva

Last updated on: December 5, 2013 at 11:04 pm By Justin Whitaker

“We pray, I pray also, for the long life of South African leader, Mr Nelson Mandela who fought for such a long time to end apartheid and racial discrimination in Africa. This is not only actually an example in the African region or in the African continent. This is an example for the world community as how apartheid is a disease really for the human race, and human discrimination can be peacefully settled.” – A Buddhist monk in the video... Read more

A Very Buddhist Thanksgiving with VIDEO from Mary Grace Orr, Rev. Thich Hang Dat, Sensei Bob Oshita and Ajahn Brahm

Last updated on: November 28, 2013 at 8:29 pm By Justin Whitaker

These two people are hard to find in the world. Which two? The one who is first to do a kindness, and the one who is grateful and thankful for a kindness done.” — AN 2.118 I’m back in Montana, enjoying time with my family – mostly eating, watching TV/movies, and playing cards, a good break from phd/teaching/etc life in England. This is, for me, always the best time of the year. Time with family, with no schedule, no deadlines,... Read more

The Onion satirizes Buddhism: “Extremist Cell Vows to Unleash Tranquility On West”

Last updated on: November 20, 2013 at 9:06 pm By Justin Whitaker

You can read the full story for yourself at The Onion. But after settling in for what I thought would be a light-hearted parody on Buddhism’s ever-so-peaceful image in the West, I began to feel a bit uneasy. The article is clever enough (although the mish-mash of Buddhist traditions leaves much to be desired) but the parody instead is on the Western image of Islamic terrorism (principally that of al-Qaeda). It may just be that I recently finished a grueling... Read more

Spanish court rules for Tibetan victims of Chinese genocide

Last updated on: August 23, 2015 at 6:02 pm By Justin Whitaker

Spain’s National Court has issued arrest warrants for former Chinese President Jiang Zemin (b. 1926), former prime minister Li Peng (b. 1928), former security chief Qiao Shi (b. 1924), former Communist Party official Chen Kuiyuan (b. 1941) and former family planning minister Pen Peiyun (b. 1929), “on suspicion of involvement in alleged genocide in Tibet,” reports Voice of America. It may be just a symbolic victory, as these former leaders are aging and unlikely to find themselves in Spain (or anywhere outside of China... Read more

India, Pakistan, & a commercial to make you cry with joy

Last updated on: November 15, 2013 at 9:01 pm By Justin Whitaker

I’m a sucker for nostalgia, and growing ever more nostalgic for India myself (I can’t believe it’s been 3 years!). But nothing could have prepared me for this: When I was just 21 or 22, a friend lent me Cracking India, a story of the partition as experienced in Lahore. Later I watched Deepa Mehta’s film adaptation of the book, Earth (1998), and watched it again, and again (full movie available here). Read more

The Dalai Lama, the Pope, and Jennifer Lawrence.

Last updated on: January 10, 2014 at 9:09 am By Justin Whitaker

The moment we choose to love we begin to move against domination, against oppression. The moment we choose to love we begin to move towards freedom, to act in ways that liberate ourselves and others. That action is the testimony of love as the practice of freedom. – bell hooks Natural, spontaneous acts of kindness are impossible to deny. The Dalai Lama has long been known for his reaching out, literally, to take the hands of those he is visiting.... Read more